Pet Food Recall: Tainted Cat & Dog Food Spreads, New Tips on Avoiding

Pet food recall now includes new ingredients.  Between rice protein, wheat gluten, and corn gluten the pet food recall has been confusing to some pet owners.  What is safe anymore?  For now, it is being recommend that dog and cat lovers avoid pet foods with wheat gluten, corn gluten, and now recently rice protein -- all ingredients that have now been linked to contamination. 

Pet Food Recall: Tainted Cat & Dog Food Spreads, New Tips on Avoiding

"It's a scary thing to think of because pets are like family so it's a hard thing to deal with because you don't know what to do what to get what to buy," says Nina Thomas, a pet owner cited in a Fox Carolina article online.  The AVMA is advising the public that there have been new recalls, nationally and internationally, of pet foods contaminated with melamine from Chinese sources.

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A press release states: The Blue Buffalo Company has recalled Spa Select Kitten dry food with the printed instructions "Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B." Blue Buffalo received rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis, the same company that supplied this ingredient to Natural Balance. Subsequent testing indicated that the Blue Buffalo protein concentrate tested positive for melamine.

Royal Canin South Africa has announced a recall of Vets Choice dog food because it contains melamine-contaminated corn gluten imported from China. This food is sold in South Africa and Namibia. Royal Canin, which is headquartered in Southern France, has announced that none of the company's contaminated pet food has reached the United States. Nineteen dogs that consumed Vets Choice food in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, have been diagnosed with kidney problems.  The company also announced that it will no longer use any Chinese suppliers for any of its vegetable proteins.

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Blue Buffalo announced that the majority of the almost 5,000 recalled bags had not reached consumers.

The FDA said that a total of five pet food manufacturers received rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis—including Blue Buffalo and Natural Balance Pet Foods—and that they are withholding the names of the other three companies involved pending investigation into potential melamine contamination of each company's pet foods.

The AVMA has a link in this article that gives a wide list: Full Cat & Dog Food Recall, Treats Recall List Online