Consumers beware: a visit to local Giant Eagle stores this week still reveals shelves stocked full of chicken jerky treats that have been imported from China, even though the dangers of those treats has been reported on local news stations this week. Some of the brands are Waggin Train, Milo’s Kitchen, and Hartz. There have been reports that WalMart and some of the big box pet stores also continue to stock the treats.
The store manager at the Giant Eagle store at Biddulph Plaza in Brooklyn said that they had not received word from their corporate offices to pull the products off the sales floor.
The store manager at the Giant Eagle store in Macedonia took all of the potentially dangerous treats into the stockroom Monday upon request, but they may be back on store shelves today.
The FDA has issued a warning about these treats, which are tied to kidney and liver failure in dogs and Fanconi syndrome. Even though dogs are becoming ill and some have died, manufacturers have not recalled the product. Products still on shelves and available to the public are more disasters waiting to happen.
Although the FDA has made a connection between the chicken and other jerky treats that have been imported from China, they have not been able to locate the specific toxicant causing the illnesses. Because tests by the FDA are inconclusive, pet treat manufacturers are not required by law to recall their products, and none of them have volunteered to do so. But given that the tests have not pinpointed the contaminant does not mean it is not contaminated. The FDA issued a warning to pet owners in November, 2011 in regards to this issue.
Greater Cleveland pet owners are warned to not feed the treats to their pets. There has been a rash of incidents in the Greater Cleveland area linked to the treats and some dogs have died.
Symptoms include:
- Decreased appetite
- Decreased activity
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Increased water consumption
- Increased urination
If your pet is exhibiting any of these symptoms and has recently consumed jerky treats imported from China, please have him examined by a vet right away. You may also want to join the Facebook page “Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made in China”, which is compiling data about cases of illness and deaths related to consumption of the treats. Alternately, you can send the information to the Cleveland Pets Examiner.
Additionally, please report your pet's illness to the FDA.
Do not return the treats to the store or throw them away, but seal them in a plastic bag, keep them out of reach of pets and save them for possible testing.
When Greater Cleveland pet owners whose animals became sick received no satisfaction from pet treat manufacturers, they began contacting the news stations, the FDA and their representatives. On Monday, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Congressman Dennis Kucinich both urged the FDA to step up their investigation and to insist that the products are pulled from shelves while they are under investigation.
Senator Sherrod Brown’s letter to the FDA
Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s letter to the FDA
For now, pet parents cannot count on local stores or pet treat manufacturers to take the products off of store shelves. It’s up to each pet parent to keep their own pets safe. Please share the information with other pet owners.
Some of the other brands that import jerky treats from China are listed here.
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