Thursday, August 16, 2007

Tainted Treats from Walmart Suspected in Dog's Death - NOT Recalled , FDA Unaware

I've got a lot of posts started but not finished, this one can't wait. My heartfelt apologies for not posting much lately - reading thousands of your stories of sick and dying pets finally got to me, and I had to take an unplanned break. Now I'm right back into it, and with this article we see again that it's like it never happened, and it's like nothing has changed.

Thanks to ABC Action News out of Philadelphia for this... as always, the emphasis is mine. The product involved is Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips.

- A Delaware County woman says her dog died after eating dog treats made in China.

Wal-Mart has quietly pulled a made in China dog treat from its shelves. However, there has been no public announcement, and there's no telling how many contaminated bags of treats may still be out there.

Kate Collins of Aston still finds it hard to talk about. She loves her Chihuahuas. She has two now, but her youngest is gone. Two-year-old Bella died suddenly last month after eating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips.

Bella was dead within a week. The other dogs didn't get the same treats and they're fine.

The animal hospital did an autopsy and found that Bella died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria.

Kate bought the treats at the Wal-Mart store in Boothwyn. She said it took her days to find a manager willing to talk to her.

Wal-Mart would not say how many complaints it has gotten, but an Internet search shows similar incidents across the country.

The company has issued a statement saying it cares about people and their pets, and ordered the treats removed from the shelves of all stores. Wal-Mart has since offered to reimburse Collins for up to $2,000, which, she said, doesn't come close to covering her loss. She also said it's not about the money. She just wants to get the word out.

The Food and Drug Administration is apparently unaware of this latest problem with pet food from China. A recall has not been issued. They failed to respond to our inquiries. Wal-Mart said if you have the Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips at home, you can return them for a full refund.


More on this, and other things, soon. Very soon.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

We had to put our 4 year old Lady down because of Kidney failure a month ago. She had no access to antifreeze. The vet and I were at a loss to explain it because she didn't eat any of the recalled food. UNTIL TODAY!! She loved those Chicken Strips and ate them every day. I call our vet and asked if this could have cause her death and he said YES! I can't tell you how upset and mad I am right now. This little girl we got from the shelter and she cowered because she had been so abused. She was my joy.

Kim said...

I'm SO sorry for your loss Sharon. I'm crying for you and Lady.

{{{{{hugs}}}}}

Kim
{{{{{more hugs}}}}}}

Glenn said...

Hello All... these August dates of reported pet deaths due to chicken jerky strips are significant. I lost my 2-years old, long haired chihuahua, Gomez, August 17th. The brand? Pet Essentials from Target. The product name is uncannily the same as the Wal-Mart brand: Chicken Jerky Strips. Since, as we all know, these mega-retailers rely upon the same, few private label manufacturers in China (who in turn generate difficult-to-follow/trace subcontractor chains)it is easy to see that all private label 'jerky treats' are potentially tainted. My baby went with me everywhere and was quite famous in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn. He was my life, as clearly all of our four-legged best friends are/were. But how do we group together to lobby that US retailers must permanently cease manufacture of food stuffs in China, whether for pet or human consumption? Moreover, the US legal system does not recognize 'pain and suffering' of pet owners as legitimate grounds for litigation. I feel so angry and yet so powerless. I cannot even locate Target's corporate mailing address as the corporations continue to make it difficult for consumers to contact them. If Wal-Mart, and clearly Target in my case, do not recall and announce the recall of these products, then it stands to reason that those consumers already in possession of these treats will continue to poison their pets, albeit unknowingly.
That tactic, or non-tactic if you will, strikes me as criminal. I am simply against a wall and do not know how to go forward... I am not necessarily seeking damages, though I have not ruled that out, but more importantly, I demand corporate responsibility. How can pet owners (and all consumers for that matter) ever, ever again trust Wal-Mart or Target as both clearly do not genuinely care for the well being, or the very lives, of our pets? Help!

