Thursday, August 30, 2007

Many Online Reports of Non-Recalled Dog Treats Suspected of Causing Illness/Deaths

8-30: Another dog died, believed due to chicken jerky. See #7 under Kingdom Pets below. I've again changed the date on this post.

8-29: This was originally posted last Tuesday, 8-21. I've changed the date of the post so it shows up at the top of the blog - because none of these treats have yet been recalled! I also changed the formatting to make it easier to read. It will also be easier to add new reports, since people are posting new ones daily.

If you haven't already, see these three posts for information on dog treats (Chicken Jerky Strips) that Wal-mart has pulled from the shelves but has not yet recalled.
First story 8/16 (Wal-Mart quietly pulls one dog treat)
Second story 8/21 (Wal-Mart actually pulled two dog treats 27 days ago)
Third story 8/21 (Wal-Mart announces melamine in dog treats)
Fourth Story - oh wait, there isn't one. Why the hell not????!!! Where'd the media go? Where'd the FDA go? Where'd Wal-Mart go??? been a full week 9 days - and nothing has happened. Unbelievable.

News Articles of Dog Treats causing illness/deaths (brief excerpt below links)

1.http://www.wpxi.com/news/13956580/detail.html

Jodi Zeremski said her Chihuahua, Taco, never had health problems until she bought chicken jerky dog treats from Wal-Mart in early July.

Soon after eating the treats, Taco reportedly became ill and had to be put down.

2.http://www.record-bee.com/local/ci_6695040

Vicki Stone of Cobb never knew that the dollars she hoped to save by purchasing her dog's favorite treat, Chicken Jerky Strips, at Wal-Mart in Clearlake could cost her favorite pet his life. "He's such a picky eater, but he loved the strips, he'd gulp them down," said Stone.

In July, Stone's husband saw a deal on chicken strips at Wal-Mart, so he picked up two packages. A week and a half later, their five-year old Shihtzu named Doc started having problems. They did everything possible, according to veterinarian Dr. Chris Holmes, but still the dog went into kidney failure and may not survive. If he does, his kidneys will only function at about 20 percent, and Doc will likely not live another two years.

3.http://www.delcotimes.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily;jsessionid=2QkkGDQJJhM9CKKZQLWdt3b1n4Hnfh22Q5yt48vB2lg1W5sVKtdw%211036499402?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDCT%2FHome&r21.content=%2FDCT%2FHome%2FContentTab_Feature_586947

When Kate Collins took her Chihuahua, Bella, with her on vacation, she thought she was saving her youngest dog from the experience of boarding.

Two-year-old Bella was dead one week later.

4.http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=73508&provider=gnews

CUYAHOGA FALLS -- A Cuyahoga Falls woman says Wal-Mart should have pulled the Bestro Chicken Jerky Treats earlier than July 26th.

She directly blames the treats for her Yorkie's death.
While the local animal hospital can not confirm the treats triggered the dog's sudden kidney failure, her receipt clearly shows she purchased the now pulled tainted doggie treats

Online Reports of Non-Recalled Dog Treats Suspected of Causing Illness/Deaths

What follows are just a few of the comments that other people have posted on various websites, forums and blogs. I am providing links to them so you can check them out for yourself. In most cases I have posted a portion of the comment and you can click the link to read the rest. I've included links from different sites - there are multiple reports on each site, so if you follow one link you can see other similar experiences.

Note that I've left the Quote Marks off to make it easier to read. Everything under a link is from the original poster. Where there is a '...' it means I've edited some of the post. Again, click the links to see the full post.

Disclaimer: These are reports by people like yourself who posted online (or emailed me) that they believe a certain food made their pets sick. This information is simply for you to use as part of making an educated decision about what you feed your pet. None of these foods have been officially recalled (though Wal-Mart has 'quiety recalled' the Bestro's). These foods/treats may or may not be the cause of the illness/deaths you see reported here.

