Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Wal-Mart pulled 2nd Dog Treat 27 days ago - STILL no announcement

From the Washington Post, we find out that Wal-Mart quietly recalled two brands of dog treats, not just one as posted here last week. (Thanks Therese at petsitusa.com for the heads up)

LITTLE ROCK -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. quietly stopped selling two brands of dog treats in July, after customers voiced concerns that the Chinese products may have caused their pets to fall ill, but no recall has been announced, a company spokeswoman confirmed.

The world's largest retailer started pulling Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading on July 26, spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said late Monday.

Okay, let's count, shall we? 27 days since then that people who bought this product have continued to feed it to their dogs at home. How many sick dogs does that translate to? How many other dead dogs? WHY WHY WHY has this not been announced? 27 days! 27 days in which dogs could have gone to the vet, and received treatment if necessary. 27 days!

And even when the story broke last week, we only knew of the Shanghai Bestro brand, not the Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co brand. (Gee, wonder where these were made?)

Wal-Mart also placed a computerized block on all cash registers to prevent workers from selling the products, Galberth said.

Right, we saw how well this worked during the initial recall back in March, April, May, etc. (If you're new - it didn't work at all. And an FDA investigation into Wal-Mart found numerous stores still selling recalled products months after the recall began.)

"When we took it off shelves at the end of July, we pulled it based on the customer feedback so we could do testing prior to announcing anything publicly," Galberth said. "That's why did not make a public announcement _ it was still going through the testing process."

Unbelievable. And inexcusable. Listen up people - this shows - yet again - their lack of concern for you and your pets. What you do with your money is your concern, but I will never spend a penny in that store, ever.

Wal-Mart's action follows a massive pet food recall in March, when retailers began pulling products made in China that included the chemical melamine _ a contaminant that's a byproduct of several pesticides.

Galberth said she did not know what the specific customer complaints were about the dog treats, nor when the testing would be complete.

Uh huh. Wal-mart offers the woman whose dog died $2,000 for her loss, but yet claims not to know what the complaints were.

Galberth said she did not immediately know if the treats were sold at every Wal-Mart store.

"We are diligently testing this product," she said.

At which lab? How long does it take to get results? I doubt it takes 27 days.

Philadelphia television station WPVI reported last week that a woman claimed her 2-year-old Chihuahua died after eating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips. The station reported that an autopsy found the dog died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria.

Yeah, I'm pissed. This just infuriates me. It's unbelievable, inexcusable, and it just boggles my mind. And of course it breaks my heart. And it keeps happening. Over and over these companies show their total lack of regard for us and for our pets. Over and over. Yet we still give them the benefit of the doubt. Why? It's time to take that away. Don't trust them. Don't believe them. Don't put your pet's lives in their hands. They don't deserve your trust. Not anymore.

To see the original post/story, click here

Added 4:31pm MT: I just read through some messages on the epinions.com message board. There are multiple reports of problems from 2006 through today.

And Pingyang had other dog treats refused by the FDA back in JUNE due to salmonella, see here .

And they also had numerous products refused in September 2006 due to Salmonella. See the FDA report here

USA Today is now working on this story, see HERE.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said. I couldn't agree more, Kim!

Anonymous said...

I was in Wal-Mart shopping for dog treats just this past weekend, and they still had Bestro chicken jerky treats on the shelf! I didn't buy them when I saw they were made in China.

Anonymous said...

I'm really worried about Waggin' Train jerky tenders still being on shelves in Wal-mart, Fry's, and other stores. It's absolutely a hazzard to pets. My dog nearly died from eating them, and my other dogs got severely ill with gas, diarrhea, lethargy, runny nose and eyes, and kidney problems. I've also read so many painfully sad stories of other pet owners who lost their pets because of the treats. The effects are so varied and just plain awful. From seizures, malfunctioning kidneys and pancreas, to liver problems and blindness. There are too many side effects to list. All I know is that I wish the product would be recalled. It's a poison sitting on shelves.

Anonymous said...

10/21-08
My dog is currently undergoing treatment for kidney failure. He was a perfectly healthy 7 year old Springer Spaniel in the prime of his life. I have been giving him Waggin Train Chicken Jerkey strips from Walmart for months now. I now realize he has been showing signs of illness ever since the beginning evidenced by behaviorial changes and finally he was obviously sick. I fear it's too late to save his life although we are sparing no expense in trying. We are currently over $2000 into this and there is no end in sight. How could Walmart continue to sell this product and cause us and others such heartbreak? I wish I'd found this website earlier.

Anonymous said...

can someone anser this question are the CHICKEN JERKEY LINKS from(waggin train)BEING RECALLED.

Anonymous said...

Kroger have stop selling WAGGIN TRAIN BRAND ( Chicken Jerky Links)
but still have another styles let on counter. should i stop giving the treats to my dog.

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