Chicken Jerky Treats Linked to Illnesses in Dogs

[Farmer31]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about chicken jerky for dogs, saying some products imported from China may be associated with 70 reports of dogs who became ill or died. That number is up from 54 reports last year, the agency indicated.

The FDA has not determined that the jerky definitely caused any of the illnesses and hasn’t identified a specific cause, despite testing a number of different products for potential contamination. The agency has no plans to issue any recalls and is continuing to test different types of treats, and testing is ongoing. The FDA could provide no brand names of products that are being tested.

Dog owners who feed their pets these types of treats should monitor them for signs of serious illness, including decreased appetite, a lower level of activity, vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), increased water intake or increased urination.


http://pakagri.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicken-jerky-treats-linked-to.html

 

[Matthew3590]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=602354

Already another post on this.

 

[Farmer31]

It is not Hoax one, It is from ABC News

Quote:

 

[MetalSmitten]

honestly, my initial reaction to this is that the treats are just too dry ... they're super hard, super difficult to chew, super tough "jerky", not at all like what is normally marketed for human consumption. i would personally think that any deaths would be more due to dogs eating them too quickly without chewing properly, much like how rawhide bones can be dangerous for dogs that eat them too quickly. intestinal blockages from eating too much too fast, and/or sharp pointy bits of unchewed jerky could tear the digestive tract possibly.

i've yet to see any conclusive tests to indicate that the treats are tainted or poisoned (PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong, though) and i think that mentioning the chinese origin, in this case, is scare tactics. 54-70 deaths over the course of a year is almost nothing compared to how many of these treats are sold and consumed. just consider them to be more like a rawhide chewy instead of a normal treat, watch your dog carefully to make sure they chew it up properly and don't give them too many at once.

i actually used to work in the pet food industry, and many of these same chinese-made jerky treats USED to be nice and soft, much like human-grade jerky. but then they would mold in their packaging due to the moisture. so they changed them to be super dried out. =/ i have no idea if american-made jerky treats are any softer.

(all that said though, i totally support buying american! there is absolutely no reason i can think of to have DOG TREATS manufactured in china and shipped all the way over here, when any dog would be just as happy to have table scraps or regular dog cookies. or an egg outta the backyard coop.

)