POISONED PET FOOD:

A QUICK AND INCOMPLETE UPDATE:

Just a couple of quick items before Molly signs off for the night. First of all there is another recall afoot that seems to have slipped under the radar. It may or may not be related to the melamine contamination. The Itchmo Blog reports that Manna Pro, manufacturers of milk replacers for young animals has been recalling its products since March 30th. Their products are not listed at the FDA site. Manna Pro produce a product called 'UniMilk' that contains soy protein isolate. (Molly Note: I've checked the ingredients in three popular milk replacers on the market here in Canada" Neither 'Puppy Formula' (Vet Solutions), KMR (PetAg) nor Esbilac (PetAg) list any vegetable protein concentrate as per the 2005 edition of 'The Compendium of Veterinary Products'- I'll try and find more recent references soon)

But speaking of "soy protein" USA Today reports that the American FDA has issued a greatly expanded import alert that restricts the import of a large number of vegetable protein imports from China until they can be properly screened for melamine. This list includes not just the wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate so far implicated in pet deaths in the USA and the corn gluten implicated in South Africa. It also includes rice gluten, rice protein, corn by-products, soy protein, soy gluten, mung bean protein and all other vegetable proteins including hydrolysates and amino acids. The full text of the recall can be read here in a statement from the FDA.

This comes on the heels of an FDA revelation that 2.5 to 3 million American chickens were fed melamine contaminated feed since early February. According to a report in the Washington Post these broiler birds were raised at 38 farms in Indiana. The article mentions that the FDA continues to state that "the risk is small" to human health just that they continue their reassurances about same in the case of hogs fed the contaminated feed. One Hundred thousand chickens are presently under quarantine. The FDA does note that the investigation is just beginning, and that many more farms may be found and quarantined.

More on the recall tomorrow,

Molly