Mystery of pet deaths related to jerky treats made in China continues to stump FDA

[douglas9]

Andy lost his appetite. Then came the vomiting, the unquenchable thirst, the constant need to urinate. Over several days last year, the spunky 4-year-old West Highland white terrier grew lethargic and lost more than 10 percent of his weight.

“It got bad,” said Andy’s owner, Alfredo Gude, a retiree in Cape Coral, Fla. “I knew that he was in trouble

Gude and his wife rushed Andy to their veterinarian, who referred him to a clinic 15 miles away. Doctors there sent a urine sample to a specialized metabolic lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Days later, test results confirmed the diagnosis: Fanconi syndrome, a rare, often fatal illness that affects the kidneys. The suspected cause: chicken jerky pet treats manufactured in China.

The incident is part of a troubling mystery lasting more than seven years, with reports of at least 600 dogs dying and thousands of others sickened. It has outraged unsuspecting pet owners, confounded the Food and Drug Administration and put the pet food industry’s manufacturing practices under a microscope.

Since 2007, when the FDA warned of an apparent link between jerky treats and sick and dying dogs, agency officials have spent countless hours trying to nail down what might be behind the illnesses, with little success.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/mystery-of-pet-deaths-related-to-jerky-treats-made-in-china-continues-to-stump-fda/2014/03/28/c860002a-b39b-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html

[Auntie Bush]

1. I've always felt that the 2007 Chinese dry dog food link was responsible

for my dogs death. He got sick about then and hung on till 2008 but eventually
had to be euthanized as he never recovered from the awful diarrhea. He was suppose to be my comfort and company after my husband died...but he wasn't there for me when I needed him and left me alone. Damn those Chinese who don't give a darn about our dogs health...just money.

[get the red out]

4. They poisoned their own babies with melamine

added to baby formula to make more of a profit, why would they care about our pets?

I don't think any food product for any living thing should be imported from China. It is just NOT SAFE.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. It is pretty scary that no reason can be found.

No obvious toxin in those treats. And without something to put your finger on as the cause, we have no way to avoid this same thing in the future. It amazes me that there is nothing there.

[RebelOne]

3. I have given the chicken and duck jerky treats

to all of my dogs for years. I had 2 Rottweilers and one died at the age of 12 from an immune blood deficiency disease. The other one died at 13 from bone and liver cancer. I do not think those treats had anything to do with their deaths. They were big dogs and were pretty much at the end of their lifespan. I also had a 6-year-old Mini-Pin that I gave to my sister about 3 years ago. I also fed her the jerky treats and she is still alive and healthy in her new home in the mountains of North Georgia.

I now have a Chihuahua who will be 5 years old in April. I have fed her the duck jerky treats since she was a puppy and she has had no health problems.

[Auntie Bush]

5. There are probably certain batches of treats that have the harmful ingredients

or a batch that was processed differently. Earlier batches or later batches may be the ones examined. People probably threw out the ones that were sickening their dog. Could be why they haven't found the culprit.