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It’s been months since the first pet food recall was announced, but in the weeks since then, dozens of additional brands have been added to the recall. These “rolling recalls” have left many pet owners concerned and confused, and wondering what exactly to feed their pets.

“Given the fact that there is new evidence of cross-contamination in ingredients that may have been considered safe prior to this news, we need to be much more aware of where the ingredients in our pets’ food are coming from,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill.

The ASPCA suggests pet owners contact the manufacturer of their pet food directly, and determine if they use any protein concentrates of vegetable origin imported from China. Consumers can find a list of pet food manufacturers and their contact information at www.thepetfoodlist.com. There may also be an 800 number listed on the pet food packaging itself.

Some pet owners have decided to make their pets’ food at home, at least for the time being. While that’s a choice most busy families won’t want to make, if you do decide to give it a try, don’t just toss a few leftovers on a plate and give them to your pet. Take the time to do it right.

There are two websites where board certified veterinary nutritionists will formulate a balanced homemade diet for dogs and cats for a fee. One is at www.balanceit.com, and the other is at www.petdiets.com.

Books on home feeding for pets shot up in sales in the wake of the recall. Your best bets for good, safe recipes? Two vet-authored books are Home-prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The healthful alternative by Donald Stombeck, DVM, PhD and Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard Pitcairn DVM, PhD. And while author Arden Moore isn’t a vet herself, all the recipes in her Real Food for Dogs have been analyzed by veterinary nutritionists to provide balanced nutrition.

Cats are considerably more challenging to feed correctly than dogs, and growing puppies, especially of the large breeds, have special dietary requirements, so be sure to use only tested, proven recipes, and follow them carefully.

For the vast majority of pet owners who will continue to feed their pets commercial pet foods, here’s some food for thought. While it’s certainly true that some companies have handled this crisis better than others, no pet food company wants to produce a product that will harm pets. Furthermore, a number of companies played an important role in alerting the public to the problem of pet food contamination.

As revealed in the testimony of Menu Foods’ CEO Paul Henderson in front of a congressional subcommittee, it was Iams’ own internal monitoring systems that raised the red flag for corporate parent Procter & Gamble that something was wrong with some of their pet foods, and enabled them to identify foods being made at Menu’s facilities as the problem. After Iams went to Menu and said they’d be recalling their Menu-made foods Menu issued its own, larger-scale recall.

Costco, Drs. Foster & Smith, and other retailers who sell to members and by catalogue, directly contacted all affected consumers by mail, phone, or email as soon as they were informed their foods were impacted by the recall, and have initiated strict quality control procedures to make sure their products are not affected. “We are testing everything, absolutely everything, internally,” said Craig Wilson, Costco’s Vice-president of food safety. “Pet food’s under tremendous scrutiny right now.”

Because the situation is so volatile, be sure to watch the following sites for current information: