FDA Issues Warning on Chicken Jerky for Dogs
Pet owners should be aware that chicken jerky products from China may be associated with reports of Fanconi-like syndrome in dogs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned.
The FDA issued the following alert:
Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be fed occasionally in small quantities.
FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products: decreased appetite; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.
FDA, in addition to several animal health diagnostic laboratories in the U.S., is working to determine why these products are associated with illness in dogs. FDA's Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (VLRN) is now available to support these animal health diagnostic laboratories. To date, scientists have not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. FDA continues extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified a contaminant.
The FDA continues to actively investigate the problem and its origin. Many of the illnesses reported may be the result of causes other than eating chicken jerky. Veterinarians and consumers alike should report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their state or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
© Food Safety News
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Discuss
11/20/2011
2:25PM
Does anyone know the origin of the chicken in the Petco Chicken Jerky treats? The package says they are made in Brazil, but where does Brazil get them from?
11/21/2011
4:25PM
Costco Chicken Jerky Treats are made in China. Mine go back tomorrow
11/21/2011
6:08PM
My dog used to love these jerky treats between meals. Last year she got every one of these symptoms. After several vet visits, she passed away within a month of showing her symptoms. I make my new dogs' food myself at home now, and I do not buy any treats that are not made here in the USA from all natural ingredients. The whole experience was (and still is) devastating. I still miss my sweet little girl.
11/21/2011
8:52PM
Is it only turkey jerky? could it be in the Costco lamb ones too?
11/21/2011
9:30PM
My Costco Chicken Jerky Treats are Nature's Diet from Denver, Colorado.
11/22/2011
2:33AM
My dear boy had a seizure. The only thing he had that was different was a strip of chicken jerky from Sams. Coincidence? My vets office asked me if they were made in China. They were, and went straight into the trash. They have been banned in Canada for a while now, and I have found most chicken strips, regardless of cutesy American sounding names are made in China. Most packages say not fit for human consumption.
11/22/2011
8:20AM
"Hartz" products are also made in China . I read all of the labels ( iddy biddy small print)to see what country they were made in.
11/22/2011
3:26PM
The Sam's stores in Tulsa have been flooded with huge packages of these at a very low price. Now I know why. Fortunately, I have only fed a couple of them to my dogs....they just went in the trash. My bad, as I usually check country of orgin on stuff I put inside my dogs. I got lazy and they could have paid big time for it :-(
11/22/2011
5:03PM
I believe that ANYTHING that is made in China should be suspected of killing you, your kids, pets ectera. I don't know why ANYONE would buy anything made in china even though it is so hard to find anything made in the good ole U.S.A.
11/23/2011
6:30AM
Yep, most of your jerky strips (any kind of meat) are made in China OR their packaging is made in China - like Dogswell's Happy Hips, etc. I found a safe alternative wtih www.konaschips.com. I recently dealt with this family owned business, whose little dog (Kona) became deathly ill due to this very subject) and am VERY happy with them.
11/25/2011
6:08AM
Chicken jerky is so easy to make. Buy a cheap dehydrator and save yourself a ton of money and know what your dog is eating.
11/25/2011
7:04AM
We had to have our dear collie put to sleep on Sept. 1, 2011.
She had been sick two years ago with the same symptoms and after being on IV's for a few days she recovered. Never dreamed it was the treats I was feeding her and when she re-covered I started giving her treats again. She became sick
again the end of August with same symptoms and after being on
IV's again she seemed to respond but after four days had a relapse. First chicken jerky treats came from PetSmart but the last jerky was Waggin'Train from Sam's Club.
11/25/2011
1:19PM
Was just about to run to Petsmart to get more Canyon Creek Ranch Chicken Strips (on sale). I stopped and looked at a package I already have and they are made in China as well. Guess I won't go now.
11/25/2011
5:16PM
I guess you could heat them in the oven to 350 for 20 or 30 minutes to kill off any organisms. My dogs love these so much, but one of the three has developed mild diarrhea. We're watching him, but we're a little worried. Our CJ is also made in China.
