Food acidity tests are being conducted on three brands of locally produced dog food believed to have caused the deaths of a number of pets in Gauteng, the agriculture, forestry and fisheries department said on Thursday.
“Tests on the levels of acidity in the dog food will be conducted in a lab situated at our Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute,” said acting chief director of communications Steve Galane.
The Star newspaper reported on Wednesday that 16 dogs died since February after eating the Hi-Pro, Buddies and Legends brands of dog food pellets.
“Even the dog food companies don’t know what went wrong,” said Galane.
“They have, in the meantime, pending test results, decided to pull the mentioned products off the shelves,” he said.
A team of inspectors collected samples of the pet food on Tuesday.
The tests results could be available at any time, Galane said.
He warned pet owners to be on the lookout for pet food which was mouldy and had a funny or off smell.
“Affected animals may be listless, not want to eat and show signs of abdominal pain and vomiting.”
According to reports, a toxic fungus in the pet food lived in oil seeds such as groundnut oil and maize. — Sapa