Dog Deaths and Illness from "Real Ham Bones" Pork Bone Treats, NO Recall

The more things (don't) change, the more they stay the same. Many people have reported their dogs getting sick or dying from these 'treats', yet the company refuses to admit responsibility or pull their product from the market. And the FDA still doesn't have the authority to issue a recall on their own.

Thanks to ConsumerAffairs.com for staying on top of this issue. See full article here

A Missouri pet products company is under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amid reports that scores of dogs have became seriously ill or died after eating the manufacturer’s treats. The company at the heart of the probe is Dynamic Pet Products of Washington, Mo., an FDA spokesman told ConsumerAffairs.com today
...
ConsumerAffairs.com has received several complaints about one of the company's treats -- Real Ham Bones. Pet owners say the 8” hickory smoked pork femur bones -- sold as treats -- have splintered and caused their dogs to become violently ill or even die.“My dog ate the bone and died,” said pet owner Christina N. of Collierville, Tennessee. “The company denied my claim for vet bills. They said I chose to give my dog the bone. This was a very, very painful death for Buddy. Many dogs have died from this product. I had a necropsy done and still they claim it wasn't their product.”
...

An Indiana pet owner told us her dog had to undergo surgery after chewing one of Dynamic’s Real Ham Bones. The dog’s health problems, she said, surfaced ten minutes after it started chomping on the treat.

“I noticed it had broken apart, so I took it away from her (and) a short time later she was gravely ill, trying to vomit but couldn’t,” said Patti S. “She couldn’t even drink water.”

Patti rushed her dog to the vet. “They took X-rays and said she had splinters of the bone in her intestines and she had to go through surgery. Thank God I have a great vet because she is the reason my dog is still alive.”

Patti called Dynamic Pet Products about her dog’s experience. The company referred her case to its insurance carrier, which denied Patti’s claim.

“They would not pay a dime,” she said. “They (said) they were not at fault. They said I was for not monitoring my dog closely enough.

...

The FDA said pet owners can report any health problems their dogs experience with Dynamic Pet Products’ chew bones or treats to the agency’s Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their region.

Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/03/dynamic_pet_products.html#ixzz0iGIo7eXw

FDA Warns Dog Owners on Chicken Treats

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092601983.html

WASHINGTON -- Chicken jerky treats may have sickened dozens of dogs, federal health officials warned Wednesday despite failing to find any trace of contamination.

The Food and Drug Administration said it's fielded more than 70 complaints, involving more than 95 dogs, from owners who believe their animals fell sick after eating the products, sold variously as chicken tenders, strips or treats. While most dogs appear to have recovered, an unspecified number died.

I have personally read and much more than 70 complaints - if your dog ate these treats and got sick and you believe it is related, you MUST call the FDA.

The FDA said it's conducted extensive chemical and microbial testing on the treats but has not identified any contaminant. The agency continues to investigate.

Separately, the FDA reported it's received preliminary information from Banfield, The Pet Hospital that suggests a link between dogs that ate chicken jerky products and signs of gastrointestinal illness, including vomiting and diarrhea. Banfield is a large veterinary hospital chain that's able to collect and analyze data about the large number of pets it treats.

The FDA cautions pet owners who feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch the animals for signs of decreased appetite or activity, increased water consumption and urination, and vomiting and/or diarrhea. Owners should consult a veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours.

Earlier this year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pulled some chicken jerky dog treats from its shelves after company testing revealed the presence of the industrial chemical melamine. Subsequent FDA testing failed to find that or other contaminants.

Bravo! Recalls frozen Raw Pet Food

Thanks to Therese at http://www.petsitusa.com/blog/ for the heads up...

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/recallinfo.html

Bravo! announces a voluntary recall of select tubes of three of its poultry products for cats and dogs. The pet food is being recalled because two of the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, while the other product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Both Salmonella and Listeria are organisms which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and if there is cross contamination, in people, especially small children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy people with Salmonella infection may only suffer short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Long term complications can include arthritis and other more serious ailments. Healthy people with Listeria infection may only suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The company has received no reports of illness in either people or animals associated with any of the three products.

The recalled products are distributed nationwide to distributors, retail stores, internet sales and directly to consumers, and they can be identified by the batch ID code located on the hang tag attached to the bottom of the plastic film tubes. The recalled products should not be sold or fed to pets. Pet owners should return unopened frozen tubes of food to the store where purchased for a full refund. Pet owners should dispose of opened tubes of product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the washed plastic batch ID tag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Recalled Pet Food:

Product: Bravo Original Formula Chicken Blend frozen raw food
Product Numbers: 21-102, 21-105, 21-110
Sizes: 2 pound, 5 pound and 10 pound tubes
Batch ID code (on hang tag): 236
Reason for Recall: Salmonella, Listeria

Product: Bravo Original Formula Turkey Blend frozen raw food
Product Numbers: 31-102, 31-105, 31-110
Sizes: 2 pound, 5 pound and 10 pound tubes
Batch ID code (on hang tag): 236
Reason for Recall: Listeria

Product: Bravo Basic Formula Finely Ground Chicken frozen raw food
Product Number: 21-212
Size: 2 pound tube
Batch ID Code (on hang tag): 226
Reason for Recall: Salmonella, Listeria

Other Batch IDs for these same products are not involved in the recall.

