The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate another ingredient, wheat gluten, used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers.
Natural Balance said it was recalling all its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, its Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and its Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.
More recalls and this time a different ingredient is found to contain the melamine … rice protein concentrate. More also at the Natural Balance web site here and here.
What I really want to know, and what I intend to find out somehow is how long Natural Balance has been using the rice protein concentrate from the same supplier … and how long it has been possibly contaminated with something that causes renal failure in cats. All they say on their web site is that they are recalling all of it, because it’s quicker than waiting to figure out which date codes and lot numbers are effected. Or, you know, it’s also easier to cover your ass that way if it’s at all possible your pet food has been poisonous for a long time and you don’t want to admit it. Then there’s this:
From time to time we evaluate our formulas and look for ways to improve them. We recently looked at the Venison dry formulas and thought that adding another protein source would improve the formula. Unfortunately, the rice protein concentrate was contaminated with melamine.
–source
Well, when did they change the formula? How recently is recent? Two months ago? Six months ago? A year ago?
Being vague is just about the same as lying in my book. It leaves everything they say open to interpretation and tale-weaving after the fact. So yeah, just wondering, how long? I will be trying to get some specifics on this. I’ve already emailed them, not that I expect to get anything other than a canned response.
This is scary. I had a sample of their dry food (the Venison and Green Pea food) that I gave to my cats recently after the first recalls happened. I had already been checking ingredients to make sure it didn’t contain wheat gluten (which it didn’t), so I thought it would be okay to try out. Thankfully, I only had the one sample and this was a few weeks ago, but now I’m watching my cats like a hawk to make sure they aren’t sick or getting sick. What the hell are we supposed to feed our animals that isn’t going to show up on some later recall? I’m about to the point that I may decide to cook for them instead of buying any pet food.
It’s really getting crazy. I don’t want to feed mine anything bought at a store, but right at the moment, I can’t afford to go to a totally raw diet. We don’t even eat that well right now. But hell, what’s going to be the next ingredient that has crap in it? What other brands are going to be effected next? I’m getting tired of trying to keep up with it, and I’m sure the kittens are getting tired of me constantly watching them for signs of death and disease too.