11/26/2011
7:33AM
Our dog was just diagnosed with kidney failure. He'd been given a lot of these treats. It's going to cost us hundreds of dollars to save him.
11/26/2011
4:01PM
What about other jerky products from China - such as sweet potato and duck?
11/26/2011
4:36PM
Buy BRAVO! chicken jerky instead! They're made in Connecticut and you can get them shipped free from Amazon.com. They're not as cheap as the ones from China, but they're safe and your dog won't get sick ....which will save you more in the end!
11/26/2011
5:37PM
Sounds just like the pet food poisoning back in 2007 where my cat died from kidney and liver failure as a result of the Melamine in the fillers from China for pet food products.
11/28/2011
9:57AM
I know that Tyson makes Chicken Strips that are 100% natural and made in the USA. I get mine at PetSmart and feel safe and good about it!
11/28/2011
3:37PM
I took some Chicken Jerky Treats back to Walmart today. I make sweet potatoe treats for my dogs in the dehydrator, they love them. Maybe I will look for a recipie for jerky as well. Can't trust anyone anymore. Scary!!!
11/28/2011
4:20PM
I have been in a couple of these plants and if you saw how this crap is made,you wouldn't use it. I really feel if it isn't good enough for humans it isn't good enough for my pets
11/28/2011
9:18PM
A few months ago I had to take my puppy to the vet I woke up n he wasnt moving he could barely lift his head I wasnt sure what was wrong he was fine when we went to bed n when we woke he was very sick I couldn't get him to move eat or drink when we took him to the vet they took x rays of his bones he was fine they advised me to keep n eye on him this defiantly makes sense now he loves those treats n would eat then as often as he could now he will NOT hes had the same issue twice n I cant bare not having him around I almost lost him because of carelessness and now it will not happen again my dog is not the same since the incident.
11/29/2011
6:25AM
My Lab loves them. Just bought 2 bags from Petco Canyon Creek 1 Chichen 1 duck. They are going back. I noticed that she was throwing up and Pooping more. Thank god I would cut them up into smaller portions and only give her one a day. Check Under U P code MADE IN CHINA getting out that dusty dehydrater.
11/29/2011
11:32AM
Do these tainted chicken products have a brand name? Would it by chance be Waggin Train which is carried by CostCo? Really need to know!!!!
11/30/2011
8:22AM
Yes, Dag Waggin Train was listed in the article I read.
11/30/2011
11:22PM
omg! My puglet threw up 3 times this morning! We just got chicken jerky from Costco on Monday! Vet visit tomorrow? Hope insurance covers... :-\
12/01/2011
8:15AM
A couple people asked whether treats other than chicken jerkey are tainted. The safe call is to assume that if it is made in China, it is unsafe. They do whatever it takes to make the most profit, even if it will lead to death and disease.
If the people saying its cheaper to make your own with a food dehydrater, that's great news. I was planning on getting one for my own jerkey, but if it makes sense, I'll be using it for the doggies too.
12/01/2011
12:16PM
there are many treats manufactured here in the u.s. that are great for pets. Stella & Chewys makes several treats. Bravo makes freeze dried turkey hearts, etc. Wysong makes Dream Treats. Walgreens sells the waggin train treats too btw. i would not give my pets anything from china!
12/08/2011
8:05PM
In july i started giving my two dogs (rottwieler and beAgle) wagin tails chicken jery in canada. The product is labeled as american, however they are made in china. When we returned home i bought kingdom chicken jerky from costco. I noticed they were made in china. I now have one dead, one requiring a pacemaker after having a heart attack both dogs within a week of eating costco's kingdom brand chicken treats Do Not through them in the trash, call costco hold their feet to the fire. You pay medical bills, you have been injured!
