Itchmo.com is reporting that PetSmart has voluntarily recalled several Smokehouse brand chicken and duck flavored dog treats as a precaution, based on a warning issued by the American Veterinary Association that some pet owners say the treats made their dogs sick. Click the link above for a list of specific product ID numbers.

A few new dog food recalls were announced August 22:

Mars Petcare US: Krasdale Gravy Dog Food and Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food. These product may have been contaminated with salmonella. Mars Petcare voluntarily recalled the products August 21.

Wal-Mart has removed Chicken Jerky Strips manufactured by Import-Pingyang Pet Products Co. and Chicken Jerky manufactured by Shanghai Bestro Trading from their shelves because the products tested positive for melamine.

For more information about any recalled pet foods, you can always check the ASPCA Web site.

Here's my client Stanley, a five-month-old Belgian Malinois, enjoying his breakfast:

No, he didn't pick up some roadkill. Stanley is on the BARF diet, and has been since he was weaned. The guy is gorgeous and thriving! And a pleasant side-effect is that he makes petite, stink-free #2. (Is that too much information?)

After the first massive pet food recall in March, we learned that melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers, had allegedly gotten into our pet foods through foreign plants processing wheat gluten and rice protein. These additives raised the level of protein in the food, making it appear to be more nutritious. Hundreds of animals were affected, many of whom had fatal reactions to this poison.

We heard about salmonella contamination in some brands of dog food. It seemed that the discovery of contaminants in our pet food was growing every day.

Now there's a new report that some pet foods not included in the Menu Foods list of recalled products have been found to contain the common human pain killer acetaminophen. This drug is extremely toxic to cats and should never be given to them under any circumstances. While not as toxic to dogs, it should only be given under the supervision of a veterinarian.

The New York Times World Business section has a creepy story about the addition of melamine to animal feed being an open secret in China. They quote one chemical company manager as saying, "No law or regulation says 'don't do it,' so everyone's doing it."

Stay on top of the latest about the pet food recall from the FDA, American Veterinary Medical Association and other organizations, plus see news videos through our list of links.

Another update this morning on the pet food recall story: Pet Food May Have Been Intentionally Tainted. They're talking about the intention to artificially boost the apparent protein content of some ingredients (wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate -- and now corn gluten, too) in order to increase the price. Nobody's saying yet that the intention was to kill animals -- only that the intention was to increase profits -- and that somebody somewhere (apparently in China) is saying, "Oops! I guess we shouldn't have done that by adding poison to the food." ::rolling eyes::

So what do you think? Was it a profit-making scheme gone horribly wrong, or was melamine added to the ingredients with the intention of hurting animals?

Some other things I've been wondering about -- is the U.S. the only country experiencing this crisis? Melamine was found in some corn gluten in South Africa, but are animals dying there, or in any other countries, like they are in the U.S.? China has a horrible recent record of dealing with dogs -- could that have any bearing on the pet food issue?

Leave a comment and let us know what you think -- and keep up to date on the latest recall info with our collection of videos and links.

Well, this story just got curiouser: Pet food insider sold shares before recall

What do you think -- insider trading or "horrible coincidence"? Leave a comment and tell us your opinion.

A story posted Tuesday on the Boston Globe Web site raised the possibility that some of the tainted wheat gluten that led to the massive pet food recall may have been sent to plants that process human food. The gluten importers denied that yesterday, but it just points out the confusion surrounding this entire story.

CNN reports that Menu Foods has acknowledged 16 pet deaths from the tainted food -- but the CNN story says 38 pet deaths may be attributable to the contamination in Oregon alone.

What do you think it will take for the truth to come out -- and what would it take for you to feel that our commercial pet food supply is safe?

Since some pet food manufacturers are voluntarily recalling flavors/types of food that may or may not be included on the Menu Foods Web site, here's a link to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's site for the latest news:

FDA.gov Pet Food Recall Information

Voluntarily recalled foods include:

ALPO® Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes

Hill's Science Diet Savory Cuts Feline canned cat foods and Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food

Also, Del Monte has voluntarily recalled various treats, snacks and wet dog food with specific codes. Brands affected include Jerky Treats^®, Gravy Train^® Beef Sticks, Pounce Meaty Morsels^® and some Dollar General treats, and some Ol' Roy and Happy Tails wet dog food.