I thought that the tainted Chinese pet food scandal was over, but then two dogs from the same household died within days of each other - both from kidney failure! This happened in Barbados. Later, I was speaking to a friend in Canada, and his sister’s cat had just died from unexplained kidney failure. If your pet was lethargic (without energy), vomiting, and then died from kidney failure it is possible that it may have eaten either melamine-tainted food or possibly a medication like aspirin. (Rat poison (Warfarin) has very different symptoms like bleeding.)

I checked the brand of dog food in the Barbados incident against every recall list, but I could find no matches. To the contrary, that particular brand appeared to have an excellent track record in the West. The Vet will get the batch number of the food, and he will be able to check if there is a problem.

Wikipedia reported: “The recalls in North America, Europe and South Africa came in response to reports of renal failure in pets.” This contamination affects many countries. The human food supply is at risk. Additionally, dangerous contaminants have been found in toothpaste and vitamins.

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Is it possible that this tainted food could get into our own personal food supply?
It did in America! Read the three quotes from The Nation Poison for Profit (6/12/07) by David Goldstein below. David exposes the danger and reveals who is to blame.

In November 2006, America’s dogs and cats started dying painful, mysterious and sometimes gruesome deaths–canaries in the coal mine of a food safety system on the verge of collapse. Previously healthy pets would suddenly vomit blood and bile, produce bloody diarrhea and lose control of bladder and bowel. Some animals displayed unquenchable
thirst, while others refused to eat or drink at all. Victims became lethargic and withdrawn, their limbs wobbly, eyes cloudy and stomachs painfully distended. Then the seizures set in. ……..
And had this “food grade” wheat gluten made its way to the US bakery and breakfast cereal manufacturers who use 530 million pounds annually, it could have created the largest and deadliest mass food poisoning in American history….
We eat adulterated food not because we cannot adequately regulate the industry but because to do so would eat into the profits of the corporations our regulators serve.

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Veterinarians Solve Pet Food Death Puzzle

Combination of two chemicals proved lethal
Veterinarians say the mystery behind the deaths of dogs and cats across the country that ate tainted pet food earlier this year has been solved. The veterinarians now blame the deaths on the combination of two chemicals the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found in the more than 60 million containers of recalled pet food: melamine and cyanuric acid.
Source: ConsumerAffairs.com 12/1/07

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Affected brands - incomplete lists

Here are some links where you can check to see if there are any reports on the pet food you are using:

  • “The majority of recalled foods have come from a single company, Menu Foods of Streetsville, Ontario. Menu Foods’ recalled products alone represent nearly 100 brands of cat and dog food, and as of April 11 are the only brands known to have caused sickness in animals.” Source: Wikipedia Pet Food Recalls
  • “This compiled list represents all pet food recalled since March 2007. If and when new information is received, this list will be updated.” Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
  • “The dog food industry is not regulated except for USDA Certified Organic Pet Food.” Source: PetfoodFreebies.com

People Indicted in USA

Today’s indictments contain 13 felony charges alleging that XAC, SSC, Linzhunand Hao, with the intent to defraud and mislead, delivered adulterated food, which contained melamine, a deleterious substance that rendered the wheat gluten injurious to health, into interstate commerce. Source: U.S. Department Of Justice 2/6/08

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Courts Make Big Award

Tainted pet food suit settled for $24 million
Menu Foods, other pet food makers and retailers involved in last year’s massive pet food recall will set up a $24 million cash fund to compensate pet owners, according to a proposed settlement filed Thursday in federal court. Source: USA Today 5/23/08

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Concern about Chinese Food Killing Ghanaians

In Ghana, almost every item on the market is “Made in China.”
Though it is an issue to worry about, this article is not about the fact that importing goods deprives Ghanaians existing and future jobs. It is about whether imported Chinese goods are slowly killing Ghanaians. I’ll leave that to the reader to decide. Here, let’s consider the record of some Chinese-made products… Source: Pupp’s Theories 8/22/07

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Chinese Drugs Come With a Dose of Danger

Your next medicine might contain cement, gypsum, antifreeze, talcum powder, sawdust, industrial solvents or paint. As a devotee of free trade at all costs, the Bush administration apparently has no plan to ensure that imports of Chinese ingredients into the United States for prescription drugs, food, medical devices, and animal feed meet U.S. safety standards. When will Americans wake up to the high cost of “free” trade? Source: HumanEvents.com 6/2/08

also bribes accepted!

That’s a bit disconcerting. But then I heard that China’s former chief of the state Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, took $832,000 in bribes (he was given the death sentence) to let unsafe drugs on the market. Do I see a trend here? Source: Holistic-Personal-Development.com

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If America bans a batch of food, might it get sent elsewhere?

The danger is that the China is producing much of the world’s food. They can produce cheaply, but they have a bad record on safety. Unfortunately, unless the governments of the big countries take action, there is little we can do to protect either our pets or ourselves.

Related: Herald Tribune 4/25/07 U.S. hogs ate contaminated pet food from China