Posted on 02/22/2012 10:49:10 AM PST by EBH
Reports surfaced yesterday that in the past two weeks over 400 new cases of animals being poisoned after eating treats manufactured in China have been received by the FDA, strengthening demands from pet owners that a recall be placed into effect.
On Sunday, Senator Sherrod Brown held a news conference on the heels of a previous one the week before at the Ohio Humane Society in Hilliard Ohio about tainted chicken jerky treats from China.
It was Brown’s second public statement to the Food and Drug Administration regarding the treats that are reported to have been causing illness and death in pets across the country.
The conference on February 19 came in the wake of 400 new complaints to the FDA about pets becoming ill after eating the treats. Although the FDA has been trying to find the contaminant causing the illnesses, they have been unable to pinpoint the specific toxicant. As a result, manufacturers have not been required by law to remove the products from store shelves, keeping the potentially dangerous treats readily available to the public.
Related: FDA Warns Pets Being Poisoned By Treats: Manufacturers Refusing Recall
In December of 2008, when pets began falling ill in Australia, University of Sydney researchers made an epidemiological connection linking the illnesses to the consumption of chicken treats imported from China. Australian dog treat importer KraMar withdrew its Supa Naturals Chicken breast strips from the Australian market as a precaution, even though a specific toxicant wasn’t pinpointed in their product.
Supa Naturals Chicken breast strips are one of Australia’s highest selling dog snacks.
“A link has not been scientifically established. It is a mystery to us, but in the interests of animal welfare we have decided to take this decision,” said KraMar’s CEO Brian Fouche about the voluntary recall.
Vocal animal rights advocates are claiming they are looking towards American companies to put pet health above profits in the same way. The leading US importer of chicken jerky treats has stubbornly refused to recall. Cases of their products line the shelves at Giant Eagle, Wal Mart, Walgreens and other stores, and coupons for consumers continue to be found in newspapers and circulars.
Like now, the symptoms pets exhibited in Australia in 2008 were consistent with acquired Fanconi’s syndrome, an uncommon disease characterized by elevated levels of glucose in urine but not in blood. The glucose damages the kidney’s ability to reabsorb nutrients and electrolytes. The kidneys become chronically compromised, sometimes resulting in death.
One of the points that Senator Brown pressed in his first news conference on February 7 was that the FDA has not been issuing a public enough warning for consumers and needs to improve its notification system. The FDA has been posting warnings associated with the treats since 2007, but most consumers are not aware of the notices.
Typically FDA post warnings are posted on their website, which consumers do not tend to check unless a product has been brought to light in the mainstream media. Although Brown sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg on February 7 about these issues, he still has not received any official response. Senator Brown has again urged the FDA to step up their investigation.
The FDA has tested the treats for certain known contaminants with negative results. Laboratories are at a loss to test products arbitrarily; toxicologists need to have an idea of what contaminants to test for, otherwise, it is a proverbial stab in the dark.
Karyn Bischoff, Clinical Toxicologist/Assistant Professor at NY State Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Cornell, said:
The tricky part of this situation is that the clinical signs and kidney changes are not typical of common veterinary toxicoses. This could be something completely new, like melamine was a few years ago. Melamine was not even considered to be particularly toxic, so nobody really thought to look for it. I don’t know if we have a similar situation here, but this doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before.
Cornell is not currently testing treats, but has indicated that they may be interested in doing so.
With the treats still available in stores and manufacturers unwilling to issue a precautionary recall, angry consumers have started a grassroots movement to spread the word, advocate for animals that are sick or have died and to put pressure on manufacturers to enact a voluntary recall.
The Facebook advocacy group Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made in China has been posting complaints on manufacturer’s websites, Facebook pages, consumer affairs sites, pet blogs, and YouTube. They have posted copies of the FDA warning in stores and have even pulled treats off of shelves themselves, confronting store managers and asking them to stop stocking the dangerous products.
Scores of pet owners have joined the group sharing their grief, expressing their frustration and organizing information for others. If your pet has become ill with the following symptoms after having been fed jerky treats from China please report it to the FDA: Decreased appetite Decreased activity Vomiting Diarrhea Increased water consumption Increased urination
In the absence of a named contaminant, the pet food companies importing the treats from China have petitioned news sites and blogs to remove and desist references to their specific brands. A lengthy list of brands that are imported from China can still be found on the Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made in China Facebook page.
I quit giving my dogs chicken jerky treats the last time there was a scare about that substance causing sickness (and they came from China) and death of animals.
Manufacturers Refusing Recall
OK.
Ban Them.
