Life-threatening illness linked to imported pet treats
The following is a news report published today in the Canadian press by author Michelle Annette Tremblay. I have contacted the author for further information and will continue to update this story as it unfolds.
Serious illnesses reported
Several groups are warning pet-owners about a potential link between imported dog treats and a mysterious illness. Symptoms include decreased appetite, lethargy, vomiting, and possible kidney failure, which is often preceded by increased water consumption and/or increased urination.
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) recently advised its members that there have been “several reported cases of dogs that have been showing signs similar to Fanconi syndrome. All dogs in the reported cases had been fed chicken jerky treats that were manufactured in China.”
But new reports suggest the problem may not be limited to chicken jerky or to products imported from China, prompting some vets to recommend avoiding all imported pet treats.
Local dog owner speaks out
Regis Cornale’s beloved dog, Annie, became lethargic and listless after eating 2-3 Canyon Creek Ranch Duck Tenders a day for a week and a half. According to the packaging, this was an appropriate portion for a dog of her size.
Annie’s symptoms came on gradually, getting worse each day. She stopped greeting Cornale at the door when she came home from work. Her weight started to drop. She paced and seemed physically uncomfortable. Cornale tried not to worry, but knew something was definitely wrong when Annie refused to eat.
“That morning before work, I had to coax her to go outside. When she came in she didn’t want to eat her breakfast, and she loves her dog food,” said Cornale, who lives in Faraday Township but carpools to work in Peterborough through the week.
Cornale tears up as she recounts the next part of the story.
“I was leaving for the day, and thought, well she’s got to eat something. So I gave her three of them.”
When she returned home later that day, Cornale found Annie vomiting and trembling, and took her straight to the vet. She had no suspicion that the duck tenders were the problem, but upon hearing the sequence of events, her vet, Dr. Kim Facey, immediately became concerned.
Dr. Facey had been warned by the CVMA and other associations and colleagues about recent problems with imported pet treats, and had already seen other cases in her own clinic.
“Unfortunately I’ve seen a lot of dogs with the exact same symptoms,” says Dr. Facey.
“Now when I see dogs with vomiting or diarrhea, it’s the first thing out of my mouth – I ask, have you fed your dog any treats from China or Thailand?”
Vets suspicious of products
Dr. Facey says there are several products on the market in Canada that pose potential health risks to dogs.
“Canyon Creek Ranch is one of them. Waggin’ Train is another. There’s a list of about 10. But I’ve given up on the list now because there are a number of them, all made by the same companies, but sold under different names,” says Dr. Facey, repeating for emphasis, “The same products are repackaged and marketed under different names.”
Dr. Facey urges pet owners to exercise extreme caution when choosing dog-treats, and says if you’ve already purchased imported jerky treats to dispose of them immediately, and to get to a vet as soon as possible if your dog shows signs of illness.
Some local pet-food store operators and vet technicians are also aware of the problem and are reluctant to stock imported pet-products. But it’s hard to know which products are imported.
“Made in China” nowhere on packaging
When Dr. Facey asked Cornale if she had fed Annie any treats from China or Thailand, Cornale initially answered no. That’s because the packaging, which Cornale had carefully read before buying the treats, doesn’t suggest anywhere that the product is not made in Canada. It does say the product is quality checked in Canadian laboratories, all natural, low in fat, high in protein and distributed by Normerica Inc. in Port Credit Ontario, but it doesn’t say anywhere that it’s imported.
It doesn’t have to.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), there is no legislation in Canada that requires pet treat distributors to reveal the country of manufacture on their packaging (the same holds true for the US).
“I bought this stuff, reading the package, thinking it was good. They look like something I could eat – like something I’d take with me on a hike,” says Cornale, pointing out that the treats are not cheap and are marketed as a high-end product. She says she is a careful shopper, and figures if the packaging fooled her, it could fool most Canadians.
Only after speaking to Dr. Facey, and then researching on-line did Cornale discover that Canyon Creek Ranch treats are not made in Canada and are currently under investigation in the U.S.
