Free Republic

Luxury dog treats have boomed during the pandemic but experts are reminding owners what our pets really need – love, attention and walks. Dogs with well-heeled owners can now wolf down a menu worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant with dishes including grass-fed buffalo tails and canine caviar. But experts at The Kennel Club have reminded owners that dogs can prosper without the opulent treats that fly off the shelves for more than ten times the price of human equivalents. Thrive ProReward 100 per cent Liver dog treats sell for £7.60 per 100g (£76 per kilo), compared with a human alternative...

President Joe Biden’s push for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill took a step forward on Friday as a U.S. House of Representatives committee unveiled the legislation Democrats hope to pass by late next week. The 591-page bill, stitched together by the House Budget Committee, would carry out Biden’s proposals to provide additional money for COVID-19 vaccines and other medical equipment. ...House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she was aiming for a vote in the Democratic-controller chamber on passing the bill — a top priority of the new Democratic Biden administration — by the end of next [this] week. Earlier...

NEW HANOVER, Pa. (CBS) — Students at a Montgomery County grade school were served pet treats by a recess aide, school officials said. The incident happened Thursday at the New Hanover Upper Frederick Elementary School in New Hanover Township. According to a statement from Boyertown Area School District Superintendent Richard H. Faidley, a part-time recess aide at the school distributed pet treats to approximately 75 fourth grade students. The statement says the treats may have been misrepresented as cookies or crackers. Faidley said the school was uncertain how many students actually ate the pet treats.

NEW YORK (AP) — Petco said Tuesday that it will stop selling dog and cat treats made in China by the end of this year due to ongoing fears that the imported treats are making pets sick. Investigators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration haven't been able to figure out why pets are getting ill from the treats since the agency began receiving reports of illnesses in 2007.

Federal health officials are warning pet owners to be cautious about feeding their dogs jerky treats as they continue to investigate a treat-related illnesses that has left nearly 600 dogs dead and sickened more than 3,000 others. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an alert to consumers about the illnesses and deaths tied to jerky treats from China. Officials say the exact cause of the illnesses remains unknown. "This is one of the most elusive and mysterious outbreaks we've encountered," Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement. "Our beloved four-legged companions...

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...

Reports of illnesses in dogs given chicken jerky treats have spiked dramatically following a new government warning about pet snacThe federal Food and Drug Administration has logged at least 353 reports this year of illnesses tied to imported chicken jerky products, also sold as chicken tenders, chicken strips or chicken treats, a spokeswoman said. That’s up from 70 reports of illnesses -- and some deaths -- received in 2011 before the Center for Veterinary Medicine issued an updated warning on Nov. 18. Dog owners and veterinarians are reporting that animals have been stricken with a range of symptoms within hours...

The Food and Drug Administration continues to caution consumers about a potential connection between dogs becoming ill and the consumption of chicken jerky products (also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats) imported from China. The FDA issued a warning in September 2007 but does not have the authority to demand a recall. At least one firm in Australia has recalled its chicken jerky product, and the recall notification said the chicken jerky product was made in China. Symptoms include decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes with blood) and increased water consumption and urination. Although most dogs seem to recover, some...

9/11 mastermind coerced with Starbucks treats By staff writers UNLIMITED food and frappuccinos replaced waterboarding and sleep depravation in order to build a case against the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. FBI and military investigators gave Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and five other men, who have been charged with murder, food whenever they were hungry and Starbucks coffee as part of their interrogations as part of “rapport-building” methods, the Washington Post has reported. Officials told the newspaper that investigators used friendly methods – including letting the men decide when interviews would start – in the hope of the prisoners confirming...

I received two alerts regarding treats for dogs. One is for the wheat gluten problem which is now affecting dry food items. The other is a completely different issue where salmonella is found in dog chews. Will post the email alerts with names of items being recalled.