12/13/2011
6:50AM
We started making our own Chicken Jerky after we ran across the FDA warning of 2008 about Chinese chicken treats making dogs sick or killing them. It turned into a cottage business and we now sell our TriPom Chews in 20 stores in the New England area. Our products are the only Maine Made, American Made, chicken jerky produced from whole, restaurant-quality chicken breasts containing NO Additives and NO Preservatives. We had to make them super wholesome as our 3 Pomeranians (our babies) taste test almost every batch.
12/17/2011
2:46PM
Ok, now I want to know if my chicken strips are made in China...It's from Costco from Celebrity (chewmasters) and it's writen: Imported from Celebrity Products, Inc. Toronto, Ontario CANADA.... Also, I did change my dog food for Kirkland Costco and one of my dog didn't eat a lot today and had diarrea this morning....Wow, this is hard to find the right dog food/treat.
12/28/2011
2:00PM
My dog ate Costco Chicken Jerky from China and developed sores all over his under belly. The vet thought he had a food allergy and I stop feeding him everything but hipo- allergic dog food the vet recommended. Slowly I began introducing "normal" dog food and he was fine until I added Costco Chicken jerky and the sores came back. Stopped the jerky and he cleared up in a few days.
12/29/2011
3:21PM
I just returned from Petco in search of USA made jerky treats and it took 3 clerks as well as me to find one, yes folks, ONE jerky treat made here in the US. I think the clerks were pretty amazed. I know I was. Some of the companies don't indicate where they are made. They just say "distributed by" Del Monte, etc. I certainly wouldn't trust them! Anyway the one company was Blue, the natural dog food people. I also found 2 companies online, To-shea.com and konachips.com. I WILL NOT feed my dog anything made in China and encourage all people to boycott Chinese-made animal treats!
01/09/2012
7:01PM
We returned two bags of chicken strips to CostCo yesterday. They were making our dog vomit.
01/10/2012
11:22AM
The same Chewmaster Chicken Jerky Treats by Celebrity Pets are sold in Canada at both Costco, Petsmart, Walmart etc.. spread the news everyone and take care of your pets...
01/14/2012
11:40AM
We have been giving our 3 border collies Waggin Train chicken jerkey treats for years with no problem. About 6 weeks ago, one dog started having severe diarrea. We didn't even think that it could be the treats. About 2 weeks ago we started adding the new Waggin Train peanut butter flavored biscuits which were wrapped with chicken. The border collies got one of each treat every evening. Now all dogs have had diareaha--2 with blood in stools. One border collie, who is 6 years old, had grand mal seizure 2 nights in a row. The only thing we can come up with is that we may have gotten a contaminated bag of jerkey tenders or the peanut butter treats. It may not even be related to the treats, but we have not changed any other food. We are not taking any chances. No more treats of any kind from China. It's only been two days, but there have been no more seizures. We're still very worried. We have vet appt scheduled for Monday.
01/15/2012
4:58AM
i bought chicken jerky treats for my pomm dogs it says imported by Normerica inc. but there's another address under it that;s in ontario these treats are chicken tenders are these what e-1 is talkin about |&are these from china could s-1 tell me plse
01/15/2012
11:20AM
I've been feeding my dog home-made chicken jerky treats made with my food dehydrator. They are so easy and come out so well, I've also started making them for friends too. I've written an easy how-to guide on my blog for making these cost effective dog treats. If you're switching over from China-made store-bought treats, the initial cost of investing in a food dehydrator is paid back in weeks when you start making your own treats and jerky!
Check out the article here: http://www.manualofman.com/2011/dehydrated-chicken-breast-dog-treats/
01/22/2012
9:36PM
i have been feeding the wagon train chicken jerky treats to my 3 year old shih tsu mix for 2 years now. she has not had one sign or symptom listed in the article. she gets 1 when i head out to work each day.
01/23/2012
7:46PM
Our little 1 1/2 year old poodle/pom/chihuahua mix got deathly ill 2 weekends ago. Trying to vomit every hour for most of the weekend. Eye swelling, nose swelling, it was horrible, very lethargic. Today rushed her to the vet for a seizure she was having! He recommended pulling any new diet items. She had gotten waggin train chikn biscuit for christmas! I decide to just google the name brand and oh my goodness! These treats are making so many dogs sick and dying! AMAZING they are still producing them. I Will get these removed from my wal-mart I bought them from and am calling FDA tomorrow! NOT ACCEPTABLE. I hope our poor little adopted Abigail fully recovers!
