Saturday, September 15, 2007

Smokehouse Brand Dog Treats Pulled by Petsmart

From itchmo.com

As of this morning, PetSmart has pulled various Smokehouse Brand dog treats off of their shelves. There have been reports of pets becoming ill after eating the treats, and as a precaution, PetSmart has removed the products. There has been no formal recall as of yet.

Here is what the PetSmart corporate office released to the PetSmart stores:

“Today the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued a media alert warning some treat products from China may be a potential threat to pets due to ’several complaints from pet owners and veterinarians of illness in dogs.’ No deaths have been reported at this time. The symptoms of pets reported sick were vomiting, lethargy and anorexia. To date, testing by the FDA and PetSmart Techinical Services has ruled out melamine contamination that might be making pets sick.

For now, we’re going to take the precautionary measure to pull this product from the shelves and contain it in the backroom. Our experts will continue to monitor the situation, analyze samples for a variety of possible problems and ask the vendor to test additonal product. Because of the relatively small number of complaints at this point, we’re not issuing a recall. We’ll provide timely updates as more information becomes available.”

Here is the SKU list of the Smokehouse Brand dog treats that have been pulled off of PetSmart shelves:

7856525052 5108696 Chicken Chips 1lb.
7856525053 5108692 Chicken Chips 8oz.
7856525092 5108693 Chicken Poppers 8oz.
7856525093 5108698 Chicken Poppers 1lb.
7856525134 5108691 Chicken Tenders 8oz.
7856525137 5126536 Chicken Breast Tender Snacks 1lb.
7856525138 5126535 Chicken Tenders 2lb.
7856584255 5126702 Duck Breast Tenders 8oz.
7856584256 5126534 Duck Breast Tenders 1lb.
7856584257 5126532 Duck Chips 1lb.
7856584258 5126531 Duck and Sweet Potato 1lb.
7856585808 5108695 Chicken Tenders 1lb.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent blog on Pet food recall tracking. Thumbs up for your effort!

Heartbroken said...

October 22, 2007


Please be aware that many Chicken Jerky treat brands that are manufactured in China have been making dogs very ill. To see this alert from the American Veterinarian Medical Association go to www.avma.org/ click on Pet Food Alert line and then click on Chicken Jerky Treat alert.) Our two adorable Cavalier King Charles puppies have been eating Smoke House Chicken Jerky treats from Petsmart on a daily basis. Which made them very ill and they have suffered with acute kidney failure. Our vet told us that our little ten month old will probably not even live a year. We have spent close to $8,000 to save our puppies. We of course are willing to go into debt if it will save our sweet puppy. We have written this email to make puppy lovers aware of this threat. You can still buy these treats from China in many stores including Petsmart and Costco. Those are the stores where we bought our puppies treats.


For more info, please read the following more detailed email.


Sincerely,




Barbara Fafard




My husband and I own two female King Charles Cavalier puppies. One is six months old and one is ten months old. They are the most precious little dogs.


We believe our puppies have become chronically ill from the chicken jerky treats that they have been eating on a regular basis. Our ten-month-old puppy is especially ill. Our vet, Dr Wu from Banfield Hospital believes because of this mysterious illness that has caused acute kidney failure, she will die within a year.


Please let me explain how all of this came about.


Before we brought our first puppy home on Feb. 13th 2007, we went to Petsmart in Newport Beach, Ca. to buy supplies and ask advise. One of their trainers helped point out what we should buy. One of the things that she suggested was the Chicken Jerky treats. She said that they were a healthy treat because they were 100% chicken breast.


So every night we would treat our new puppy Lacie, to two chicken jerkys as suggested on the package. We continued to buy them from Pets Mart and Costco (Costco was a different brand).


A couple weeks after we started giving our puppy Lacie, the jerky treats, she started having problems with diarrhea and was very finicky about eating, she also got dehydrated and had to be given fluids, and seemed lethargic. She remained very finicky, but other symptoms seemed to get better with treatment. So we thought the illness was due to the vaccines she was getting


On June 10th we picked up our second puppy Misty, from the airport. At that time she was 10 weeks old, three weeks later on July 7th our little Misty got very ill. Dr Wu thought at first that it was diabetes because of glucose in the urine. Test showed negative for diabetes.


The following week our other puppy Lacie became very ill with the same symptoms. She was then seven months old.


Dr Wu was perplexed, because she had never seen a puppy with kidney disease, let alone two puppies from different parents having it. So she consulted with other vets in the area, to no avail, they too had no idea what was causing our puppies illness. They shared with Dr. Wu that they knew of two other young dogs in our area, that were suffering with the same symptoms,


When our dogs got sick they refused to eat anything except the chicken jerky treats, which they got very excited about. In July, I asked Dr. Wu if it was okay to continue to give them these treats, and if she thought there was any chance that they were causing this illness. She had not heard anything about the chicken treats being bad for dogs, so she told us it was okay to continue to give them the chicken jerky. Three weeks ago, I asked the same question and our vet still thought they were okay to eat.


