lacy - I just took my diabetic (diet-controlled) cat in this week as he was looking a bit shabby. His kidney functions were normal but liver & thyroid slightly high (vet put this off as trip stress) & his white cell count was above high normal. Vet prescribed amoxi & recheck in a month. Sounds suspicious. I haven’t fed mine any recalled food but they were getting Wellness canned & have fed them NB V&P recently. After reading your post, I’ll look at this as possibly more than older age changes & keep a close eye on him.

Back in 2005?? It sounds like our country just opened the door to these imports from China last year (maybe I’m wrong), but I have to wonder how long people and animals in China have been consuming the psuedo. Or maybe they reserve it just for export?

Here’s a more direct link to what you quoted from that Chinese site:
http://www.hetai-industry.com/news.html#1

It would have been even better if this company specified how this concoction is made. Maybe I’m missing something.

In general, it makes me nervous that this company distributes a food additive AS WELL AS plastics, metals, and other industrial materials. I don’t know if this is common practice everywhere, but IF contamination did happen in the way some are claiming (using same containers, washing process etc.) then I would think at a place LIKE THIS (I realize this company is NOT the accused/guilty facility) a cross-contamination was waiting to happen.

Thanks again for this tidbit.

Note: I have no reason to suspect this particular Chinese supplier of any wrongdoing and am pointing to its website merely to indicate that it was warning its customers of this problem in 2005.

Chinese authorities have told the FDA that the wheat gluten was an industrial product not meant for pet food, Sundlof said. Still, melamine can skew test results to make a product appear more protein-rich than it really is, he added. That raises the possibility the contamination was deliberate.

http://news.aol.com/topnews/ar.....0000000001

Essentially, any ingredient that lists the name and then the word “protein’ or the word ‘gluten’ is suspect until the time you can assure yourself that it was not shipped from China.

Calling a company and asking where they get their ingredients may or may not be helpful. Most only know what supplier they get the stuff from - and as we now know, the US suppliers have been getting much of this stuff from China. Ask specifically if they know where their MIDDLEMAN gets his products. (and truthfully, I am beyond being able to trust that the information you get on the phone is not false, and is correct)

Lorie, Thanks for your info. So do you think even if they didnt have any liver or kidney elavations that they should still be rechecked in three to four weeks? On your cats first test, how were the levels?

CANIDAE Pet Foods also does not produce cuts and gravies, pouches, and does not contain corn, wheat or soybeans in any of our products or formulations, and all ingredients are of US origin, meaning proudly raised and grown in the USA.