As Pet Food Recall Expands, Veterinarians Are the Best Source for Reliable Info

By Heather Grimshaw

On April 18, 2007, the pet food recall was expanded to include contaminated rice gluten – in addition to wheat gluten – imported from China. The announcement prompted several manufacturers to pull products from shelves at pet stores and veterinary clinics.

Five companies were affected by the latest recall though only three firms have been identified to date. Pet owners can find a complete list of recalled products online and are encouraged to talk with veterinary professionals about food choices. Although safe options for commercial pet foods exist, some people may decide to steer clear of vegetable glutens until all contaminated products have been identified, said Claudia Kirk, DVM, PhD, a board-certified nutritionist.

The Pet Food Institute, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and many veterinarians emphasize the fact that the recall has affected one percent of available pet foods.

Over the last month, several types of vegetable gluten (rice, wheat, and corn) imported from China tested positive for melamine and melamine byproducts after pet owners reported illness and death in pets that consumed the food. Melamine, a chemical used in fertilizers and plastics, may have been added to glutens by Chinese companies to boost protein levels, according to FDA officials. The compound is known to be moderately toxic, which is why veterinary toxicologists question whether melamine metabolites (such as cyanuric acid hydrolase), which are created during melamine production may be causing pet deaths.

Comparing it to table salt, Steven Hansen, DVM, a board-certified toxicologist and executive with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), said melamine has twice the toxicity of acetaminophen.

Rice-Related Recalls
On April 16 through 20, 2007, Natural Balance Pet Food, Blue Buffalo, and Royal Canin recalled products after melamine was found in rice gluten imported from China and used in a specific number of products. Two other pet food manufacturers got shipments of contaminated rice gluten and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials, who did not release company names, are testing products.

Steven Sundloff, DVM, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said company names would be released once tests confirm melamine in products. An FDA update on the recall is available online.

Meanwhile, veterinarians are relying on manufacturers for updated information about safe food recommendations. For example, Hill’s Pet Food Nutrition and some other companies have tested rice products and released statements that products do not contain melamine and are safe, Kirk said.

In South Africa, veterinarians report that pet foods with corn gluten that contained melamine have killed dogs. FDA officials say those corn gluten shipments did not reach the United States, but an official added that aggressive, proactive steps have been taken to test many ingredients imported to the United States.

Why is Melamine in Pet Food?
Despite the confusion surrounding the pet food recall, FDA officials were clear on one message: Melamine should not be in the food supply. It is not approved for use in fertilizers in the United States and it should never be in pet foods. “The headline is that [melamine] shouldn’t be there,” said Michael Rogers, director of the FDA’s field investigation.

When asked how it got into food, Sundloff said one theory is that Chinese companies may have added melamine to the gluten products as a way to inflate protein levels. “It’s still a theory but it seems like a plausible one,” he said.

Tests used in the food supply to gauge protein levels of ingredients are sensitive to nitrogen, a gas found in melamine, Kirk explained. Any nitrogen compound identified by the “quick” test is assumed to be from a protein, she added. Labels that show “crude protein levels” use this test.

Several pet food manufacturers use plant glutens to bind ingredients. Kirk likened the use of gluten in pet food to the addition of eggs in meatloaf. “You need a protein structure to bind the meat and bread crumbs together,” she explained. Gluten performs the same function in pet foods and is commonly found in wet foods to thicken gravies. Rice gluten is oftentimes used in specialty diets for pets that have known allergies to meat proteins or with low-carbohydrate foods. It is also used as a thickening and binding agent but Kirk said that it is not a common ingredient. In comparison, corn gluten is a very common ingredient in pet foods, she added.

What to Feed?
When faced with questions about what to feed your pets, ask your veterinary team about safe options and check the FDA website and HealthyPet for updates.

Government officials and veterinarians encourage pet owners to read food labels, ask questions, and use commercial products that are not on the recall list to ensure healthy diets. Although homemade diets may seem like a safer option, experts advise against it.

“There is no guarantee that homemade diets are any safer,” Kirk said. Raw diets pose Salmonella risks and home-cooked meals often lack the levels of vitamins and nutrients that pets need. “Well-chosen commercial products provide the best nutrition,” Kirk added.

To date, only one percent of commercial pet foods have been affected by contaminated gluten (protein source) imported from Chinese companies. Some pets that consumed tainted food have developed kidney lesions and kidney failure after eating the affected foods. If you suspect that your pet may have eaten one of the affected products, call your veterinarian immediately. Pets can be treated with fluid therapy.

Are All Foods the Same?
Pet food recalls that started on March 16, 2007, have been expanded to include more than 60 million products. Wet and dry foods from several brands have been affected. Some of the foods were produced by many companies including private label manufacturers, which prompted questions about the difference between brands.

