Jerky treat mystery: 1,000 pets dead, humans sickened; still no source, FDA says

[Emily]

Re: Jerky treat mystery: Nearly 600 pets dead; still no source, FDA says (NBC News, October 22 2013)

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...520-story.html

PetSmart joins Petco in halting sales of Chinese dog and cat treats
By Ricardo Lopez
Petco Animal Supplies Inc. said Tuesday it would end the sale of dog and cat treats made in China in a move the company said would protect the "well-being of pets."

Rival pet retailer PetSmart Inc. quickly followed and said it would end sales of China-made pet treats too...

[Emily]

Re: Jerky treat mystery: 1,000 pets dead, humans sickened; still no source, FDA says

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investig...s-safe-n107571

Factory Owner Eats Dog Jerky Treat to Prove It's Safe
By Ian Williams, Monica Alba, JoNel Aleccia and Tom Winter
...
But when NBC News traced a particular brand of jerky treat from the shelves of U.S. stores all the way back to a specific factory in Shandong, China, that manufactured treats for a variety of U.S. companies, the owner of the factory did not hesitate to pop a pet treat into his own mouth...

How convincing. One 'random' dog treat was safe for one much larger animal of another species.

Brooklyn, N.Y., veterinarian Brett Levitzke said he has seen a dozen fatalities since 2011. ?There?s definitely something in those treats that cause these signs and this syndrome,? said Levitzke. He said that in the absence of any other explanation he had ?no doubt? of a link between the illnesses and the treats.

Small dogs have proven particularly susceptible. Nancy Belinski of Clinton, N.J., would feed her four-year-old Yorkshire terrier Zoey chicken jerky treats every day.

?I thought I was being an exceptionally good mother to my dog,? said Belinski.

According to Belinski, however, when her dog died of kidney failure in 2012, her vet told her the jerky treats might be to blame.

?I fed my child poison,? said Belinski.

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.co...t-lawsuit.aspx

Nestl? Purina, Pet Owners Settle Dog Treat Lawsuit
A class-action settlement would allow U.S. pet owners to be reimbursed if they believe their dog was harmed by Waggin? Train or Canyon Creek Ranch treats.
By Ken Niedziela
Veterinary Practice News
Posted: Monday, June 2, 2014, 5:55 p.m. EDT
...
The class-action settlement does not assign any blame to Nestl? Purina for pet illnesses or deaths.

"While there is no indication the treats negatively impacted the health of the dogs, this resolution allows everyone involved to move forward,? the company stated...

Everyone who is still alive and healthy....

[Emily]

Re: Jerky treat mystery: 1,000 pets dead, humans sickened; still no source, FDA says

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm...tegoryId=40534

Veterinarians' case studies aid FDA jerky investigation
Two retailers ban treats made in China; search for cause continues; death toll rises.
Jun 17, 2014
DVM360 MAGAZINE

More than six months after U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ?Dear veterinarian? letter asking for assistance from private practitioners in its investigation of jerky pet treat illness, the FDA issued an update. While the agency still has not identified a specific cause for jerky-related illness, it says the many well-documented case reports it received from veterinarians since October of last year have been extremely valuable to the investigation.
...
Here is the breakdown of symptoms in cases reported to the FDA:

> Approximately 60 percent of cases involved gastrointestinal or liver disease.

> 30 percent involved kidney or urinary disease.

> 10 percent involved neurologic, dermatologic and immunologic signs.

> About 15 percent of kidney or urinary cases tested positive for Fanconi syndrome...

http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/l...3cf9deabb.html

Ask a Vet: Making your own dog treats may be your best option

Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2014 5:00 am

By Dr. FRANCINE RATTNER Correspondent
...


Recent research has focused on testing samples of chicken jerky treats collected from veterinarians across the country whose patients became ill after eating them. Chemical analysis shows the treats had two adulterants, the insect repellent DEET and the drug amantadine.

DEET is generally used as an insect repellent and also a pesticide. Amantadine is a drug used to treat Parkinson?s disease and some types of influenza virus infections in people, and for pain management in dogs. Poultry farmers may have been using it to prevent avian influenza in their flocks, but it is illegal to use in poultry in the U.S.
...

[Emily]

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/petco_drops_chinese_jerky_trea.html

Petco drops Chinese jerky treats for dogs and cats after pet deaths

By Associated Press
on January 05, 2015 at 10:17 PM, updated January 05, 2015 at 11:51 PM LOS ANGELES -- Petco said Monday it has removed all remaining Chinese-made dog and cat treats from its website and stores nationwide because of concerns they have sickened thousands of pets and killed 1,000 dogs in the U.S. since 2007...

Back to pet-food trade US grown chicken?

http://www.wisconsingazette.com/trending-news/humane-society-hens-scalded-alive-at-minnesota-slaughter-plant.html

Humane Society: Hens scalded alive at Minnesota slaughter plant

...
Spent hens are egg-laying birds no longer considered commercially profitable. The hens are used for cheap meat after a lifelong confinement producing eggs in ?battery cages." The meat is often so low-grade and unsafe that many battery cage facilities cannot even sell it for human consumption. Hens and other poultry are not covered by the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, even though chickens and turkeys represent nine out of 10 animals slaughtered for food in the United States...

[Emily]

Hat tip to JJackson for finding this animal scientist's website.

Implication of the Failure of the FDA to Diagnose Pet Mortality

Feb 25, 2015 The American Veterinary Association has posted a number of articles relating to mortality in dogs and cats fed jerky treats manufactured in China. The problem emerged in 2007 and has apparently resulted in 6,000 complaints of illness following consumption of chicken or duck-origin treats. Reports filed with the FDA include 1,000 deaths of dogs and nearly 6,000 illnesses in addition to a few cases in cats and not unexpectedly, in three pet-owners.
Despite assays for heavy metals, mycotoxins and other chemical contaminants the FDA has not been able to isolate or identify any specific toxin, known pesticide, drug, antibiotic, rodenticide or pathogen responsible for the problem. Most affected and dead dogs have shown renal failure reminiscent of Fanconi Syndrome, a congenital condition in certain breeds, although a wide range of pure-bred and mongrel dogs have been affected.
The FDA apparently is now somewhat complacent that the number of complaints recorded from May to September 2014 declined to a total of 270 compared to 1,800 during the preceding seven months. This has little to do with the presumption that the toxic agent is no longer in the treats but is due to voluntary recall of products by distributors and the reality that pet-owners have stopped purchasing and feeding these Chinese-origin treats. This is attributed to warnings by Veterinarians, postings on the social media and articles in the mainstream press...

http://egg-cite.com/editorial/single.aspx?contentID=4480&action=next