If your dog got sick from any of these treats, please report it to the company, the store you bought it from, and the FDA! Here's the link to find your FDA Complaint Coordinator. http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

If you want your experience listed here email me at pft @ playingbig.com

Bestro's Chicken Jerky Strips/Treats(pulled by Wal-Mart but not recalled or announced)
1.http://www.itchmo.com/wal-mart-removes-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-after-dog-death-2321#comment-48370
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28]On Auguest 14th, My dog Sugar was only a 5yrs old Yorkie and she eat the chichen strips to and died of kidney failure also plus am infection not know to the vet. It was so hard to see her vomiting and her poop was also green and yellow and then to blood. She lived only a week after I took her to the vet, They try everything to help her but we ended up putting her to sleep. I did call Wal Mart and I was told they will put me on a list and that was it. But I am not going to let it sit. I have the receipt that show I purchased the deadly chicken stripes. Sugar is a part of family. She didn’t ask for this!!!! Can any one HELP. Wal Mart needs to step up and take the plame.

2.http://www.itchmo.com/wal-mart-removes-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-after-dog-death-2321#comment-48297
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28]My dog Annie loved the stupid strips. She ate 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening most times. We skipped them sometimes and I guess that was waht kept her alive longer. She had kidney failure. Panted heavy and got weak. I thought it was her age. She was 9 1/2. She vomited sometimes but she would go out and eat grass. Then she started going in the house. Her poop was runny and almost green. All this in about 2 weeks. She weighed 115 lbs so was hard to get her to a vet. They came to the house and all they could do was put her to sleep. My sisters dog ate them when I would take them over and also vomited but didn’t realize what it was. Thank goodness he is ok now.

3. http://www.itchmo.com/more-recalled-menu-foods-pet-food-found-in-wal-mart-2463#comment-50406
[Posted 8-25, Added here 8-28]Our pet Rosie, a 3 year old Chihuahua was poisoned from Chinese made Bestro’s Jerky Chicken Strips #77849 00006 1 We have this contaminated bag. We have three
Chihuahuas and one of them died one month ago. She started with vomiting and dehydration and then we were told she may either have an obstruction or have been poisioned. Since our dogs are inside dogs and we are with them at all times outside we thought it was an obstruction. Finally the doctor said he was almost positive it was some kind of poisoning at Elwood Animal Clinic in Glendora, California. They were going to scope her but before that could happen she died July 21, at VCA in Fountain Valley, California. We gave our dogs Waggin train and Bestro’s Jerky Chicken Strips. Our Sweet Rosie (our chihuahua that passed) loved them and and she would eat all the treats we put down for the other dogs too. Up until today we never had any idea what happened but now with Wal Mart (I bought the treats there and at Sam’s) pulling this quietly from their selves. I truly believe that is why she died. We called Wal Mart and are getting a run around.

4.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/tainted-treats-from-walmart-suspected.html#comment-2427434868641949551
[Posted 8-21] 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.

5.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~9#145254
[Posted 8-20] my neighbors two dogs just became criticall ill and the only thing new in their diet is bestro chicken jerky strips obtained at i think kmart. they both went into kidney failure and the vet said its definitly some toxic poisening. ...
these dogs just came home afer a week of IV's and they are still not out of the woods yet!

6.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~9#145603
[Posted 8-14] My puppy died last week and we just found out it was Bestro's Chicken Jerky Strips, which we recently purchased and was pulled as a recall from our local Penna. Walmart. (we from phila. area). She too died of toxic renal failure.

7.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~4#113711
[Posted 3-4] Maggie is sick from BESTROS CHICKEN JERKY STRIPS!!!!!!!!!
My dog has gotten very ill from these chicken strips. I bought them and only gave my dog 1 and 1/2 strips before I found out that they had made some dogs ill, and threw the rest of the bag away. She got sick the same night that she ate the treats, and is getting worse by the hour. She is throwing up anything that she tries to eat, and she has diarrhea. ...

8.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~11#146356
[Posted 8-21] $4,000+ in Vet Bills from Chicken Jerky Strips
Hi, this morning my husband sent me a news release on Yahoo news that Wal-mart quietly removed the Chicken Jerky and Chicken Jerky Strips from their shelves at the end of July. I am outraged that Wal-mart has continued to sell these "treats" even after they knew there was something wrong with them. I started giving them to my dog in September 2006.
She became ill in October, I thought she just had a bug because it went away. A week before Thanksgiving she stopped eating and by Thanksgiving weekend she was in the hospital and had to have surgery. Her stomach and esophogus was filled with ulcers and her intestines were inflamed. The doctors called in Inflammatory Bowel Disease but she hasn't had any inflammation since that time and she hasn't had any Chicken Jerky Strips either. We had to give her injections for about 2 weeks after she came home from the emergency room and all told we have spent over $4,000 on treatment. ...

9.http://www.epinions.com/msg/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~8#145247
[Posted 8-11] Our 2 1/2 year old cavalier is in the hospital right now being treated for kidney failure and will be there until at least Monday. Her test results on
8/9/07 were 97 for her blood, urea and nitrogen levels and her creatine level was 2.4. Today (8/11/07)her results are 37 blood, urea and nitrogen but the creatine is still 2.4. She had blood work done at the end of March and all her levels were fine. The only change in her diet is that we gave her 1 1/2 bags of Bestros Chicken Strips over the course of three weeks that were purchased at Walmart. Since then she has stopped eating, lost 3 pounds and has become lethargic. She was always very energentic and had a great appetite

10.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~12#146454
[Posted 8-22] RE: Bestro's Chicken Strips I need to know. On the dogs that have consumed these chicken strips, have any of them had any leg swelling? My best friend, my pit bull Reelia, has had these "treats" for about 2 months now. 1 month ago one of her hind legs started swelling for no reason. Then a week later the second hind leg. Then a week later one of her front legs. The Vet didn't know exactly what was wrong. After several hundred dollars of treatments, we had no choice but to put down our beloved dog so she wouldn't suffer anymore. She wasn't breathing right and she was becoming paralized. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? It just isn't fair. She had several more years that we could have enjoyed her company. Now all we have is a memory.


Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Tenders and/or Treats
1.[emailed 8-26, added here 8-28] I write this with so much guilt and a heavy heart. I just want other pet owners to hear our story so they can be on alert.

In the last eight months, our family lost our three dogs, a mother (age 12 at the time of death) and her two "puppies" (age 10 & 11 at their times of death). The first dog to pass away in November 2006 was Bear, at the age of 10. He had lost weight, was lethargic, and after several trips to the vet trying to stop dehydration and what was apparently internal bleeding, he passed away. Our wonderful vet opined that he more than likely had a tumor which was the cause of death. In the end, he would only eat hand-fed boiled chicken, rice and his Waggin' Train dog treats.

Then came all the warnings about the tainted dog food in Spring 2007, and we were very diligent about what our two remaining dogs ate. Then in April, the mother, Chilly, began exhibiting the same symptoms as Bear. She died not too long after and our last surviving dog, Screamer, died on July 10th. We did not have autopsies performed on any of our dogs, chalking up their deaths to heredity, old age and loneliness. We remain devastated to have lost them all in such a short period of time, but we were convinced at the time that they were a pack all their lives and the loss of one was unbearable for the others.

Then, on 8/22, my husband saw the report on CNN about Bestro treats, which we never purchased. After getting online and seeing other complaints, both he and I are absolutely convinced that the Waggin' Train treats killed our dogs. The dogs started eating them approx. last summer and prior to that our dogs were all relatively healthy, save one tumor removal from Chilly's leg in 2006 and one tumor removal from Screamer's ear in 2007.

Thank you for posting all of this information here. I will be making a complaint to the FDA, ADI and Wal-mart and my husband and I have vowed to never shop at Wal-mart again. I can only hope that other pet owners don't have to suffer what we've endured, burying three members of our family in less than a year.

2.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p21#c428
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28] My maltese has had intermittent periods of horrible bloody diarrhea and vomiting for the past 6 weeks. The vet checked her for worms which of course was negative. She put her on 2 different medications (one being an antibiotic) and told me to stop all treats and slowly introduce them back one by one.
Gracie had been getting the waggin train brand of chicken jerky tenders-probably up to 4 or more a day. Her symptoms did stop. I pray no damage has been done

3.http://www.topix.com/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p19#c388
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28] My baby passed this last Friday, the only treats she has ever eaten was the Waggin Trail Chicken Jerky Tenders, all her life she was happy and healthy, and in a matter of less than two weeks with several trips to the vet she could not be saved.
Imagine my horror to see that these all natural chicken treats she loved so much came from
China, Please stop feeding your pets these treats, as I have not been able to stop crying over the loss of my toy Shih Tzu. I would hate for someone else to suffer the pain of feeling resposible for their loved ones death.

