I guess everyone has heard the latest on the recall, another private label manufacturer, Sunshine Mills, that makes biscuits and other items sold primarily at Wal Mart, has recalled numerous biscuit and treat brands. 
The FDA has a nice synopsis published last Thursday that is helpful bringing everyone up to speed. You can find all the brands affected and the latest scoop on the wheat gluten importer.
In addition, the Pet Food Institute, has some good information from the manufacturers perspective.
There are several issues that remain unresolved at this time. The FDA cannot tell us how melamine, the suspected toxin, got into the wheat gluten supply in the first place. We also don't know much about the toxicity of melamine in dogs and cats. Apparently it's more toxic to cats than dogs, but there is still debate about just how toxic it is.
There are some things we do know. For instance...
Fully 99% of the pet food made in this country is not affected by this recall and is safe for your pet.
I emphasize that point because I think the industry has been unfairly maligned in the press over this issue. Don't get me wrong, as a vet and a pet parent, I deeply sympathize with pet owners who have had pets sickened or even lost to this terrible issue. But I've read some information on other sites that I think is downright wrong.
I understand that many people are suspicious of the motives of big companies. But to say that pet food makers don't pay attention to quality and are only motivated by profit is simply wrong in my view. [a note from Yvonne: I agree. It's casting a blind eye, so to speak.]
Any manufacturer that took that view would soon be out of business and Purina has been in the pet food business for darn near a century.
I worked for Purina for 17 years after I left practice. I know how seriously they take their obligation to produce a safe and nutritious product. I know that they have been working around the clock for the last few weeks to make sure that they are producing safe and nutritious pet food.
I don't work for Purina any more and I don't really owe them anything, but it just really burns me, knowing the company from the inside, to read some of the baloney I've read about the pet food industry over the last few weeks.
In many ways, the pet food industry is regulated more stringently than the human food industry. Can you say flesh eating bacteria from meat contaminated by e-coli? How about the bagged spinach fiasco from last fall? Every batch of pet food is tested for bacterial contamination including salmonella and e-coli, as well as aflatoxin and for the nutrient content that is listed on the label.
NOTE: Purina was able to pinpoint the small quantities of product containing this suspect ingredient specifically because of the elaborate quality control checks and record keeping they have in place.
So, if you want to prepare your own pet food bacause you think commercially made pet food is unsafe, I for one, think you would be making a mistake. Dogs and cats have very specific nutritional needs that change at every life stage. Quality pet food makers understand this and it;s their business to produce those products safely and economically.
This unfortunate incident will only make them better at doing just that.
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