It’s been a few weeks since the massive pet food recall was
announced following the discovery of tainted wheat gluten.
It’s been a few weeks since the massive pet food recall was announced following the discovery of tainted wheat gluten. We don’t know everything about this horrible series of events, but we do know this: The toxic chemical component is melamine, a substance used in fertilizer and in the manufacture of plastics. How or why it made its way into our pet food supply is not yet known. But even though it is banned in this country, melamine is commonly used in other parts of the world. Recent assurance by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stating that this substance hasn’t made its way into our own food supply does little to ease any of our anxiety.
At the moment, we still don’t know the full extent of the contamination. Official reports only list as many as 16 pets killed by the toxic food. But there are many more unconfirmed reports, including a few here in South County and these numbers are sure to change. Stay tuned.
There are two interesting side notes here. One centers around the list of affected pet foods. Take a look at the brand names on the FDA recall list (available at www.menufoods.com/recall). There are some very expensive, so-called premium quality foods. And then there are a few less expensive, economy diets as well. Interestingly, all of these products have a common denominator. Menu Foods supplies a component to each of these products that different companies sold to consumers. Doesn’t it make you wonder? If a large part of each of these various diets is the same stuff, what do these manufacturers add to their finished product to make their food any different from their competitor’s.
The other side bar is historical. Not too long ago, we were facing a similar crisis in our domestic pet food industry. In December, 2005, the FDA announced that contaminated dog food sold in 23 states had killed almost two dozen dogs nationwide and sickened 18 others. The cause turned out to be an aflatoxin, a naturally occurring chemical produced by a fungus that can get into corn and other crops. Products were pulled from the shelves. And some pet foods produced for export had to be recalled before they were shipped out of the country. So the current problem isn’t the first in our huge pet food industry. And unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last.
Meanwhile, the FDA has issued an advisory about an additive in several of Eukanuba’s products that is unrelated to the wheat gluten problem. Eukanuba’s restricted calorie and weight reduction foods contain chromium tripicolinate and FDA has issued a warning that this additive should be removed. There is concern that it can cause tumors. It’s important to note that there have been no reports of pets suffering any ill effects from these particular foods. And the danger is not thought to be serious enough to warrant a recall of these diets.
Finally, as you might imagine, veterinarians everywhere have been deluged with questions about this crisis. One of the questions most frequently asked is the first of our mailbag this week.
Q: Several vets have stated in the news that home-cooked meals for a dog or cat are not a good idea. I have a recipe that was supposedly submitted by a veterinarian in a magazine for pets. It looks like a well-balanced diet to me. Why shouldn’t I use it for my dog?
A:Â There are several home-cooked dietary plans that are balanced and adequate for feeding to pets. But making these foods takes a lot of diligence every day. And for most people, this just isn’t practical.
There isn’t a home-cooked diet that is “simple and easy” as some advertisers state. The components of these recipes have to be measured carefully, and some important parts are available only through a nutrition store, not at the supermarket. In short, there is no simple home-cooked meal for dogs or cats that is nutritionally adequate. Long-term home cooking just isn’t practical in most cases. There’s a lot of work involved for someone who wants to cook for their pet. And most pet owners eventually fail to provide a balanced diet to their pet.
Pet owners have justifiable concern about the food they buy at the store. And some people have resorted to cooking food for their pet. For a few days, this is probably not harmful, unless your dog or cat has a medical condition that requires special nutritional treatment. Â
I believe that the current pet food debacle will soon be over and we will, once again, have a safe and consistent food supply that we can trust and use with confidence. I also believe that for most pet owners, home cooking for a pet is usually harmless in the short term, perhaps a week or so. But it’s important that dogs and cats eat food that is formulated for them and is well balanced. The only easy way to be assured of this in most cases is to feed a commercially prepared diet.
Q: A few weeks ago, you reported that there was an outbreak of kennel cough in the area. Has this gone away?
A: Veterinarians are seeing fewer cases of respiratory illness in the past week or so, but there is still some of this infection going around. We don’t know where it started, but the first cases were seen not too long after the new dog park in Morgan Hill opened. Many of the dogs had been to the park and been exposed to many other pooches there.
It’s unlikely that this infection was true kennel cough. Too many dogs that had been properly vaccinated for this disease developed symptoms anyway. Nevertheless, the respiratory symptoms, coughing and gagging, caused a lot of worry for some dog owners. I suspect that this problem will slowly fade away in the next few weeks.
But remember to be diligent and careful when you take your dog out to the park. Not all dog owners are conscientious about their pet’s health care. Unfortunately, there are those that will bring their dog to the park even though he or she is feeling a little under the weather. Direct contact between animals can spread infectious illness.
If there is a dog there that looks unhealthy, don’t let your pooch come in contact with him. Instead, go for a walk somewhere else and come back to the park a different day.
