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FDA Tests Show Chemical in Pet Food
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Scientists with the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] have linked a
chemical to the illness and deaths of cats eating tainted food and
raised for the 1st time the possibility that dry pet food may have
been affected as well as wet food.
FDA officials said at a news conference today that they have linked
the chemical melamine, which they said is used as a fertilizer in
Asia, to the kidneys of the affected cats. Thousands of owners of
both cats and dogs who feed their pets wet or dry food have
complained that their pets have become ill, but the FDA has not yet
determined if those illnesses are linked to pet food.
The agency has recalled a batch of contaminated Chinese wheat gluten
that was sent to many pet food manufacturers, including one that
makes dry dog food.
But they said they do not know yet if the contaminated wheat gluten
has been used to make pet food. And the FDA's finding was also
immediately disputed by the New York State Food Laboratory, the
testing facility that announced last Friday [23 Mar 2007, see
ProMED-mail posting Pet food fatalities, pets - USA, Canada, Mexico
(02): aminopterin 20070325.1040 - Mod.MPP] it had identified
Aminopterin, a rat poison, in samples of tainted cat food.
Because the FDA identified melamine crystals in the kidneys of
affected cats, the agency is presuming the illnesses are related to
the chemical, said Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's
Center for Veterinary Medicine.
FDA officials have not yet released the name of the dry pet food
company that received the contaminated wheat gluten, saying it was
not clear if any of that gluten had yet been made into dog food.
"We are in the plant right now," said Michael Rogers, director of the
division of field investigations in the office of regulatory affairs
for the FDA "At this time, we're not certain any dry food was made
with that wheat gluten. As soon as we find out what dry food, if any,
was manufactured, we will announce it publicly."
Jessica A Chittenden, a spokeswoman for the New York State Department
of Agriculture and Markets, said "We don't think this is the final
conclusion. Melamine is not a known toxin. There's not enough data to
show that it is toxic to cats."
She added: "We are confident we found Aminopterin, and it makes sense
with the pathology." She also said another laboratory, Animal Health
Laboratory at the University of Guelph in Canada, had confirmed the
presence of Aminopterin in the samples.
But the FDA said they had been unable to find Aminopterin in the pet
food samples it had tested. Researchers at Cornell said they were
also unable to find any evidence of the rat poison.
"We believe the laboratories involved in this investigation should
continue to maintain an open forum to definitively identify the one
or more agents that are causing the deaths and illnesses of cats and
dogs so that they do not enter the animal or human food chain in the
future," said Patrick Hooker, the agricultural commissioner for the
state of New York.
Though Dr. Sundlof said he was not certain melamine was the chemical
causing illness in dogs and cats, "at this point in the
investigation, we are not focusing on Aminopterin."
FDA officials announced they had received more than 8000 complaints
from pet owners with sick pets, but they have not yet had "the luxury
of time" to confirm all of those complaints are linked to tainted pet food.
Officials did acknowledge, however, that many of the complaints were
from owners who only fed their pets dry food.
Another press conference by Menu Foods, the manufacturer of wet "cuts
and sauce" style food that has already been recalled, was scheduled
for later today.
[Byline: Brenda Goodman]
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