New Threat from Chinese Pet "Food" Product

[SteveGrenard]

Best judgement: dog owners should now refrain from giving their dogs so-called jerky treats. Frankly I have never entertained the idea of feeding these "constructs" to my dog ... anymore than eating such products made for humans either. They are a bad idea IMHO.

see:
American Veterinary Medical Association press release


http://www.avma.org/press/media_alerts/070914_jerky_treats.asp



Update: AVMA warns of potential new threat to pets
--------------------------------------------------------
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has recently been
made aware of several complaints from pet owners and veterinarians
that multiple brands of jerky treats manufactured in China have been
making pets sick. Signs of illness have included vomiting, diarrhea,
and lethargy. To our knowledge, no deaths have been reported.

The AVMA posted an alert on its Web site on 13 Sep 2007 inform its
members and the public about what was known. Today [14 Sep 2007], the
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) issued a
statement saying it also has become aware of an unusual number of
dogs presenting similar signs and abnormal test results associated
with consumption of some jerky treats. The ACVIM statement is available at
<http://www.acvim.org/uploadedFiles/Jerky_Treat_Info_September_14.doc>,
and is shown below in.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently testing several
products to see if a contaminant can be found. So far, they have
ruled out melamine, one of the chemicals that led to the massive pet
food recall this spring, but have yet to identify anything that might
be making pets sick.

While a list of brand/product names of affected treats is not yet
available, the AVMA has learned that all complaints have involved
jerky treats from China. We recommend that pet owners use their best judgment in this matter.

Suspected cases should be reported to the FDA. To find the number for the FDA district office consumer complaint coordinator in your region, visit

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html





The AVMA is monitoring the situation and will provide updated
information on our Web site http://www.avma.org as soon as it
becomes available. Like all information on our Web site, we will only
post information that is credible and has been confirmed.

For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, AVMA media
relations assistant, at 847-285-6687 (office), 847-732-6194 (cell), or
<msanfilippo@avma.org>.

[Checkmite]

Are you kidding? Slim Jims rock.

[SteveGrenard]

Quelle surprise....a top Chinese official says it is also America's fault Chinese products causing so many problems and then claims 400 companies banned from export biz inside China. I wonder why the US doesn't have problems with products imported from Denmark where America gets its Legos from.

Oh, so that's why:


September 13 2007: 5:55 PM EDT


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A top Chinese official blames importers, exporters and illegal companies for problems with certain products sent from his country to the United States, and declined Thursday to directly express government regret for the incidents.

Vice Minister Wei Chuanzhong said his government is working with American regulators to establish responsibility for contaminated and possibly defective Chinese goods, including toys, toothpaste, pet food and automobile tires.


Much more to learn at:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/13/news/international/products_china/index.htm?section=money_latest