Champion Petfoods has announced the recall of its ORIJEN brand cat food sold in Australia.
If your cat has been fed on Orijen for Cats, or if there is any possibility that it has consumed Orijen for Dogs, we recommend that you supplement its food with anti-oxidants and Chinese herbs.
We have support kits made up by specialist vets, All Natural Vet Care, in-store at Bondi Beach, or available to buy online by clicking here.
If your cat has been affected, you may be eligible for help with your vet bills from Orijen's Compassion Fund. See below for more details.
ORIJEN is made with chicken, fish and egg that are passed ‘fit for human consumption’ in Canada and processed fresh.
As these meats are included FRESH, ORIJEN products sold in Australia are required by law to undergo an irradiation treatment prior to distribution in Australia.
The irradiation requirement is unique to Australia.
ORIJEN CAT FOOD | AUSTRALIA: UPDATE 4 - DEC. 20
This latest information release covers 4 subject areas.
1. ONGOING RESEARCH
2. ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ORIJEN COMPASSION FUND TO SUPPORT AFFECTED CATS IN AUSTRALIA
3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR AUSTRALIA’S HOMELESS CAT CHARITIES
4. THE AUSTRALIAN IMPORT PROCESS
BACKGROUND
On November 20, 2008, Champion Petfoods announced a voluntary recall of its ORIJEN Cat food brand sold in Australia.
The recall is restricted to AUSTRALIA ONLY and was issued in response to reports from the Australian veterinary community of cats showing symptoms of a neurological syndrome after consuming ORIJEN CAT food.
To prevent the risk of cats eating ORIJEN dog foods and becoming ill Champion Petfoods ceased the sale of ORIJEN dog foods in Australia.
The recall was unique to Australia and did not affect any of the other 50 countries to which ORIJEN is exported.
Champion Petfoods believes the Australian cases resulted from the high-level irradiation (exceeding 50kGY) applied to ORIJEN upon entering Australia.
This high-level irradiation procedure for is unique to Australia and ORIJEN foods are not irradiated in any other market or country.
Champion Petfoods no longer exports or sells its ORIJEN pet foods in Australia.
1. ONGOING RESEARCH
Two independent scientific publications support Champion Petfoods position regarding the potentially harmful effects of gamma irradiation on dry cat foods in particular.
1. Research findings of a 2007 study published by the AMERICAN COLLEGE OF VETERINARY PATHOLOGISTS WWW.VETPATHOLOGY.ORG/MISC/TERMS.SHTML determined that the feeding of a gamma-irradiated diet of 35-45 kGy was associated with the development of the same conditions as are reported in cats in Australia.
2. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCES, vol 47, no. 6, 61-66. November 2008 entitled “EFFECTS OF GAMMA IRRADIATION AND PASTEURIZATION ON THE NUTRITIVE COMPOSITION OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ANIMAL DIETS” finds that “results raise questions regarding the suitability of gamma-irradiated diets for the long-term exclusive feeding of cats in particular, given that such feeding regimes have been associated with the development of leukoencephalomyelopathy in this species”.
Last month’s study was released in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCES, entitled “EFFECTS OF GAMMA IRRADIATION AND PASTEURIZATION ON THE NUTRITIVE COMPOSITION OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ANIMAL DIETS”.
Key study findings are summarized below.
“Irradiation reduces the vitamin content of food, the effect of which may be indirect in that inadequate amounts of antioxidant vitamins (such as c, e, and b-carotene) may be available to counteract the effects of free radicals generated by normal cell metabolism... Furthermore, the irradiation of diets containing fats with high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids increases the onset of oxidative rancidity due to peroxidation of the contained unsaturated bonds.”
“the irradiation of a variety of commercial dry cat diets at 25 kGy resulted in considerable reductions in vitamin A levels, with up to 93% reduction observed in a diet with a relatively high fat content.”
“concentration of peroxide in the dry cat diet was increased to 11- and 21- fold after the typical [28.9-34.4 kGy] and high-end [38.4-48.7 kGy] irradiation treatments respectively.