600 sick dogs trigger FDA investigation
“I never would have bought it if I had known” says Cornale, who has been wary of imported pet products since 2007 when melamine was detected in pet products from China after a lengthy investigation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That investigation resulted in the recall of over a thousand pet food products and several indictments.
While Canyon Creek Ranch treats are produced by Nestle Purina in the U.S., in Canada they are distributed by Normerica Inc. which also manufactures its own brand of treats – Vitalife – in Thailand. A representative from Normerica was reluctant to answer questions, but did say they were aware of the FDA investigation and said the Canyon Creek Ranch products sold in Canada are not the same as those sold in the U.S. despite the same name and branding. Complaints about both products, nonetheless, are popping up on both sides of the border.
The FDA says it has received reports that over 600 dogs in the U.S. have become ill and/or died after eating jerky treats made in China. While the FDA has released multiple cautions about jerky treats from China, so far it has not issued a recall of any specific products.
Long process for recall
“It is important to understand that unless a contaminant is detected and we have evidence that a product is adulterated, we are limited in what regulatory actions we can take,” explains the FDA in a statement. “The regulations don’t allow for products to be removed based on complaints alone. This is an ongoing investigation and the FDA will notify the public if a recall is initiated. Currently, the FDA continues to urge pet owners to use caution with regard to chicken jerky products.”
“There is nothing preventing a company from conducting a voluntary recall,” adds the FDA. A petition urging Nestle Purina to do so can be found at change.org.
Although she doesn’t often sign petitions, Cornale signed this one, and is encouraging others to follow suit. There is an area for comments on the petition site, with heartbreaking accounts of beloved pets becoming ill and sometimes dying after eating jerky treats.
So far, in Canada, there is little pressure for a recall.
The CFIA confirmed they have received complaints about Canyon Creek Ranch products, and are aware of the FDA investigation and consumer warnings. But Canadian legislation doesn’t allow the agency to investigate pet treat products or issue recalls.
“The CFIA is not directly involved in pet food recalls,” explains the CFIA’s media relations dept. “The primary responsibility, decision and operation of a recall lies with either the producer of the product or in some rare cases the importer of the affected product.”
“Should a case of contaminated pet food be confirmed, the manufacturer and/or importer is responsible for informing the CFIA. Based on these results, the agency may take action by canceling import permits for suspect products until such a time that any concerns are corrected,” added the CFIA media relations dept.
“I feel the products should be recalled,” says Dr. Facey. She is hopeful that a recently filed class action lawsuit against Purina Nestle in the U.S. will speed up the process.
She says even though it’s not mandatory unless a causative agent is identified, “good companies will do a voluntary recall,” because it could take a long time to find a causative agent.
“Until you know what to look for, it’s very hard to find it,” says Dr. Facey, admitting there is currently no hard proof that the treats are causing the illness.
“But the dogs with the symptoms who go off the treats recover. That’s good proof there,” she adds.
Annie is lucky to be one of those dogs.
Full recovery after diet change
Since she stopped eating Canyon Creek Ranch Duck Tenders, Annie has made a full recovery, and has gained back the weight she lost. Every day when Cornale gets home from work Annie meets her at the door with her tail wagging, and she is back to her normal happy self. Cornale says she won’t buy any treats for Annie anymore unless it plainly states on the packaging that they are made in North America, and suggests other pet owners do the same. She is currently experimenting with home-made liver treats that Annie loves.
“I won’t say directly these treats made my dog sick,” says Cornale, immediately washing her hands after touching the package.
“But I will say my dog was perfectly healthy; I fed her these; she got sick. When I stopped feeding her these she got well.”
Source: Life-threatening dog illness linked to imported treats, Michelle Annette Tremblay, Bancroft This Week, May, 8, 2012
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26 Comments
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lettucehavewhirledpeas7
A super dehydrator is a Excalibur, can google it and can order online. I have one with about 10 trays, but they have ones with 5. The best part about them is that you can set the heat level like an oven from lower than 85 degrees up to 150. It has a built-in fan. Some models have a 26 hour timer, which I don’t find necessary, but may be for someone. Also it is totally USA made, parts and assembly!!! They’re kind of pricy, but last forever. Another solution is to rig up a light bulb in an oven. Whatever works!