4.http://www.epinions.com/msg/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~8#144808
[Posted 8-8] RE: waggin Train chicken treats from ADI Pet
My dogs are bleeding from eating this product. I hope we have caught it in time. Wal Mart says it may take days to get it off the shelf because they need corporate approval. Adi Pet says in no uncertain terms that they intend to sell this brand of chicken jerky treats. I am appalled.

5.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~6#128191
[Posted 5-17] RE: waggintrain jerky tenders
I just got in from Vet. I have "Had " (2) 1 year old Female healthy german sheps. They got a hold of a whole bag of Wagon Train Jerky Tenders chicken flavor. This was Tuesday afternoon may 15th in the afternoon. I found several mounds of vomited food from the treats on may 16th at 630am, both girls were weak and slow. Thinking they had an upset stomache from eating to much I watched them. This morning may 17th at
9am I found one of my girls dead adn the other still clinging to life. i rushed her to Vet and they discovered the live girl had full blown kidney failure. There was no sign of anitfreeze poisioning in my yard. These girls are the only 2 dogs out of my 3 shepards that ate the treats. My male is 2 yrs old and doing good. Im trying to contact ADI foods to alert them, but no luck. ...

6.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~5#120310
[Posted 4-3] waggintrain jerky tenders
I have four Brussels Griffons and have been feeding the waggon train jerky treats to them for a couple of years. They absolutely love these treats. Several months ago, I began to have problems with all the dogs having diarrhea, sometimes together, sometimes only the younger dogs. I took them to the vet and they were put on antibiotics which cleared up the diarrhea. Last night, I gave them one small piece of chicken jerky and one of the younger dogs woke me up at 3:00 am crying like he needed to go out. Sure enough, diarrhea had set in. Going to the vet this am to have them cultured for salmonella. ...

7.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/many-online-reports-of-non-recalled-dog.html#comment-8559400655185711348
[Posted 8-22, Added here 8-22, pulled up from comments] We have been feeding Waggin' Train brand chicken jerky strips from COSTCO to our two white toy poodles Barbie and Bailey.
Well that explains it, the health problems off and on over the years after feeding them these strips. The dogs would on occasion get sick, cry to go out, be anxious, want to eat grass after feeding this product. And we would only feed them one per day - thank god only a few times a week but still! In the past they have had bloody stools, diarrhea, vomiting and the Vets could not figure it out.
I looked on the package and its made in
China. It says "Sterilized by Irradiation for Freshness & Health" ...

8.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p20#c397
[Posted 8-21] I can only say that I recently bought a bag of Waggin Trails Brand Chicken Jerky Tender from Wal-Mart made in
China. The second day after opeining the 32 oz. bag I gave Jacob, my minature dachsund, a treat. He got two of them, one each day. That very evening he had what I can only describe as a "Grand Mall" seizure. He lost control of his bladder and could not walk, besides his constant shaking for half an hour. These treats were from Lot # 94667. He has never had a seizure before and as you can imagine, he was absolutely terrified. He is only three years old. I am going to return the remaining product to Wal-Mart and let them know what happened....

9. http://www.diethelm.blogspot.com/
[posted 8-28, added here 8-29] My summary: Bought moldy Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Tenders (includes pictures!), and the company’s (form letter) response to being told about their moldy product. I just found out about all this after I started Googling for other articles about issues with Waggin Train brand and as a result of my attempt to contact them via e-mail.
I took photos of the package I returned to Wal-Mart yesterday (only thing I ever buy from Wal-Mart) and what was inside. You be the judge. I think all these treats should be recalled. I think Adi Pet is in defense mode and not owning up to issue. If their product is so squeaky clean then what I purchased should have never been on the shelf.

10.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/post580
I called Sams headquarters today and they were insistant that the Waggin Train was fine. I mentioned this site and the amount of complaints related to this treat and the person again insisted that there were NO PROBLEMS with the treats. I would urge all of you to call Sam's headquarters and register a complaint. Maybe they'll finally pull this stuff from the shelves.

