KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE FROM TAINTED FOOD
I’m going off-topic with this post about potentially toxic dog treats but, since it’s been in the news for some time now, products are still on store shelves and dogs are still becoming ill or dying, I think it’s an important issue to cover.
In 2007, my beloved American Eskimo, KC, became ill. Our veterinarian told me that many dogs and cats were presenting with similar symptoms – lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea. It was around that time that news of contaminated pet food from overseas was suspected of sickening dogs and cats, many of whom succumbed to liver failure. At that time, animal lovers across the country screamed for investigations, for suspect pet foods to be pulled from shelves, for stricter quality control concerning pet food. The media greatly underreported the number of dogs and cats that had become ill. I cannot remember the specific figure, but my vet said that he’d seen that number in his practice alone. Pet owners continued to scream but received little satisfaction concerning the welfare of their beloved pets. Information was scarce, confusing and often inaccurate. KC continued to get sicker and tests revealed that she had bladder cancer. I saw my vet often during the following six months that KC lived. While she had not become ill from contaminated food, my vet told me about dozens of dogs and cats in his practice that he believed had. And the media continued to underreport and underestimate this tragedy.
In March of that year, the FDA determined that melamine, a plastic that was used as a “filler” in pet food manufactured in China, was responsible for sickening or killing cats and dogs. The following year, several Chinese businesses were indicted by a federal grand jury for exporting products to the US that were contaminated with melamine.
Pet owners everywhere breathed a sigh of relief but many, including me, remained wary of what we fed our pets.
Two years ago, I wrote about chicken jerky treats, made in China and distributed by Nestle Purina and Del Monte that may have been responsible for at least 600 canine deaths and illnesses. Here’s the link to that article: http://calorielab.com/labnotes/20120313/chicken-jerky-treats-sold-under-popular-us-brands-and-made-in-china-may-be-responsible-for-hundreds-of-canine-illnesses-and-deaths-says-the-fda/
The FDA did not issue a recall at that time and I continued to see the treats in question on grocery store shelves. To their credit, many pet stores (in my area, at least) pulled the products from their shelves and put up signs throughout their stores warning consumers to discard the treats.
Last month, the FDA updated their numbers of suspected poisonings from jerky treats. The sobering stats: To date, there have been more than 3,600 reports of illnesses associated with the treats. There have been close to 600 deaths and no breed is immune. The jerky treats in question are an equal opportunity killer and symptoms are as diverse as skin problems, convulsions, vomiting, diarrhea, kidney ailments and tremors.
The cause of the illnesses remains a mystery, despite testing by several groups including the FDA. Many of the treats, the main ingredient of which is chicken although some contain yams, dried fruits, duck and sweet potatoes, are made in China. (Testing of some overseas manufacturing facilities turned up nothing that might explain the reason for the widespread illnesses and deaths.)
Nestle voluntarily recalled several brands including Canyon Creek Ranch and Waggin’ Train jerky treats. However, many imported jerky treats remain on store shelves.
Last month, the FDA asked veterinarians to become more actively involved in getting to the bottom of this mystery by reporting illnesses associated with the treats. They’ve also put out many consumer alerts – but, at the risk of being redundant, the treats remain on store shelves.
The Food Recall of 2007 came too late for what many estimate are thousands of cats and dogs that became ill or died. In 2013, with thousands of dogs becoming ill or dying and no government recall, it’s up to each of us to be a smart consumer in the interest of our pets’ health and well-being.
Be as careful about what it is you feed your pet as you would be about your child.
To that end, I recommend The Dog Food Advisor as a great resource for dog owners. It was launched in 2007 by Dr. Mike Sagman, a dental surgeon, after he lost his beloved pup Penny to contaminated food. He does not accept samples or money from pet food manufacturers in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of his reviews or ratings. If you subscribe to his site, you’ll receive updates about dog food recalls whenever there is one. Here’s the link to his recall page: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls/
The FDA hosts its own recalls page and includes cat, bird and other animals’ food and products. Here’s that link: http://www.fda.gov/animalVeterinary/safetyhealth/recallswithdrawals/default.htm
A search of “pet food recalls” will turn up other sites as well.
One last thing, treats are no substitute for food. They should be given judiciously to your pet just as you would give treats to your child, or treat yourself, for that matter.
Ok, I’m getting off my soapbox now. Thanks for reading. Here’s to the good health of you and pet!
xo,
Melody
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