ZEOLITE 1KG DOG FEED SUPPLEMENT STOP AFLATOXIN PROBS

in grain feedstuffs are becoming a hazard to most animals  birds/poultry/dogs/horses & agricultural animals (and humans)

Aflatoxin/Mycotoxin is a toxin produced by organisms of the fungus kingdom, which includes mushrooms, molds and yeasts. Fungi are found almost everywhere in extremely small quantities because of their spores, and are most commonly microscopically small.

Aflatoxin producing members of Aspergillus (Fungus) are common and widespread in nature. They can colonize and contaminate grain before harvest or during storage. Host crops are particularly susceptible to infection by Aspergillus following prolonged exposure to a high humidity environment or damage from stressful conditions such as drought, a condition which lowers the barrier to entry.

Some toxins are lethal, some cause identifiable diseases or health problems, some weaken the immune system without producing symptoms specific to that toxin, some act as allergens or irritants, and some have no known effect on humans. Some mycotoxins generally have more negative impacts on farm animal populations than on humans.

Crops which are frequently affected include cereals (maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat etc), oilseeds (including peanut, soybean, sunflower, cotton etc.), spices (chile peppers, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, ginger), and tree nuts (almond, pistachio, walnut, coconut, brazil nut).

Recently hundreds of tons of horse feed was recalled in America due to very high levels aflatoxin contamination. Diagnoses of the sickness caused is very difficult so it is virtually impossible to say how many horses could have died from infection

There is reports of whole aviaries & kennels being wiped out due to excess aflatoxin contamination of the cereal based feed stuffs. Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog foods have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, they have caused an estimated 100 dog deaths in recent weeks, say Cornell University veterinarians, who are growing increasingly alarmed. Some kennels and consumers around the nation remain unaware of the tainted food, which may have been shipped to more than two dozen countries, and as a result, they continue to give dogs food containing a lethal toxin.

Dogs keep dying:

"Entire kennels have been wiped out,” Too many owners remain unaware of toxic dog food

By Susan S. Lang

Even though Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog foods have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, they have caused an estimated 100 dog deaths in recent weeks, say Cornell University veterinarians, who are growing increasingly alarmed. Some kennels and consumers around the nation remain unaware of the tainted food, which may have been shipped to more than two dozen countries, and as a result, they continue to give dogs food containing a lethal toxin.

To better screen affected dogs so they can be treated as soon as possible, Cornell veterinarians report that they now have a new test, adapted from one used in humans, to accurately assess aflatoxin poisoning in dogs (see companion story). Currently, about two-thirds of dogs that show symptoms after eating the tainted food die.

"Entire kennels have been wiped out, and because of the holiday these past few weeks, the dispersal of recall information was disrupted," says Sharon Center, a professor of veterinary medicine who specializes in liver function and disease at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, which is emerging as a central clearinghouse for information about the dog food poisoning.

The Cornell Vet College is continually updating its Web site to keep the public and veterinarians informed as new information on the poisonings emerge. Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) is analyzing blood and liver samples from sick dogs around the country, testing suspected dog food, conducting autopsies and collecting as many livers as possible from dead dogs to confirm cause of death, tracking dogs that have died and following up on the health of dogs that survive the food poisoning. The AHDC has information for veterinarians on its Web site http://diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/news.asp.

"We suspect that dogs have been dying since November, perhaps even October, but it took the perfect storm of circumstances to get the diagnosis," said Karyn Bischoff, the veterinary toxicologist at Cornell who first identified aflatoxin as the culprit in the recent wave of deaths.

Trying to save dogs

Over the recent holiday weeks, Center and her staff worked around-the-clock to try to save the 17 poisoned dogs admitted to Cornell's Hospital for Animals. "I've been working with liver disease in dogs for 30 years, and I've never seen such miserably ill dogs," said Center, noting that severely affected dogs suffer from intractable vomiting and internal bleeding. "Despite our understanding of this complex toxin, we have no direct antidote for this poisoning. This has been an immensely sad holiday and one that will leave an indelible mark on the owners that lost their cherished family members."

Of those 17 dogs, Center euthanized 12 when it became clear they could not survive, and the remaining four were released, though the Vet College continues to treat new cases. Dogs that have survived consumed a smaller amount of the food than dogs that died, Center said. "Some dogs were stealing food from the kitchen counter. Others just stopped eating the food and begged for treats. Unfortunately, some owners used gravy and other mixers to entice their dogs to consume what they thought was safe, quality dog food."

"Many dog owners I've talked to feel responsible for poisoning their beloved dogs," said Bischoff.

Although only about two dozen animal deaths have been officially linked to the tainted pet food, Center and Bischoff know that many more have died or become ill from the tainted food, based on their many communications with veterinarians as far south as Florida.

"Every day, we're hearing reports from veterinarians in the East and Southeast who have treated dogs that have died from liver damage this past month or so," said Center. "We're also concerned about the long-term health of dogs that survive as well as dogs that have eaten the tainted food but show no clinical signs." She suspects that surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease, perhaps liver cancer, and that many dogs that ate the tainted food appear healthy are nevertheless victims of liver damage.

Yet many dog and kennel owners remain unaware that some 19 brands of Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog foods have been recalled.