By the way, I brought my dog home today and so far, no more seizures in a 48 hour period.


Target brand Chicken Jerky Treats
1.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/tainted-treats-from-walmart-suspected.html#comment-3632736318195054753
[Posted 8-21] 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. ... 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.


Costco brand Chicken Jerky Treats (Kingdom Pet)
1.http://www.itchmo.com/fda-investigating-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-in-dogs-deaths-2350#comment-49883
[Posted 8-24, added here 8-28] 6 weeks ago I started feeding my very healthy 2 yr. old little beagle Kingdom chicken jerky purchased at Costco. For the past 3 weeks we and the vet have tried to figure out why he is now ill. Elevated liver enzymes and white count. After reading about the WalMart treats I checked the bag and see that it also is made in
China. The vet said that now makes sense to his symptoms, it’s poison going in to him. Nothing else made sense as he has always been healthy until we made that mistake in buying these treats.
We are just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be, and sadly I think I know what it will be. He is not eating or drinking and just lays around with no energy.

2.http://www.itchmo.com/fda-investigating-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-in-dogs-deaths-2350#comment-50416
[Posted 8-25, added here 8-28] I purchased a bag of Kingdom chicken jerky strips for my chocolate labrador. Within an hour, she was throwing up the entire contents of her stomach. I e-mailed Costco and they wrote with a generic e-mail stating that I could get a return on my money. When I returned the jerky, they said that at present there were no recalls for their chicken strips. I just wanted to give them a heads up on what happened to my dog.

3.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p22#c451
[Posted 8-22, added here 8-28]This is really interesting reading these comments. We started feeding our dog Kingdom's Pets original chicken jerky 2 months ago. 3 weeks ago he started getting sick, throwing up, diarrea, not eating. The DR sees high liver enzymes and high white count but can't figure what the problem is. This sounds like the problem. I agree I won't toss the treats, just keep them for proof, but my DR will be notified immediately.

4.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/04/american-nutrition-issues-recall-of.html#comment-8983432807521623394
[Posted 8-21] This latest recall on the Jerky treats is setting off alarm bells for me.
We purchased some similar treats from Costco about 3 months ago. Not long after my dog, Panda, had a seizure. (We threw the treats out after I noticed they were made in
China) (any word from Costco about those?)
Blood tests revealed that his liver enzymes were high and there was a lot of bacteria in his blood.. Antibiotics have brought the numbers down some, but he will be having a liver biopsy next week to get a better idea of what is happening. ...

5.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~10#146205
[Posted 8-20] I've been feeding my dog the chicken jerky and duck jerky from Costco and Sams club for the past couple of years with no problem. However recently she has become ill and the vet bills just keep coming. Today as a matter of fact she is at the vet's office getting test ran.
She has had vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. I've had a healthy happy dog for the past 7 years and other than the normal check ups nothing major was wrong with her. I know it's from those treats. I will not feed my dog anymore of them.
After reading some of the posts I checked the bag and sure enough it says it is a product of
China and not for Human Consumption. Even if you dogs have not shown signs of sickness yet I still would not feed them anymore of those treats.
Just a follow up on this posting. My dog passed away a day after I posted this. She had cancer of the pancreas, spleen, and liver. ...

6.http://www.itchmo.com/fda-investigating-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-in-dogs-deaths-2350#comment-48535
[Posted 8-22, added here 8-22] ...We gave our weimaraner Kingdom Pets chicken jerky from Costco and she became ill with vomiting and dry heaves and had diarrhea for 5 days. We talked that the chicken jerky was the only difference in food that she had been given. I tried to email the site on the bag of chicken jerky in LA, but it wouldn’t come up, so I tried the phone # and their message box was full. Something is going on with this
China made treat and I will be taking this bag back to Costco. Luckily this time, our girl seems to have recovered.

7. [via email on 8-29, added 8-30] I had to put my 4 year old Shih Tsu down today, because of total liver shut down. The item that made her sick was Chicken Jerky, from China. The brand is Kingdom Pets Original Chicken Jerky. It is sold through Costco stores. My neighbor's dog also got sick from these treats. She didn't have as many, so she is ok, now. I am going to get ahold of the FDA and Costco's main office.

