Shannon has been following the pet food recall news and sends some additional information for pet owners wondering what foods are safe and whether they should consider making food for their pets at home.

As most of you have read or heard, melamine, a chemical usually associated with the manufacture of plastic dinnerware, has been found in pet foods, in particular the ingredient wheat gluten,  imported from China by some major U.S. pet food companies.

Why melamine? Apparently, it has a high nitrogen content and, since nitrogen content in pet foods is measured to determine the food’s protein level, adding melamine to pet foods produces a higher, albeit false, protein reading.

Recently, however, UC Davis veterinary toxicologists have discovered melamine in rice gluten used in certain pet foods. Accordingly, they recommend against feeding any store-bought pet food containing wheat, corn or rice (no grains.) In addition,  pet owners making their own dog and cat food should check with their veterinarian to make sure the homemade food contains the right balance of nutrients. 

Researchers and pet monitoring agencies believe about 200 dogs and cats have died from consuming tainted pet food and over a thousand others have become sick. Veterinarians say the contaminated food causes kidney failure, vomiting and lethargy in dogs and cats. And cats, being smaller, are especially susceptible.