Editorial: The pet food scare

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.

The recall of potentially contaminated pet foods expanded over the weekend, prompting the nation's pet owners to open their cupboards once again to check serial numbers and recall lists.

On Sunday San Francisco-based Del Monte Pet Products voluntarily recalled three of its products - two for dogs and one for cats - because they contain wheat gluten imported from China. The wheat gluten has been found to be contaminated by melamine, a chemical used in Asian fertilizers that has been linked to more than a dozen pet deaths.

On Saturday Nestle Purina PetCare Co. voluntarily recalled its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food. And on Friday Hill's Pet Nutrition voluntarily recalled a brand of its Prescription Diet m/d Feline food.

The announcements came in the wake of a recall two weeks ago in which Ontario-based Menu Foods announced that about 60 million cans and pouches of the "cuts and gravy" type of cat and dog foods may have been contaminated. The recall included many brands, including such trusted names as Iams and Eukanuba.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has received about 8,000 calls regarding ill pets, has attributed 15 deaths to the contaminated food. Although melamine is not approved for use in pet foods, the FDA said connecting deaths to it is difficult because research on its effects in animals is limited. Still, veterinarians across the nation suggest that the numbers of sickened pets could be in the hundreds, if not thousands.

Public concerns raised during recent recalls of tainted spinach, peanut butter and lettuce almost pale in comparison with the fears of pet owners, who now wonder whether the food they give to their beloved cats and dogs is akin to poison. Many also wonder why U.S. and Canadian companies are importing wheat gluten when there are so many wheat producers in the two countries.

Like many other products on today's market, wheat gluten from China is cheaper - about 10 cents a pound cheaper than U.S. wheat gluten. Still, in allowing U.S. manufacturers to use foreign ingredients, the FDA needs to make certain those ingredients are pure.

Excuses provide little solace for someone who has lost his or her best friend.