Screening ill dogs

Early signs that a dog has been poisoned by aflatoxin include lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting and, later, orange-colored urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the eyes, gums and nonpigmented skin that reflects substantial liver injury). Severely affected dogs produce a blood-tinged vomit and bloody or blackened stools. "Since dogs can take several days to three weeks to exhibit serious signs of illness, all animals that consumed recalled lots of food should be examined by a veterinarian as early as possible," Center said. "Physical exams and blood tests are necessary to differentiate dogs that have been poisoned from those that have not. Unfortunately, the latent onset of signs may require that an individual dog be evaluated several times."

Cornell veterinarians have verified diagnostic tests enabling detection of seriously poisoned dogs. Aflatoxin curtails the production of cholesterol and many proteins that profoundly affect blood clotting. A minimum screening profile should assess the liver enzyme ALT to detect damage to the liver, serum cholesterol, total bilirubin concentration and the activity of the anticoagulant proteins antithrombin III (ATIII) and protein C. The coagulation protein tests, which have been adapted for dogs by Cornell researchers, have high value in detecting affected dogs but require collection of a special blood sample (citrated plasma sample) and an assessment by Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

Any dog suspected of aflatoxin poisoning should also have a liver specimen sent to Cornell to definitively confirm the pathologic changes in the liver unique for aflatoxin toxicosis, such as fatty degeneration of individual cells.

"Even if dogs show no signs of illness, if they have eaten the affected food, they should have blood tests submitted to detect liver injury," Center stressed. "Dogs that show positive results on any of the above tests should be prescribed liver protectants for two months." For more details, veterinarians should check the Cornell Vet College Web site.

Owners also should take cats that might have eaten contaminated dog food to a vet. Two cats that may have eaten the tainted dog food have died, but no cause of death was determined.

To send dog food to Cornell for aflatoxin testing, veterinarians should send a two-pound sample comprising about five handfuls of food pulled from different parts of the bag. If the food is negative, that does not rule out aflatoxin exposure, Bischoff stressed, because it may take days or weeks for dogs to become ill and the contaminated food may be long gone. The toxin may also be unevenly dispersed through the food. However, only a liver biopsy can definitively determine cause of death. Center requests that livers from dogs that have died recently from liver damage or suspected food poisoning be sent to Cornell for evaluation of pathologic changes. Veterinarians should check the Vet College Web site for information on sample submission.

The Cornell veterinarians also recommend that any suspected food be labeled as poison and stored away from animals and children. Save labels with lot numbers from bags. Until further information emerges, if food was stored in a wooden container, the container should be destroyed. Plastic and metal containers should be sanitized with bleach.

Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine develops protein tests to accurately diagnose pet food-poisoned dogs

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.

While dogs keep dying from eating pet food tainted with aflatoxin, Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine is announcing it has developed protein tests that accurately indicate a dog's liver failure caused by the toxin.

In late December, some dogs from the Eastern and Southeastern United States have become either seriously ill or have died after eating dog food manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. The dog food was tainted with aflatoxin. About 17 severe cases of aflatoxin poisoning came to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.

The Protein C Activity Assay -- a human protein test that was modified at Cornell over the past three years for animal use -- is one of several tests Cornell veterinarians have been using to detect liver damage in seriously poisoned dogs. The blood test results are available within a day. Aflatoxin curtails the production of cholesterol and many proteins that profoundly affect blood clotting.

The Protein C Activity Assay indicates levels of protein C made by the liver. Dogs poisoned with aflatoxin have only 10 to 15 percent of normal amounts of protein C, says Marjory Brooks, DVM, of Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center. "A progressive fall in protein C levels appears to be a sensitive indicator," Brooks says. This test panel including protein C is only available at Cornell. For testing, veterinarians draw blood from the dog and send it overnight to Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

For detection of seriously affected dogs, Sharon Center, DVM, Cornell professor of veterinary medicine who specializes in liver function and disease, says a combination of tests should be administered. She suggests testing for the liver enzyme ALT to detect damage to the liver, serum cholesterol and total bilirubin concentration (bilirubin examines for jaundice) and the activity of the anticoagulant proteins antithrombin III (ATIII) and protein C.

Even though Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog food brands have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, the tainted food has caused at least 100 dog deaths nationally in recent weeks, say Cornell veterinarians, who are growing increasingly concerned about a lack of public awareness about the problem. Some consumers and kennels remain unaware of the tainted pet food problem, they say, and as a result, dogs around the nation, and possibly in more than two dozen other countries, are continuing to be fed food containing a lethal toxin. (See related story below.)

The Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine is continually updating its Web site (http://www.vet.cornell.edu/news/articles/diamondPetFoods.htm) to keep the public and veterinarians informed as new information on the poisonings (such as the effectiveness of the Protein C Activity Assay) emerge. It also is analyzing blood and liver samples from sick dogs around the country, testing suspected dog food, conducting necropsies and examining as many samples of liver tissue as possible from deceased dogs to confirm causes of death, tracking dogs that have died and following up on the health of dogs that have survived the food poisoning -- all of this in an effort to assess the problem, help develop solutions and get useful information to veterinary professionals and the public.