Beefeaters Tasty Chicken Strips
1.http://itchmoforums.com/your-problems-with-pet-food/call-fda-w-chicken-strip-health-problems-t1756.0.html;msg22429#msg22429
[Posted 8-22, added here 8-28] I just called the FDA to complain about Beefeaters Tasty Strips which are chicken strips manufactured in China that I bought at BJ's. My dog developed severe diarreah from it. I answered a lot of questions and had the complaint submitted for investigation. I encourage everyone who has experienced the same problem to do the same. Apparently, this is the only way to make everyone aware of the potential health problems these products can cause in our pets. Don't put it off!!

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have been feeding Waggin' Train brand chicken jerky strips from COSTCO to our two white toy poodles Barbie and Bailey.

Well that explains it, the health problems off and on over the years after feeding them these strips. The dogs would on occasion get sick, cry to go out, be anxious, want to eat grass after feeding this product. And we would only feed them one per day - thank god only a few times a week but still! In the past they have had bloody stools, diarrhea and the Vets could not figure it out.

I looked on the package and its made in China. It says "Sterilized by Irradiation for Freshness & Health"

My theory is that there is bacteria mixed in the product intermittently. God only knows what conditions these are manufactured under. Others think it has to do with the radiation process they supposedly use to supposedly kill harmful bacteria.

One has to wonder why for decades we never saw “Chicken Jerky” sold as human food and still don’t. You would only see beef jerky on the shelves. I wonder if it is because Chicken jerky is too risky. If raw chicken doesn’t get well cooked or cooked at all during the drying process. Then suddenly “Chicken Jerky” comes along, another “product from China” being marketed as “pet treats” Something set alarm bells off in the back of my mind when I saw this, but like others I assumed “they wouldn’t be marketed and sold if not perfectly safe”.

They don’t have to “irradiate” beef jerky during manufacture – why does “Chicken Jerky” require that extra step? Answer: Because raw chicken from an assembly line is a hazardous substance and thus all the cross contamination warnings when working with it in the kitchen.

Something is going to have to be done about these shameful Chinese products.

I bought a "memory foam" mouse pad, made in Taiwan (Taiwan is now part of/controlled by China, same thing) and when I opened the package the chemical fumes coming off the thing were alarming! I took it outside and if it doesn't improve I'm taking it back.

Anonymous said...

We have a 9 year old Irish Setter champion that never had a sick day in his life until this year. We had been feeding the Costco chicken strips (his favorite treat) for nearly a year. In December grand mal seizures started followed by extreme hypertension and now full blown diabetes requiring twice a day 14 unit insulin. Also phenobarbitol for the seizures and another drug for the hypertension. Vet suspected toxin causality but couldn't identify. Thousands in vet care. Who do I sue, better yet who's butt can I kick?
Michael in Sacramento

Anonymous said...

I live in Chicago, and a lady in the park would always try to give my dog chicken and duck jerky strips that she got at Costco. Even when I asked her not to, she'd claim, "but they're pure protein" and give my little dog a full strip.

It didn't take long before I started equating his green, mucus-filled diarrhea with her insistence on giving him these treats. I started avoiding her.

I am so glad I did! I just hope my little guy doesn't have lasting damage.

Anonymous said...

Thank God I came across your website! My dad called me tonight to let me know that some chicken jerky treats had been recalled and wanted to know if they were the ones I feed my little Shizu, Tucker. Sure enough, they are. I have been worried about him for quite some time. He gets sick off and on with diarrhea and vomiting, and he refuses to eat and is VERY lethargic. I thought he was depressed or something and now it all fits together. I have been giving him a Waggin Train chicken strip every night for probably a year now and that's about how long this has been going on and I didn't put it together till now. But recently it's gotten worse. I am taking him to the vet first thing in the morning and hopefully there will be no permanent damage. How can these people live with themselves knowing they are killing these animals just to make a buck! And to think I was giving these to my dog thinking they were healthier for him than the stuff with red dye in it. My heart goes out to you that have lost your beloved pets to this outrage!
Gail, Eastern Washington

Kim said...

