March 16-24: Early Reports [ Top ]
The FDA updated its original
news article twice, the most recently on March 24, 2007, stating that "The recall was
prompted by consumer complaints received by the manufacturer and by tasting trials
conducted by the manufacturer. There has been a small number of reported instances of cats
and dogs in the United States that developed kidney failure after eating the affected
product."
The updated FDA article further states that "To date, Menu
Foods, Inc. has reported 14 animal deaths to the FDA. Nine cats died during routine taste
trials conducted by the company. Consumers reported deaths of four cats and one dog. The
firm has undertaken extensive testing of the pet food products in question, but to date
has been unable to find the source of the problem."
The list of 53 dog food and
42 cat food
brands involved in the
Menu Foods Inc. recall are listed at the company's Web site. The so-called
"wet" foods are sold in cans and pouches. The company's statements to consumers
and the media are here.
Dog and cat owners who have any of these products have been told to
"immediately stop feeding them to their pets. Dogs or cats who have consumed the
suspect feed and show signs of kidney failure (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and
vomiting) should consult with their veterinarian."
Early news coverage of the problem pointed to the wheat gluten used
by the company. The substance aminopterin, used as a rat poison outside the United States,
was an early
suspect in the pet deaths, but is not the prime culprit now.
March 30: Recall expanded, melamine
identified [ Top ]
The
FDA on March 30
announced that it had notified Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., of Topeka, Kansas, that FDA
tests had detected melamine and melamine byproducts in wheat gluten received by the
company to make dry cat food.
Consumers who have
any bags of Prescription Diet m/d Feline were told to discontinue its use and speak with
their veterinarian if their cat shows any signs of kidney/renal illness such as loss of
appetite, lethargy and vomiting.
The FDA is investigating pet food products made with wheat gluten
that contains melamine and their association with reports of injury and deaths in cats and
dogs. During two months in early 2007, Hill's Pet Nutrition manufactured Prescription Diet
m/d Feline using wheat gluten from the same company that has supplied wheat gluten to Menu
Foods, Inc.
"
Hill's Pet Nutrition [used] wheat gluten from
the same company that has supplied
wheat gluten to Menu Foods, Inc."
----------------------------------------
Melamine is described as a fertilizer used in China
and a chemical used in manufacture of plastics. The FDA is not yet saying definitively
that melamine is the problem, but is continuing its research
on this possibility. However, Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for
Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Donald Smith, a Cornell University veterinarian, have been quoted
in news articles that an independent lab found melamine in the urine and kidneys of a dead
cat and several sick ones after eating the recalled wet pet food.
The amount of melamine that would be toxic to cats and dogs is not
known.
Nestle Purina Voluntarily
Recalling ALPO Products [ Top ]
On March 30, the Nestle Purina PetCare Company announced a voluntary
recall of all sizes and varieties of its ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food. The
company said it had received wheat gluten from the same company that supplied it to Menu
Foods. Purina also said in its announcement
that just one of its manufacturing facilities is involved and no dry foods are affected.
Del Monte Voluntarily
Recalling Pet Treats, Wet Foods
On March 31, Del Monte announced a
voluntary recall of "select product codes of its
pet treat products sold under the Jerky Treats®, Gravy Train®
Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels® brands as well as select
dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands, according to its announcement.
The Company took this action immediately after
learning from the FDA that wheat gluten supplied to Del Monte
Pet Products from a specific manufacturing facility in China contained melamine. A
complete list of its affected brands and products is online here.
Sunshine Mills Voluntarily
Recalling Dog Biscuits [ Top ]
On April 5, Sunshine Mills Inc. announced a voluntary
recall of several types of dog biscuits and treats made in an Alabama plant in March 2007.
The company took the action after learning from the FDA that wheat gluten supplied
to Sunshine from a specific manufacturing facility in China contained melamine. The
product list is online
here.
Menu Foods Inc. Recalling 20
Additional Products
On April 5, Menu Foods Inc.
announced it was recalling an additional 20 brands of dog food, following additional
information concerning melamine contamination. The New York
Times on April 6 reported the expanded recall and examined the melamine issue
itself.
Tainted Food Still on Shelves in Mid-April 2007
On April 12, the FDA urged retailers to be more vigilant in removing
the cat and dog food brands listed in the recall. FDA officials and private individuals
are checking stores and believe most of the food with the tainted wheat gluten has been
removed, but urged people to be vigilant about the recalled products.
FDA
officials testified in front of a federal Senate Appropriations subcommittee
on Thursday, April 12. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., had called for the hearing, and stated
that it seems clear that pet food manufacturing facilities are not being inspected
sufficiently. The recall affected just 1 percent of the nation's pet food supply,
reports stated.
Rice Protein Also Tainted
with Melamine
[ Top ]
On April 18, the FDA announced that yet
another product used in pet food -- rice protein -- has been founded to contain melamine.
This time it was Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc. that announced a voluntary recall
of all of its Venison dog foods and dry Venison cat foods.