“the results of this study confirm that gamma irradiation, at the doses used, (which were less than those used on ORIJEN foods) has profound effects on the vitamin A (retinol) and peroxide content of the dry cat food analyzed.”
“the fatty acid composition of the fat in the diet and especially the degree of unsaturation of these acids is particularly important.”
“…polyunsaturated fatty acids containing 3 or more double bonds are destroyed readily by irradiation.” From hammer ct, wills ed. 1979. The effect of ionizing radiation on the fatty acid composition of natural fats and on lipid peroxide formation. INT J RADIAT BIOL RELAT STUD PHYS CHEM MED 35: 323-332. “the formation of peroxide in irradiated fat is dependent on factors such as the chemical composition of the fat, type of radiation used, total dose-rate of the radiation, dispersion of fat in the diet, nature of the medium used for dispersion, and the presence of water.”
“RESULTS RAISE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SUITABILITY OF GAMMA-IRRADIATED DIETS FOR THE LONG-TERM EXCLUSIVE FEEDING OF CATS IN PARTICULAR, GIVEN THAT SUCH FEEDING REGIMES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED
WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEUKOENCEPHALOMYELOPATHY IN THIS SPECIES.”
“IN CONCLUSION, THIS STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT GAMMA IRRADIATION, AT THE DOSES USED, HAS PROFOUND AND SELECTIVE EFFECTS ON THE VITAMIN A AND PEROXIDE CONTENTS OF DRY ANIMAL DIETS, PARTICULARLY
ON DRY DIETS FORMULATED FOR CATS.”
Q: IS FURTHER RESEARCH BEING UNDERTAKEN IN THE AUSTRALIAN CASES?
A: YES.
Four post-mortems performed on cats in Australia have all shown severe Leukoencephalomyelopathy, as referenced in both studies above.
We also continue to fund our own research into the Australian cases.
Our nutritionist team is headed by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with specialty certifications in toxicology, veterinarian
toxicology, wildlife and environmental toxicology.
Work commenced earlier this month to review and evaluate all data collected
on the Australian cases with the view to add to the body of data cited above.
We expect a final study summary to be completed by the end of February 2009.
2. THE ORIJEN COMPASSION FUND
Champion Petfoods sincerely regrets the circumstance surrounding ORIJEN cat foods in Australia and is announcing our ORIJEN COMPASSION FUND to assist affected cats and their families in Australia.
The ORIJEN COMPASSION FUND is intended to provide for the reimbursement of related veterinary and medical expenses up to AUD $2,000 per affected cat.
All eligible families are encouraged to apply for medical cost reimbursement under the ORIJEN COMPASSION FUND, with submissions to accepted up until May 31, 2009.
The COMPASSION FUND APPLICATION is made up of 2 easy-to-complete forms:
1. A form completed and signed by you, the cat owner.
2. A form completed and signed by your veterinarian, which includes a written diagnosis of the syndrome and copies of medical costs related to the treatment of your cat(s).
Q: WHO’S ELIGIBLE?
A: TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICAL EXPENSES UNDER THE ORIJEN COMPASSION FUND YOU MUST FULFILL THE FOLLOWING
REQUIREMENTS:
You must live in Australia
Have purchased ORIJEN CAT food within Australia
Have one or more cats that consumed ORIJEN CAT food and developed the neurological syndrome known as ‘hind limb ataxia’
Provide a diagnosis from a practicing Australian Veterinarian (DVM)
3. AN AUD $10,000 CONTRIBUTION TO AUSTRALIAN CAT CHARITIES
While Champion no longer sells ORIJEN foods in the Australian market, we are announcing an AUD $10,000 donation to Australian charities in support of homeless cats.
Details on the AUD $10,000 donation will be made in January, 2009.
4. THE AUSTRALIAN IMPORT PROCESS
Many questions have been asked about the Australian import process and ORIJEN Cat foods. This Q&A section is intended to answer the most commonly asked questions.
Q: ARE ALL IMPORTED PET FOODS IRRADIATED WHEN ENTERING AUSTRALIA?
