It appears that melamine was introduced through wheat gluten from a specific supplier from China. The FDA announced, during their press conference of March 30, 2007, that their investigation had not identified any violations at either of the Emporia, Kansas or the Pennsauken, New Jersey facilities of Menu Foods. The FDA also announced that they did not find melamine in any of non-recall impacted samples of finished product or raw materials.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has halted the shipment of any products from the two Chinese companies implicated in the contamination, and is inspecting 100% of corn meal, corn gluten, wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate, soy protein and rice bran imported from China. Although contamination of all of these products has not been found, they are using caution and inspecting all of the vegetable products imported from China.

Yes. Some hogs, chickens, and fish were processed and went to market before it was known that they were fed feed containing melamine and related compounds. Hogs, chickens, and fish identified as having eaten contaminated feed were quarantined or voluntarily held, but later released based on the findings of a risk assessment and, for some animals, the results of tissue samples.

Return the pet food to the store where you purchased it and ask for a refund. Stores generally have a return and refund policy when a company has announced a recall of its products. If you cannot return the pet food immediately, store the food in a secure place where pets and children cannot get to it.

Please call the FDA consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area. To find your coordinator, visit www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html. Try to have the following information available before calling: Brand name, lot numbers, and Universal Product Code (UPC) for the pet food fed to your pet when it was ill. A lot number is typically stamped on the bag/pouch or on the can lid. Lot numbers usually consist of a series of letters and numbers.

To report complaints about pet food (and other animal feed), please contact you state FDA's Consumer Complaint Coordinator(s). Contact information can be found at the list of FDA's Consumer Complaint Coordinators. When reporting, please include as much information as possible, including the specific product name, lot numbers, veterinarian's report and diagnosis, etc.

Our food has no fillers, so you feed a lot less than traditional pet food. As a result the price per feeding is actually quite affordable. Check out this article for more info. Also keep in mind that all of our prices include free shipping. You need to make sure the transition is gradual. When you introduce the Sojos diet, feed your pet a meal with mostly the old food and a little bit of the new mixture (Sojos mix, meat, and water – preferably soaked overnight).

Veterinarians who have case files and post-mortem results in cases where renal failure is involved and the clients were feeding recalled food are encouraged to contact FDA through the complaint coordinator in their state. To find your coordinator, visit www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

FDA regulates pet food similar to the way it regulates other animal feeds. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires that pet foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. In addition, canned pet foods must be processed in conformance with low-acid canned food regulations to ensure safety from harmful bacteria or their toxins.

First you'll need to add water and meat. We recommend USDA beef, chicken or turkey (ground or whole from the grocery store or butcher, or frozen meat patties sold in your local pet store). Always use safe handling methods when dealing with raw meat.

It depends on the size of your pet, but generally speaking, an average sized cat will go through one 4 lb bag of Sojos European-Style in 2 months. As for dogs, typically a 10 lb. bag of Sojos European-Style will last about 5 weeks for a 50 lb. adult dog and an 8 lb. bag of Europa or an 8 lb. bag of Monzie's will last about a month. As a rule of thumb, Sojos European-Style Dog and Cat Food Mixes and Monzie's contain approximately 3.8 cups per pound and Europa contains about 4 cups per pound.

If your pet shows any signs of illness, including loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in water consumption or changes in urination, please consult your veterinarian IMMEDIATELY. If you are unable to reach your veterinarian and suspect your pet is gravely ill, you may call the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for emergency advice (a $60 fee applies).

It is possible to get such testing done by a diagnostic laboratory in your area. Please consult your veterinarian, who will be able to guide you on this. According to the FDA, food testing trials were conducted by the manufacturer, not any of the pet food companies who sold final formulations made by the manufacturer. The FDA is conducting an investigation into how this testing was done. The ASPCA was not aware of this element of testing until the FDA mentioned the fact on its Web site.

This comes up more than you would expect, pets fight infections too, like viral based diseases like feline leukemia and feline AIDS. Thanks to the work of pet psychic Amelia Kincade and the experimenting of pet owners everywhere we have many customers adding olive leaf powder and/or liquid extract to pet food and olive leaf powder to pet wash topically.

No. Manufacturers add preservatives to pet foods to maintain the freshness of their product so it will last long enough to reach the consumer and the consumer's pet. Preservatives are listed in the ingredient list usually in parenthesis behind a fat source, and can be divided into two categories: chemical and natural.

