The Pet Food Recall - What Have We Learned?
When veterinarians at The Animal Medical Center of New York met Princess, she was throwing up and refusing to eat. The 9-year-old female cat was suffering from impaired kidney function, but what had caused it was unclear. Princess went home happy and healthy 7 days later after being treated by staff nephrologist Dr. Cathy Langston. However, she was only the first of about 35 animals the hospital would see due to what would soon be called the largest pet food recall in U.S. history.
This March, pet owners experienced a scare when for several months the food they fed their furry companions was affected by this major recall. Now, after extensive investigations and tests, veterinarians and industry experts assure pet owners that the food on the shelves is safe to feed pets.
So, while your cat or dog munches away, here is some information on what happened this past spring and what’s being done to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.
WHAT IS PET FOOD, ANYWAY?
Englishman James Spratt seemed to have the right idea when he decided to create a food for his dog that was both nutritious and tasty. In about 1860, according to the Pet Food Institute, he concocted a recipe for a “dog cake.” The idea of an economical and healthy way to feed our pets took off, eventually becoming the varied and sophisticated pet food market we see today. In fact, the Pet Food Institute’s president, Duane Ekedahl, says that pet foods are considered by consumers to be the second most highly regarded product in the supermarket—and for good reason. “Pet foods are formulated to meet the complete nutritional needs of the cat or the dog,” he says. “Cats and dogs are living longer, healthier lives now than ever before due in large part to nutrition.”
SO, WHY WAS PET FOOD RECALLED?
The distributor Menu Foods began noticing a problem in early March 2007: Pet food was making dogs and cats sick. From March to May, almost 150 brands of dog and cat food had to be pulled from the supermarket shelves due to contamination by suppliers in China. Officials found a substance called melamine in the food. When combined with other similar chemicals, melamine and related compounds can cause crystals to form in the kidneys of dogs and cats, which can lead to kidney failure.
HOW DID MELAMINE GET IN THERE?
Melamine, an industrial chemical that is used to make plastics, emits a high level of nitrogen. Because nitrogen is what is tested to determine the amount of protein in a pet food, the suppliers added melamine to make it seem as though the food was higher in protein than it actually was. Although many experts agree that this action was fraudulent, many are also certain that nobody wanted to hurt our animals. Kimberly May, DVM, MS, DACVS, with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), says, “I find it hard to believe that there was a malicious attempt to poison animals. The suppliers took a shortcut, and they didn’t realize the consequences of that.”
IS THE FOOD SAFE TO FEED MY PET NOW?
It’s scary stuff, but despite the tragedy of the incident, only an estimated 1% of pet food on the market was actually contaminated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) worked diligently with all industry partners and with the pet food companies to ensure that the problem was quickly identified and addressed. Ekedahl assures owners, “The products that had been contaminated are off the shelves, and we have new monitoring systems in place. We feel very confident that melamine will not find its way into pet food products again.” The FDA is now testing any imported vegetable protein ingredients before they are allowed into the country. While you don’t have to think twice about filling Fido’s or Fluffy’s bowl, “it’s important to know what you are feeding your pet and where it is coming from,” advises Steve Hansen, DVM, MS, MBA, DABT, DABVT, toxicologist and senior vice president of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
“The key that comes out of this situation is that there has to be quick access to communication so we can solve the problem,” says Jan Schrier, DVM, with Swenson’s North Kenny Veterinary Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The veterinary professionals and experts involved seem to agree that communication is very important to protecting human and pet food supplies in the future. New legislation is in the works to allow the FDA to have more control over the pet food industry. Also, Ekedahl says that the National Pet Food Commission, a group of toxicologists, veterinarians, and nutritionists, is collaborating to determine what the industry can do better. Says Dr. May, “We all realized how much we need each other.”
Our fluffy friends may not know how much thought goes into the food they enjoy, but they are sure to live happy, healthier lives because of it.
WHERE TO GO FOR RECALL INFORMATION
The following websites contain accurate information about the recall and are all updated as new developments occur:
- American Veterinary Medical Association: www.avma.org/aa/petfoodrecall
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html">www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html
- The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: www.aspca.org/recall
COMMERCIAL PET FOOD VERSUS AT-HOME DIETS: OUR EXPERTS WEIGH IN
Responsible pet owners are always concerned about the health of their pet. During the confusion of the recall, some people became so concerned that they no longer wanted to feed their pets commercial diets. But before you break out the frying pan, read what our experts have to say about the cons of at-home diets.
“You can’t feed an animal like you would a person,” says Dr. May. Animals have specific nutritional needs that are balanced in commercial foods. To make a healthy homemade meal for an animal requires a great deal of time and research and must be done in collaboration with a veterinarian and/or a veterinary nutritionist. Dr. Hansen advises, “A well-managed homemade diet is possible, but I’m not sure that it’s realistic for 99% of the population.”