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Deadly Chinese Jerky Treats…Again

Jerky dog treats imported from China are sickening and killing pets again. It is unknown how many complaints FDA has received, TruthaboutPetFood.com has received multiple complaints over the past couple of months.

Jerky dog treats imported from China are sickening and killing pets again. It is unknown how many complaints FDA has received, TruthaboutPetFood.com has received multiple complaints over the past couple of months.

Beginning eleven years ago – in 2007 – the FDA began hearing from pet food consumers regarding pet illness and death linked to jerky treats imported from China. The agency received thousands of consumer complaints, hundreds of dogs died. The illness and death reports lessened dramatically after major brands were recalled in 2013 after New York Department of Agriculture testing found high levels of illegal antibiotics in the treats. But…to date – after 11 long years of investigation – the FDA has never provided consumers with a reason/cause for the pet illnesses and deaths.

The FDA’s lack of action could be why we are now learning of more pet illnesses and deaths related to imported treats from China.

Over the last two months, this website has heard from numerous consumers whose pets were sickened (diagnosed with Fanconi syndrome – just as pets had for 11 years) or whose pet has died linked to Chinese imported jerky treats. The most recent report was the death of a beautiful little dog named Zoe. Zoe’s family provided her Walmart’s Golden Rewards Chicken Jerky.

The front of the label:

No warning to the consumer the product was manufactured in China.

Tiny print on the back of the package does make the disclosure:

The Walmart website advertising of these dog treats displays these claims…

But…the Walmart website neglects to tell consumers those “All natural farm fresh ingredients” originate from China.

Pet food consumers deserve FDA’s full attention and full investigation into the hundreds of pet deaths linked to treats from China. Eleven years is too long to wait.

Pet foods and treats manufactured in China should be required to disclose this information on the front of the label prominently, easy for consumers to see.

Consumers can contact FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine at AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov asking the agency to provide all pet owners with a reason so many pets have become sick or died linked to Chinese treats. And consumers can ask FDA to require ingredients sourced from China or manufactured in China disclosure on front of labels.

My sincere sympathies to Zoe’s family and to the many families that Chinese jerky treats have destroyed.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food


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43 Comments

43 Comments

  1. Jane Democracy

    March 24, 2018 at 3:16 pm

    This is sickening… How is this still happening?

  2. Donna Muse

    March 24, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    Cook for your dogs!

    • Anthony Rose

      June 5, 2018 at 6:27 am

      We have started awhile ago and have noticed a manor improvement in our 2 pets health Those who sell this poison should be held to account along with the FDA. Come on Donald start draining the FDA TRIBUTARY OF THE SWAMP.

    • Mike g

      May 11, 2019 at 9:08 pm

      YES…this is the way you do it.i love my 2 gsd’s soo much.i literally cook a fresh meal for them each and every day.you are absolutey right

    • KYONG VIS

      June 16, 2021 at 1:15 pm

      Yes, I’m just learning chicken jerky I’ve been feeding my dogs are loaded with mildew. It’s on backside of jerky you don’t see from the pack. I stopped giving them since I found d out lSt night by mildew smells n took bite of taste to be sure. It was heavy loaded stuck on backside of jerky on the grids. I’m now worried my dogs maybe sick! Made from Taiwan for Vibrant life, golden rewards chicken jerky! What are poison!

  3. Collie Mommy

    March 24, 2018 at 5:19 pm

    Horrible. Walmart-it figures, Cheap is not always worth it.

  4. Barbara Archer

    March 24, 2018 at 5:22 pm

    It is so hard to educate people to stop buying pet food at grocery and discount stores… the cost can be way to heavy in the end. There are many stores to be found that sell good food for dogs and cats, as well as online stores. Wouldn’t it be great if an advertising company would come out with something that would hit the mark and get buyers thinking about how serious this is?!

    • Mitzie

      October 14, 2021 at 7:49 pm

      Please share names of some of these stores. Thank you.

  5. James P

    March 24, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    We made our own chicken jerky at home in a dehydrator for many years. We never had any problem with our 4 Minature Schnazuers.eating it in moderation. So, it must be the additives/antibiotics/heavy metals in the chicken in China that is being used to create this jerky. Make it yourself!

  6. Mitch

    March 24, 2018 at 11:21 pm

    The Federal Derelict Agency allows Petroleum, Antifreeze, and Rat droppings in our food and beverage, as well as doing nothing about the hundreds of thousands of deaths directly related to properly prescribed “medication”, so to me, it’s absolutely no surprise they couldn’t care less about animals.

    Thanks for everything you do, Susan, but the FDA doesn’t care. At All.