Throughout July and August Lacie and Misty continually got worse.


Two weeks ago, I went to Pets Mart to buy the Chicken Jerky treats and was told that the store pulled them off the shelves because of complaints from customers that they were making their dogs sick. Even one of the trainers at the store said her 70lb. dog got sick after eating them. Needless to say, I stopped giving them to Lacie and Misty immediately.


Our youngest puppy Misty still will not eat unless we hand feed her, but she is doing much better and has gained 2lbs. She now weights 10.3lbs.


Our little ten-month-old puppy Lacie has taken a turn for the worse. Last Wednesday we had new blood test done. Her test results were poor and it also showed that she is now anemic. This is when Dr. Wu said that Lacie had Chronic Kidney disease and she would be surprised if she lives a year.


Lacie will not eat anything unless it is forced down her throat. But she appears hungry. She will sniff at the food as if she is hungry, but refuses to eat it. When she got sick she weighed 9.4 lbs. She now weighs 8.1lbs. At this time Lacie appears gaunt and skinny.


My husband and I are devastated. We are empty nesters and these puppies are like our babies. They are wonderful loving dogs. And have brought so much love into our lives.


On Saturday, Dr. Wu alerted us about the AVMA article on Chicken Jerky treats of various brands from China. (To see this alert from the American Veterinarian Medical Association go to www.avma.org/ click on Pet Food Alert line and then click on Chicken Jerky Treat alert.)


We are sending you this email; because we believe the chicken jerky treats have caused our precious puppies illness.


We are afraid that our little Lacie will die from this. My husband and I have spent $8,000 in vet bills since our puppies got sick. But are willing to go into debt to save our precious puppies


We recently found out a beagle puppy in South Orange County that was gravely ill at the time our puppies became ill, had the same symptoms as our puppies and its owner said that she had been feeding their puppy the jerky treats and that she had gotten to a point that it was the only thing that she would eat. She too suffered from severe kidney damage.


Please forward this email to any puppy lover that you know of. Maybe it will prevent another dog and owner from going through the pain and torment that our puppies and we have gone through in the last three months.


What makes us so sad is that we went to Costco today, and they are still selling the chicken jerky treats.


If you know anyone who has a dog that has become very ill and has been eating these treats, could you please email me. I am in contact with a FDA inspector and she is trying to find out how many more dogs have become ill from ingesting these jerky treats.


If you need more information, please feel free to email us or call us at (949) 766-0140 or (949) 887-2574.




Thank you,


Barbara Fafard
Email: fafardre@sbcglobal.net

Suni1sotru said...

CONSPIRACY - Pet Smart-SmokeHouse Chicken Jerkey - Please allow me to tell you the actual reason Pet Smart pulled the SmokeHouse Chicken Jerkey from their shelves in early September. I have full proof so read on please. This is serious. I have several forms of proof that I brought this poison to the attention of Pet Smart headquarters and Lisa Kahn spokesperson and National Sales Manager at SmokeHouse who denied publically that she had ever had a complaint from me, never heard of my dog Bella, or all the other people who called her that ihave since met.

Pet Smart pulling the SmokeHoue product, had nothing to do with their good conscious, or the FDA. Communicating directly with Kim Jones,I personally offered Pet Smart a deadline to remove the SmokeHouse product, or I would personally purchase every bit of the product in protest from the Nanuet NY Store, BUT WOULD HAVE A MEMBER OF THE PRESS WITH ME.

FOLLOWING IS A COPIED EXCERPT FROM MY ELECTRONIC DIARY KEPT IN SEPTEMBER 07 OF BELLA'S CARE AND RELATED ACTIVITY;

Update 9/12/07

I contacted the Pet Smart representative at headquarters to express my disgust with their irresponsibility, as they continue selling and promoting Smoke House Chicken Tenders in their store. I offer to personally purchase each and every bag in the Nanuet Store at the very least, but announce too that I will ask a member of the press to accompany me.


SUCCESS -Update 9/14/07

I am contacted by the Pet Smart representative who announces a decision by Pet Smart to remove the product from all stores world wide “as a precautionary measure”. Yeah sure.

I will make this electronic file available to anyone who wishes confirmation it is original to the date. Please read on.

This is how the painful journey to hell began for Bella, my husband and I;
When Bella, my four pound Yorkie was poisoned, began renal failure and under treatment after only very short time eating the jerkey. I have since been contacted by numerous other pet owners whose pets died, or are severely debilitated from around the country. I sought the help of PetSmart where I purchased and was rudely brushed off, so contacted headquarters. Speaking to MS Kim Jones, I asked for assistance getting the vendor, SmokeHouse to identify the full ingredients for my vet, as SmokeHouse was uncooperative.

Kim Jones appeared sympathetic, and reached out to SmokeHouse for further information. None was listed on the product bag. MS Jones and I had no less than fifteen exchanges of E-Mail, and more phone calls between us, even as I traveled overseas. MS Jones requested we send all of Bella's test records and doctor bills which last September amounted to a hair under $5,000. We provided everything.

