Citing Antibiotics Residue, Purina, Milo’s Kitchen Pulling Some Dog Treats From US Shelves
Source: Associated Press
NEW YORK — Two makers of pet treats are pulling products from the market because they may contain traces of poultry antibiotics that aren’t approved in the U.S.
Nestle Purina PetCare is taking Waggin’ Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brand dog treats off the market, while Milo’s Kitchen is recalling its Chicken Jerky and Chicken Grillers home-style dog treats.
The chicken jerky products, which are made in China, may contain minute amounts of antibiotic residue, the companies said Wednesday. The antibiotics have been approved by Chinese and European Union regulators, but they are not approved in the U.S.
The companies said the treats don’t pose a safety risk to pets, but they are still pulling them off the market. The recall doesn’t cover other products the companies sell.
Milo’s Kitchen said there is no known health risk associated with the antibiotics, but their presence means the products don’t meet its standards. It said the chemicals “should not be present in the final food product.”
The recalls come after the New York State Department of Agriculture detected the antibiotics in samples of the companies’ products. Purina said that the regulator asked that its affected products be pulled from stores in New York.
U.S. federal regulators have also been looking into reports of pet illnesses stemming from their snacks.
The Food and Drug Administration says reports of sick pets connected to jerky treats, particularly chicken jerky made in China, have been increasing for years. The agency said in September that it had been notified of 360 dogs that died after eating jerky treats over the last 18 months and is conducting a broad investigation. No definitive cause for the dogs’ sicknesses has yet been identified.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/citing-antibiotics-residue-purina-pulling-waggin-train-canyon-creek-ranch-dog-treats-in-us/2013/01/09/d5ec2d54-5a8c-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html
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Purveyor
(29,876 posts)Tuesday, September 18, 2012, 8:35 AM
News late last week that China-made dog treats have been linked to the deaths of 360 dogs - and 1 cat - and sickened another 2,000 over the past five years should prompt pet owners to do one thing: read the labels of the products they buy.
The Food and Drug Administration in a report says the majority of complaints since 2007 involve imported chicken jerky (treats, tenders, and strips), but others include duck, sweet potato, and treats where chicken or duck jerky is wrapped around dried fruits, sweet potatoes, or yams.
The vast majority of dog treats and toys sold by the largest pet retailers are made in China. I flipped over a pumpkin-shaped rawhide in PetSmart yesterday and, yep, there's the sticker: Made in China.
The amount of China-made pet treats imported to North America has skyrocketed in the last decade from zero to 86 million pounds in 2011. News reports say it has to do with the fact the Chinese eat mainly the dark meat of chicken, leaving a glut of white meat that is made into pet treats.
The FDA, in a report, said it is investigating the reports of illnesses but no definitive cause has been determined.
"The ongoing global investigation is complex, multifaceted and includes a wide variety of experts at the FDA including toxicologists, epidemiologists, veterinary researchers, forensic chemists, microbiologists, field investigators and senior agency officials," the report says.
The FDA has also asked NASA to explore the possibility that the illnesses can be attributed to irradiation, a process used to elminate pathogens to control spoilage. The space agency has conducted extensive studies on the effects of irradiated food.
This is not the first mass outbreak of illness among pets in North American linked to food handling in China. Remember melamine contamination? In 2007 revelations that hundreds of pet deaths were linked to a mild toxin, melamine, used in the processing of pet food in China, led to the largest recall of pet food in North America and a class action law suit.
There are alternatives. Many specialty pet stores offer American-made jerky and chew treats like deer antlers (naturally-shed we hope), bully sticks (made from bull penises) and sows ears, among them.
One source of mine, who is launching a U.S.-made pet treat line, told skeptical retailers at a convention recently that pet owners would happily pay a little more to ensure their pets are safe. After all, he asked them, "Do you want customers coming in and accusing you of selling products that killed their dog?"
Some pet owners are already asking that question - in court. Several lawsuits have been filed against the companies that sell the treats and the companies that make them, including Nestle Purina, which makes the popular Waggin’ Train and Canyon Ranch jerky treat products, and Del Monte Corp., which makes popular Milo's Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats, reports NBC news.
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http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pets/China-made-treats-kill-hundreds-of-dogs-sicken-thousands.html
alp227
(32,019 posts)
newfie11
(8,159 posts)
KurtNYC
(14,549 posts)I don't buy shelf stable treats for my dogs and I don't let others feed them treats and that has pissed off (mildly) a few people including the meter reading guy but I just can't play Russian Roulette with my dogs.
a la izquierda
(11,791 posts)Or buy treats made by a local special needs High school class.
