Chicken Jerky Treats--FDA Warning
 

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Preliminary Animal Health Notification - Chicken Jerky Products for Dogs

Preliminary Animal Health Notification

December 19, 2008

FDA Continues To Receive Complaints about Chicken Jerky Products for Dogs and Cautions Consumers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to caution consumers of a potential association between the development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky products also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats. FDA continues to receive complaints of dogs experiencing illness that their owners or veterinarians associate with consumption of chicken jerky products. The chicken jerky products are imported to the U.S. from China. FDA issued a cautionary warning to consumers in September 2007.

Australian news organizations report the University of Sydney is also investigating an association between illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky in Australia. At least one firm in Australia has recalled their chicken jerky product and the recall notification stated the chicken jerky product was manufactured in China.

FDA believes the continued trend of consumer complaints coupled with the information obtained from Australia warrants an additional reminder and animal health notification.

Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be
used occasionally and in small quantities. Owners of small dogs must be especially careful to limit the amount of these products.

FDA, in addition to several veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the U.S, is working to determine why these products are associated with illness in dogs. To date, scientists have not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. FDA has conducted extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified any contaminant.

FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs which may occur within hours to days of feeding the product: decreased appetite, although some may continue to consume the treats to the exclusion of other foods; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; and increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.

The FDA continues to actively investigate the problem. Many of the illnesses reported may be the result of causes other than eating chicken jerky. Veterinarians and consumers alike should report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator FDA's Consumer Complaint Coordinators in their state.

Web page updated by hd - December 19, 2008, 1:12 PM ET

Bumping this up Thanks for posting this!

:eek:
thanks for sharing

Thanks for the heads up.

You're welcome!

Guess who's been feeding their precious Butter these things since August -- me! I just threw them out this morning -- I had the chicken minis, and sure enough, in very small print on the back, it said Made in China.

Butter's had weird health issues since August when we got them to help him get over his anxiety about staying in our kennel for more than 10 minutes at a time. Poor guy.

Please spread the word -- I hate to think of any dogs receiving these as holiday gifts.

Kris

Are products that contain chicken jerky okay that are made in the United States? Like Wellness jerkies made by Mother Hubbard.

thanks!

ugadawgrx,

The FDA only warned against chicken strips, jerky and treats made in China, so I would assume that those made in the USA are fine. I'd be sure to check and make sure it states "Made in the US" and not just distributed in the US.

Kris

Twice I experienced problems after feeding Mickey Chicken Jerky.....I threw them out and they'll never see the light of day in my house. Too bad though, he just loved them, but no more. I think anything made in China should be avoided pretty much. It's sad, but true. Thanks for the valuable article.

OMG! I wish I'd seen this earlier. I just bought a HUGE bag of these from Costco. They are distributed by Kingdom Pets...but sadly, MADE IN CHINA.

Diva loves these. Guess, that's $16 in the garbage, but anything's worth it to keep her healthy. Maybe I can make my own...

I know how you feel. From now on, if it's made in China, I'm not buying it. It's just not worth putting their health in jeopardy for a treat.

My dog also loves Beggin Strips and as far as we can tell, they're not made in China......also PupCorn which isn't made in China either. You can give them a try. I did however have to throw away a bag of Bonz which my dog loved to eat....and though I never experienced a problem with him eating them, I'm not willing to take any chances.....so those are history too!

I bought a 10 tier dehydrator and use that for chicken. Just make sure if you buy one, that it's easy to clean. They work great and it'll save you $$$ and I'm all about saving some money.

GeorgiaOnMyMind - we were looking at one of those in Wal-Mart the other day b/c my boyfriend LOVES jerkey, but it's so expensive to buy all the time! I think I'll be going back to buy one now and just make my guys jerkey myself. Even though ours is made here in the USA and organic as well, I'd still feel better making it on my own. Plus, saving some serious moolah!

They have some stuff that you can buy to add to your meat and it tastes so good. I just it out of the fridge right now for you and the brand is called American Harvest, Nesco, Original Beef Jerky Spice; it comes 6 packets to a box and each packet mixes with one pound of meat. See if you can find it at the store... If not, PM your address and I'll send you a couple of packets. :)

OMG... Myah has these symptoms... what should i do????
 

I went to the pet store yesterday... while i was shopping around the guy at the counter gave my 15wk old female a few pieces while my daughter was holding her. last night she started with the diahrea and still has it. it has been about 20 hours since consumption. She's sleeping alot now but was up alot last night since i couldn't sleep (too worried). How long should it take to get out of her system? Can i feed her anything to calm her stomach? HELP....