On April 19, importer Wilbur-Ellis
said it has recalled the rice protein concentrate it imported from China and distributed
to five pet food companies. One of those is Natural Balance. The other four firms have not
been identified. China is reportely refusing to allow US authorities access to the
manufacturing facilties, according to an article from Reuters
that has early reports of tainted corn gluten in South Africa.
Also on April 19, Diamond Pet Foods
released a statement noting that the firm formerly used rice protein concentrate in two
products it manufactured for other brands: Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice
dry dog food and Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea dry cat food. They stated that
this product was not used in Diamond brand foots, and also explained how they prevent
cross-contamination among products.
On April 20, Royal Canin Canada, the Canadian
division of the French pet food company, expanded its recall
of foods to include five veterinary diet products. This was due to finding melamine in
rice gluten from China used in the firm's products.
Corn Gluten Found Tainted
with Melamine [ Top ]
On April 20, news of the death of 30 dogs in South Africa --
linked to melamine in corn gluten imported from China -- was reported by the country's
veterinary association {SAVA}. The dogs had died of kidney or renal failure, a parallel
with the deaths and illnesses in North America. Recalls were announced by the
manufacturers of Vets Choice and Royal Canin pet foods in South Africa.
By Sunday, April 22, SAVA
was encouraging pet owners not to dump dog or cat food they believe is contaminated but to
turn it in to their veterinarians. The goal is to eliminate the risk of the melamin
getting into the environment and harming other creatures.
China to Allow in U.S. FDA Reps; Bad Pet Food Eaten by Hogs
On Monday, April 23, China finally
yielded and gave permission for representatives of the FDA to enter the
county and investigate how melamine got into the foods exported for pet food manufacture
in the United States, according to news reports. At the same time, the FDA said it was
opening a criminal investigation into the dog and cat food contamination scandal, but did
not immediately name the firms that are to be targeted.
Worries about tainted pet food has now expanded to
human food, with the word that the pet foods containing melamine apparently
was feed to hogs in six states. Many of the hogs are quarantined.
Getting to the Sources of
the Problem [ Top ]
As of Friday, April 27, the FDA
had searched the premises of two companies involved in the recall, according
to news reports. The two are a pet food plant operated by Menu Foods in Emporia, Kansas.,
and the offices of ChemNutra Inc. in Las Vegas.
Efforts also are underway to find precisely where in China the
tainted wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate were manufactured. And how it got into
dog and cat food. One firm, American Nutrition, was quoted as saying it added the rice
protein concentrate to boost the protein level of rice formula foods.
American
Nutriton on April 26 issued a recall of dog and cat foods made with rice
protein concentrate and sold under brand names such as Harmony Farms, Blue Buffalo,
Natural Balance and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, but not under the American
Nutrition brand name.
Melamine,
One of the Contaminants
[ Top ]
Melamine
is an organic compound that is 66 percent nitrogen. It makes food products appear higher
in protein -- because tests for protein typically are tests for nitrogen. In animal
tests, it has been associated with cancer, kidney stones or reproductive damage.
On April 29, some media reported that the addition
of melamine to food products has been going on for a long time in China. By
April 30, many major news services such as Associated
Press were carrying the story, which was running in hundreds of online news
sources including in South
Africa where 30 dogs died due to the tainted food. In addition, the New York
Times has created an index
of its coverage of the recall.
China has now banned
melamine from food products.
Meanwhile, the FDA on April 30 issued an import
alert that requires firms to show that an array of food products from China
are indeed safe. These products include wheat
gluten, rice gluten, rice protein, rice protein
concentrate, corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn by-products, soy protein, soy
gluten, mung-bean protein and amino acids. Previously the FDA had barred imports from two
Chinese companies known to be sources of the melamine-laced food products.
Melamine
& Cyanuric Acid, Deadly Contaminant
Duo [ Top
]
On May 1, Canadian and U.S. scientists reported what they believe is the cause of
kidney ailments and deaths in a number of cats and dogs -- namely a combination of
melamine and cyanuric acid. When they added both substances to cat urine, crystals
formed -- crystals suspected of being the cause of the kidney problems.
Both of these substances have been found in the imported foodstuffs
from China. Cyanuric acid, like melamine, has high levels of nitrogren and can be used to
deceptively inflate the protein ratings of vegetable foods, according to a Scientific
American article. A University
of Guelph clinical toxicologist and pathologist, Brent Hoff, is
credited with confirming the presence of cyanuric acid in rice protein concentrate and in
crystals found in the urine and kidneys of sick animals. See the University of Guelph report &
pictures.
Recall widens again due to
cross-contamination
[ Top ]
On May 4, the tainted pet food debacle took another turn as Menu
Foods expanded
its recall to include certain pet foods affected by cross-contamination.
These did not directly use the ingredients such as wheat gluten that contained melamine,
but were produced in the same plants during the time that the contaminated pet food
products were being manufactured. This resulted in cross-contamination.
It now appears that the tainted food products from China got past
customs and into North America without
inspection -- because the substances were not marked as intended for use in
pet food. Rather, the products were declared to the Chinese government as non-food
substances, an FDA report stated as of May 4.
