Today, Februrary 7, 2008 a United States federal grand jury handed down indictments relating to last years pet food recall. According to prosecutors, two Chinese businessman, top executives at a U.S. company are being charged in connection to the tainted pet foods which were responsible for illness and death of pets across the country. The indictments are a result of the investigation that took place in the wake of 2007’s pet food recall.

According to the prosecutors, the toxic wheat gluten was not labeled for use as a raw material for food when it was shipped to the United States, thereby avoiding inspection. The accused are being incriminated over the claim that approximately 800 metric tons of wheat gluten containing the chemical melamine was imported, falsely labeled and then distributed to pet food manufacturers resulting in death and illness of thousands of pets.

Researchers have found melamine and related compounds to cause kidney failure in animals fed products containing contaminated wheat gluten. Until the recent food recalls, it was not routine to monitor for melamine, possibly because of the previously assumed low toxicity of the chemical or the expense of detection.

It is my hope, that those responsible for this tragedy will be disciplined to the full extent that the law allows; warning companies, nationally and internationally, of the consequences of endangering lives through compromising the quality of products used for feed.

For the complete story on the companies involved and the people being faced with the indictments, please visit cnn.com for the complete story.

Image via Haute Diggety Dog, available for purchase at www.trixieandpeanut.com.

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While this is kind of embarrassing to admit, I was trolling around on Facebook this morning, (I am a total Facebook addict) and I came across a pretty interesting group called People Against Bad Dog Food. I wanted to mention it because the site does a really good job of concisely describing many of the problems I have previously addressed regarding commercially prepared dog food.

The mission of the PABDF, a non-profit organization, is to ensure that dogs throughout the United States receive the highest quality nutrition and care. Their goals include educating the public about the food choices they make for their pups and lobbying the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to raise their currently ineffective standards for manufacturing practices in the US.

It is great that there are a growing number people out there doing their best to educate the public about the realities of the pet food industry and trying to make a difference beyond their own kitchens and their own dogs.The site has a useful tool where you can look up various brands of dog foods and compare ingredients. Find out what the top three ingredients are in your pet’s food. This makes it easier to avoid getting sucked in by the romantic images we are served up by clever advertising in the pet food industry.

On a side note, that commercial with the extra cute puppies and the “We’re for dogs” and “Dog’s Rule!” narration is sooo seductive! It’s hard to believe what that company puts in their food. A quick search on their website revealed the first three ingredients in one of their featured products to be Ground Whole Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal. Yikes!

Anyway, back to People Against Bad Dog Food. Their site also hosts a comprehensive news area where you can read up on the latest happenings in the world of pet food recalls and other canine health related issues.

Becoming a member is as simple as filling out a quick online form.Since I think most people are against bad dog food, its a great cause to get behind and a great site to easily access information about the pet food industry and what’s really going into your dog’s bowl every day.

Visit www.pabdf.org and check it out.

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The Associated Press has reported on an unfortunate case of contaminated pet foods, in which at least 24 dogs lost their lives in 2005. The food was contaminated with a toxic mold called aflatoxin, which is a fungus that can colonize and contaminate grains and cause severe liver damage. You can see the full report by clicking on the video link to the right.The company responsible, Diamond Pet Foods, has settled a class action lawsuit and has agreed to pay 3.1 million dollars to compensate the owners of the dogs who were affected by the contamination. The Diamond Pet Food Settlement website provides important information on the settlement, claim forms a FAQ page and a toll free hotline for those who may need assistance.

Image via Haute Diggety Dog, available for purchase at www.trixieandpeanut.com.

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Raw feeding is an extremely controversial topic amongst pet owners, amongst other reasons, because of the risks of salmonella and contamination. In the December/ January Issue of Animal Wellness magazine, Ann Brightman writes a great article entitled “Is raw food recall the start of an FDA witch-hunt?” Her article explains that salmonella is not much of an issue for our companions as dogs and cats have digestive systems that are better adapted at dealing with that. Proper hygiene while preparing and cleaning after meals can minimize any risk for pets and their people.While those who feed raw diets are adamant about the health benefits of this style of feeding, according to Ms. Brightman’s article, the FDA does not advocate raw diets for pets, and in fact, is actively discouraging the feeding practice.”…when FDA agents discovered listeria and/or salmonella monocytogenes in three raw frozen poultry diets…during a routine inspection this past September, the company felt obligated to voluntarily recall the products even though there have been no reports of illness and the company follows all FDA guidelines for manufacturing raw diets, with the exception of irradiation.