A: No.
Only those foods that are not processed at sufficiently high temperatures.
According to AQIS, cat foods that are made with a “heat treatment to achieve a minimum core temperature of 100°C for at least 30 minutes or equivalent do not require gamma irradiation on arrival”.
A clause also exists that exempts certain USA manufactured petfoods from irradiation treatment upon arrival in Australia.
Q: WHAT LEVELS OF IRRADAITION WERE APPLIED TO ORIJEN FOODS ENTERING AUSTRALIA?
A: Between 50 kGy and 61 kGy.
Q: DID CHAMPION PETFOODS HAVE A CHOICE WHETHER OR NOT TO IRRADIATE?
A: No.
Q: DID CHAMPION PETFOODS HAVE AN OPTION TO ARRANGE FOR AN AQIS INSPECTION OF OUR MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN ORDER TO WAIVE THE IRRADIATION REQUIREMENT?
A: No.
Acting on Champion Petfoods’ behalf, the Canadian Consulate in Sydney asked AQIS in August of 2008 whether there was any possible action Champion could take to avoid irradiation:
“…In addition, Biosecurity Australia has advised that it is not a position to consider the extrusion process as part of the heat treatment, as independent, peer-reviewed information is not available regarding the thermal inactivation properties of extrusion
process.
Generally laboratory results attesting to the microbiological control only cover bacterial contamination such as E. coli and Salmonella and not the viruses and pathogens that are of quarantine concern. As such, this would not be sufficient to address our concerns. As the products your client exports to Australia have not been subjected to any heat treatment other than those applied during the extrusion and drying process we were unable to consider the processing as being equivalent to a moist heat treatment achieving a minimum core temperature of 100°C for at least 30 minutes. As a result, the only remaining option available was to gamma irradiate the products at 50 kGrays upon arrival in Australia”.
Q: DID THE IRRADIATION FACILITY WARN CHAMPION PETFOODS ABOUT A POTENTIAL NEGATIVE EFFECT OF IRRADIATION?
A: NO.
Once we learned irradiation had been performed, Champion contacted the irradiation facility to discuss the levels and safety of irradiation, and to request records of the irradiation levels. At no point was it suggested Champion ‘test’ a food sample prior to
releasing the irradiated pet food for sale in the Australian market.
We trusted that government sanctioned and mandated treatments would not change our cat food and ultimately cause harm to Australian cats.
On November 20th, 2008 Champion Petfoods announced a VOLUNTARY RECALL of ORIJEN brand cat food sold in Australia.
The recall is restricted to AUSTRALIA ONLY and was issued in response to reports from the Australian veterinary community of 27 cats showing neurological symptoms after consuming ORIJEN.
While there is no definitive link between ORIJEN CAT food and illness in the Australian cats, we have recalled our product from Australia as a precautionary measure.
The following ‘Questions and Answers’ are intended to explain:
WHY THE PROBLEM IS EXCLUSIVE TO AUSTRALIA
THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES AND AVAILABLE TREATMENT OPTIONS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: DOES THE RECALL EXTEND BEYOND AUSTRALIA?
A: No, The recall is for AUSTRALIA ONLY
Q: HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PROBLEM IS LIMITED TO AUSTRALIA?
A: WHILE ORIJEN SALES IN AUSTRALIA ACCOUNT FOR LESS THAN ¼ OF 1 PERCENT OF TOTAL SALES, AUSTRALIA ACCOUNTS FOR 100% OF CASES.
ORIJEN was sold in Australia only for a 9 month period of February through October 2008.
During this time ONLY 6 PALLETS of ORIJEN CAT food actually entered retail distribution in Australia. This equates to 200 Australian cats fed daily over the 9 month period.
Of these 200 cats, 27 are reported having the syndrome of which 4 have been unfortunately euthanized and 4 that are thankfully recovering.
During the same nine month period, shipments of ORIJEN CAT food equivalent to feed 85,000 cats were made to 49 other countries.
ZERO cases were reported outside of Australia.
Q: WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT AUSTRALIA?