Hi Gail,

Thanks for your comment... I pray Tucker is okay, and please come back and post again (or email me) to let me know how he's doing.

It's important to point out that the Waggin Train Jerky Strips are NOT the ones that have been recalled, and the company that makes them says they are in no way connected to the ones that have been recalled.

Still, as you can see, many owners have reported that they believe their dogs got sick from the Waggin Train brand.

Anonymous said...

I am SO SICK AND TIRED of these pet food recalls. I totally agree with the comment about why they don't make people chicken jerky. I have been giving Waggin Train treats to my little puppy for about five months. So far he's not become ill, but I can guarantee he won't get anymore. From this point on I will make my own homemade treats for him. Shame on this whole industry from beginning to end of the chain for not making sure beyond any doubt that the things we feed our beloved pets are safe enough that humans can eat them as well!!!

Kim said...

"Shame on this whole industry from beginning to end of the chain for not making sure beyond any doubt that the things we feed our beloved pets are safe enough that humans can eat them as well!!!"

Exactly! I was making food for my cats last night at midnight, and had a few bites myself. There's nothing in it I don't eat. (Well, before I add the salmon and clams anyway, I don't like those. Ahem.)

Anyway, since one of them has CRF (thanks to the pet food companies) they get better quality than I do, since his body can handle far less toxins than mine.

Anonymous said...

Kim,
There are differences in pet treats. Waggin' Train has set up a News and Information Blog at http://www.waggintrainblog.com. I thought perhaps you might be interested in the latest news release from the company, whose products are NOT involved in this matter:
Are Your Dog Treats Safe? They Are if the Treats Are Waggin’ Train!
RENO, Nev., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Safety has always come first for Waggin’ Train Brand, the largest selling chicken jerky brand of dog treats in the country. Waggin’ Train Brand Chicken Jerky Tenders have an unblemished safety record and have consistently supplied millions of pounds of chicken jerky treats each year to US dogs.

“Waggin’ Train Brand has not been pulled from store shelves and is not and never has been part of a recall,” stated Jerry Peters, President of ADI Pet, Inc. However, news that was released earlier this week about a competitive brand of treats has concerned dog owners and caused them to wonder if what they are feeding their dogs is safe. The pet-owning, pet-loving owners of Waggin’ Train Brand understand these concerns, even if their company isn’t involved in any recall, and wants to make information available to consumers with questions. This information is posted on their website, http://www.waggintrainbrand.com/, and you can contact their customer service department at waggintrainbrand@adipet.com if you have additional questions.

Waggin’ Train Brand is completely safe and has never had a single incident of bacterial or other chemical contaminations, including melamine. This record results from the stringent quality control procedures in place to prevent such issues.

“We are proud of our company’s safety record and understand, at a time like this, consumers are looking for information. Our company is now looking into new methods of supplying product testing information to consumers so that they can go online and check the excellent safety record of products that they just purchased. This would be revolutionary and we want to be the first pet supplier to offer this service,” said Peters.

Annually, Waggin Train Brand processes over 80 million pounds of fresh, white meat chicken in our “human grade” facilities. “We only sell products that we are confident feeding to our own beloved pets. My dog Dudley loves the chicken jerky and it’s great for training. We feel that one of the reasons for our safety is the high quality ingredients that we use,” states Peters.

ADI Pet products as well as facilities are regularly inspected by our retailers and SGS, one of the world’s largest and most respected inspection companies.
For more information contact Waggin’ Train customer service at waggintrainbrand@adipet.com
Website: http://www.waggintrainbrand.com/
Steve Stern
Stern And Company

Kim said...

Steve,

It'd be nice if instead of blanket denials ADI were a bit more concerned about all the dogs that are sick - that have eaten *their* products.

It may or may not be Waggin Train treats making these dogs sick, but something is. I find ADI's lack of concern chilling.

Kim

Daisy or "E" said...

I just found out about all this after I started Googling for other articles about issues with Waggin Train brand and as a result of my attempt to contact them via e-mail.

I took photos of the package I returned to Wal-Mart yesterday (only thing I ever buy from Wal-Mart) and what was inside. You be the judge. I think all these treats should be recalled. I think Adi Pet is in defense mode and not owning up to issue. If their product is so squeaky clean then what I purchased should have never been on the shelf.

