http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm310916.htm

For those who feed mice to their ferrets, do note that more foods have
been added to this recall as more are tested. Vitamin D is oil soluble
so can stay in bodies for a while meaning that there may be a risk to
ferrets fed mice who had that mouse food.

In dogs and ferrets too much Vitamin D in foods can cause hypercalcemia
more easily than it occurs in people. That causes calcium deposits in
organs like the kidneys and heart, and can be fatal if not stopped in
time.

The last food recall in any way applicable to ferrets which included
too much Vitamin D for either dogs or ferrets was Blue Buffalo and then
it turned out that they were widely using another additive which can --
and did -- release D3 in the body as well as putting in D3.

As everyone knows the almost complete lack of regulation over farming
and food practices in the Peoples' Republic of China has played a part
in a number of recalls, including the melamine one

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/

You also know that pet jerkies made in China are currently under
recall. The products given to farm animals are almost completely
uncotrolled there bit some pet food makers, including at least one
which sells itself as being of a high grade have used products from
China, which can be a cost control measure, being able to speak of
high meat content while spending less but getting unregulated products
(which should be a good lesson on the importance of regulation and
oversight) and no one knows yet what is causing the poisonings with the
pet jerky. There was a recent article on Clenbuterol contamination of
meats in China recently due to the athletes there needing to either
avoiding all Chinese meat products for three weeks before matches or
have special meat raised for them because this drug is so very widely
found in the meats. There are other drug contaminents found at times,
too, and I will have to look up what actually happened to those animals
fed the jerky, but I think that I might vaguely recall liver and heart
problems which are among what Clenbuterol toxicity can do in people.
My time is scarce right now so if others want to look it up I have no
objections. On a very brief search last night i could not find any
applicable testing. Of course, even if it fits it will only be a
possible candidate and nothing more.

The article on the athletes
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/718720.shtml

Sent from my iPad so the URLs were hand transcribed

[Posted in FML 7482]