Glenn said...

PS...
I left details with the local FDA here in NYC. Apparently the Consumer Complaint Desk can only handle voice mail messages and not conversations. Regardless, since I have not been able to get through to Target, and find the managers at the Brooklyn location 'powerless' and clueless, I've turned to the FDA in the meantime. I am open to further suggestions.

Kim said...

Ohmigod Glenn, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss too. This is so unbelievably sucky.

See my 2nd post on this topic from today, there are many others posting similar reports over on an epinions.com message board, and USA Today is working on this story on one of their blogs. Links are in my latest post.

I emailed the USA Today reporter about your experience with Target treats, and about another readers experience with Costco treats, and I will be actively pursuing both of these to see if they are made by the same company.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss...

Kim

P.S. Email me, and I'll send you direct contact information for your FDA complaint person. pft @ playingbig.com

Glenn said...

The local NYC FDA representative called me today, in response to my message yesterday. I provided all information and details of my dog's illness and death as I know it. Target needs to remove Pet Essentials Chicken Jerky Strips from its shelves. And if Target really cared about its consumers and their pets, it would halt production and distribution of its Pet Essentials brand until the situation and its ramifications can be assessed.

Anonymous said...

I too have just lost one of my dogs. An 11 month old Brussels Griffon who had none other than Target "pet essentials" chicken jerkey treats. My second Brussels seems to be fine, at least for now but as with all the rest of the stories my youngest suffered from kidney failure just a few days later from eating these treats. I have also tried contacting Target and have had no luck. I would love some suggestions on what more to do to hold Target and the manufacturer responsible.

Anonymous said...

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Unknown said...

I think it is so awful that these chicken strips made in China are causing death and illness in our pets! The same thing happened to our puppy with chicken strips but luckily we were able to save him. We did finally find an all natural chicken strip made in America called Kona's chips that you can buy online. You might want to check it out at konaschips.com

8mm to dvd said...

I'm sorry Sharon.

christian music said...

Oh my, FDA has a great mission on this.

HIGHEST INTEREST PAID ON CDs said...

Oh, just because FDA's not aware is not an excuse. wolf shirt

Volunteers Needed! Get food off shelves...

howl911.com, itchmo.com, thepetfoodlist.com, petconnection.com, petfoodtracker.com and spockosbrain.com have joined together to ask for your help.
Update 6-10: Recalled food was purchased from a
California store on 5-29th – this stuff is still out there!
We need Volunteers to help get recalled food off store shelves. Read this post at Spocko’s Brain for instructions. Print a list (or two) on this site. Visit stores, then report safe stores here at Itchmo.com.

Printing Information:
1. Print the main FDA Pet Food Recall page http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html – this will be handy to show retailers who haven’t heard anything about the recall. (3 pages)

2. Print the list of 14 Major National Brands - it includes flavors and date information where applicable so you can tell if specific products for these brands have been recalled. The brands are: Alpo Prime Cuts, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Doctors Foster and Smith, Eukanuba, Gravy Train, Hill’s Science Diet, Iams, Jerky Treats, Lick Your Chops, Mighty Dog Pouches, Natural Balance, Nutro, Pounce, Royal Canin. (It’s 7 pages and includes FDA contact information.)

3. Print the List of All Brands – it will remind you what products have been recalled - but it does not give you date and flavor information, there is just too much to put in one document. (7 pages, but the 7th page is links to more detailed information so you don’t need to print it)

If you want, and are going to a store that you know has store brands that have been recalled (such as Walmart), go to that recall information at the links on the summary or at the FDA site and print it out. Some of the information is formatted in ways that make it difficult to read (one of the main reasons for this site), but it’s better than nothing.

Note: The FDA is the official source for all recall information and recalled products. This is an unofficial volunteer effort to help get the word out and get recalled foods off of shelves. We’re doing the best we can but can’t guarantee these lists are completely accurate. Again, here is the official recall site: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html