See the photos at:
www.diethelm.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Unrelated but it would be good to see
updated reports about beef and other meat/produce recalls as well. Many people homecook or feed raw.

Anonymous said...

My 4 month old puppy started throwing up a few days ago, shortly after I started giving her small pieces of Science Diet Jerky plus. I stopped feeding them and she hasn't thrown up since. Could be a coincidence. I was going to try them again after she went a week without throwing up, but after reading all of this I think I won't take my chances and just throw the bag away.

lulubone said...

My 4 yr. old 8 lb. male Chihuahua Señor died on 9/18/07 - Smokehouse chicken breast tenders- his death was tragic and horrible. He was just too far gone. The guilt one feels about giving your much loved pet a 'treat' that will kill him is indescribable. Nothing made in China should be used by pets nor humans- when will we stop importing this stuff?

lulubone said...

My 4 yr. old 8 lb. male Chihuahua Señor died on 9/18/07 - Smokehouse chicken breast tenders- his death was tragic and horrible. He was just too far gone. The guilt one feels about giving your much loved pet a 'treat' that will kill him is indescribable. Nothing made in China should be used by pets nor humans- when will we stop importing this stuff?

Anonymous said...

I had a 5 year old Jack Russell Terrier that I had to put down yesterday. My mother had purchased a bag of Waggin Train Brand Chicken Jerky Treats from Costco, and I had also purchased Pet Essentials Lamb Jerky Strips from Target. These were a once- to twice-a-day treat for having to stay in his kennel during the day, due to a couple of inflammed spinal discs.

I noticed one day that he was not devouring his food like normal, and then eventually I couldn't tell that he had eaten anything at all. The initial visit to the vet indicated suspicion of kidney failure, and they sent me home with antibiotics and antacids. When he still wouldn't eat a few days later, I took him back and they hospitalized him for 4 days, giving him IV fluids which should have brought down the enzyme levels.

A few days after I was allowed to take him home, we returned to the vet because he was still not eating, losing weight rapidly, and he had started vomiting again. His kidney enzyme levels had risen so drastically that it was apparent that there was nothing they could reasonably do to give him back his quality of life.

His symptoms overall were: lethargy, vomiting (mainly after trying to eat grass or plants from the back yard), no interest in food (we tried boiled chicken, peanut butter, tuna "juice", green beans, cheese - all his favorites), increased loss in muscle mass, stomach pain, increased water intake and urination, and indication of kidney failure in blood and urine tests.

I hope that they take these treats off the market completely, so that Mr. Pickles didn't suffer and die in vain.

Katrina in Memphis

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Maxmom said...

My dog (a labrador retriever) has loved Waggin Train Chicken Jerky for about 2 years. He has never had any problems with these treats. We recently gave him Kingdom Pets chicken jerky treats and he immediately got very bad diarrhea. It took a few days to figure it out but we are 100% certain that the Kingdom Pets treats were making him sick. As soon as we stopped the treats, the diarrhea went away. Please be careful what you feed your beloved pets. Pay close attention!

Maxmom said...

My dog (a labrador retriever) has been eating Waggin Train chicken jerky treats for a couple of years without any problems at all. He LOVES them. We recently bought a new brand - Kingdom Pets. He immediately go diarrhea ... very bad diarrhea. It took me a couple of days to figure it out - but it's clearly the Kingdom Pets Chicken Jerky Treats. It appears we are lucky that he JUST had diarrhea. Be careful with your beloved pets.

Anonymous said...

Another addition to this blog.
Our dogs had eaten the Wal-Mart bought Waggin' Train pork roll meat-filled chews for months without issues. Then shortly after the recall started we got concerned about the treats being made in China. Sure enough, almost on the last chews in the bag our one dogs had a GI upset like "stomach flu" or food poisoning in humans, total emptying in both directions. She didn't eat for two days until it stopped. All has been well since but I won't touch the brand again. Beforwarned that the pork rolls' filling had the dreaded 'wheat gluten' in it. A difference from the Jerky Treats but the same company to blame.
Just offering another story to the list where people care.

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