  7. Marin Marra

    March 24, 2018 at 11:49 pm

    What’s the moral of this story? If you see anything made in or is a product of china, leave it on the shelf!! ????

    • Donna Muse

      March 25, 2018 at 12:34 pm

      Even made in the USA can be problematic if other ingredients are sourced from China or other countries that do not care such as vegetable glycerin used in a chicken jerky.

    • KYONG VIS

      June 16, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      Mildew loads jerky! No more!

  8. D Lanesky

    March 25, 2018 at 2:42 am

    Damn China Again. They are a very toxic country.

  9. Kat

    March 25, 2018 at 7:06 am

    Read the entire label of anything you give your pet. Its only common sense to interest yourself in what you are feeding your pet. And never, ever give them food made in China. They eat dogs in China! So why would you trust them with your pet’s food or treats?

  10. Mary

    March 25, 2018 at 10:57 am

    Can a class action lawsuit against the FDA for negligence in doing their job worworkk?

  11. Annette holt-wilson

    March 25, 2018 at 11:04 am

    Exactly,……if what we (United States) pamper/love our four-legged family members and China eat theirs, why should we not be surprised….the pet food industry should have the same standard for inspections as our meat processing companies….if you don’t feed your family food from dumpsters don’t risk your pet’s life to something similar….do your research and trust your better judgement……is not worth losing your pet over….when in doubt, throw it out and…..

  12. Pet Owner

    March 25, 2018 at 4:18 pm

    Stood in line this morning with a lady buying exactly those treats (as pictured). She was right in back of me, and I said, “those treats were just recalled.” Got the deer in the headlights response …like I was crazy. She said ….”oh but not these.” I said “yes, look at the package. It will say made in USA but the chicken comes from China. Made in USA, means “assembled” in USA, not ingredients sourced in USA. Since there was still no recognition on her face, I threw up my hands and said, fine, feed your dog something that will make him sick, I am just so over people questioning “lot numbers” …. “recipes” ….”is it dog or cat food” … “percentages” …. “can I swap the cans out” … .

    These are the kind of people we’re dealing with in public. Never a “thank you, glad you told me, how’d you find out, I’ll look for something else.”

    THIS is why the PFI is absolutely thriving.

    • Donna Muse

      March 25, 2018 at 9:40 pm

      They just don’t want to go to the trouble of learning because it might mean more work for them-as a former educator and one who makes treats to sell I want to do the same or worse to these people. My own neighbors are leary of 100% chicken and london broil jerky I make in my kitchen. People make no sense to me and I hate it when they are in charge of the care of a creature who is completely dependent on and trusts them literally with their life.

    • Eve

      March 26, 2018 at 4:47 am

      I AGREE with you. Even here I read pet owners STILL continue to feed JUNK FOOD . It makes me angry. I’ve been in the vet industry for over 18 yrs and completing my animal holistic nutrition course WAKE up Pet Owners ALL processed pet food is JUNK FOOD. No matter what yes some are better than others but its STILL a risk. So many factors in processed pet foods would take me mass amount of pages to explain but I’m not going to waste my time. I thought on this website pet owners would listen and just feed natural foods OMG. I gave the personal training industry away years ago because I needed a break from vet care and what I learned is some people are just dam right LAZY and will FOOL themselves into believing anything because it;s convenient and some people love their pets on conditions…i’ve had many pet owners bark at me saying, ‘well I’m not feeding my pet raw meat, I don’t want to get my hands dirty, sorry but I love my dog/cat’. NO these people dont’ they like the idea of controlling a pet to suit their own likes and dislikes. I know exactly how you feel.

    • Tim

      March 26, 2018 at 9:25 am

      Yes! The vast majority of people don’t pay attention and don’t bother to perform the detailed and depressing research that’s required to understand what’s going into pet feed.

      They’re the enablers of the PFI.

      As long as those consumer dollars keep coming in, this will continue.

  13. Eve

    March 26, 2018 at 4:37 am

    Unfortunately this will still continue WHY? because pet owners will still keep the habit of thinking its necessary to feed dogs and cats JUNK FOOD. WILD ANIMALS DO NOT EAT JERKY AND DON’T EAT JUNK FOOD. These dam cheap dollar stores sell thousands of these products because some people are ignorant. Make your own safe gluten free treats, its so easy there’s always time to make time. Feed raw chicken necks or mash them and oven bake them till dry overnight and use those as treats. Why are people rewarding their pets to do as they ask with poisonous foods? Can’t always blame the manufacturers YES they are to blame but they certainly DON’T force YOU to BUY THEM!!!!! all processed foods can NEVER REPLACE raw evolutionary diet your pets are no different to wild animals so we must stop treating them like they are.

