As the melamine purge sweeps the pet food industry, Hills Pet Nutrition Inc., makers of Science Diet, issued a recall of a single product: Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry Food.
The Food and Drug Administration detected melamine and melamine byproducts in wheat gluten received by the company to make dry cat food. The FDA is conducting an investigation into pet food products made with wheat gluten thatcontains the toxin melamine and their association with reports of injury and deaths in cats and dogs.
Across Maryland and the Washington region, veterinarians and pet owners are following the pet food recalls, checking their pantries and praying their cat or dog hasn?t eaten any of the contaminated strains.
Veterinarian Nancy Taylor of Northwest Animal Hospital in Owings Mills said she is heeding the recall but hasn?t had any clients affected.
“I use Hills all the time and I have tremendous faith in their product,” she said.
Because the cat food is sold exclusively through veterinarians, Hill?s has notified veterinarians and is voluntarily recalling products containing the wheat gluten.
The company announced it will conduct its own testing after the FDA found ingredients coming into its facility contained melamine.
The FDA urged pet owners who have any bags of Prescription Diet m/d Feline to discontinue use. They should speak with their veterinarian if their cat shows any signs of kidney/renal illness. Symptoms include loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.
“FDA recognizes that pets are very important to the American people, and our sympathies go out to those who have lost their beloved pets,” said Stephen Sundlof, D.V.M., director of the FDA?s Center for Veterinary Medicine.
Complete lists of recalled pet foods are making the rounds of veterinary emergency rooms such as the Greenbriar Pet Resort and Veterinary Center in Urbana.
“We don?t happen to use any of those affected foods, so we?re not affected,” said administrator Sharon Kessler. “We have the list posted in the ER and we ask questions when anyone brings a pet in, then conduct diagnostics from there.”
Where is it coming from?
» Melamine, the contaminant identified in toxic pet foods, is a clear crystalline powder used in plastic manufacturing and some fertilizers in Asia.
» The FDA is confiscating shipments of tainted wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in Wangdien, China.
» Chinese officials denied their product had anything to do with the recall of more than 60 million cans of cat and dog food and the deaths of 14 animals.
