Scientists at Guelph’s University, Canada, have discovered a chemical process that may explain how cats and dogs were sickened and killed by melamine-contaminated pet food in March 2007.
Only when this mechanism is elucidated we can be 100% certain that melamine is indeed the cause. Though melamine has been proven toxic in rodent experiments, levels of this substance found in the dog food samples were very low (below what is considered toxic for rodents). This was quite puzzling and demanded for an explanation.
| The scientific findings of the Agriculture and Food laboratory in Guelph now show that the relative non-toxic melamine reacts with cyanuric acid (a metabolic by-product of melamine) to form crystals that may block kidney function. These crystal-like substances were discovered in kidney and urine samples of affected cats and dogs. |  |
Their research explains how two compounds that aren’t dangerous on their own, can become toxic when they react together.
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