Pet Food Recall - toxic fertilizer

[cassiesmom]

This is from today's online Chicago Tribune. Note the second to the last paragraph about dry food.


FDA Testing Reveals Chemical in Pet Food

By ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press Writer

March 30, 2007, 10:03 AM CDT

WASHINGTON -- Recalled pet foods contained a chemical used to make plastics, but government tests failed to confirm the presence of rat poison, federal officials said Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said it found melamine in samples of the Menu Foods pet food, as well as in wheat gluten used as an ingredient. Cornell University scientists also have found the chemical, also used as a fertilizer, in the urine of sick cats, as well as in the kidney of one cat that died after eating the company's wet food.

Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of cat and dog food earlier this month after animals died of kidney failure after eating the Canadian company's products. It is not clear how many pets may have been poisoned by the apparently contaminated food, although anecdotal reports suggest hundreds if not thousands have died. The FDA alone has received more than 8,000 complaints.

The new finding comes a week after scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory identified a rat poison and cancer drug called aminopterin as the likely culprit. The FDA said it could not confirm that finding.

New York officials have detected melamine as well, though it's not clear how that chemical would have poisoned pets. It's typically used to produce plastic kitchen wares, though it's apparently used as a fertilizer in Asia, said Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

The recall involved nearly 100 brands of "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food made by Menu Foods. The recall covered products carrying names of major brand-name and private-label products sold throughout North America.

The apparently melamine-contaminated wheat gluten also was shipped to an unnamed company that manufactures dry pet food. The FDA is attempting to determine if that product, imported from China, was used to make any pet food, Sundlof said.

Menu Foods used wheat gluten, a source of vegetable protein, to thicken the gravy of its pet foods, FDA officials have said.
Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press

[king2005]

WTF are these companies doing!!!

Rat Poison & now this too!!!

Wet food & now dry too!!!

I'm horribly disscusted by this!!!! But very thankful the FDA is now working hard (or seems like it is) to solve this sad sad mess

I have to check the food recall to make sure Science Diet isn't on it now.. I had no idea Dry was involved *insert LOTS of swear words here*

[ramanth]

Oiy!!

[IRescue452]

Whatever chemicals they find, I think its safe to say no more buying cheap ingredients from China.

[Freedom]

I just saw it and was going to post it also. They are finding it in wet and dry foods. Ugh!

Here is the link for the article I saw.

http://rhodeisland.cox.net/cci/newsn...alidatearticle

[Flatcoatluver]

Thank God, we never fed our dogs this. Unless Kirkland and Chicken Soup is on the list. But I know a lot of dogs who are fed Iams and Etc.

[king2005]

I was talking to a friend on msn & she showed me this brand (MERRICK), as I was kinda upset cause I didn't know WHAT to feed Bear.

I made an email for my dad, so I'm just going to copy paste the email as I don't have time to retype it, as I'm at work & rushing work, as I'm suppose to be getting training on my new work (they took a LOOOONG lunch, they were due back over an hour ago lol)

About the company... read the whole thing!
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/about_us/

This is what I want to put Bear on (Senior), as her joints are at a very high risk, due to her being so over weight.
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/...p?c=14&s=20285


This is what sold me on this dog food.
"We use human grade ingredients along with fresh fruits, vegetables and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives." <- a Human is safe to eat it, yumm hehehe !!!
You cannot get better then that!! I learned that pretty much all dog foods are NOT human grade, including Nutro, & thats how all this poison (there is more then just rat poison they are finding now, & Pig Ears are now on recall too... + Dry food is added to the recall).

To Chad & I its not worth the risk. We are happy to spend 70.00 a bag for Bear, as she deserves to be healthy, not poisoned to death! Whats the point of having a dog, if your just going to poison it? We're already spending money to keep her Thyroid healthy & functioning correctly, so its kind of silly to poison a dog with food, that your already working hard on keeping alive & healthy.

As you know, the better the quality the food is, the less the dog needs to eat (the bag lasts longer)... the smaller the poos are & less times the dog needs to go out to poop.

They do make a wet food, so if your interested in putting Buttons on that, he wont know the difference from people food, because it IS people food, but its a balanced diet a dog needs. Wouldn't hurt to give 1 can a try...

Grammy's Pot Pie (tuna sized can)
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/...p?c=15&s=20310

Senior (big can, like you already have)
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/...p?c=15&s=20293

Grammy's Pot Pie (big can, like you already have)
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/...p?c=15&s=20165


You know I like to give top care to my pets & always think of other people pets, esp. ones in the family


Love you dad
xoxo

[boris91]

so is james wellbeloved being recalled? i know iams is being recalled!

[Craftlady]

In a news conference, FDA officials said that the apparently melamine-contaminated wheat gluten also was shipped to a company that manufactures dry pet food, but they would not name the company. The FDA is attempting to determine if that company used any of the wheat gluten, imported from China, to make dry pet food, Sundlof said.

Let's not panic just yet about dry food.