Raw Dawg
Thanks! I’m out in Canada, so I’ll try to find a retailer that sells this brand here.
Raw Dawg
Mollie (or anyone for that matter), would you happen to know of a good dehydrator? I’m looking to purchase one that will hold a few trays at a time to dry. As my dogs are on raw and I seem to be slowly going in that direction myself, I’d like to start experimenting with dehydrating. Thanks!
Mollie Morrissette
I personally do not know of one, but I can tell you who will! The Facebook group Animal Parents Against Pet Treat Made in China. Those good folks, which number in the thousands, like you, have given up the store-bought treat habit and are happily making their own using dehydrators and their ovens. Check it out, I know they can help you!
Mollie Morrissette
Forgot to mention, many are doing it in the ovens. At a very low temp for a few hours — achieving similar results.
As dehydrators also use heat (low), it still would be considered “raw” by raw-fooders. Think the temp of the sun on a nice hot day and you get the drift.
When I lived in Greece, they did all their drying outside on their roofs (all were flat). Dehydrators didn’t even exist on the island I lived on. They did everything the same way they’ve been doing things for the last thousand years.
I have an article “…chewy treats..” that I reblogged from a lady who was doing it in a conventional oven with great results and she had great photos of her method.
Keep us posted how you manage.
Raw Dawg
Oooh! I have a flat roof! I wonder if I can do it with the sun during the summer months… Didn’t the birds eat the food that was left out to dry on the roof? I’ll also try to find your chewy treats blog. Thanks!
Mollie Morrissette
You can get bird netting for almost nothing. I personally don’t like it, because birds and squirrels and snakes can get caught in it (I rescued a rattlesnake caught in bird netting with a pair of cuticle scissors once). If you are worried about ravens you could always get one of those cheesy plastic owls or better yet – freak your neighbors out – put a big ol’ scarecrow on your roof! The last idea appeals to my wicked sense of humor.
Bev
If the food for animals is bad from China…can we trust human food from them? I think not. I check the label on all food products…I don’t buy anything that is “made in China” or if it says “made for….” . I stopped buying frozen fish because it all seems to now come from China and I only purchase fresh fish. Let the buyer beware. We have to be diligent not to buy food from China!!!
Raw Dawg
Yes, it’s true, companies are all about the bottom line. It has always been that way and it will forever stay that way. Their purpose is to make money. The power we hold as consumers is how we choose to give that money to them. I’m a vegetarian who’s starting to dabble into veganism, so my consumption of animal products is extremely limited, but my dogs are on a raw diet and so they eat meat. Real food diets for humans and animals are the way to go. You can control what is consumed and from where it comes. When you start looking for convenience over nutrition, that’s where you start to pay a price that is higher than any monetary cost.
Mollie Morrissette
I agree and I agree and I agree. Completely, on all points. The same thing happened to me – once I started the research – I transformed my entire life (turned from a lifelong vegetarian to a vegan, toxins in the environment, chemicals in the home, activism, etc.).
Mollie Morrissette
You know you are preachin’ to the choir, right? No. seriously, I’m with you on this 100%. Go raw! My Dad is a total raw fooder and looks amazing for his age.
poppykenna
From what I understand, the Waggin Train (also made my Nestle) problems have been going on for years but they refuse to do anything about it because the specific problem cannot be found.
I have also heard (and do NOT quote me on this) that even treats that are labelled “Made in the USA” will import their meat or other things and therefore still at risk – especially if made by the same companies that have other products involved in this.
Personally, I don’t trust any treats anymore as I have become far too wary. Fortunately we get our beef from a trusted, local source and always have “extras” we won’t eat (like liver) so I can just make my own jerky and use that as treats. I know where it comes from and my dogs love it.
Mollie Morrissette
True and true! “Made in the USA” is meaningless. Look up Country of Origin Labeling laws (I’ve written a ton about them here) and you will see that pet food/pet treats and processed meats are EXEMPT from COOL laws.
