Uncertainty still surrounds the recent pet food recall. Even though, at last report, the pet food plant in question remains open and continues to produce new food, authorities are apparently still not sure that melamine found in imported wheat gluten is the culprit. According to the FDA website, “…melamine is an ingredient that should not be in pet food at any level. However, we are not yet fully certain that melamine is the causative agent.” The FDA is now requiring 100% sampling and testing of all wheat gluten imports from China, and investigation continues as they try to narrow down the cause of recent complaints.
There are still ‘ifs”. The FDA also says, “We are still tracing the contaminated wheat gluten. If we learn that it has been used in the production of other pet foods, we will notify the public and take all appropriate steps to prevent further injury.” Perhaps this is why the recall list seems to be expanded every time we check it.
If you’re wondering when to expect symptoms if you suspect the food you fed your pet was contaminated, the FDA website says,” It’s difficult to say for sure, but usually within a couple of days. The important thing is to monitor your pet closely for signs of lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting.” Other symptoms may be excessive drinking and urination. There seems to be little information on how melamine affects dogs and cats but it’s known that it acts as a diuretic.
Other uncertainties go unexplained, such as why New York State found aminopterin in pet foods but FDA labs could not verify it.
FDA's Veterinarians and Toxicologists out of 20 districts and 3 field laboratories are actively searching for answers to unresolved questions.
Even though the FDA claims to regulate “that can of cat food, bag of dog food, or box of dog treats or snacks in your pantry”, officials admit that the regulation of pet food is lower on the priority list than other food and drug sectors, and that, because of limited resources, inspections of processing plants are done only if there are complaints.
Without regular inspections, the $15 billion industry is essentially left to regulate itself. Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association, claims there is no real pet-food department of any federal agency.
Pet food companies claim to extensively test both incoming raw materials and finished products yet there are some 20 alerts on the FDA site since 1999 involving various contaminants such as Salmonella, BSE, Aflatoxin (fungus toxin), and the recent melamine.
One positive aspect of the recent pet food tragedy is that many pet owners are now giving more thought to what actually goes into the nutrition they set before their beloved pets. After the smoke clears from this pet food fiasco, how many will ever trust the industry again?
With reports on pet food contamination changing daily, many pet owners are wary of all commercial pet foods at present. For those, cooking homemade pet food recipes is an option.
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