Meanwhile, in both China and the United States, food inspectors are
checking products such as protein concentrate to make sure they have not gotten into human foods.
While there is no expectation that this has happened, it is considered prudent to check,
officials say.
Wheat flour with melamine
mimicked wheat gluten
[ Top ]
On May 8, the FDA announced that the melamine-tainted wheat product
exported from China was actually wheat
flour, not wheat gluten. The nitrogen-rich melamine made it possible to pass
off the wheat flour as wheat gluten, according to a American Veterinary Medical
Association news release. The same article noted that melamine-containing feed had been
fed to farmed fish as well as hogs and chicken.
On May 10, the FDA and USDA held a joint news briefing on melamine
in fish food, on sampling of food products from China and the status of the wider
investigation. Here is a transcript.
Meanwhile, in China, managers of
the two companies involved in the melamine-tainted food scandal have been
detained.
New Questions & Issues
Raised [ Top ]
Now that the pet food recall has largely run its course and the
sources of tainted ingredients used in some dog and cat food has been traced to China,
people are asking new questions.
Columnist Steve
Dale asks if
cats and dogs have obtained less protein that expected from their foods, due to the
tainting of food ingredients with melamine and cyanuric acid. Both cause tests to
show more protein than is actually in the food -- because the tests actually check for
nitrogen, as noted above. While this question likely will never be answered, it is clear
that much more attention will be paid to food imports from China.
Barbara
Rasco, professor of food science and human nutrition at Washington State
University, has studied food contamination for more than a decade. She says contaminated
and misbranded foods from China is not a new problem, and it has serious implications for
human health and for the global economy. See her comments on video.
Kirsten
Weir reminds pet owners that this isn't the first big pet food recall.
Another occurred in December 2005 when "more than 100 dogs died of liver failure
after eating food manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. The products contained corn tainted
with aflatoxin, a toxin released by a naturally occurring crop fungus." Read
the full article
at Salon.com.
Advice from Veterinarians:
Health & What to Feed
[ Top ]
What should dog and cat owners do in situations like these? The
American Veterinary Medical Association or AVMA released advice
to dog and cat owners promptly after the start of the recall. Three key steps to follow -- to help your vet with your pet's diagnosis -- are:
- Retain food samples for analysis.
- Document product name, type of product and manufacturing information.
- Retain all packaging.
- Identify date codes or production lot numbers.
- Retain purchase receipts.
- Document product consumption.
- Dates products or products were fed.
- Consumption and palatability history.
- Time of onset of clinical signs.
- Detailed dietary history (all products fed, feeding methods).
The College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University
offers a Web page with advice and
resources for pet owners and for veterinarians concerning the pet food
recall. It includes links to other organizations. It is worth reviewing.
What to Feed Your Dog Now? [ Top ]
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at
Davis released an article that discusses what to feed
your dog during this time. Recognizing that people will consider preparing their own food
for their dogs, their experts note:
- If you plan to feed home-prepared meals, please obtain a recipe
providing balanced nutrition from your veterinarian.
- Remember, "Dry foods that do not
contain wheat gluten from the suspect source are considered safe to feed."
The AVMA also shared advice on
preparing home-cooked food for your dog, noting that it is more complicated than one would
think. You need to understand your dog's nutritional needs.
They recommend this book if you want to cook for your pooch: Home-Prepared
Dog & Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative.
The AVMA recommends the PetDiets
Web site as a good source of information on homemade diets for pets.
A new guide on dog food, nutrition
and recipes for your use is now available online at WorkingDogWeb.
Impact of the
Tainted Food
[ Top ]
Official numbers of cat and dog deaths reported were low for many weeks. Only
in early May were officials saying about four thousand pets had died as a result of the
tainted food. Meanwhile, consumers were reporting as many as 8,500
cat and dog deaths due to kidney failures caused by the contaminated food.
The Web site Petconnection.com said as early as March 31, 2007, that
2,600 pet deaths had been self-reported through a form on its Web site. The site's owners are Dr. Marty
Becker, DVM; dog and cat writer Gina Spadafori; animal health journalist Christie Keith;
and Susan and Dr. Rolan Tripp whose work emphasizes dog behavior. They have continuously updated the pet
food recall story on their blog,
giving you a way to track this problem since March 17.
What to Do Now? Monitor the
News for More! [ Top ]
By late May 2007, this pet food crisis seems about over. Still, what
started on March 16 is still generating new recall announcements. On May 25, Diamond Pet Foods
announced a recall of a limited quantity of Nutra Nuggets 40 Lb. Lamb Meal and Rice
Formula due to discover of traces of melamine resulting from cross contamination during
manufacturing. Still, with the FDA ban on many food products from China used in dog and
cat food, the crisis is easing.
Dog owners are urged to monitor the news media daily for possible
further recalls of dog food products. This is essential for you to be sure you are taking
the best care of your dog's nutrition and health. In addition, you might try using this
searchable online database of recalled foods.
Take time to learn more about dog
nutrition so you can make informed decisions on what you feed your pets and
working dogs.
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