UPDATE:
Jerky Treats Recall: FDA Issues Alerts After 600 Dogs And Cats Mysteriously Dead, Full List Of Pet Treat Recalls
on October 23 2013 12:16 PM
If your dog or cat has gotten sick after eating jerky treats, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs to hear your story. While a formal
recall has yet to be issued, the FDA is aware of thousands of pet illnesses and
deaths tied to jerky treats made in China, and it's asking vets and pet owners
to help find the cause.
On Tuesday, the FDA issued a warning -- not a recall -- about alerts it has received over several years concerning Chinese-made jerky treats in tenders or strips made of chicken, duck, sweet potatoes and/or dried fruit. Since 2007, 3,600 dogs and 10 cats in the U.S. have fallen ill after eating jerky. Of these pets, 580 died. (This number is now 600) (gr)
After six years of research, the FDA is still clueless as to what is causing this long outbreak.
"This is one of the most elusive and mysterious outbreaks we've encountered," FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine Director Bernadette Dunham, DVM, Ph.D, said. "Our beloved four-legged companions deserve our best effort, and we are giving it."
The CVM said it has conducted more than 1,200 tests and visited jerky pet-treat manufacturers in China but cannot determine the cause of illness. The biggest problem is that many of the treats were made in China, where manufacturers of pet foods and treats are “not required by U.S. law to state the country of origin for each ingredient in their products.”
On Tuesday, the FDA issued a warning -- not a recall -- about alerts it has received over several years concerning Chinese-made jerky treats in tenders or strips made of chicken, duck, sweet potatoes and/or dried fruit. Since 2007, 3,600 dogs and 10 cats in the U.S. have fallen ill after eating jerky. Of these pets, 580 died. (This number is now 600) (gr)
After six years of research, the FDA is still clueless as to what is causing this long outbreak.
"This is one of the most elusive and mysterious outbreaks we've encountered," FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine Director Bernadette Dunham, DVM, Ph.D, said. "Our beloved four-legged companions deserve our best effort, and we are giving it."
The CVM said it has conducted more than 1,200 tests and visited jerky pet-treat manufacturers in China but cannot determine the cause of illness. The biggest problem is that many of the treats were made in China, where manufacturers of pet foods and treats are “not required by U.S. law to state the country of origin for each ingredient in their products.”