With the nation's 130 million dogs and cats at risk due to the ongoing contamination epidemic of the pet food supply, pet owners are demanding answers from their Congressional representatives and are demanding accountability and answers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill) wants answers too and has announced the U.S. Senate will conduct an oversight hearing on the ongoing investigation and the regulatory mechanisms that govern the pet food industry as the widespread recall of contaminated pet food continues.

The FDA's apparent lax monitoring of the nation's pet food supply has become an issue as pet owners, many grieving over the loss of their animal companions are demanding answers about how could such an epidemic happen and why the FDA hasn't moved faster.

Although the recall was first announced on March 16, so far the FDA has not upped the official number of pets who have died of kidney failure or illness related to the contaminated food, leaving the official death toll at 16 totaling 15 cats and one dog. However, pet deaths have been estimated as high as 3,000 with sick animals numbering over 100,000.

The FDA has acknowledged that they have received more than 12,000 complaints from the public, nearly double the number it received about pet food all last year and more than 400 FDA employees have been assigned to handle the widening epidemic.

"Many cats, dogs and other pets, considered members of the family are now suffering as a result of a deeply flawed pet food inspection system," said Durbin. "The FDA's response to this situation has been tragically slow. Pet owners deserve answers. The uncertainty about what is safe to feed their pets has gone on far too long. I want to learn exactly when the FDA knew about the contamination, who is inspecting pet food manufacturing plants, and whether we need to force the FDA to update their regulations to protect our pets. Most importantly, I want to hear how the FDA is going to work to resolve the current crisis and ensure this doesn't happen again."

Durbin, an advocate for improving food safety, said that he believes the lives of many of the pets who died after eating the tainted food could have been saved if the contamination had been reported sooner so that the public was aware. "While they (Menu Foods and FDA) were waiting to report this contaminated and poisoned food, the food was being spread across America". He said that pets can't talk and don't have a voice but that their owners do. He says that the federal inspection process for both human and pet food is "broken down".

Durbin, a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, is working with Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), the chairman of the subcommittee, to schedule the hearing shortly after the Senate returns from recess this week and could be held as early as Thursday. Hearing witnesses will include FDA officials who will be questioned on the timeline of the investigation, the source of the contamination, and the agency's regulatory and inspection responsibilities.

The hearing will also include outside experts who will discuss the current state of the pet food industry, as well as regulatory or resource shortfalls that led to the widespread recall of tainted pet food.

Durbin was elected by his fellow Democratic senators in December 2006 to the post of Assistant Majority Leader, also known as Majority Whip. It is the Senate's second highest ranking position.

Durbin is urging the FDA to take action in three specific areas:

--Delay in reporting. Menu Foods, Inc. first noticed a potential problem on Feb. 20, but did not contact FDA until March 15. In the meantime, other companies were selling tainted product and the supplier wasn't aware that it had provided wheat gluten contaminated with melamine. Durbin wants companies that delay reporting to the FDA and endanger human and animal health to face penalties.

--Lack of inspections. The Emporia, Kansas Menu Foods facility where many of these products were made had never been inspected by the FDA. The agency has been relying on the states to conduct inspections, but the FDA has jurisdiction over all pet food manufacturing facilities and the ultimate responsibility to ensure facilities comply with FDA standards. Where there should be federal regulation, there is instead a patchwork of state inspection systems and voluntary guidance. Durbin wants to require the FDA to work with the states to establish a standardized set of regulations and inspection requirements.

--Incomplete data and reporting from the FDA. Blogs and nonprofit websites such as The North Country Gazette (www.northcountrygazette.org) have filled a gap and become the most efficient way to share information on contaminations. Durbin wants to direct the FDA to create a similar information sharing system that would allow state veterinarians, pet owners and others to alert the FDA of possible contaminations.

TIMELINE

On March 16, Menu Foods, Inc. initiated a voluntary recall of 60 million cans and pouches of wet pet food. The recall involves 42 varieties of cat food and 53 varieties of dog food made at its Emporia, Kansas facility between Dec. 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. http://www.menufoods.com/recall/.

The FDA, which has jurisdiction over the regulation and inspection of pet food processing facilities, announced the recall on March 17. According to FDA, it was first notified of the contamination on March 15.

In addition to the Menu Foods recall of 95 different labels of pet food, the recall was expanded between March 16 and March 31 to at least four more makers of pet food, all well-respected premium brand companies - Nestle Purina, maker of Alpo; Hill's Pet Nutrition, maker of Prescription Diet; P&G Pet Care, maker of Iams and Eukanuba; and Del Monte.

http://www.purina.com/
http://www.hillspet.com/
www.Iams.com and www.Eukanuba.com
http://www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html

On March 26, in response to reports that Menu Foods and FDA were underreporting the number of animal illnesses (acute kidney failure) and deaths attributed to the contamination, Durbin and Congresswoman DeLauro sent a letter to Andrew von Eschenbach, commissioner of the FDA, requesting that within 15 days the FDA provide information on the number of pet food manufacturing inspections and violations, a detailed timeline of the situation, an analysis of FDA's oversight of pet food manufacturing facilities and a report of actions taken since the recent pet food recall. A response is due by April 10.

