At first, the pet food recall didn't much worry Jack Friedman. His cats love Iams canned food but had never eaten the "cuts and gravy" style that was part of a massive, nationwide recall of tainted dog and cat food Monday.Then Friedman, 58, of Melville, read that aminopterin -- a chemical used in rat poison and chemotherapy treatment -- was found in the recalled food.
On Saturday morning, he loaded a bundle of Iams cans -- types that were not on the recall list -- in his car and drove to PetSmart in Huntington Station to ask for a refund."I didn't want to take a chance," said Friedman, who got the $22 refund and loaded his shopping cart with another brand. "It's twice the price, but hey, my cats are worth it."News that rat poison played a role in the recall sent a new wave of panic through local pet owners. At least 15 cats and one dog nationwide have died from kidney failure."The thought of feeding them food that had rat poison is just repulsive," said Andrea Rothbort, 38, of Old Bethpage, who was trying to find out yesterday whether her two dogs ate tainted food while staying at an animal hospital.More than 90 dog and cat foods were recalled, including popular brand names like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet and Nutro. While the companies mandate individual recipes, the foods were manufactured by Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods.Menu Foods asked that the recalled products be pulled from stores, and Saturday there were many empty shelves in area pet food shops.Following the recall, a Merrick couple filed suit against Menu, alleging their bull mastiff died after eating tainted food.Veterinary offices -- already deluged with complaints of animals sickened by food -- got another surge of calls after the disclosure of the rat poison found in the food. At Long Island Veterinary Specialist in Plainview, three dogs were being kept overnight for signs of kidney failure induced by tainted pet food, said veterinarian Gregory Panarello."It's a huge concern," said Panarello, who estimated that 75 percent of emergency visits Saturday were owners concerned their pets ate tainted food.At Pet Boutique in Manhasset, owner Maxwell Beretsky said pet owners using perfectly safe food not on the recall list want to switch brands, while others have stopped using canned food altogether. Beretsky said he received dozens of phone calls Saturday from customers asking for advice.Sharon Feldman, of Babylon, pored over the ingredient list on several bags of cat food at Pet.Smart before choosing one."I'm kind of leery about buying any pet food now," said Feldman, 47, who owns five cats and takes care of five others. "With rat poison, you don't know what's going on -- whether it was sabotage, or if it was just a mistake." Federal and state officials have said they have not ruled out sabotage.The dog run in Huntington's West Hills Park buzzed about the revelation. Mitch Fantel, 46, of Centereach, could barely contain his anger. "Where is the trust now?" said Fantel, who said he feeds Sabret, his 1-year-old mixed breed, "what's on sale.""Who can you believe? It concerns me that there are people who think these pets are not important and would poison them."