FDA: Chemical Found in Pet Food Recall | Chicago Tribune

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 in the wet-style products. The FDA was working to rule out the possibility that the contaminated wheat gluten could have made it into any human food, but was not aware of any risk to people.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the melamine was the culprit in the deaths of more than a dozen cats and dogs and the illnesses of hundreds more, said Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

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.

Dammit! WHAT COMPANY is that manufacturer of dry pet food???? I've got a brand new back of Iams Dry Lamb/Chicken right now in the kitchen, and I don't know if it's safe to give to Riley or not, as Iam's wet canned "cuts and gravy" was actually made by Menu Foods, the Canadian company that's being blamed for making contaminated pet food under so many different store and "premium" brands.

I've known about this story since just before we left on vacation and I made sure my supply of Purina Fancy Feast was not on the "contaminated" list before we left. I also let my petsitter know about it. The really tragic and unaccountable thing is that Menu Foods apparently had some inkling more than a month or more ago that there was a problem with their "cuts and gravy" line that they made for a bunch of different brands.  

And… melamine? Not rat poison? How weird. As it happens I'm also listening to a news update right now from NPR. 

Riley is fine and is extremely happy that we are home. He's been keeping us under his eye ever since we returned last night, and it freaked him out a little when I went out for about an hour to get some sandwiches and snacks. He has remained within a foot or less of my person ever since. And last night, he purred so loudly and head-butted us so insistently that it took a long time to settle him down so we could get to sleep.

But I'd still really like to know what the hell the deal is with dry pet food.  

[tags]Menu Foods, FDA, pet food recall, melamine[/tags]