Melamine is a compound that is added to some foods to falsify the
levels of protein by making them appear higher.

An imported starch last year from the People's Republic of China that
was part of pet foods killed a number of animals because the melamine
in them reacted with a urine component to form kidney stones.

During recent months human products, especially milk products
originating from the PRC have had this same scam appear and children
died with many, more having kidney damage. You will have seen some
products with imported components that have been recalled: cookies,
baby foods, drinks, etc.

(See news stories and see
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html
and possibly
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/2008_news_releases/index.asp  )

Now, melamine has killed due to being in a feed used for a canid farmed
for fur in the PRC:
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081020/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tainted_milk;_ylt=AvT_6eEi_JhM4X6elIX6IXes0NUE>

>Zhang said the company that produces the animal feed is in talks with
>breeders in Xishan, the village inLiaoning province where the dogs
>died, about providing compensation and has pressured them not to talk
>to the media.
>Zhang did not give the company's name but the newspaper report said
>the feed was produced by Harbin Hualong Feed Co. The company refused
>to comment Monday, saying officials were unavailable because they were
>in a meeting.
>An official surnamed Liu at the Liaoning provincial animal feed and
>medicine inspection center said the facility tested one sample of
>animal feed from Xishan and found that it contained about 500 parts
>per million of melamine. China's Health Ministry recently capped the
>amount of melamine permissible in milk, milk powderand food products
>that contain more than 15 percent dairy to 2.5 parts per million. He
>said that the center was assisting the Ministry of Agriculture in a
>nationwide inspection of animal feed for similar contamination but
>would not give any other details.

I think that most, perhaps all, U.S. animal food manufacturers became
much more careful about origins of components after the earlier animal
deaths, but anyone out there who is with a food producer needs to know
about this latest bout just to be safest.

Sukie (not a vet)

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 6130]