I am providing the following as a community service.  Diamond Pet Food has recalled some pet food with potentially life threatening toxins in it.  Several dogs have died an agonizing death from this toxic food.  I received the below information which relates not only to Diamond, but to other brands:

Diamond Pet Food Recalls
1/4/06 11:53am ET - Update From AnimalHelp:

Despite claims that the brands below are the only brands affected, We have received feedback from pet owners who have recently fed both Cosco  "Kirkland" brand pet foods and Chicken Soup Brand Dog Food, whose pets have exhibited the same symptoms as noted with Diamond Brands and the aflatoxin contamination.

**Please be aware that while these animals had all the same symptoms of aflatoxin illness the test results have not been completed yet and it will be a short time before we know for sure whether their deaths  were caused by the food. There are other illnesses and diseases that cause liver failure and may be to blame. But because the foods these animals were eating are all made by Diamond, and the symptoms are the same, we want to warn you to be on the lookout for similar illness in your animals until we know for sure.

Sadly, a 2 year old Skye Terrier died Monday January 2nd, 2006. He was eating Chicken Soup brand food and displayed the symptoms of aflatoxin illness before he died. The other dogs in this household are also sick. Liver profiles, toxicology screenings and pathology results are pending.

Also, a cat death has occured on Tuesday January 3rd, 2006 in upstate SC. This cat was eating Cosco brand cat food and displayed the symptoms of aflatoxin illness. Pathology results are pending on this cat. We know of one other cat who almost died from the same symptoms of aflatoxin illness and also was being fed Cosco brand cat food.

Cosco's Kirkland Brand pet foods are made by Schell & Kampeter , who also make the Diamond Products. Chicken Soup is considered one of their super premium food, and they also make Nutra Nuggets. Cosco Kirkland is made at one or more of the Diamond plants.

If you feed your pet Cosco brands - or ANY other pet food brands (it is possible that other store brands are made at Diamond plants) - and see illness and symptoms as mentioned here, we urge you to get your pet  to your veterinarian immediately for a liver profile.

We expect the Chicken Soup brands and the Cosco brands will be added to the official recall very soon if the test results from these two recent deaths provide proof that cause of death resulted from ingestion of aflatoxin in the food. We will keep you up to date if any changes are announced.

Because of testing conducted by officials in North Carolina, Diamond Pet Foods has added Diamond Professional for Adult Dogs to the list of recalled products anufactured in our Gaston, S.C. facility and distributed in the eastern U.S.

The product, Diamond Professional for Adult Dogs, contains a "Best By"  date of January 29, 2007.

Testing performed by the North Carolina agriculture department showed a single bag of the product contained high levels of aflatoxin. The product was discontinued in August of this year.

According to Mark Brinkmann, chief operations officer for Diamond Pet Foods, the company will continue working closely with state officials and will not hesitate to take action if testing warrants.

Customers should return any unused product to their retailers and should consult their veterinarian if pets show any signs of illness.  Complete information can be found at www.diamondpet.com, or by calling the Diamond Pet Foods Customer Information Center toll-free at  1-866-214-6945.

What products are being recalled? 

Recalled products can be identified by the Date Code and "Best By" dates listed on the back panel of the package. Recalled products will have a capital "G" (in reference to Gaston) in the 11th or 12th position of the date code (18 lb. to 55 lb. bags), and "Best By"  dates between March 1, 2007 and June 10, 2007. The capital "G" will
be in the 9th position on smaller 4 lb. to 8 lb. bags.

Diamond's quantitative analysis records substantiate that shipments were definitively clear of aflatoxin after December 10. As such, "Best  By 11-June-07" date codes or later are not affected. Also, products with "Best By" dates prior to 28-Feb-07 are safe.

Products manufactured at our Gaston S.C. facility included in the recall:

Diamond Premium Adult Dog Food
Diamond Hi-Energy Dog Food
Diamond Maintenance Dog Food
Diamond Professional for Adult Dogs
Diamond Performance Dog Food
Diamond Puppy Food
Diamond Low Fat Dog Food
Diamond Maintenance Cat Food
Diamond Professional Cat Food
Country Value Puppy
Country Value Adult Dog Food
Country Value High Energy Dog Food
Country Value Adult Cat Food
Professional Chicken & Rice Adult Dog Food
Professional Puppy Food
Professional Large-Breed Puppy Food
Professional Reduced Fat Cat Food
Professional Adult Cat Food

UPDATE:  18/01/06  There are still, unfortunately, pets becoming gravely ill from these products.

Message received from Life's Abundance (one of the foods which I recommend on this site) today:

" Most likely, you have heard about the tragic situation in the news recently. At least 100 dogs nationwide died as a result of eating contaminated pet food from a well-known pet food company. This company has recalled 19 varieties of dog and cat food in 23 states. The toxin comes from a fungus found on corn and other crops and can cause severe liver damage in pets. Unfortunately, this terrible tragedy has not ended yet - more dogs are showing symptoms of the toxin.

This is an extremely difficult time and our hearts go out to the families of those dogs that have died. As you know, our pets are our family and the loss of a dog or cat is just as painful as the loss of a family member.

That is why I want to assure you that your pet is not in any danger eating any of our HealthyPetNet foods. As a veterinarian and formulator, I am aware of how the aflatoxin mold attaches itself to corn and other crops. That is why we have never used corn or wheat in our foods and we never will. Of equal importance is our quality control program, which is designed to keep our pet foods safe. "


For information on super premium dog food - Life's Abundance - which is definitely NEVER affected by such toxins, click here.