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When the nation's first case of ``mad
cow'' disease was confirmed late last year, federal officials
moved swiftly to protect people from being exposed. But what about
pets?
All of the things that were banned
from the human food chain because they are more likely to carry
the infectious agent that causes the disease -- the meat of animals
that are sick or injured as well as the brains, spinal cords and
intestines from older cows -- are still allowed in pet food. That's
not counting all of the road kill, chicken waste and feathers
-- possibly even dead cats and dogs -- that also goes into pet
food.
And that's a concern because when
mad-cow disease became all the scare in Europe, killing about
150 people, it also was determined that more than 100 cats had
died -- from feline spongiform encephalopathy.
That's right. ``Mad cat'' disease.
The Food and Drug Administration and
the Pet Food Institute, a trade group, insist that pet food purchased
in the United States is safe, but the Association of American
Feed Control Officials for years has urged tighter pet-food regulations.
And Canada has banned imports of pet food from the United States
that contain beef byproducts, not only out of fear for cats --
dogs are not susceptible to the disease -- but also with the realization
that some people eat pet food.
Pet-food ingredients
``Most people don't realize that the
majority of pet food is made with meat and other products that
are deemed unfit for human consumption,'' said David DeWitt, media
officer for the 80,000-member Animal Protection Institute, a national
animal advocacy group based in Sacramento.
``The pet-food industry is totally
unregulated in this country,'' DeWitt said. ``The pet-food industry
has set some standards that manufacturers can follow, but there
are no requirements by the government to ensure the safety of
pet food. It's voluntary.''
But Stephen Payne, public-relations
manager for the Pet Food Institute, which represents manufacturers
who produce about 97 percent of the $12.5 billion in dog and cat
food sold in the United States each year, said any risk of mad-cat
disease is ``infinitesimal.''
One case of mad-cow disease in the
United States ``should not affect consumer decisions over what
they feed their pets,'' Payne said.
Tell that to Pat and Denise Barry.
Two years ago, the Fremont couple began feeding their four cats
dry food with ``human grade'' ingredients, a form of pet food
growing in popularity.
The Barrys also still feed Calcie,
Sara, Sunny and Sassy canned food, because they like it so much
-- but the latest case of mad-cow disease has made them even more
cautious.
``I'm reading the labels now,'' Pat
Barry said. ``Whatever we buy, we're making sure it doesn't have
beef byproducts.''
Focus on humans
There have not been any known cases
of mad-cat disease in the United States, but with government regulators
focusing on the human food chain, no one really has been trying
to find one.
``It would be tough to diagnose,''
said Dr. Phil Brown, a veterinarian and president of the Yavapai
Humane Society in Prescott, Ariz., who works as a consultant for
Paul Newman's newly formed organic pet-food company.
``A lot of times a disease like this
is diagnosed in hindsight.''
Concerns over the safety of pet food
containing beef byproducts were given credence by a report issued
Feb. 4 by an advisory group of experts convened by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture shortly after the case of mad-cow disease was confirmed.
The report made headlines because
it stated the group does not believe the case in the United States
is isolated. Not publicized was the advisory panel's recommendation
about pet food.
All animal parts likely to contain
the infective agent that causes the brain-wasting disease ``must
be excluded from all animal feed, including pet food,'' the group
said. Those parts include the brains, spinal cords and intestines
from older cows -- as well as any ``4-D'' cattle (animals that
are downed, dying, diseased or dead before slaughter) -- that
were banned from human food Dec. 30 by the USDA.
Cat owners ``have reason for some
concern,'' said Ben Jones, president of the Association of American
Feed Control Officials, which has no regulatory authority but
whose membership consists largely of state feed-control officials
responsible for the administration of state laws and rules.
The association develops model rules
and regulations for the states that regulate the pet-food industry,
but compliance is voluntary in many states, including California.
For years, the group has urged the
FDA to take the same steps for safety with animal and pet food
that the U.S. Department of Agriculture takes for food intended
for human consumption.
The agency's position on the safety
of cat food in relation to bovine spongiform encephalopathy --
mad-cow disease -- has not changed, said an FDA official. The
FDA stance is that the safeguards put in place to prevent ``mad
cow'' in the United States have also protected cats, the official
said.
For years, humane and animal rights
groups have urged consumers to read pet-food labels carefully,
paying special attention to which additives and meat byproducts
the food might contain. The groups hope to be taken more seriously
now.
``Just as humans shouldn't be eating
things that could harm them, neither should pets,'' said Nick
Braden of the Humane Society of the United States. ``What we want
to do is keep downer animals out of the food chain, period.'
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