Good for you for about buying local – I am the same way. I have to meet my meat before I let my cats eat it. I’m a vegan so I don’t eat it – it’s all for my babies. Organic eggs too, they love those! Not raw though.
sharon kinsey
You know there is a website I have been hearing a lot about where you can generate your own petitions for change. Perhaps we need to start a petition for federal regulations on dog food that would address our concerns?
Mollie Morrissette
Oh yeah there is a bunch of them, change.org for one. Personally, I don’t think that pet food companies care less about petitions. I mean they are good for raising awareness, but for real change I believe that there are more effective ways of creating change. Bombs for one – I’m kidding!!
Although sometimes, when I read about animal abusers and see the devastation and destruction of their actions (take Tyson farms pig abuse for a recent example), I feel this murderous rage boil up in me and I think I could kill one of them with my bare hands. And I’m not a violent person!
Besides, food (all food, human and animal) is already regulated by the FDA, it’s just that the compliance policies allow pet food manufacturers to get around those laws. If I had millions and millions, I might spend some of it lobbying Congress.
But, in the meanwhile, I support Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio for bringing this to the attention to the FDA, Congress and the American people. He’s my hero!
shae5068
The USA has known about this for while now. Any treat that is from “America” is made and packaged in China. There is very small wording on some of the packaging which states “made in china”; however, the address is in the United States for the company who is paying China to make the treats. From what we have been told, the “bad batch” has been recalled and any new treats have been tested and are okay. I do give my dogs the duck treats and they are fine. The ones that were making the dogs here in the US sick were the chicken treats. This is going around from country to country apparently. America as well as other countries have China produce goods at a lower cost; however, what they do not realize is that China does not have concern for what they send over to us. China has sent over tainted goods for years. I do not understand why greedy companies continue to use China to make these products. China sold US tainted dog food as well as various vegetables, lead based paint toys, etc. We can blame China; however, their working conditions can easily justify how these things happen. We pay them pennies to do a half ass job and they do not care the outcome. If the USA and other countries would start depending on themselves, a lot of this would cease….BUT greed and money will never let that happen!
Mollie Morrissette
Wow, you’re brave. The article mentioned the “duck treats” specifically.
If you read my website you will find that all the treats are suspect. The problem has not cleared up. Dogs are still dying, the FDA is still testing. In fact, the sweet potato treats, the duck, and the pork (pig ears) and cat treats have apparently been causing similar problems (according to vets on VIN).
The ultimate responsibility lies with the importer, if they import goods from anywhere it is up to them to test their ingredients and not to depend on supplier for reliable information. Documents can be forged.
I do not believe that poverty is an excuse for criminal food adulteration. And if that is the reason for fraud, then US companies should not continue to do business there.
Thanks for weighing in! It really is a very sad, sad situation. And yes, I do feel very sorry for anyone (regardless of what country they live in) who has suffer in crushing poverty, with no hope of escape.
Dog lover
Mollie I agree with your above post, I can’t understand WHY anyone would stil be feeding this junk to their dogs. Thanks for writing this, people who truly love their pets are very interested in doing what is best for their pets, clearly some are not.
Mollie Morrissette
Well that’s why I’m here: to convince the fence sitters to jump down and join the good pet food revolution! I’m kidding, sort of…No really, it is all about personal choice. I don’t judge, I just advise, because ultimately we have no control over what another human being (or animal) does.
Karen Thompson
Cute dog right there. Annie is the name of the dog, right? I really love her picture. Her feet paws are very visible. I’m glad that she survive those poisoning and now she’s fully recovered. :)
Mollie Morrissette
The photos are of dogs not involved in the treat crisis. Just images I found here and there.
Karen Thompson
Oh. I see. I hope more people would support this.
Shirley Landis
I read your artlcle regarding Annie and glad she is better. I, too, was feeding my dog Canyon Creek duck tenders and he got sick. I took him to the Vet and immediately stopped them and he is getting much better.