As of today (written April 11th), the latest on the pet food recall is that millions of cans and pouches of contaminated cat and dog food have been pulled off the shelves, and the current thinking is that contaminated wheat gluten, shipped over from China and used at Menu Foods for the processing in dozens of brands of cat and dog food, is the culprit. The original concern was that rat poison was responsible, but that was discounted by the FDA. We now believe it is melamine, an ingredient in plastic. So with the vast majority of pet owners feeding their pets commercial pet food, what are we to do? How do we handle a crisis that seems out of our control? What should we feed our pets?

Well, this case is similar to the poisoned spinach outbreak and the Taco Bell lettuce outbreak from last year. The tainted line of food was identified, the public was alerted, and the product was removed. That’s the simple answer. Some other questions like “why didn’t we know sooner?” and “what are the pet food companies going to do now?” remain to be fully answered. I know that Hill’s Science Diet has pledged to reimburse any pet owner $100 towards any testing on an exposed pet. I also know that these companies will, for the most part, be quite vigilant in testing their products from here on out. Some were good to begin with, but others were not. And it was actually a surprise to me to learn that one huge plant (Menu Foods in Ontario, Canada – see www.menufoods.com for the complete list of recalled food and the latest news) was responsible for even some of the prescription foods that are sold through veterinarians.

So what should you feed your pet? Well, in general, you should start by reading the label. Avoid artificial colors and flavors. They exist not for the pet but for the owner. Avoid byproducts. These can include things like blood, bone, chicken heads, or uninspected tissue. You want to feed meat, not meat byproducts. Finally, you want to avoid “fillers, meals, and preservatives” as much as possible. So this means feeding either a “premium” pet food, or making it yourself. I tell people it’s okay to feed table scraps now and then, but not junk food. And be careful that Fido and Fluffy don’t get overweight. Studies show that overweight pets, on average, live 2 years less than pets that are slim and trim.

I hope that helps, and I pray that such an outbreak doesn’t happen again. Our four-legged friends depend on us to take care of them.

Till next time, Dr. Steve, Ashburn Village Animal Hospital

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