On March 30, the FDA discovered that the source of the contamination was a melamine-contaminated batch of wheat gluten imported from China by a Chinese company called Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd, which is based in Wangdien, China. The same day, in response to the Xuzhou discovery, FDA issued guidelines blocking imports of wheat gluten from that company and stepped up inspections of all Chinese wheat gluten shipments.

On April 3, Nevada-based ChemNutra announced that it was the firm that had imported the contaminated wheat gluten and that it then provided the gluten to pet food companies. According to ChemNutra, all the wheat gluten went to pet food companies and should not be in the human food supply. ChemNutra initiated a nationwide recall of the contaminated wheat gluten product on April 2.

On April 5, Menu Foods expanded their recall to include 27 more varieties of products with earlier production dates, but no additional brands.

Additionally, Sunshine Mills Foods has recalled dog biscuits sold by Wal-Mart under the Ol'Roy name made with contaminated wheat gluten which is the center of an investigation into the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs due to kidney failure and responsible for the illness of hundreds more pets. Sunshine Mills, a branded and private-label pet food manufacturer based in Red Bay, Ala., has voluntarily recalled a portion of its branded dog biscuits made at its Red Bay plant during part of March 2007.

These brands include: Nurture Chicken & Rice, Nurture Lamb & Rice, Pet Life Large, Pet Life Extra Large, Pet Life Large Variety, Pet Life Large Peanut Butter, Lassie Lamb and Rice, and Pet Life People Pleasers Dog Treats. Private label biscuits for six of Sunshine's customers were also affected. A complete list of affected biscuit brands, sizes, and codes is at their website, www.sunshinemills.com. The company says that Sunshine's other biscuit brands and products that include small and medium sized biscuits were not affected nor are dry dog and cat food and soft and chewy treats for dogs or cats manufactured by Sunshine are not affected and not included in this recall. http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/sunshinemills04_07.html. Consumers may contact Sunshine's customer service number at (800) 705-2111 for further information about the recall and for other instructions on obtaining a product refund.

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to use American Bullie A.B. Bull Pizzle Puppy Chews and Dog Chews manufactured and distributed by T.W. Enterprises of Ferndale, WA., because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.

In a move unrelated to the Menu Foods/wheat gluten recall, Eight In One, Inc. of Hauppauge, NY, a division of United Pet Group, Inc., has recalled nationally all lots of Dingo® Chick'n Jerky treats due to company concerns that the jerky treats have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.

The products affected were sold at Target, PetSmart and other retailers. The products subject to this voluntary recall are Dingo Chicken Jerky 3.5 oz. and 8 oz. for dogs and Dingo Kitty Chicken Jerky 1.5 oz. for cats and Dingo Ferret Chicken Jerky 1.5 oz for ferrets.

Laboratory testing has shown that some samples of these chicken jerky treats were contaminated with salmonella. Consumers who purchased any of the above-identified treats should discontinue use of the products and should discard the unused portion. Consumers can obtain information on receiving refunds by contacting the Eight In One consumer affairs department at 1-888-232-9889.

FDA laboratories have found a substance called melamine in samples of pet food and in the wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the pet food. Additionally, Cornell University scientists have found melamine in the urine and kidneys of deceased cats that were part of a taste testing study conducted for Menu Foods. http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html

Melamine is a small, nitrogen-containing molecule that has a number of industrial uses, including as an industrial binding agent, flame retardant and as part of a polymer in the manufacture of cooking utensils and plates. Melamine has additionally been used as a fertilizer in some parts of the world. It is not registered for use as a fertilizer in the United States.

If your pet displays symptoms of vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, decreased or increased output of urine, difficulty urinating, more of less frequent urination or increased drinking or decreased drinking, contact your veterinarian immediately as these are the symptoms of kidney failure.

Meanwhile, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) continues its demand for the resignation of FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach. "Beloved companion animals are dying horrible deaths because the FDA refuses to do its job", PETA officials say and have initiated a petition demanding immediate action from the FDA, including the prompt resignation of Eschenbach who they say has completely failed trusting consumers. http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iams_fda

PETA says the FDA has deceived the public and the media-both about the nature of the recall and about the agency's oversight of the pet-food industry-and has refused to exercise its mandate to ensure the safety of companion animal food. The FDA's own Web site verifies that the agency has left "regulation" of the pet-food industry to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), a non-governmental body with no power, PETA says. 4-08-07

© 2007 North Country Gazette