A: IRRADIATION
Champion Petfoods has investigated factors that make Australia unique from our other ORIJEN markets, both export and domestic.
Of the 50 countries to which we supply ORIJEN, Australia is the only country that requires the IRRADIATION TREATMENT of ORIJEN cat foods.
Q: WHAT IS IRRADIATION?
A: Irradiation is a process that passes Cobalt 60 gamma rays through food to reduce microbial hazards, specifically, in this case - imported pet foods containing fresh meats.
Q: IS ALL DRY CAT FOOD IN AUSTRALIA IRRADIATED?
A: NO.
The overwhelming majority of dry cat foods in Australia do not require irradiation. ORIJEN is one of very few that must comply with this regulation.
Q: WHY IS ORIJEN IRRADIATED?
A: Australia requires irradiation on foods that include fresh meats or that have been cooked at low temperatures.
Other pet foods that are cooked at high temperatures or are made with chicken meal, turkey meal, fish meal or other ingredients that are pre-cooked at high temperatures prior to inclusion in pet foods do not have to be irradiated.
Q: ISN’T IRRADIATION GENERALLY RECOGNIZED AS SAFE?
A: YES. But Irradiation is typically applied to human foods at doses between 5-10kGY.
ORIJEN in Australia received a minimum level of 50 kGY and records recovered from the Australian irradiation facility show that ORIJEN was irradiated to levels reaching 61 kGY. THESE ARE VERY SUBSTANTIAL LEVELS OF IRRADIATION.
Studies indicate that cats fed dry cat food irradiated at levels between 36 and 47kGY develop the same neurological symptoms as seen in the Australian cats.
Q: HOW DOES IRRADIATION AFFECT ORIJEN?
A: In recent weeks, Champion Petfoods has conducted extensive testing on ORIJEN Cat sold in Australia. From a combination of laboratory test results, scientific papers from reputable journals, and consultation from various nutritional experts and veterinarians around the world, we have discovered 2 primary factors:
1) VITAMIN A DEPLETION IN IRRADIATED FOODS
Our tests show that irradiation of ORIJEN Cat at 50kGY causes a depletion of vitamin A of up to 77%. The irradiation levels applied to ORIJEN in Australia exceeded this amount.
We tested ORIJEN cat foods at varying levels of irradiation (0 kGY (control), 25kGY and 50kGY). The results show a direct and linear relationship between the increase in irradiation dosage and vitamin A depletion. In other words, more vitamins were depleted as the level of irradiation increased.
Literature published by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (2007) shows that depletion of vitamin A from irradiated cat food is associated with the same symptoms in cats as are reported in Australia (CASSIDY ET. AL, 2007).
An excerpt from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists’ study supports this finding:
“Both SPF (specific pathogen free) and conventional status cats had been fed to appetite on the same commercial formula ration (Gilbertson and Page Ltd., Welwyn Garden City, UK), except that the ration fed to the SPF cats had been irradiated by a single-exposure gamma-radiation treatment between 36.3 and 47.3 kGy (Cobalt 60 irradiator; Isotron Ireland, Tullamore,
Ireland). The irradiated diet was consumed to the same extent as the non-irradiated diet, and affected animals did not lose weight until the developing ataxia hindered their access to food… Following supplementation of the irradiated diet with pasteurized proprietary tinned cat food in the winter of 2001 and, ultimately, the replacement of the irradiated diet with an equivalent
pasteurized diet, no further cases occurred”.
The report describes an investigation of 8 cases where the disease is associated with the long-term feeding of cats on a gamma-irradiated dry food diet. This study is available on the internet from the link below:
www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/full/44/6/912
2) THE FORMATION AND RELEASE OF FREE RADICALS IN IRRADIATED FOODS
A second major impact of irradiation is the formation and release of free radicals.
Irradiation does not affect all foods equally. ORIJEN is a nutritionally dense food with much higher levels of long-chain fatty acids (DHA, EPA) than conventional pet foods. These fatty acids are susceptible to oxidation following irradiation.
