North Country Gazette



Laciessite.com Warns Of Contaminated Pet Treats

Posted on Thursday, 15 of May , 2008 at 1:33 pm

puppy.jpgA year has passed since the largest pet food recall in history which resulted in the death and/or illness of nearly 5,000 dogs and cats but there are still contaminated products on the market. 

Menu Foods of Canada, the manufacturer behind the recall, has agreed to settle lawsuits brought by pet owners. Chinese companies were linked to the contaminated pet food, having exported wheat gluten and rice protein contain melamine to the U.S. Melamine is not approved for food products for humans or animals.

At about the same time, in a move unrelated to the Menu Foods/wheat gluten recall, Eight In One Inc. of Hauppauge, NY, a division of United Pet Group Inc., recalled nationally all lots of Dingo® Chick’n Jerky treats due to company concerns that the jerky treats have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.

The products affected were sold at Target, PetSmart and other retailers. Laboratory testing has shown that some samples of these chicken jerky treats were contaminated with salmonella.

A year later, new cases of deaths and injuries to dogs and cats caused by contaminated pet foods and treats are still being reported.

A new website, www.laciessite.com, dedicated to collaborate with other pet owners who have been victims of poisonous pet jerky treats, has just been unveiled. Pet owners can share their stories. Lacie’s site was conceived by Barbara Fafard and Johanna Ohlsson of Orange County, California. Barbara’s and Johanna’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Lacie, Misty and Emma, became extremely ill after eating these Smokehouse Chicken Jerky Treats, experiencing kidney failure, anorexia, weight loss, and lethargy. Emma and Misty survived; Lacie did not.

Barbara and Johanna reported the illnesses to Smokehouse and to PetSmart, who responded that the product had been tested for heavy metals and melamine and that they considered the treats safe. Neither PetSmart nor Smokehouse tested the particular packages of treats that sickened their dogs, the women say.

After taking the product off the shelves in September 2007, PetSmart allegedly quietly put them back.

“As new dog owners, we made the mistake of wanting to give our puppies top quality treats. We were told that Petsmart sold Smoke House Chicken Jerky treats, which were 100% chicken breast. So, we made the fatal mistake of buying a bag and giving them as a treat after dinner each night. Our precious puppies loved their special treats and got very excited when they saw us reach for the bag”, Barbara says.

“Soon after, both our Lacie and Misty became lethargic, and had problems with diarrhea and vomiting. The strangest thing was that they both became anorexic, in fact we had to force feed them their meals, but they would get excited when we offered them their treats. Misty rallied when we quit giving her the poisonous treats, but our Lacie, though she tried with all her might, could not recover from the damage done to her little kidneys”.

Laciessite.com reports that the newest cast of contamination from the jerky treats occurred in April. A chihuahua in Lancaster, CA. ate one of the treats and died within two hours.  He did not have time to develop the disease that most of them were diagnosed with–Fanconi’s Syndrome.

Fanconi’s is a deadly kidney disease, which is genetic in humans and rare in dogs except for Basenjis, and a few other rare breeds.

“Most veterinarians have never seen a case of it, and when more than 100 dogs developed it within a short time, that shows that something was wrong, the website says. Usually they were treated for the bacterial infection, but there was more to it than that. The toxins have never been discovered, so the FDA allowed it back on the market. The FDA man in her area told her that there were a lot of cases. We know that there were at least 40 to 50 at Cornell, and also 40 to 50 at the University of California Davis at San Diego. “The owner of the chihuahua was devastated, and we are both  concerned because these treats are still available in Lancaster and Palmdale, California  at several stores. Please read Keanu’s story on our website.

“Our mission is to share information and collaborate with other pet owners who have been victims of the Chinese jerky treats, to gather information for the FDA on the number of dogs affected, and to identify the poison. We have been fortunate to have Sonja Fishel and our volunteer coordinator, Sharon, both dogged researchers, join us in this effort. They have contributed greatly to the information on the website”.

Dogs that have become ill typically show the following signs:

—decreased appetite, although some may continue to eat the treats but not other food

–decreased activity, or lethargy–vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes with blood

–increased water drinking and urination An individual dog may show some or all of these signs. 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 dogs have died.

If you feed your dog chicken jerky products, watch the dog closely for any signs of decreased appetite, decreased activity, increased water drinking, increased urination, and vomiting or diarrhea

If the dog shows any of the above signs, discontinue feeding the chicken jerky product. Signs of illness may occur within hours to days of feeding the product. Consult your veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours.

Report animal illness to the FDA consumer complaint coordinator for your state. For contact information, see www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

Chicken treat products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be used occasionally in small quantities.

Pet owners whose pets have been affected by the contamination are invited to include their stories and pictures at www.laciessite.com 5-15-08

Category: Animals, Business, Consumers, Education, Government, Health, Nationwide

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