On March 16, 2007 Menu Foods initiated the largest dog and cat food recall in history. It had been discovered through the death and illnesses of several pets that there was a problem with the pet foods on the market. Menu Foods is the manufacturer of most brands of dog and cat foods and uses the same basic ingredients for these products. It was found that wheat gluten in the pet foods was contaminated with a substance called melamine. Through several studies the Food and Drug Administration and Menu Foods found that melamine was causing the dog and cat illnesses and deaths.

Why Melamine Caused A Dog And Cat Food Recall

Melamine is a chemical substance that is used in plastics and other products. When the dog and cat food recall occurred it was found that wheat gluten and other pet food ingredients imported from China were contaminated by this product. It is thought that the Chinese add the melamine to make the products appear to have more protein. Studies that were done in the past came to the conclusion that small amounts of Melamine were not harmful when they were ingested by dogs, cats, humans, and other mammals. But the new research suggests that the melamine causes crystal to be made in the kidneys that then can cause kidney failure. After several pets died from eating melamine tainted foods the dog and cat food recall was quickly initiated.

What A Pet Owner Can Do

Many pet owners have become very concerned about the foods their pets eat since the dog and cat food recall. People want to feel confident that the foods they feed their pets are not harmful. The Food and Drug Administration has continued to be concerned and offers pet owners sound advice regarding the dog and cat food recall. In fact a complete listing of recalled pet foods can be found at the FDA website. If pet owners are concerned about pet food they still have in their home they should consult this list. The list is frequently updated as more and more imports from china are found to be contaminated.

Some pet owners have decided that the best thing to do is to make their pet’s homemade food. This can be done but may prove costly and great care needs to be taken to insure that the pets are getting all their nutritional requirements. There are many web sites that discuss homemade pet food and give recipes for different types of food. One positive aspect of the dog and cat food recall is that people have become more concerned over their pets diets and have become proactive in the care of their pets.