Pet Food Recall

This problem seems to be much farther reaching than anyone could ever have imagined.  There are reports of animals dying from other products that haven't made it to the recall list yet - many of them dry dog foods.  Please become familiar with the signs of melamine poisoning so that you can help your vet detect the issue.  Vets are still diagnosing it as your pet getting into rat poison, or anti-freeze, or cancer, or parvo. 

SIGNS:  If you see vomiting, especially after a meal like the body is rejecting the food, then switch to something safer until you are sure that the food is the problem or not.  Vomiting seems to be followed by signs of blood either in the vomit or in the stool.  Diarrhea is often present, as are increased water intake and increased urination frequency.  If the water seems to pass on through without being processed and is very water-like, that's a huge sign.  Blood tests for kidney function will help detect an issue.  Late stages of the problem include white gums and tongue due to loss of blood. 

IS MY FOOD AFFECTED?  Check out the FDA's recall list which will include the most recently recalled items.  Please keep in mind that there are food manufacturers out there who have been producing food with known contaminated products who have not voluntarily joined the recall and the FDA is currently helpless to force the information to the public the way current laws are written.  See this site for up-to-date FDA information: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html

IF MY DOG STARTS TO VOMIT, WHAT SHOULD I FEED?:  Many people are switching to either home-cooked or raw diets until the issues with kibble have been resolved.  There are many sources for both.  Books on diets for animals are selling like hotcakes, and holistic kibble (the kind you'll find at the health food store) sales have multiplied considerably.
Alternate diets for dogs including homecooked information and raw:   homemade diet
A brochure for an introduction to raw feeding with great links:  brochure1.pdf
Yahoo groups:  I have found much information in the yahoo groups on rawfeeding and rawchat whose membership has recently grown exponentially.

I THINK MY DOG WAS AFFECTED - WHAT DO I DO?  First, contact your vet and let them know the food that they've been eating, whether there was a recent change, what symptoms you've been noticing, switch food sources, and schedule an appointment for some tests to be run.  If you feel that the animal has been affected, here is a site that will help you understand the kidney test results:  http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html  This page also has some suggestions for how to proceed.  Another excellent resource for dealing with the affected animal is here:  http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/pet_food_recall_protocol.html  The products mentioned on this page are handy for many types of poisoning and aren't a bad idea to have on hand for other possible emergencies.  Whether your pet was affected and still alive or has unfortunately joined the others who have passed, be sure to register your information at PetConnection:  http://www.petconnection.com/  This site also has a link to the FDA where it can be reported to them, as well.  If the pet has passed, see if your vet will do a post-mortem or necropsy (or at minimum test for melamine in the system).  Many will have to send tissue samples to a lab willing to perform the tests.  However, this information will be valuable to those trying to resolve the problem.  In addition to helping add tainted foods to the recall, many companies are reportedly going to reimburse vet bills which have run into the thousands for some pet owners. 

As a breeder who has been part of the Nutro group for over a year, feeding their high-quality holistic food, I am very disappointed in how they have been handling this recall.  For those of  you who have purchased puppies from me and are following my recommendations on their food, I am now recommending a raw diet, or a home-cooked diet until this has been resolved.  I am very disappointed that Nutro is not being more pro-active and testing foods where reports are being filed that some of the dry bags are proving to be affected.  I am more than happy to answer any questions you might have or help direct you to some answers.  I also have several posts in our myspace blog leading up to this with additional information and links.