Veterinarians and scientists have generally believed (hoped may be a better word) that pets sickened but not killed by the tainted food would not experience long-term effects from the contaminants.

Sadly, a well-respected feline practitioner (Dr. Gary D. Norsworthy of San Antonio) wrote to the editor of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) to describe his experiences with three cats. The letter was published in the October 15, 2008 issue of JAVMA.

The three cats in question had eaten contaminated food in 2007. They had been appropriately treated by veterinarians at the time of the recall. They developed kidney failure in 2008, almost certainly due to the contaminated food. Here is a quote from Dr. Norsworthy’s letter.

[Microscopic] examination of the kidneys [from one of the affected cats] revealed “occasional birefrengent tubular crystals similar to those described with melamine toxicity[.]“

And if that isn’t disturbing enough, here is Dr. Norsworthy’s next paragraph.

The manufacturer of the food refused to pay a claim for damages because it could not be proved conclusively that the cat’s [kidney] failure was related to the contaminated food that it had eaten about one year earlier.

It seems that the misery and heartache from the 2007 pet food recall simply won’t end.

About the photo: Sissy Sue was a victim of the pet food recall.

K.T.
Albuquerque

Wow. What a terrible story. I am very sorry for your friend’s loss.

It is shocking when a healthy young pet suddenly falls ill and passes away. And it is incredibly sad and frustrating for all of the people involved when nobody can determine what happened.

If the vets who worked on Clio were not able to tell you what happened, then you should not take anything I say as a proven fact. However, based upon your description I am suspicious that Clio may have consumed something toxic.

There are millions of potential toxins in the world. Some, such as pesticides and household chemicals, are manmade. Others, such as certain mushrooms and molds, are natural.

Blood tests sometimes indicate that poisoning has occurred. For instance, pets poisoned by melamine during the massive pet food recall that occurred in 2007 tested positive for kidney failure. Pets that consume certain types of mushrooms may test positive for liver failure.

However, many toxins do not cause any changes in blood values. Many of these same toxins can cause vague and progressive symptoms that ultimately may be fatal.

There are, of course, other possible causes for Clio’s sudden illness. But I feel that toxin ingestion is a very likely culprit.

The book, by Marion Nestle, is titled Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine. It discusses the infamous pet food recall of 2007. In the incident, melamine-tainted pet food sickened and killed thousands of animals.

A main thesis of the book is that the problems that occurred in 2007 should serve as a wake-up call. If contaminants such as melamine can make their way into pet food, they can make their way into human food.

Ms. Nestle’s advice could not have been more timely. This month it surfaced that melamine-contaminated milk powder has sickened thousands of infants in China. Several have died.

And today a breaking news report revealed that melamine has been discovered in Cadbury chocolate.

At this time the extent and severity of the chocolate contamination are not known. But this incident does a great deal to prove that animal and human food safety are interlinked.

As I mentioned in a previous post, research (supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association–I occasionally have my differences with the organization, but I should emphasize that it also does a tremendous amount of good work) concluded that animals were sickened by a combination of two chemicals in the contaminated food: melamine and cyanuric acid.

Melamine is a chemical normally used in the manufacture of fertilizer and chemicals. It can be used, nefariously, to boost the measured levels of protein in foods when they are tested.

Cyanuric acid is a byproduct of shoddy melamine production. The combination of cyanuric acid and melamine causes crystals to form in the kidneys of mammals, leading in some cases to kidney failure.

Or, to put it another way (what follows are unproven allegations): the manufacturer involved in last year’s pet food recall appears to have used melamine to make wheat flour appear to be higher in quality than it actually was. However, that manufacturer appears to have been too cheap to purchase high-quality melamine. The low-quality melamine used to throw off protein testing contained cyanuric acid. The combination of melamine and cyanuric acid sickened and killed pets.

Now, a similar process appears to be happening to humans. Infant formulas tainted with melamine have been linked to illness in thousands of infants in China. Several deaths have been attributed to the formulas.

I have yet to see cyanuric acid mentioned in any article related to this newest scandal, but I suspect that time will show that it, too, is involved in the problem.

It’s a sorry situation. My heart goes out to the parents of all affected individuals–dog, cat and human.