First wheat gluten, now rice! The pet food recall issue
Mornin’ cat lovers,
I hate to harp on this story, but I think it’s very important. It seems that the latest pet foods recalled, Nature’s Balance venison flavors (Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Foods, and Venison & Brown Rice Dog Foods), are also contaminated with melamine. That’s the same substance that showed up in the wheat gluten. Basically, it’s a substance used as a fertilizer that has NO business being used on food crops. Thing is, this time, it’s in rice protein also used in these particular foods. Here’s a link to a press release from the company explaining this in more detail.
It seems that the Chinese government has blocked requests from the FDA to send inspectors to China to look over the manufacturing facility there. Other information is sketchy at this time, although there is some evidence that the protein might have been used at Diamond Pet Foods, a manufacturer who has had problems in the past with tainted animal food.
As a woman in the grocery store yesterday told me “Pet owners don’t know what to do now, or who to trust.” She’s right. In general, I try to avoid as many processed ingredients as possible in my pet foods, just like I do in my own food. Avoid cheap foods that are filled with fillers such as wheat gluten, rice protein, rice or wheat flours, etc. If you can, feed raw, but do some research online and find out what the proper nutrients and supplements are that have to be added.
If you see a store or shop selling these recalled foods, make a ruckus! Demand that they be pulled from the shelves. A lot of recalled foods are still on the shelves, and some are even being sold in veterinarian’s offices.
We’re still feeding Wellness brand canned foods to our cats, but I’m watching them closely. As long as pet food manufacturers use the cheapest possible ingredients, and buy them from non-organic sources, these things will happen more and more often.
Hug your kitties!
bobbi a. chukran
pet food recall, Diamond Pet Foods, Nature’s Balance, Wellness
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