Too many things to report on today... I am sorry for sending so many
pieces of mail.

Many thanks to Sydney who sent this for me to share:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_503671.html

A few snippets:

BEGIN QUOTES
Karen Roebuck
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, April 20, 2007

 ...

Researchers also have identified three other contaminants... including
cyanuric acid, a chemical commonly used in pool chlorination, three
researchers told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Cyanuric acid is what
most likely sickened pets, one researcher said. [Later in the article
it says that these are by-products from the melamine.]

 ...

tested positive for melamine, although all appeared healthy, Lungren
said. About half a dozen pigs were put down and researchers at the
University of California-Davis are testing their kidneys, tissues,
blood and other body parts for melamine contamination, she said. The
contaminated feed was bought April 3 and 13 as salvage pet food

 ...

Researchers isolated a spoke-like crystal in pet food, wheat gluten and
in the urine, kidneys and tissues of infected animals. That crystal
serves as a marker for determining what animals were sickened in the
outbreak. About 30 percent of those crystals are made up of melamine,
one investigator said, and researchers spent several weeks trying to
identify what is in the remainder.

 ...

Finding cyanuric acid is the more significant finding, Hoff, Goldstein
and Mullaney said, although they are not yet certain how toxic it is
to animals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site
said, "When ingested (by humans) in large amounts, the substance may
have effects on the kidneys, resulting in tissue lesions."
END QUOTES

You can read the read at the extensive article's URL.

The concern is also if the contaminants can accumulate in the tissues
of assorted food animals and then be eaten by those higher on the food
chain (pets and humans). Of course, that depends on what types of
animals got the contaminated products in their foods. Given that three
types of imported products with wide uses have already been found in
which the melamine was present there is a lot of tracing for the FDA
to do.

Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5584]