Katie Doyle, Girl About Town

Friday, Mar. 30, 2007 - 7:02 p.m.

Updated March 31 to reflect Purina's website update
Updated April 1 to reflect Del Monte's website update

And the pet food scare just gets better...

Hill's Pet Nutrition (Science Diet) has today issued a news release that it has recalled one of its dry pet foods, as it is made with wheat gluten from the same contaminated source as the wet foods. If you buy a Science or Prescription Diet brand food, you should be sure to read the recall notice.

The FDA is aware of the dry food problem, but the agency "declines to name" the manufacturer(s) of any dry brands that may be contaminated, nor will it disclose the concentration of the toxic substance currently believed to be responsible. This is understandably frustrating to verterinarians, and frankly, imo, probably makes it harder to judge how aggressively to treat sick animals or to know whether or not treatment can even be effective. If melamine alone is the culprit, it's entirely possible the concentrations of it are pretty high, as dogs are "quite tolerant" of melamine, according to veterinary toxicologist Stephen Hansen of the ASPCA.

Cats, otoh, don't tend to handle things well. They metabolize substances more slowly, meaning the things they ingest stay in their bodies longer and any chemicals/drugs/toxins they ingest may "stack," meaning multiple doses of a substance can build up to dangerously high levels because the cat ingested more before their bodies had time to eliminate the amount of a toxin they had already eaten.

If you have pets, it can't hurt to go check the bag of dry food you feed them and look to see if it contains wheat gluten. Then go to the brand website and look to see what they have to say specifically on the matter in their press release section. We feed Nutro, and the Nutro website has a press release assuring customers any of their dry foods currently on retail shelves do not contain wheat gluten or any imported grains. I hasten to add that just because your pet food contains wheat gluten doesn't make it toxic to your pet; don't panic if it does, but you should probably consider your next action. Also, even though wheat gluten is thought to be the likely source of contamination, according to the FDA, no individual ingredient had been ruled out as of March 23, and I can find nothing to show this has changed. In other words, do not assume that just because your pet's food does not contain wheat gluten, it's safe. Whether it does or not, you should check with the food manufacturer. I have included links to all the major brands I can think of at the bottom of this post. Not all of them are up-to-date regarding today's disclosure that some dry food may also be at risk, so I've divided them into those companies who are up-to-date in their information, and those who seem to be 2-3 days behind the story or more. Also, it is important to note that Menu Foods does not make dry product. THE DRY FOOD SCARE IS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO MENU FOODS; it is related to food ingredients purchased from the SAME SUPPLIER Menu Foods used.

In a related story today, Menu Foods issued a statement saying the company stopped using contaminated product in their pet foods 10 days before they made the public aware of the danger and issued a recall:

TORONTO � Menu Foods Income Fund, maker of the tainted pet foods at the centre of this month's massive recall, said on Friday it is no longer using a Chinese supplier of wheat gluten after U.S. officials found the chemical melamine in some of the recalled products.

Menu Foods stopped using the supplier on March 6, 10 days before the recall was announced, Paul Henderson, Menu Foods' president and chief executive, told a news conference in Toronto. He said all pet food manufactured by his company after that date is safe.

"Let me be clear on this: we have removed the problem from our system," he said. "Our recall is well under way and products produced today are being made with known quality and tested raw materials."

I have to wonder why they stopped using the supplier. I kinda doubt it was because their American suppliers were suddenly able to keep up with their need. Frankly, I suspect they knew the product was contaminated, but they decided not to say anything and wait it out. When pets started dying, and they realized they could have a lawsuit on their hands, they went forward with the recall. I could be wrong, of course. I just find this whole thing poorly and questionably handled. Menu Foods from the start was hard to pry information out of. This really leads me to believe they knew what was going on and withheld information in an effort to curtail financial damage. I do not feel their public behavior was in good faith. Again, I could be misperceiving their reaction.

At any rate, if you have pets, I wish them well, and here are some of the major brands' website addresses to check and see what they have to say. If you have a pet which has fallen ill for any reason, I'm very sorry and wish your pet a speedy recovery. Everybody give your pet a little extra love this weekend. They give it to you every single day. :)

Brands specifically addressing the new, dry foods issue:

Iams/Eukanuba: notice today that all dry food is safe (and made by Proctor & Gamble Pet Care, not Menu Foods, which only makes wet food products) - http://us.eukanuba.com/eukanuba/global/EukanubaNews.htm

Nutro: two press releases dated March 29 and 30 assuring the quality of their dry foods - http://www.nutroproducts.com/pressreleases.asp

Hill's Pet Foods (Science Diet): one product recalled for wheat gluten from same source as Menu Foods - http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_03302007_en_US.htm

Purina (Purina Cat/Dog/Kitten/Puppy Chow, Alpo, Beneful, Deli-Cat, Fancy Feast, Friskies, HiPro, Kit N Kaboodle, One, Mighty Dog, Pro Plan, and about a million others): The company updated March 31 to say all dry foods they make are safe to feed and announcing a recall of some wet Alpo product - http://purina.com/

Del Monte Pet Products (Meow Mix, 9 Lives, Nature's Recipe, Gravy Train, et al.): Update April 1st regarding several types of dog food/treats and some Pounce food/treat(s) for cats; PLEASE NOTE THE HEADLINE ONLY MENTIONS DOG FOOD, BUT THIS RECALL ALSO APPLIES TO POUNCE BRAND CAT FOOD/TREATS - http://www.delmonte.com/

Brands which do NOT address the LATEST, MOST CURRENT issue, AS OF March 30, 2007:

Breeder's Choice (Avo-Derm, Pinnacle, et al.): No update information on dry foods at this time; only a generic Menu Foods statement
- http://www.breeders-choice.com/press/

And finally, according to several animal welfare sites, these are some of the signs of kidney failure in your pet. Animal welfare people recommend that if your dog or cat is exhibiting the following signs, you should seek the opinion of a veterinarian immediately:

Uncharacteristic lethargy
Severe loss of appetite
Vomiting
Profound changes in eating and drinking
Increased urination

I wish you and your pet good health and a happy weekend.

Peace out,
Katie

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