Pet Project

The FDA is now reporting that melamine has been found in the suspect wheat gluten, in the recalled pet food, and in the urine and kidney from a cat that died in the intitial food trial conducted by Menu Foods. Melamine is used in fertilizers in Asia, to make plastic kitchenware, and Magic Eraser cleaning sponges. No amount of melamine should be found in pet food. Not surprisingly, people are beginning to question the safety of dry pet foods. Some are reporting that dry food has sickened their pets. And PETA is asking for a wider recall.

You can find out much more on the recall on my Pet Food Recall Archive Page.

As if things weren’t confusing and distressing enough, Menu Foods has asked that stores remove all cans and pouches of the varieties listed in the recall, regardless of lot numbers and dates of manufacture. This was first reported as an expansion of the recall, but Menu Foods says it isn’t. They want to insure all of the affected lots are off of store shelves. The FDA reports that sixteen animals have died from eating the food tainted with rat poison, but the site PetConnection indicates the numbers are probably much higher—you can enter a report for their database if your pet has been affected.

Menu Foods’ handling of this crisis has been disturbing from the beginning. Here is a timeline(midway down the page) showing Menu Foods may have had customer complaints about pets dying as early as December. Veterinarians are also frustrated with the delays in reporting the problems. In addition to the delays, Menu Foods may have knowingly fed the contaminated food to their lab animals, which killed at least six animals.

In looking for answers as to how this contamination could happen, it’s important to look at Menu Foods’ financial problems as a possible catalyst for this whole tragedy. Did this happen because of cost-cutting?

You can find out much more on the recall on my Pet Food Recall Archive Page.