Consumers Are Left to Wonder About Pet Food Recalls By Jeff Nenadic At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

As pet owners, our first concern should always be the health and well-being of our animals. Naturally, part of that equation is providing them with plenty of exercise, regular check-ups at the veterinarian, and of course, proper nutrition. Since their diet oftentimes includes healthy foods and snacks, we need to ensure that they are fed only the healthiest of these items. Conversely, what are pet owners to do if we can no longer trust the quality of the foods and snacks that commercial manufacturers are producing?

It’s a given that we depend on these companies to produce healthy foods and snacks for our four-legged loved ones, but in the past several years, an unacceptable issue has reared its ugly head in the pet food industry - specifically, the recall of foods and snacks that have been tainted with deadly ingredients. Suffice it to say, for many of us, this has destroyed the trust that we have given these commercial entities.

The recall issue has left us frightened about our pet’s welfare, and as a result, this is cause for change in the pet food industry. Within the past few years, thousands of cats and dogs have become seriously ill due to these tainted foods. Additionally, a large percentage of these animals have died. In March of 2006, the snowballing really started when Menu Foods, a Canadian pet food producer, recalled over 90 different moist foods categorized as a “cuts and gravy” type of cat and dog food.

The recall occurred after reports of 14 pet deaths resulted from the consumption of contaminates in these foods. Several weeks later, another 20 of these same brands were added to the list, and the edict was issued to remove any and all of these products from retailer’s shelves. It was later discovered that wheat gluten which was tainted with rat poison was the culprit in the large amount of pet illnesses and deaths.

As of the end of 2005, Diamond Pet Foods was also the subject of a recall issue when several dogs died and dozens of illnesses occurred as a result of consuming one of their kibbled products. In this instance, “aflatoxin”, which is a chemical produced naturally by certain fungi and found on crops such as beans, corn, rice, and wheat, was the contaminant. Aflatoxin is potentially lethal to humans as well as other animals and livestock, so it is not just harmful to cats and dogs.

Salmonella contamination has also taken center stage when two different dog treats in the form of “pigs ears” were pulled from the shelves in pet departments and stores. However, other pet food recalls during the past 10 years resulted form Salmonella being present in other pet foods as well.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now mandates that all commercial pet food manufacturers adhere to laws and regulations pursuant to the pet health issue. Legally, these manufacturers have to produce healthy and safe consumables for our pets. So when these recalls result from pets getting sick and dying you have to ask the question, “Are these pet food companies breaking the law?” Since the FDA is involved at the federal level, then these commercial manufacturers would be guilty of committing a federal crime, and therefore should be subject to harsher punishment.

Unfortunately, the FDA never perceives any threat to pet health until after numerous deaths and illnesses have occurred. Only then do they determine that there is a serious threat posed to the health of our animals. The real issue here is that safeguards should be in place and regular inspections conducted to prevent any of these incidences from occurring. As a result, there are now thousands of pet owners who no longer trust these commercial manufacturers. More importantly, they have also lost confidence in one of the Federal Government’s largest agencies - the FDA.

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