Bi-products from fatty acid oxidation, mainly free radicals, are released into the body with the potential to cause tissue damage.
Combined with the loss of antioxidant vitamins (see Vitamin A described above), free radicals are thought to be a major contributing factor.
When irradiation is applied to food, the molecular structure of long chain fatty acids (DHA, EPA) is altered. This causes the formation of free radicals that are then released into the body.
ORIJEN CAT foods contain very high levels of EPA and DHA unsaturated fatty acids and therefore have a much greater potential for free radical formation (in response to irradiation) than do conventional dry cat foods.
Scientific evidence shows that increased oxidative bi-products combined with decreased presence of antioxidant vitamins (see above) are consistent with the symptoms shown in Australian cats. The fact that cats in Australia treated with vitamin and antioxidant supplementation have shown improvements supports this finding.
An excerpt from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists’ study supports this position:
“Irradiation is known to reduce the vitamin content of food, the effect of which may be indirect, in that inadequate amounts of these compounds may be available to counteract the effects of free radicals generated by normal cell metabolism. A previous study found that irradiation of a feline diet containing 9.8% fat with a 2- to 5-Mrad dose totally destroyed its vitamin A and β-carotene content, whereas thiamine, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and folic acid were depleted to a lesser extent, and vitamin E concentrations appeared to be unaffected by this dose of radiation. The relatively high dietary fat requirement of cats may be significant in this context
in that irradiation of this fat component could potentially generate higher concentrations of micronutrient-damaging free radicals than would be generated on irradiating diets of lower fat content.”
Q: WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA AND FEED ORIJEN CAT?
A: Please return any unused portion of ORIJEN Cat food to the place of purchase for a full refund. If you think that you see any symptoms of this syndrome in your cat please contact your veterinary immediately. There is evidence that health can improve with vitamin and antioxidant supplementation.
SIGNS
Changes in your cat’s way of walking – the gait may be wobbly, or your cat’s legs may slip under when going around a corner
Unwilling to jump onto sofa or bed
Loss of balance and falling off of bench-tops, tables etc
Anti-oxidants – Cysteine/Glutathione to protect liver and kidneys – for 6-8 weeks
Omega fatty acids ie. Fish Oil to act as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant
Vitamin A – oral form for 3 week period – weight of the animal and specific dose is important, please consult with your vet or with Champion Petfoods for specific dosages.
Regular exercise and play
Access to fresh spring water or reverse osmosis (RO) water
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Anti-oxidants, Omega fatty acid, Vitamins
Prednisone, Metacam or Antibiotics if needed on veterinarian’s advice
Exercise, movement and physical therapy are crucial for recovery
Q: ARE ORIJEN DOG FOODS IN AUSTRALIA ALSO IRRADIATED?
A: YES. All ORIJEN diets sold in Australia and subjected to the same irradiation process.
Q: ARE ORIJEN DOG FOODS SAFE?
A: Champion Petfoods has examined the issue of safety in dogs very closely.
ORIJEN dog diets have been sold and consumed in Australia over the same 9 months that ORIJEN Cat has been sold, only in much greater quantities. NO DOGS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED.
Dogs and cats are two different species with different nutritional needs and metabolic pathways. For example, cats require higher levels of vitamins than dogs (AAFCO 2008), and cats are highly sensitive to changes in vitamins or oxidative by-products (such as occur from irradiation).
There are no reports or scientific studies linking irradiation to health problems in dogs.
Q: WILL CHAMPION CONTINUE TO SELL ORIJEN PRODUCTS IN AUSTRALIA?
A: NO.
Veterinarians in Australia have recently reported households where both dogs and cats are present and cases where cats prefer ORIJEN dog food over the brand of cat food they receive.
Of the 27 cases of illness, at least 2 cases involve cats eating ORIJEN dog food.
As we are unable to control for cats consuming ORIJEN dog food, there is a small but measurable risk of cross-feeding in dual pet (dogs and cats) households.
Implemented as a precautionary measure to prevent cross contamination, Champion Petfoods has elected to stop selling ORIJEN dog foods in Australia.
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