Animal Feed

Feed Complaints And Animal Poisonings

Wisconsin citizens have the right to expect that animal feed products are safe for use, nutritionally adequate, properly labeled and unadulterated. While it is the responsibility of feed manufacturers to ensure both the quality and safety of their products, DATCP is charged with responding to consumer complaints and ensuring compliance with state feed regulations. When problems are suspected, citizens have the right to expect that their concerns will be properly investigated. The Division of Agricultural Resource Management investigates a wide variety of complaints related to feed, fertilizer, soil and plant additives, seed, lime and pesticides, as well as cases where animal poisoning is suspected.

If You Believe That Your Pet or Livestock Animal Has Become Ill or Has Died Due to a Contaminated Pet Food or Feed Product

• Contact your veterinarian. A veterinarian will be able to evaluate if an animal’s illness or death may be feed-related and an expert diagnosis of the problem is required before further investigation may take place.
• Retain all documentation identifying the source of the suspect feed. Information including: receipts, invoices, delivery tickets, medication information, packaging, lot numbers, expiration dates and other documentation is needed in order to identify and track the suspect feed product.

• Retain the remaining suspect feed product. In order for the feed product to be sampled and analyzed, there must be feed remaining to sample. Even if feed is retained, it may not be possible to collect an “official sample” if the packaging or container is opened or the feed’s integrity is otherwise compromised. It may be possible, however, to obtain an “official sample” from unopened or otherwise un-compromised package or container of the same feed, with the same lot or batch number.

Resources for Filing a Feed Complaint

• Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA): If you believe that your pet or livestock animal’s illness or death is related to a feed product recall, please visit FDA’s “Recalls, Market Withdrawals & Safety Alerts” web page. You can report complaints about a feed product electronically through the FDA’s Safety Reporting Portal or you can call Wisconsin’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator at (612) 758-7221.

• Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) – Division of Agricultural Resource Management: After consulting your veterinarian and a determination has been made that the illness or death of a companion or livestock animal is due to a possible adulterated (contaminated) or misbranded (improper labeling) feed, you are encouraged to call DATCP in order to file a feed complaint. You may notify DATCP of a feed complaint by email at datcpfeed@wisconsin.gov or by phone at (608) 224-4500.

Other Resources

• Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL): WVDL provides crucial laboratory diagnostic services to veterinarians. Samples analyzed at WVDL typically include post-mortem animal tissues, fluids, ingested material and fecal matter submitted by veterinarians. WVDL's primary objective is to render a diagnosis based on the use of approved and validated test methods.

• University of Wisconsin Extension – Cooperative Extension Program: UW Extension is a valuable source of research-based information for Agricultural producers. They have an office in each Wisconsin county and develop practical educational programs tailored to local needs based on university knowledge and research. They deliver expertise to the public, addressing a wide range of needs to people, plants and animals, in both urban and rural areas of the states. UW Forage Resources can provide information on forage sampling and testing, animal health issues and other helpful articles and reports.

• Wisconsin Feed and Forage Testing Laboratories:

• Commercial Testing Laboratories, Inc. - 514 Main St., Colfax, WI 54730
• Phone: (800) 962-5227
  http://www.ctlcolfax.com/ctlab.htm
• Covance Laboratories, Inc. - 3301 Kinsman Blvd., Madison, WI 53704-2523
  Phone: (608) 242-2712
  http://nutri.covance.com
• Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. - 217 E. Main St., Arcadia, WI 54612-0169,
  Phone: (608) 323-2123
  http://www.dairylandlabs.com
• Rock River Laboratory, Inc. - 710 Commerce Dr., Watertown, WI 53094
  Phone: (920) 261-0446
  http://www.rockriverlab.com
• UW Soil & Forage Analysis Laboratory - 8452 Mineral Point Rd, Verona, WI 53593
  Phone: (715) 387-2523
  http://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu



The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection does not endorse or recommend the use of any particular laboratory over another.

Animal Poisoning

If an animal has been exposed to a poison, pesticide or toxin, it may show some of the following signs: slobbering, bleeding from the nose, disorientation, tremors or vomiting.

Food-Producing Animals

If you suspect that a food producing animal's death or illness was caused by exposure to pesticides, lead, poison, adulterated feed or other hazardous materials you should:

• Contact your veterinarian
• Keep the animal and it’s meat, milk or eggs out of the food chain
• Contact DATCP
• Contact your local law enforcement department if you believe this to be an intentional poisoning

You are the key to solving these cases. When animal poisoning is suspected, time is critical to determine the cause of death or illness. It is also critical to keep potentially contaminated food out of the food chain.

If your veterinarian cannot explain the animal's illness or death, your veterinarian should contact us at the numbers below.

Non Food-Producing Animals

If you suspect that a non food producing animal's death or illness was caused by exposure to pesticides, lead, poison, adulterated feed or other hazardous materials you should:

• Contact your veterinarian
• Contact your local law enforcement department if you believe this to be an intentional poisoning
• If the veterinarian or law enforcement officials suspect that the animal was exposed to pesticides or other toxic substances, they should contact us to become involved in the investigation.

Wildlife

If the death or illness of a wild animal appears suspicious you should:

• Contact your local humane society, animal control officer or your local Department of Natural Resources Service Center. These offices are often found in the government pages of your phone book.
• If you or other officials suspect that the animal was exposed to pesticides or other toxic substances, contact us to become involved in the investigation.

Contacts

Toxic Response Team Coordinator
608-224-4539, Mon. - Fri., 7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Or,

Division of Agricultural Resource Management
608-224-4500, Mon. - Fri., 7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

What Will Happen?

In most cases, an investigator will contact you, especially if a toxic substance is suspected. You will be asked to help us find the cause. The investigator may ask you questions like the ones below.

• Can you describe recent behaviors of the animal?
• Did the animal get into or was it recently moved to a new area or new pasture?
• Did the animal get into a building or near equipment that held pesticides or other toxic materials?
• Were pesticides recently applied to the area?

An investigator may also take environmental or other samples and have these samples tested. In cases of toxic poisoning, your veterinarian may take samples of the animal's blood, stomach contents and the liver or kidneys. The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will test these samples for the presence of pesticides or other toxins.

Precautions

Protect your animals and livestock by following these steps:

• Keep all pesticides in a locked storage area, away from animals and children.
• Store pesticides in their original containers.
• Do not leave pesticides in planting or application equipment.
• Carefully and thoroughly clean application equipment and vehicles used to haul pesticides.
• Keep livestock away from burn piles, burn barrels and old batteries. These have been sources of lead poisoning.
• Clearly label feed ingredients (especially mineral feeds) or ask for clearly labeled feed ingredients.