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How does it end up in pet food? If you know the answer to that, please let me know! This is the million dollar question. We know from our experts that pentobarbital's primary use in the United States is to euthanize companion animals (dogs, cats and occasionally horses.) It's use is never permitted on any animal intended to be used for food in the human or animal food supply. One possibility for the contamination is that animals, killed with pentobarbital, are getting into the pet food supply chain. I suspect this is something that the FDA is looking into as part of its ongoing investigation that it launched when we announced our findings.

As an investigative reporter I've gotten used to companies trying to control the narrative. No surprise there. What I find most disturbing is not pressure - it's the company's unwillingness to sit down, talk about the situation and answer relevant questions. I see myself as a conduit to the public. You deserve answers. You deserve to know what's going on with the products you're trusting to feed your family and pets. You deserve far more than a well-crafted press release as the only means of communication from these companies. And my frustration with this goes far beyond industry. Government agencies often act with impunity in this regard. I cannot tell you how many times I have requested interviews with the FDA regarding this story and have been ignored or declined.

One of the tricky things about DNA is that it can be destroyed by heat...so just because something isn't found, doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there. And as far as I know, I don't think vets "sell" euthanized animals...I believe businesses have to pay rendering companies to pick up carcasses.

This is one of the things that's troubled me most since we embarked on this issue. It is so difficult for consumers to navigate - and avoid - potentially troubling ingredients. That's because the pet food companies are not required to have absolute transparency in labeling. For example: the ingredient deck may list things like "animal tallow" or "animal fat" or "meat by-products." While those items are truly in there, you (and I and most everyone else) has no idea what they're actually comprised of. One thing you can do, and it's by no means a sure-fire solution, but look for ingredients that mean something - not vague words. The USDA label on the can means that the contents are fit for human consumption. This is also a good indicator that you may be able to better trust the ingredients. As for me, I'm a big believer in making your own dog and cat food. It's easy, inexpensive and you know exactly what's in it. Our Digital Executive Producer will follow with a post to the 101 I did on making food. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Thanks so much for your question. We are glad to hear your dog is doing better. Here's part of my answer to an earlier, similar question: " We knew a dog in Washington state died after eating a can of dog food laden with the euthanasia drug pentobarbital. I started doing some digging and found out that the FDA had identified pentobarbital in pet food back in the late '90's and early 2000's. Nothing had substantially changed in terms of oversight and regulations so I thought it made sense to do some more research. And as with so many stories, once you start pulling a thread, so much more is revealed."