In March of this year, the FDA found out that a number of dogs and cats were getting sick in this country, and some were even dying. It appeared that the source of the illness was the pet food that these dogs and cats were eating. Upon further investigation, the FDA learned that an ingredient that is found in many types of dog and cat foods had been tainted.

The ingredient was wheat gluten, and more specifically, wheat gluten that is exported from China to use in a variety of dog and cat foods in the United States. This discovery began a long run of further investigations, tests, and a list of recalled pet foods being removed from store shelves all over the country. It also resulted in a sort of panic among pet owners, as many searched for the safest products to feed their beloved pets and many even making their own cat and dog foods at home.

Now that some time has gone by, the relevant agencies and pet food manufacturers believe that they have identified all of the tainted products and removed them from the store shelves. This may be a hollow consolation to those who have had sick pets, or even dogs and cats that have died as a result of the contamination, but pet owners everywhere should be thankful that the list of recalled pet foods was identified early enough to spare many pets from the same fate as those unfortunate ones.

While much of the list of recalled pet food initially involved moist pet foods, eventually some dry foods were discovered and recalled as well. In addition to contaminated wheat gluten, scientists found tainted rice protein as well. This made the list of recalled pet foods grow even longer, and created an even bigger frenzy among pet owners that were already concerned about the health and wellbeing of their pets. At this point, it appears that the FDA list of recalled pet food is complete, since it has not been updated since May. If you would like to view this list of recalled pet food, click on www.fda.gov and search for pet food recall information.

While this recent pet food recall put quite a scare into many pet food owners, the good news is that the problems with tainted food seem to be nearing an end. Now it is much safer to pick up that can or bag of pet food at the store and offer it to your family pet.