Pet food kills 30 dogs in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Pet food laced with an industrial chemical traced to China has killed 30 dogs in South Africa, the country's veterinary association said today.

The latest confirmation came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said imported ingredients used in recalled pet food may have been intentionally spiked with the chemical, melamine, to boost their apparent protein content. Melamine contaminated at least two ingredients used to make more than 100 American brands of dog and cat foods.

In South Africa, a range of dog and cat dry pet food products were recalled after they were found to contain corn gluten contaminated with melamine.

Petri Vogel from the South African Veterinary Association said 30 dogs had died across the country in the last two weeks after eating the contaminated food. She said the animals had died of renal failure.

"We are not expecting further deaths. The problem is under control," she said.

Vogel said it was likely that there was a link between the contaminated products in the U.S. and South Africa.

The makers of Vets Choice and Royal Canin pet foods in South Africa said Thursday that the contaminated corn gluten was delivered to the country by a third party supplier and originated from China.

Last week the company recalled the products, manufactured in its Johannesburg plant between March 8 and April 11 and sold in South Africa and Namibia, after investigating reports that pets were falling ill.

It has said it will compensate pet owners for the loss of their animals.

In the U.S., melamine has been found in both wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate imported from China.

The U.S. recalls began in March after the deaths of 16 pets. U.S. officials have not provided updated numbers of pet deaths or injuries due to the contaminated pet food.

Chinese authorities have told the FDA that the wheat gluten was an industrial product not meant for pet food, Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian, said Thursday. 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.