The pet food manufacturing process results in some crushed or otherwise damaged product that cannot be sold for pet food. These scraps are often sold to livestock manufacturers to add to animal feed. Pet food scraps containing a melamine-contaminated product labeled as rice protein concentrate went to hog producers in various states, including California, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, and Utah.

There is no requirement that pet food products have premarket approval by FDA. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act does require that pet foods, like human foods, be pure and wholesome, contain no harmful or deleterious substances, and be truthfully labeled. Information about marketing a pet food product may be found by reading our Information on Marketing a Pet Food Product flyer.

The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) determines the nutritional adequacy of pet foods and if a pet food is determined nutritionally adequate, they are labeled "complete and balanced". The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates production of pet food through Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations. In cases of illness related to pet foods such as in the current situation, the FDA steps in to investigate the cause.

Menu Foods only manufactures wet pet food in cans and foil pouches. Dry pet food is not part of the Menu Foods recall. If you are in possession of a variety or multi-pack, please be sure to check the individual can or pouch rather than relying solely on the date coding on the side of the carton. If you are in possession of a variety or multi-pack, please be sure to check the individual can or pouch rather than relying solely on the date coding on the side of the carton.

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dedicated personnel in each of its 20 district offices to take consumer calls and conduct inspections and investigations mobilized more than 400 employees to collect pet food and animal feed samples, monitor the effectiveness of the recall, and prepare consumer complaint reports conducted numerous inspections of manufacturing facilities and warehouses to trace all of the contaminated products launched a massive, nationwide testing and education campaign to help keep contaminated products from re.

Some people think that feeding "people food" to pets will give them diarrhea and turn them into beggars at dinnertime. Depending on what you feed them and where, loose stools and begging can be avoided. Here are some simple guidelines to follow. First, when we say it’s o.k. to feed “people food”, we are not talking about potato chips, chocolate cake, and onion rings – these thing are sure to give your pet a tummy ache.

The ingredients in US pet foods that were found to contain melamine and melamine-related compounds were originally identified as wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate. However, investigation and testing by the FDA has determined that both products were mislabeled when shipped to the US, and were actually wheat flour. This does not change the recalls themselves because it does not change the foods affected, but it provides additional information for the investigation.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has halted the shipment of any products from the two Chinese companies implicated in the contamination, and is inspecting 100% of corn meal, corn gluten, wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate, soy protein and rice bran imported from China. Although contamination of all of these products has not been found, they are using caution and inspecting all of the vegetable products imported from China.

Melamine has been found in the kidneys and urine of cats that died and in the food they ate. Melamine alone may not be the cause of illness and death because melamine is a relatively non-toxic substance. FDA is examining melamine-related compounds, such as cyanuric acid, also found in pet food. The combination of melamine and cyanuric acid appears to be more toxic than either compound alone.

Research is scarce in the published literature on melamine exposure in dogs and cats. We know of a 1945 published article in which dogs were administered 125 milligrams of melamine/kilogram body weight. The study reported melamine to have a diuretic effect (increase the flow of urine), but no toxic effects were noted. We are not aware of any studies in the published literature involving the administration of melamine to cats.

Yes. On May 18, 2007, FDA became aware of a source of melamine contamination within the United States, unrelated to pet food. Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio, and Uniscope Inc. of Johnstown, Colo., had been producing binding agents containing melamine for use in making pelleted feed for cattle, sheep, goats, fish, and shrimp. Tembec, a contract manufacturer for Uniscope, added melamine as part of the formulation of the products to improve the binding properties of pelleted feed.

In November 2006, the first shipment of a product labeled as wheat gluten known to be contaminated with melamine or its related compounds arrived in the United States. In July of 2006, the first shipment of a product labeled as rice protein concentrate known to be contaminated arrived in the United States. FDA personnel went to China in April 2007 to work with Chinese government officials to find out how the contamination may have occurred and how to prevent it in the future.

ldquo;The American College of Internal Medicine (ACVIM) has recommended that pets (dogs and cats) that ingested pet food that was on the recall list, whether showing signs of illness (lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, etc.) or not (asymptomatic) should be seen by their veterinarian for baseline blood chemistries and urinalysis in order to ascertain the status of their renal (kidney) function.

All of Science Diet foods and their ingredients are listed in our online Science Diet® product selector. You can also find a list of all product ingredients on the package.