SusanHu has just informed me that Natural Balance, which has recalled several of its products, disturbing enough in that it was not tied to Menu Foods, has now announced that their recall is tied to MELAMINE in Rice Gluten:
The problem stems from melamine found in the rice protein concentrate (described by the company as rice gluten) used by Natural Balance. They confirmed that FDA testing has found melamine in the rice protein concentrate. The ingredient was produced by a US vendor, according to Natural Balance. Natural Balance recommends avoiding all rice protein in their products.
http://tinyurl.com/...
As pointed out on the consumer affairs story:
Canadian author Ann N. Martin, who researched the pet food industry for five years, called Natural Balance's recall "very upsetting." In earlier interviews with ConsumerAffairs.com, Martin said Natural Balance is one of the few pet foods on the market made with "human grade" ingredients.
Human grade rice gluten...
A recall list and more info below the fold...
Natural Balance, made by Dick Van Patton's company, which has been considered one of the "safe" foods, has announced the recall of the following products:
- Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs
- Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs
- Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs
- Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats
This is a very frightening development. If you have these products, DO NOT USE THEM and watch your animals carefully for signs of illness (loss of appetite, extreme thirst, lethargy...).
The mystery of the Melamine has not yet been solved.
Helpful links:
Itchmo's story on this breaking news: http://www.itchmo.com/...
Here are links:
Del Monte Foods Recall List
Menu Foods, Inc. Press Release
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company Press Release
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Press Release
IAMS or Eukanuba: IAMS web site.
Here's the link to make complaints to the FDA.
My last five diaries about this:
- [Update] Pet Food Recall-US Wheat Gluten Supplier Identified!
- Poison in Recalled Pet Food! -- plus Healthy (safe!) Pet Food links!
- FDA reports Melamine in Recalled Pet Food!
- Hill's Prescription DRY Cat Food, Alpo Dog Food, Join Recall
- Pet Food Recall Grows - Del Monte issues their list!
Here's a link by [tag=Pet Food Recall] to all the great diaries lately.
SusanHu wrote a great diary about the FDA's Weak Food Inspection that includes this letter to the FDA from Sen. Dick Durbin.
Here is a link to three dairies by anna, who has been closely following this story.
Here is one from (great name) Goldy at HorsesAss (whose story I linked in my last diary): Tainted Wheat Gluten Sold as "Food Grade".
Has your pet been affected? Report it here: http://www.PetConnection.com
Again, Christie Keith's (Pet Connection) article in the San Francisco Chronicle, YOUR WHOLE PET, The Story Behind the Pet Food Recall.
The ABC News report on the class action suit building on the recall.
TheBigKahuna's good advice: "I'd strongly recommend pet owners who think their pets may have been exposed to the tainted food have their pets tested. If I recall correctly, I think the cost for Socks was about $15."
Important!! If your pet is sick, be sure to TELL your vet about the ingredients suspected in the poisoning (Melamine and Aminopterin). The head vet at Cornell mentioned, during his press conference, that there are TREATMENTS for the poisons, as long as the treating vet knows about it.
Menu Foods says they will reimburse expenses for pet owners who can verify their pets were impacted by the recalled food.
How to make your own cat food: http://www.catinfo.org/
How to make your own dog food: http://www.seefido.com/... (thanks, RippenKitten)
If you have safe pet food alternatives you'd like to recommend, please post it on this thread, so we can link back to it and, if you see any recommendations of Natural Balance there, please link a reply back to this diary to make sure people know not to use it.
And thank you, SusanHu, for the heads up about this very important story!