April 20, 2007
The 2007 Pet Food Poisoning scare is shaping up into a real who-dun-it. First it was wheat of an unknown origin in pet products causing dozens of pets to die of ailments such as kidney failure. Then finally word got out that it was of Chinese origin. Then it's said to be some kind of rat poison. Now it's said to be an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of plastics. Now it's leaking out that this chemical gives an upward skew to tests for protein content!
So what is our government doing about this? Well, they're sitting on the tarmac, of course.
 | FDA investigators were awaiting visas that would allow them to visit the Chinese plants where the vegetable protein ingredients were produced. |
"Melamine was found in all three of those — it would certainly lend credibility to the theory that it may be intentional. That will be one of the theories we will pursue when we get into the plants in China," Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian, told reporters.
And here's a real side splitter, if only the results weren't so tragic:
| 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. |
Not meant for pet food? Huh? What is the "denatured" wheat gluten for? Making dirty sticky dishes for testing dishsoap? Bonding agent in cement? A gasoline additive?