Bravo! is issuing this action out of an abundance of caution and sincerely regrets any inconvenience to pet owners as a result of this announcement. This voluntary recall has been issued because the FDA detected the bacteria in samples during a recent review.

In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/CVM_Updates/foodbornetips.htm.

People may risk Salmonella infection not only by handling these pet foods, but also by contact with pets or other surfaces exposed to these foods, so it is important that they thoroughly wash their hands with hot water and soap. Anyone who is experiencing the symptoms of Salmonella or Listeria infection after having handled the recalled product should seek medical attention. Consumers may report any complaints to FDA's local District Complaint Coordinator’s located on the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

Healthy cats and dogs rarely become sick from Salmonella. Animals ill with Salmonella will display symptoms similar to the ones listed above for humans. People who have concerns about whether their pet has Salmonella or not should contact their veterinarian.

For more information on the Bravo recall, please visit www.bravorawdiet.com , or call toll free (866) 922-9222

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.

AVMA Warns about Jerky Dog Treats

FINALLY someone says something. The AVMA weighs in on Jerky Treats Emphasis mine.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has recently been made aware of several complaints from pet owners and veterinarians that multiple brands of jerky treats manufactured in China have been making pets sick. Symptoms of illness have included vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. To our knowledge, no deaths have been reported.

Guess they don't read my blog.

The AVMA posted an alert on its Web site on September 13 to inform its members and the public about what was known. Today, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) issued a statement saying it also has become aware of an unusual number of dogs presenting similar symptoms and abnormal test results associated with consumption of some jerky treats. The ACVIM statement is available at www.acvim.org/uploadedFiles/Jerky_Treat_Info_September_14.doc.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently testing several products to see if a contaminant can be found. So far, they have ruled out melamine, one of the chemicals that led to the massive pet food recall this spring, but have yet to identify anything that might be making pets sick.

While a list of brand/product names of affected treats is not yet available, the AVMA has learned that all complaints have involved jerky treats from China. We recommend that pet owners use their best judgment in this matter.

Suspected cases should be reported to the FDA. To find the number for the FDA district office consumer complaint coordinator in your region, visit www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

The AVMA is monitoring the situation and will provide updated information on our Web site (www.avma.org) as soon as it becomes available. Like all information on our Web site, we will only post information that is credible and has been confirmed.

Unlike the AVMA and FDA, I consider multiple anecdotal reports credible. So let me say it a little stronger. DON'T FEED YOUR DOG CHICKEN JERKY TREATS right now, especially if they're made in China.

See my earlier post for many reports by owners who believe their dogs got sick or died from these treats.
http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/many-online-reports-of-non-recalled-dog.html


I have more updates on jerky treats coming later today.

In memory of those we've lost

A moment of silence today for all those we've lost, both two-legged and four-legged. We love and miss you all.

We will never forget.

Canidae Dry Dog Food tests positive for Acetaminophen in Private Test

EDITED: The original dates posted were incorrect, showing July instead of June. Correct dates are below.

A composite of two different Canidae Dry Dog foods has tested positive for acetaminophen in tests done by Expertox. The food was sent in by a pet owner - samples from opened bags were sent to Expertox in ziploc bags. Additional tests on samples from sealed bags are expected to be done shortly. A copy of the test results can be found at http://www.petfoodrecallfacts.com/lab.html.

The two foods are:

Canidae All Life Stages Dry Dog Food
RM 6/7/07, use by 6/7/08
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html

Canidae (All Life Stages) Lamb and Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
RM 6/6/07, use by 6/6/08
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/lamb-and-rice/dry.html

Both bags were purchased in early July, 2007. It is not known at this time whether one or both of these foods contain acetaminophen.

A total of 6 NON-recalled pet foods that we know about have tested positive for acetaminophen in tests done by Expertox, they include:

• Innova Dry Dog Food
• Hills Science Diet Light Adult Dry Cat Food
• Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food
• Pet Pride Turkey & Giblets Canned Cat Food
  

You can get more information on these results at http://www.petfoodrecallfacts.com/lab.html

• Another non-recalled Dry Dog Food also tested positive for Acetaminophen, that company has NOT gone public with this information. (An earlier post on that is here)

You can see a summary list of all NON-Recalled foods that we know about that have tested positive for contaminants HERE. (This file has been added to the Download section at the top of this blog)

Why hasn't Bestro's Chicken Jerky been recalled?

This post intentionally left blank because I have no answer.

FDA - do you?

Wal-Mart - do you?

Why are other stores still selling Bestro's? K-mart? Got an answer?