Johannesburg — ROYAL Canin SA has recalled a month's production of dry cat and dog food while the pet food industry assures vets that there are stringent quality controls.

The Royal Canin SA recall was because an ingredient may have been contaminated. The recall follows last week's recall of its Vets Choice brand of dry dog food, which has been linked to renal failure in 25 dogs.

MD Gregory Watine said a batch of raw material from a third-party supplier "may have been contaminated". The company had been running tests since last Tuesday, locally and internationally, and hoped to reveal findings by the end of the week.

Hill's Pet Nutrition has distanced itself from this latest recall after it recalled a batch of cat food intended for consumption by diabetic cats. It recalled its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the US and export markets, including SA, as a precaution.

Watine said the latest recall covered all Vets Choice and Royal Canin dry dog and cat food manufactured locally by Royal Canin SA from March 8 to last Wednesday.

Royal Canin SA said that it was working "closely with the South African Veterinary Association and the relevant authorities to resolve this matter as soon as possible".

Association president Gerhard Steenkamp said manufacturers had yesterday assured the association that regular testing was taking place and the public could confidently purchase pet food.

Steenkamp said it was vital that veterinarians were able to recommend food with the assurances that it was safe. As a result, the association had asked the pet food industry to reassure it that regular testing was taking place.

Steenkamp said no animals had fallen ill from Royal Canin's other products. He thought the products did not share the same production line, limiting the risk of cross-contamination.

Royal Canin has offered to cover the costs of renal profiling for dogs that ate Vets Choice. So far, said Steenkamp, 25 dogs had been reported ill and the death toll may have gone up from the one dog reported last week.

The dead dog was found to have traces of ethylene-glycol, or antifreeze, in its system. However, Steenkamp said the company had not ruled out other possible contaminants as renal failure could be caused by several toxins. This is the same toxin that was found in some of the Woolworths brands after it recalled pet food in February. While the latest recall excludes imported products, Royal Canin Canada has recalled Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned diet foods.