Posted on 10/22/2013 10:48:04 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows
Nearly 600 pets have died and more than 3,600 have been sickened in an ongoing, mysterious outbreak of illnesses tied to jerky treats made in China, federal animal health officials said Tuesday.
Most of the cases have been in dogs of all breeds, ages and sizes, although 10 cats have been sickened, too. The pace of the reported illnesses appears to have slowed, but federal Food and Drug Administration officials are now seeking extra help from veterinarians and pet owners in solving the ongoing puzzle.
“To date, testing for contaminants in jerky treats has not revealed a cause for the illnesses,” Martine Hartogensis, a deputy director for the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in the new report. “Despite these warnings, we have continued to receive reports of illnesses in both cats and dogs.”
The new numbers are up from some 500 deaths and 3,200 illnesses tallied in January, but the rate of reports has fallen sharply since then, mostly because two of the largest sellers of pet chicken jerky treats announced recalls tied to the presence of unapproved antibiotic residue detected in the products.
FDA officials don’t think that antibiotic residue is the big problem that has stumped the agency since 2007, when pet owners started reporting their animals were suffering gastrointestinal and kidney problems after eating the popular jerky treats.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
I can’t believe people are buying these things for their pets after all these years.
It started more than 5 years ago.
We give our four dogs fake cheese slices for treats. They love them, and it is cheaper than buying doggie treats that can harm them.
Please tell me you left off the “/Sarc” tag.
Not to hijack the thread, to much, but years ago there was also an issue with ceramic ware from Mexico. It had a high lead content in the glaze.
Are We Crazy? USDA To Label Chinese-Processed Chicken As ‘Made In America’
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3082026/posts
This country is getting more and more F——d up every day.
You are absolutely right! As ornamentation, all right. As a serious food dish? No way!
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