Kirk, a board-certified nutritionist, explained that while big brand companies may use large facilities to produce their products, they provide recipes and ingredients to ensure that their quality standards are met. Using a home-spun comparison, Kirk said that while two cooks may use the same frying pan, one could prepare seared tuna while the other prepares scrambled eggs.

“The important thing to remember with the Menu Foods example is that it was the wheat gluten – the ingredient – not the process,” Kirk said. “The process may be the same but the quality control and the product is different.”

Contact Veterinarians with Questions
To err on the safe side, veterinarians are encouraging clients to bring pets in for evaluation and tests if there is a possibility that they consumed contaminated food.

Some pets that consumed recalled food may show no signs of illness while others will show signs of lethargy, decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, as well as changes in water consumption and urination. Veterinarians are using blood and urine samples to identify kidney disease and radiographs and ultrasound examinations to eliminate other causes of kidney disease or illness.

Veterinarians: Looking for Answers, Accurate Numbers
About 20 laboratories in the U.S. and Canada are investigating whether melamine metabolites that could cause lesions in the kidneys, said Brent Hoff, DVM, DVSc, a clinical pathologist and toxicologist at the Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph. Although the theory has not been proven, scientists question whether an impure melamine product was used in recalled food and is causing death in pets, Hoff explained. “Melamine itself shouldn’t cause the lesions we’re seeing,” he added.

The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD), a group of laboratory professionals who work with veterinarians on a regular basis, created a new survey that will define criteria for cases and provide a venue for accurate tracking of recall-related cases, said Barb Powers, DVM, AAVLD president.

Existing pathology includes “unique” crystals found in urine and tissue of pets that ate recalled foods, and lesions in the distal tubules of the kidney. Powers said the crystals are a yellow green color with birefringent properties. They are round with concentric rings.

As the recall unfolds and the investigation continues, FDA officials face criticism from politicians who say the government’s response was too slow, that safety measures should be higher, and question a time lag between deaths reported to Menu Foods and the announced recall on March 16, 2007.

On April 12, the U.S. Senate held an oversight hearing with FDA officials and veterinarians to address those concerns. Kirk, who testified at the hearing, does not believe the FDA would have been able to screen for melamine and added, “There is no way to screen for everything.”

To add a new layer of protection, the Pet Food Institute (PFI) created a National Pet Food Commission that comprises veterinarians, toxicologists, state and federal regulators, and nutritionists. The charge of commission members is to investigate the recall and “build on safety and quality standards already in place,” according to the PFI.

Prior to the PFI announcement, at least one consumer group called for an independent review of pet foods since PFI represents pet food manufacturers.

Hansen said the ASPCA would prefer to see the creation of an FDA-based commission, but added “I presume they will produce good information.”

Recall Information
As recall announcements continue – with Sunshine Biscuits, Royal Canin Canada and more brands produced at Menu Foods facilities – the FDA has emphasized the safety of 99 percent of commercial pet food.

“There is plenty of safe food,” said Sundloff. “The public should feel secure purchasing food not on the recall list at this time.”
On April 10, 2007, Royal Canin Canada recalled Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned diet, sold by veterinarians, “because one production lot (Jan. 8, 2009) contains contaminated wheat gluten,” according to a company press release. As of April 12, 2007, the website for Royal Canin USA carried the following message: “Royal Canin USA wishes to assure pet owners that our dry and wet pet food products are not involved in the ongoing FDA investigation related to the recent nationwide pet food recall initiated by Menu Foods and other companies.”

The FDA is now sampling 100 percent of the wheat gluten imported from China and news reports indicate that melamine may have been added to boost protein levels in the products.

During a press conference on April 5, 2007, FDA officials emphasized that their investigation began 24 hours after Menu Foods alerted the agency to a problem on March 15, 2007, amid questions about when Menu Foods first recognized a problem with food products.

In response to questions about a timely response to the recall, FDA professionals cited a lack of resources. Professionals referred to fact that there is not a veterinary equivalent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which helps trace human-related incidents. Yet Powers said that a similar organization exists.

The AAVLD works with the United States Department of Agriculture to identify livestock diseases through the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, a group that was considering the addition of toxicology to its mission several weeks before the recall was announced.

Powers has offered to share data from the survey with the FDA and said the recall illustrates the need for more partnerships between veterinary and governmental organizations.

“We’re all just getting to know each other,” Powers said. Although the National Animal Health Laboratory Network focuses on agricultural issues, Powers said that the addition of toxicology to its purview could make sense. “This could easily have happened to the agricultural food supply,” she added.