01/28/2012
1:23PM
STOP BUYING CRAP FROM CHINA, how many times to our children and pets have to get sick before people will get this through their thick skulls??? This includes, dog food/treats, clothing, dishes/serveware, and toys.
Come on people, saving a few dollars shopping at Wal Mart and buying China based products just isn't worth it.
01/29/2012
5:19AM
My blog is to inform readers about the death of our beloved Yorkie after consuming “chicken jerky” made by Canyon Creek Ranch Brand, a company of Waggin’ Train, LLC.
http://www.benny-the-yorkie.com/
02/01/2012
7:53PM
DO NOT BUY CANYON CREEK RANCH TREATS AT ALL. OUR BEAGLE MIX ALMOST DIED FROM EATING THE DUCK TENDERS. FILED A COMPLAINT WITH FDA. CANYON CREEK RANCH - YOU SNEAKY LITTLE BASTARDS!!! HOW DARE YOU HIDE YOUR WAGGIN TRAIN NAME.
02/02/2012
7:35PM
Waggin Train has made my 15 year old Yorkie Oliver very sick. Took him to the vet today. He was so sick with all the symptoms that I have read about, lethargy,vomit,drinking alot of water and urination,hunch back, hard stomach,Google this product, check out there FaceBook site.
02/09/2012
7:03PM
We lost our 6 year old Pomeranian from Kidney Failure recently. Our dog loved the Chicken Strips from Costco (Made in China), in fact she was hooked on them, but we only gave her one a day. She showed all the symptoms that the FDA has published, but it was too late for her. We contacted the distributor and they said "You can't prove that it was caused by the Chicken Strips". I filed a complaint with the FDA.
I also talked to Costco, but no luck there either. This is a real cash cow for them, so they are not going to give it up without a fight. I wish there was a way to get the word out on this killer product. If we had known that there was any chance of harming our dog, we would have never purchased them.
The places that sell the product should be required to post the FDA warning on the shelf.
02/11/2012
6:45PM
Almost lost our beagle, three seizures; she literally died on us; husband did mouth to mouth.....will never feed our dogs these treats again.....purchased in Canada and US
02/13/2012
4:48AM
I don't believe this, when is this going to stop? When are the powers that be going to stop these greedy, unscrupulous Chinese from killing our children and beloved pets. I have been giving these treats to my dogs for years and they LOVE them! It does not say on the package that they come from China or I wouldn't have bought them, it says they are "Quality checked in CANADA" so I thought they were okay. But just recently I have noticed my younger dog passing water a lot more than usual, but couldn't figure out why. So I will be having him checked out, but both my dogs have had sores on their bellies for a while and the vet said it was probably an allergy. From now on, I will be making my own dog treats and not buying anything else, you just can't trust any company these days, they are all just out to make big bucks and don't give a damn about anybody or anything. My daughter's cat was a victim of that tainted food a few years ago, and he died prematurely. And what about the supermarkets that sell these products knowing that they could be lethal???? Does nobody have a conscience these days?????
02/13/2012
6:03AM
I have fed my dog these treats since she was a month old and I haven't seen any changes in her? I buy the CHEWMASTERS by CELEBRITY brand from Costco. I have looked all over the packaging and it doesn't say CHINA anywhere on it. I even tried calling the phone number but no-one has got back to me. This is very scary and I don't want to harm my dog at all! but she hasn't shown any of these symptoms. Should I take her off them anyway?
02/22/2012
6:55AM
I'm positive that at one time the Celebrity Chewmasters did say MADE IN CHINA. Now I can't find it anywhere on the bag so I think they removed it. I'm taking mine back tomorrow and will attempt to make homemade ones.