“The North American Raw Petfood Association (NARPA), is attempting to meet with the FDA to create an open forum for discussion to balance to FDA’s obligation to protect public health and the desires of pet owners to have raw diets available to them.

This alarming post on Dogster.com claims that the FDA intends to shut down all Raw Pet Food companies. This post includes a statement from Melinda Miller, of Bravo Raw Diet that addresses the FDA’s concerns and the fact that the FDA needs to make a loud statement to the public that they are concerned about the health of our pets, in light of their negligence during the melamine pet food recall.

Dogster.com also has a cool group call Raw Fed that you can join, discuss and read all about people’s experiences with raw diets.

Image via Haute Diggety Dog, available for purchase at www.trixieandpeanut.com.

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China and the United States signed an agreement on Tuesday expanding the United State’s roll in certifying and inspecting food products. The agreement does not cover all food items that the US sought to have included, but pet food ingredients are included and the list may be expanded at a later time. (Read the New York Times coverage on this here and here.)This information is meant to make consumers feel safer in purchasing products made with ingredients (like the tainted wheat-gluten) produced overseas.

Should we really be reverting to blind faith in the pet food industry in light of these new agreements? Keep in mind, those ‘premium’ brands we all feel so good about buying were on the same lists as the less expensive, generic ones. Hasn’t the pet food recall over the past year brought to light the concept that even if commercially prepared pet food is good enough, how can we allow ‘good enough’ to be acceptable for our four legged family members?

Image via Haute Diggety Dog, available for purchase at www.trixieandpeanut.com.

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Canine nutrition is one of my foremost interests. It was that topic that sparked the concept of my starting this blog. As such, I hope that it will be a regularly recurring topic and as I continue to read the many books and websites; and confer with experts in the field, I look forward to continuing to write on this topic.In light of the recent food recalls, there has been a great deal of debate on the topic of pet food and increased awareness amongst pet owners. There is a mass of conflicting information about what is ‘good’ dog food. Most dog owners have experienced their vet encouraging the use of certain brands of dog food. We feel if it is vet recommended, it must be safe. We must think outside of this rationalization. Try and imagine a responsible internist endorsing a a brand of food - it seems wrong.

Commercially prepared dog food is a modern invention for the sake of convenience. Prior to the advent of the pet food industry, our pets ate table scraps and other ‘human’ foods. In the 1950’s dry pet food was introduced and over the next decade advertisers packaged and commercialized the notion that commercially prepared foods were superior to freshly cooked meats and vegetables.

The pet food industry has done a wonderful job of convincing us that feeding our pup anything but commercially prepared dog foods is dangerous to his health. While commercially prepared foods are carefully formulated to the specific needs of our canine friends, while reading the ingredients, you often find meat by products, fillers and chemicals to provide a long shelf life.

If the over 5,000 pet foods that were recalled in 2007 are not enough to convince us that we need to reevaluate the trust we put into packaged food products, I highly recommend Ann Martin’s book, Food Pets Die For. Originally published in 1997, it was one of the first exposés on the pet food industry. She has updated her book and continues to call out the unethical practices that take place in the industry. The most shocking information was the assertion that euthanized animals are rendered into the mix.

The veterinary recommended brand we were feeding Louis was included in the pet food recall, although not his specific formula. It was still enough to make me rethink what I was feeding him. After reading Ms. Martin’s book, I committed to changing his diet drastically. We are in the process of making the change and are already seeing positive changes.

In addition to the new-found knowledge of the revolting processes the pet food industry utilizes, Ms. Martin makes helpful suggestions for revising your pet’s diet, offers recipes for feeding pets home cooked meals and advises on selecting commercially prepared foods made by ethical companies using human grade ingredients. Her book is gut-wrenching and I needed a few lengthy breaks in order to stomach its contents, however, for anyone who cares for a pet, it is necessary reading.

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