The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finds no evidence to support an earlier report that acetaminophen contaminated pet food.

All pet food samples obtained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were negative for acetaminophen, an agency spokesperson told Pet Product News International this morning.

Last week a Texas laboratory, ExperTox of Deer Park, said it found the chemical compound commonly used as a pain reliever, in some dog and cat food products it was testing at the request of individuals and manufacturers.

ExperTox reported acetaminophen was present in both wet and dry foods, as well as melamine and cyanuric acid in some products.

It declined to name the brands involved, and no recalls were issued following its report.

The FDA obtained samples from ExperTox to perform its own analysis, and all results for acetaminophen turned up negative, the spokesperson said.

This is not the first time during the extensive pet food recall that the FDA has disagreed with another laboratory’s finding. In March, New York state officials and Cornell University researchers reported finding aminopterin, a rat poison and cancer drug, in pet food. The FDA later disputed this finding, naming melamine and related compounds as the culprit in causing more than a dozen verified pet deaths across the country.

The most recent recall related to melamine was issued last Friday by Sergeant’s Pet Care Products due to possible contamination of some of its ornamental and aquarium fish food products.

Posted: June 14, 2007