Safe Pet Food Alternatives

This unusual pet food recall affects wet (pouches and cans) dog and cat food produced between December 2006 and March 2007 at a specific facility from a company called Menu Foods. This probably doesn't sound familiar, but Menu Foods supplies many major pet food producers.

The food produced is potentially contaminated with melamine, a non-food substance. The melamine has been found in wheat gluten, an ingredient used to thicken gravies and bind and fill the chunkier bits. Ingestion of melamine can cause kidney failure and death in pets.

The contaminated wheat gluten ingredient has been traced to a manufacturer in China. It is unlikely that the ingredient has made it's way into the human food supply chain, but the FDA is actively tracing the the ingredient to rule this out.

Though both cats and dogs have been sickened, cats have been more widely affected. If you feel your pet has been potentially affected, watch for symtoms such as lethargy (sluggishness), vomiting, and loss of appetite. If you notice any of these symptoms, take your pet to the veterinarian for a professional diagnosis.

Check your pet's food against the lists of affected pet foods (scroll down to the links below). If the food matches, immediately stop using the food. If your pet has any of the symptoms above, hold onto the food packaging and inform the vet. Otherwise, return the food to the place you bought it in order to get a refund.

You might be worried about dry food as well. Dry food should be okay, and can be used as a substitute (this is what the FDA has been suggesting). However, there are more alternatives. Until recent decades, pets were fed table scraps, and having been eating this way for thousands of years. Packaged pet food is a convenience product. Your pet can do fine without it as long as you are willing to learn a little bit about pet nutrition. For instance, did you know that chocolate is toxic to dogs?

Scroll down for a list of cookbooks and books about nutrition.