Recall expanded, new worries.

I'm in a panic since they expanded the dates. We used the Iams foil pouches as a treat a couple times a week and when the recall was first announced, our date code was lower than the ones they advertised. I threw out the food anyway. The last time they ate it was in late February. But now that they expanded the recall, I'm almost positive that the food we had is included in the recall.

For the past week, one of our cats, Mikey, has had diarrhea, decreased appetite, and vomiting. We took him in and they did xrays and blood workup. The xrays showed a lot of gas in the intestines, but nothing else. The blood work was normal. So he's not showing any other signs of kidney issues (not drinking excessively nor is he urinating more). They didn't do a urinalysis. He is still not himself, but he hasn't gotten worse.

I guess my questions are:

1. If his blood work is showing up normal, is that reason to be relieved?
2. Are the symptoms usually slow and gradual or sudden?
3. Is renal failure the main issue with the melamine contamination?

My heart is broken for all of those who lost their beloved pets...it truly is.

I am not sure why they expanded the dates. I don't feel real confident that they (Menu, fda, etc) have a good grasp on what really happened. That is scary, however..I think a lot of the updates/expansions, etc have to do with covering themselves a bit better, as this has been quite a disaster for all involved.

1. I would say yes. But if he still has the symptoms, there is something going on, but I think it's unlikely that it's related to the contaminated food. Perhaps an intestinal bug of some kind? Did they prescribe any antibiotics or any other medicine?

2. I would say sudden, but it would depend on how much of the diet the food was...I think they lost animals in feeding tests within 3 days?? But on the same token, I believe that symptoms from renal failure don't show up until kidney function is down to about 25%. That's just from memory, I'm not positive.

3. So far, yes.

If there were 2 months between the time your cat(s) ate the food, and had good blood test results...and they still have not had any potentially bad food, then I would say you can take a deep breath about the food. I do hope your cat feels better soon.

Thank so much for your comforting response. The anxiety is awful.

The vet said he suspects IBD, because Mikey has episodes like this a couple times a year. But usually, within 2 days, he's back to normal. This time around, it's gone on longer, so that makes me even more anxious about it.

He was on pepcid and flagyl for 5 days. Still had diarrhea Thursday night and vomited a very little bit yesterday afternoon. He usually has a huge appetite, which is definitely decreased, but he does eat a good 5-10 bites of his food. The vet gave us centrine to use now for the poop and puke.

I just hate seeing him not be himself.