Pet Food Recall Grows

The tainted food recall grew again on Saturday, March 31, as Nestle Purina Pet Care Co. added Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food to the list of growing pet foods being recalled. Purina said a limited amount of food contained wheat gluten from China.

Hill's Pet Nutrition, late Friday, March 30, recalled its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food that contained the same allegedly contaminated wheat gluten. Hill's is the only company so far that has recalled a dry pet food.

It appears that even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other experts don't understand the real cause or full extend of the problem as concerned pet owners seek answers from both their vets and pet food suppliers.

The same US supplier of wheat gluten, a protein source, also sold to a Canadian company. So far Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of wet dog and cat food it produces for sale under nearly 100 brand labels.

To date, the Chinese company that supplied the allegedly contaminated wheat gluten remains a mystery as Menu Foods refuses to name the company.

Last week, the New York State Food Laboratory identified aminopterin, a cancer drug also used as a rat poison, as the likely culprit. The FDA said that it could not confirm that finding.

Federal testing of some of the recalled pet foods, and the wheat gluten used in their production, resulted in the finding of the chemical melamine. Melamine is used to make kitchen ware and other plastics.

According to Fox News, Menu Foods, said the only certainty was that imported wheat gluten was the likely source of the pet deaths, even if the actual contaminant remained in doubt.

What's the bottom line to pet owners who are unsure of what to feed their pet? The best thing to do, at the current time, is to check the ingredients and if your pet food contains wheat, think seriously before you serve it to your beloved pet.