Cornmeal-Gluten Toxicity in Dogs

Toxicity in flours used for dog food is not a new phenomenon. The most recent use of toxic flour "extenders" that resulted in canine deaths occurred in the early 2000s, when pet food made with melamine-treated cornmeal gluten from China poisoned many pets.

  1. Cornmeal Gluten

    • According to the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP), corn gluten meal is "a by-product of processing corn to make corn starch and corn syrup. It is generally sold as a golden yellow meal or as light-brown granules." In addition to its use in pet food and food for farm animals, it is also used as an herbicide.

    Use in Pet Foods

    • According to veterinarian Brent Mayabb, gluten is the tough portion of the corn that contains the grain's protein; corn gluten meal is gluten in its dried form. Corn gluten meal is an easily digested form of protein, but it should not be the primary form of protein in a dog's food.

    Use as a Pesticide

    • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified corn gluten meal as a "minimum-risk pesticide" exempt from registration requirements. Corn gluten meal prevents seedlings from developing normal roots, although it does not affect mature plants. It is effective for use with many weeds including Bermuda grass, crabgrass and dandelions.

    Use of Extenders Not New

    • During the first half of the 20th century, pet-food flours were treated with a chemical called agene. Agene reduced the prolonged storage period required to make freshly milled flour appropriate for use in then-modern baking equipment. According to Radomski, Woodard and Lehmanogs in "The Toxicity of Flours Treated With Various 'Improving' Agents," dogs poisoned by agene-treated foods experienced "running fits" in which the dog behaved "in a thoroughly panic-stricken manner...clawing the air and howling piteously." Severe poisoning resulted in convulsions and death.

    How to Prevent Poisoning

    • Although the melamine scare is largely considered over, dog food and dog treats from China are best avoided. Balanced homemade diets may be suitable as well for some dogs. As an herbicide, corn gluten meal is considered completely safe.