***UPDATES***

4/22/07 Melamine has been found in another ingredient - rice protein. Natural Balance has recalled its Venison formulas, please see their web site http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/ for a complete list. Also newly recalled is some varieties of Royal Canin, including some of their veterinary line, as well as some varieties of their Sensible Choice line. See full list at http://www.royalcanin.us/recalled.html

According to the FDA, the tainted rice protein did NOT come from the same supplier or manufacturer as the tainted wheat gluten. It did come from China however. So it seems a huge coincidnce that two different suppliers have food tainted with the same chemical at the same time. What is a possible explaination? It is possible that the rice protein was contaminated through the reuse of dirty bags used to ship the products. Another, more sinister possibility: ChemNutra Inc., the company that imported the tainted wheat gluten, has suggested that spiking a product with melamine can make it to appear to be richer in protein during tests, thus increasing its value. FDA inspectors wish to visit the plants where the ingredients were made, but are reportedly having trouble getting the Chinese to grant visas, they had apparently not received the necessary invitation letter. It will be interesting to find out what the real truth is (if we do find out). Kitty Paws will keep you posted as this story unfolds.

4/7/07 The following is a list of web sites that give specific info on which products have been recalled:

Menu Foods http://www.menufoods.com/recall/index.html

Del Monte Foods (Including Pounce Meaty Morsels, Jerky Treats, Gravy Train snacks) http://www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html

Purina (Including Alpo and Mighty Dog) http://purina.com/Company/Press/2007/MightyDog.aspx

Science Diet http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hills03_07.html

Nutro (Natural Choice) http://www.nutroproducts.com/menufoods.asp

IAMS/Eukanuba http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/data_root/html/product_article/ProductRecallList.htm

Petrapport Pig Ears http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/petrapport03_07.html

Sunshine Mills (Including Pet Life biscuits, Nurture, People Pleasers) http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/sunshinemills04_07.html

Dingo http://www.eightinonepet.com/images/recall.html

3/30/07 A new chemical is found in the recalled food. Melamine, a chemical used to produce plastic and used in Asia as a fertilizer, has been found in the food as well as in the urine and kidneys of sick cats. Government tests have failed to confirm the presence of rat poison as was thought previously. In a news conference, FDA officials said that the contaminated wheat gluten was also shipped to a company that manufactures dry pet food. A few hours after that announcement, Hill's Science Diet recalled all of their Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food. This is the only dry food to be reacalled so far.

3/26/07 It has been discovered that Aminopterin (rat poison) was found to be responsible for the deaths of at least 15 cats and 1 dog. Menu Foods president Paul Henderson stated that he did not know how poison got into the food, but added that there was "no reason to suspect this matter goes beyond the recalled product." He went on to say, "The products are from two different facilities. The probability of someone tampering at both of those plants is remote."

So if it wasn't tampered with then how did the Aminopterin (which is not used in the United States) find its way into pet food? Henderson did confirm they used wheat gluten from China. Wheat suppliers have been known to use rat bait at the perimeter of their storage facilities. But this still doesn't explain how the wheat got poisoned. Investigations are ongoing.

A note from Nikki...

Hi, I'm Bailey's human mom, Nikki. I work for a pet supply store and I would like to comment on customers' response to the recent pet food recall. I have spoken with several people who are switching their pet's foods to other brands that were not on the recall list. There is a BIG problem with this. Panicked customers are returning every last bit of their pets' usual brand, and purchasing new, usually holistic brands. The problem is that a sudden change in diet will produce just the symptoms these pet owners are worried about! When a cat or dog has a sudden drastic change in diet, their usual response is vomiting. This is common and nothing to worry about, it will go away in a week or two, and can be minimized by gradually mixing the new food with the brand the pet's used to.
Also I would like to clarify that these individual pet food companies are no at fault for the tainted food. Many people are needlessly returning their dry pet food. I would like to clarify how this happened: many pet food manufacturers such as IAMs, Nutro, etc. make their dry food in their own facilities. However they do not all have the capability to can food, and they outsource to canneries to can their wet foods for them. It was the CANNERY that had the issue, not the Nutro or IAMS plant. If you feed your cat dry Nutro there is not reason to worry, it is made in an entirely different place.
This recall is a scary thing, and it has been a tragedy for some pet owners. Keep in mind though, that although 60 million cans of food were recalled, the majority of the recall was precautionary. There is no reason to panic. For example, kidney problems are very common in cats, you can't necessarily blame the pet food. Cats and dogs get sick everyday, and it is important not to jump to conclusions. Luckily the poison has been identified, so it will be easier to determine whether a pet's illness is indeed from their food. Hopefully the recall will put a stop to anymore animals getting sick, and our hearts go out to all those who have lost a pet. Love, Nikki & Bailey