Melamine in a Rice Protein

Posted by pet | Critters | Tuesday 17 April 2007 4:57 pm

It just keeps getting worse…

But Natural Balance doesn’t use wheat gluten, the ingredient contaminated with melamine in the Menu recall. Instead, it suspects that melamine was in a rice protein concentrate, a new ingredient used in the dry foods, said Natural Balance president Joey Herrick. “That was the only change in the product,” he says.

The concentrate is now being tested, he added. Melamine was detected in samples of the food. The recalled foods are: Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Foods.

Whether other pet food makers got the same rice protein concentrate is unclear at this time. Herrick says the food was made for Natural Balance by Diamond Pet Foods.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Menu | Menu Foods
Diamond Pet Food makes no other food that includes rice protein concentrate, spokesman Jim Fallon says.

Herrick also said Diamond got the rice protein concentrate from an American company, which he wouldn’t name. The melamine in the Menu Foods recall was in wheat gluten imported from China.

The company has recalled all dates of the two products, although Herrick says it has only received complaints for food made March 28.

Herrick says Natural Balance, a premium pet food maker based in California, started getting calls Thursday from consumers reporting that dogs were vomiting. By Friday, the company had received calls from seven households regarding 11 dogs, Herrick said. The company also says it has received reports of animals suffering kidney problems, which has also occurred in the Menu recall.

The consumer calls set off alarms because “we don’t get that,” Herrick said.

The company has also received reports involving three or four cats, he said.

Natural sent out the food Friday to be tested for the usual things that would cause animals to vomit, such as pesticides and heavy metals, Herrick says.

No animals had yet died but that the company had reports that some were hospitalized, he said.

Melamine is not allowed in human or pet food. It is an industrial chemical used in plastics making in the USA and as a fertilizer in Asia, the Food and Drug Administration says. While melamine is not highly toxic, the FDA is investigating whether it, or something related to it, is responsible for pet deaths in the Menu recall.

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Gardens redone

Posted by pet | Florida, Gardening..Flowers | Tuesday 17 April 2007 4:18 pm

It’s a 1 year and a month past the time this should have been done.
the front Rose bed, was sadly neglected last year.

My soninlaw, Danny is currently laid off and I browbeat him
talked him into working for me for a few days.

After much discussion, we decided the best thing to do was rip everything except the hibiscus, and roses, and lilies out.

Considering that I went completely insane and bought 300 plants
shopping for fresh perennials was a good thing..

There is a 14 ft long 4 foot high path of old flowers and weeds.. that was ripped out today.
We bagged much of it, but ran out of getupandgo.

It was a wonderful day, mid 80’s nice breeze..

I have a light sunburn.. and a happy heart.

We start again in the morning..

Tummy Tummy, Just Seems That Way…

Posted by pet | Tuesday Tummy | Tuesday 17 April 2007 3:50 pm

The BengalBrats cheered when they heard Rocky was muttering loudly..

SonnyBob nodded about the ear drops.. hates, hates, hates emmm..

Everyone knows a cat that bites like a tiger mutters feels better..

On tummy Tuesday, SiRWoody and SonnyBob put on a show..

SonnyBob a photo glutton

SirWoody, who asks what did I do?

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