The federal government is finding more places to hide information about
what may be in the food you feed your pets. At first, the FDA said it
would release the results of controversial tests in two months. Some pet
food buyers want the information earlier than that. This installment of
the Allman Report reveals that pressure from pet food companies could
keep the information permanently under wraps.
The FDA now says it may never open file number 01-8831. It contains the
names of the pet foods tested for the presence of pentobarbital, a drug
used to kill animals in shelters and on farms, animals that are ground
up and likely winding up in dog and cat foods.
The FDA acknowledges at least 10 brands were tested and that several
tested positive with amounts in one brand doubling amounts in another
brand.
In response to recent reports about the tests on News 4, more than 2,000
viewers responded to a poll on KMOV.com. Almost all of them said the FDA
should release the names of the tainted foods, but all indications are
the FDA is going in the opposite direction. In fact, the FDA is muzzling
one of its own spokespeople after he talked to us and said the following
in a report last week:
"We had reports from veterinarians that dogs had died after eating foods
that may contain pentobarbital," said Don Aird with the Food and Drug
Administration.
Wednesday, the FDA released a statement direct from Washington
headquarters. The statement says, "FDA's spokesman was incorrect. We did
not have reports that dogs died after eating dog food."
But it cannot deny reports that pentobarbital was found in foods you're
feeding your pet. Despite the fact that your tax dollars paid for the
tests, that you pay the FDA to protect you and your pets, the FDA says
it is not your right to know names.
The FDA says it is awaiting test results to determine how much
pentobarbital is dangerous. They're testing by giving various levels to
a group of beagles. The FDA says it won't reveal the names of the food
brands that tested positive unless the levels found in those pet foods
are as high as the levels that hurt the beagles.
