Recall sparks fear and anquish: pet owners cautious and curious.

• Author: Grenn, Ben

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Earlier this year, a nationwide pet food recall sparked deep concern and fear into many pet owners. In February, the recalled foods came to the attention of Menu Foods, as reports of kidney failures became all-too-common headlines in the media. Subsequent testing of the products led to a larger investigation, which concluded that as many as one in six pets died after consuming products containing wheat gluten.

By mid-March, Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of dog and cat food packaged under 95 brands. These foods were produced at two of its facilities. Since then, the recall expanded to include more than 130 brands. Most of the food recalls have been for canned and moist foods; however, there have been recalled dry foods and dog biscuits as well. The recall represents approximately 2 percent of pet foods.

"It (the recall) hasn't really adversely affected our business," said Larry Tallman, PetZoo and Animal Food Warehouse co-owner. "If anything, in a strange way, it may have helped us. Pet owners are buying more of the specialty names in food. It's also an eye-opener, as people are becoming more acutely aware of types and names of certain foods. They are getting more educated."

Initially, the New York Agriculture Department released information that Aminopterin, a form of rat poison, was found in some cat foods. Since then, it is believed that Aminopterin did not contribute to the deaths.

In late March, the FDA announced that melamine; a chemical used as a fertilizer and in the production of plastics, was found in tested samples of recalled pet food from Menu Foods. The substance was also identified in urine and tissue samples taken from sickened cats and from the kidney of one cat that had eaten the recalled food. Based on recent reports, it is believed that melamine was contaminated in the wheat gluten, rice...