Because PetSmart continued to promote the product in large bins at the checkout area, during this time I begged them to at the very least move them to the back of the store, if they were not willing to remove them completely.

Continually being told "well, we're not sure it's the cause etc. I had proof and no cooperation, until the late afternoon of the DAY BEFORE Pet Smart pulled the product.
MS Jones called my cell phone no less than four times attempting to reach me. (I have those messages saved) Because I was in flight at the time, voice mail took the call. Ms Jones final message was as follows:
"I wanted to speak with you and give you news in person today, but it is time for me to leave the office. Just wanted you to know, we will remove all SmokeHouse Chicken Jerkey from our shelves nationwide tomorrow morning.

Again, THEIR RREMOVAL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AVMA, FDA, OR SMOKEHOUSE SPOKESPERSON LISA KAHN WHO LIED TO NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONTACTED ME. That Pet Smart release is very carefully worded to imply there is a responsible connection to both agencies.

Please feel free to contact me at Suni1sotru@aol.com
Thank you,
S.Fishel

Suni1sotru said...

CONSPIRACY - Pet Smart-SmokeHouse Chicken Jerkey - Please allow me to tell you the actual reason Pet Smart pulled the SmokeHouse Chicken Jerkey from their shelves in early September. I have full proof so read on please. This is serious. I have several forms of proof that I brought this poison to the attention of Pet Smart headquarters and Lisa Kahn spokesperson and National Sales Manager at SmokeHouse who denied publically that she had ever had a complaint from me, never heard of my dog Bella, or all the other people who called her that ihave since met.

Pet Smart pulling the SmokeHoue product, had nothing to do with their good conscious, or the FDA. Communicating directly with Kim Jones,I personally offered Pet Smart a deadline to remove the SmokeHouse product, or I would personally purchase every bit of the product in protest from the Nanuet NY Store, BUT WOULD HAVE A MEMBER OF THE PRESS WITH ME.

FOLLOWING IS A COPIED EXCERPT FROM MY ELECTRONIC DIARY KEPT IN SEPTEMBER 07 OF BELLA'S CARE AND RELATED ACTIVITY;

Update 9/12/07

I contacted the Pet Smart representative at headquarters to express my disgust with their irresponsibility, as they continue selling and promoting Smoke House Chicken Tenders in their store. I offer to personally purchase each and every bag in the Nanuet Store at the very least, but announce too that I will ask a member of the press to accompany me.


SUCCESS -Update 9/14/07

I am contacted by the Pet Smart representative who announces a decision by Pet Smart to remove the product from all stores world wide “as a precautionary measure”. Yeah sure.

I will make this electronic file available to anyone who wishes confirmation it is original to the date. Please read on.

This is how the painful journey to hell began for Bella, my husband and I;
When Bella, my four pound Yorkie was poisoned, began renal failure and under treatment after only very short time eating the jerkey. I have since been contacted by numerous other pet owners whose pets died, or are severely debilitated from around the country. I sought the help of PetSmart where I purchased and was rudely brushed off, so contacted headquarters. Speaking to MS Kim Jones, I asked for assistance getting the vendor, SmokeHouse to identify the full ingredients for my vet, as SmokeHouse was uncooperative.

Kim Jones appeared sympathetic, and reached out to SmokeHouse for further information. None was listed on the product bag. MS Jones and I had no less than fifteen exchanges of E-Mail, and more phone calls between us, even as I traveled overseas. MS Jones requested we send all of Bella's test records and doctor bills which last September amounted to a hair under $5,000. We provided everything.

Because PetSmart continued to promote the product in large bins at the checkout area, during this time I begged them to at the very least move them to the back of the store, if they were not willing to remove them completely.

Continually being told "well, we're not sure it's the cause etc. I had proof and no cooperation, until the late afternoon of the DAY BEFORE Pet Smart pulled the product.
MS Jones called my cell phone no less than four times attempting to reach me. (I have those messages saved) Because I was in flight at the time, voice mail took the call. Ms Jones final message was as follows:
"I wanted to speak with you and give you news in person today, but it is time for me to leave the office. Just wanted you to know, we will remove all SmokeHouse Chicken Jerkey from our shelves nationwide tomorrow morning.

Again, THEIR RREMOVAL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AVMA, FDA, OR SMOKEHOUSE SPOKESPERSON LISA KAHN WHO LIED TO NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONTACTED ME. That Pet Smart release is very carefully worded to imply there is a responsible connection to both agencies.

Please feel free to contact me at Suni1sotru@aol.com
Thank you,
S.Fishel

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I am so pleased to see an activist for dogs! My husband and I are starting a pet supply on-line business selling only all natural products made in the USA and we would like to link you site to our site. Would this be ok with you?
The site isn't completed yet, and its only online when we are working on it. Here is the website for you to check out: www.nutra-9.com

Pet Poisons said...

I would like to commend you all for the efforts you made with this issue. This is very humbling and heartening to see. What I would like to further educate the public on is the dangers of pet poisons in the house. Everyday things, not just pet food can cause the death of our pets!

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