Blue Buffalo is made in America and is a very good product. We feed the Wilderness to our dogs, but they have other varieties. Evo, Canidae and Innova are all good too.
Where does Milo’s Kitchen treats fall in all of this??
CA....
I used to feed my dogs the chicken and duck treats from walmart and places like that. They loved them.
After the earlier notice I stopped using them.
I think us made products are still pretty reliable. Purina seems to be good.
Avoid any food, drug or anything that comes in contact with food— coffee cups and plates with the pretty glazes— manufactured in China; they simply cannot be trusted and yet they seem to get a pass on inspections.
I was told about Innova some six years ago by someone at a rescue organization. It's expensive but everything about it is top-notch. Of course, it's made in the USA. I don't feed my dogs any Chinese crap.
Two of the implicated treats are Purina products.
Waggin Train and one other.
There is a good list on Facebook, apparently.
I don't have or desire a facebook account so can't get it. Unless some enterprising Freeper can post it on here.
.
The owner literally lives in my back yard, and the food is manufactured 1/2 mile from my house. And now I see that I can order it shipped directly to my house without ever going to the dog food store. This company has been manufaturing all kinds of pet food for 100 years. They started out manufacturing mink and fox food for the fur business.
“I read all labels on all food I buy now for the country of origin.If it is China I do not buy it.”
Yes, but we don’t know that. It is “canned” in the U.S., but we have no knowledge from where the original trash comes. It could very well come from China.
So don’t be fooled by reading labels.
My veterinarian worked with UC Davis veterinary nutritionists (who created the above site) to formulate a custom recipe for one of my dogs who is highly allergic to a world of things, including most meat proteins.
In addition to their on-line questionnaire that creates a recipe based on your dog's needs, the site also sells their own supplements and blends to mix with the food to assure proper nutritional requirements and make it easy for pet owners. They also include in their recipes a list of the individual supplements you need, in case you don't want to buy their brand.
You might give it a try. My dog, who had been unable to tolerate every top-shelf and/or hypoallergenic brand of commercial and prescription dog food we tried has been doing quite well now for nearly 3 years. I make his food using the recipe formulated by some of the folks who created the above website. I wouldn't hesitate to use and recommend this service now, whether dealing with a completely well dog or one with medical issues.
This is a year old:
USDA Petitioned to Block Chinese Poultry
by Helena Bottemiller | Jan 31, 2011
Comment:
The rule that was approved prior to President Hu’s arrival in the states in 2006 was only for poultry raised and slaughtered in the US and then sent to China for further processing. Not one chicken has made that round trip to China as of today.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/01/usda-petitioned-to-block-chinese-poultry-from-us-market/
All I want to eat are chickens from my own state. What happen to the law of supply and demand? I’ll pay, I’ll pay!
I can see two headlines:
1) Famine in the USA as Chinese chickens arrive late!
2) Chinese Army burns bodies of Americans poisoned by chicken!
Hi Vinnie,
Waggin Train is the brand I used to feed my dogs. It had “Made in China” on the label. I didn’t know they were Purina.
Better look closer, I guess.
My wife bought some biscuits— Shep brand. I found no label indicating where they were made.
Three of the Milo’s Kitchen® varieties — Beef Jerky, Chicken Meatballs and Beef Sausage Slices with Rice — are made in the United States. The Chicken Jerky variety is made at a facility in China.
My dogs love the Milk Bone marrow treats but they are also made in China.
I spent time in the treat isle at Petsmart trying to find anything made in the US and the only luck I had was the all natural/ organic stuff.
Make these - Homemade Liver Treats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zmp_joeqjA
Make a bunch at a time - they freeze well - fantastic for training.
I buy Blue Buffalo for mine.
Yep it is quite difficult to find much in the pet stores that isn't foreign sourced. I feed my girls freeze dried green beef tripe from a company called Dinovite. Great people based in Kentucky and with great products,I can't say enough good things about them. Just do a web search on Dinovite and you will find the web site or yopu could just add a .com after their name.
Kirbdog
Yep it is quite difficult to find much in the pet stores that isn't foreign sourced. I feed my girls freeze dried green beef tripe from a company called Dinovite. Great people based in Kentucky and with great products,I can't say enough good things about them. Just do a web search on Dinovite and you will find the web site or you could just add a .com after their name.
Kirbdog
Sorry about the double post.
We put our elderly lab down in June and on Saturday we adopted a Jack Russell mix from a no kill shelter....Riley has won us over and for a terrier mix he is not yappy little beast with a sweet disposition....I have heard such good things about Blue Buffalo and I am glad to see they have small breed food. I will be easing him over to the Blue.......thanks for the reminder and website.....
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