  14. Peter

    March 26, 2018 at 7:35 am

    Pet Owner, thanks (sadly) for accurately describing the situation.

  15. Marsha

    March 28, 2018 at 5:05 pm

    Quit buying made in China years ago. Wish everyone would quit buying. Maybe with tariff taxes go up Walmart will quit buying there too.

  16. Gus

    March 31, 2018 at 1:42 pm

    The only chicken served in my home is whole or parts purchased at my reputable butcher shop where I know they cut up the chickens onsite, You do know that chickens are sent to China for processing and returned to the U.S. It makes no sense. Read the labels on chicken parts and try to define “hatched, slaughtered and harvested in the USA.”

    Check the dates of any articles/blogs found online as the USDA agreed to this practice in late 2017.

    • Pet Owner

      March 31, 2018 at 2:49 pm

      I’m not defending chicken in any way. (Watch the DVD “Food, Inc.”) It’s entirely over processed, and I’ve stood by that comment ever since McDonald’s (and all fast food) put a chicken demand on steroids!

      But define which kind of chicken goes to China, like Tysons, creating all those convenient frozen packages? Or do you think Costco’s organic breasts (which look pretty darn natural to me) also go? Otherwise a lot of people are going to be misled.

      • Karen Anderson

        April 18, 2018 at 6:11 am

        You are right, Pet Owner. We have farms here that raised chickens and beef and pork and they are butchered, packaged all locally. We know where they are raised and within 25 miles packaging. We buy chicken feet and chicken backs and give those to the dogs raw. They love the food.

      • Patti

        September 8, 2018 at 8:29 am

        Costo is Chinese owned

  17. Wolfie

    April 10, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    I have been feeding my dogs the golden rewards duck jerky and have had no issues. They get 1 a day.

  18. Valerie Ceretto

    May 3, 2018 at 11:47 pm

    My dog just died in 3 days……. he was playing, eating, etc perfectly well. 🙁
    Than in just 3 days there was blood in his bowel movement and he started vomiting, and than his back legs gave on the 3rd day…… vet said his gums were white showing extreme anemia and he was very dehydrated. (he was fine on the second day, drinking water and eating these treats, but not his food…… I had just started giving him these chicken jerky treats from Walmart. Tomorrow I am taking him to a lab to get an autopsy.
    Feel free to contact me if you would like to share some info to hold this company accountable. vmcg1212@yahoo.com –Thanks, Valerie C.

    • Pet Owner

      May 4, 2018 at 9:57 am

      I am heartbroken for you. And you are so brave to be thinking of others at a time like this. To seek out the Truth About Pet Food. And warn people. I can’t imagine any product that ignorant pet owners are so stuck on (in spite of a warning) they’d need to feed, instead of something else. I wrote the comment above, about standing in line at Walmart Checkout within a week of reading Susan’s article. It was the exact same package as the image provided. And the woman ignored me. Didn’t even want to know more. Thank you for doing something. I wouldn’t want to know (sadly) the numbers of pet owners who join you, but I hope you blow the roof off of Walmart and a sick society of people who produce and promote this stuff. It’s got to stop.

    • Carrie Shallow

      May 10, 2018 at 5:36 pm

      I too just lost my Chihuahua after feeding her the golden reward treats.what I had to see her go through and the vets couldn’t figure out why.I took just lost mine may 4th.I have found that there are some treats with phorate a pesticide toxin.She just turned 3 on my birthday.I can’t even function,she literally was my life.I don’t even know where to begin justice for her.These aren’t cheap treats either.I am so sad I gave her any. R.I.P Ryaa girl….

  19. Reader

    May 10, 2018 at 8:32 pm

    It’s okay to hate (you can fill in the blank) manufacturers of the so named country. They have no conscience. They never have. And the never will. After 11 years of the same old thing. You can call that statement anything you want. But it’s reality. Sorry.

  20. Sheena Folsom

    May 29, 2018 at 11:36 pm

    I didnt even think that these were deadly. I buy the chicken jerky wrapped around sweet potato. I bought some 5/24/2018 and my dogs love them but my Millie started having really bad diarrhea sat i mean bad and she was doing much better today so thought nothing of giving her a treat well it started again and thats when we made the connection. I just dumped out what we had, ill never buy them again.

  21. hopk228

    September 22, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Thank you for the information. I have been feeding these treats for a while. My dog has had intermittent bouts of diarreah. I have tried changing her diet, changing her tick and flea treatment, etc… Thanks again for revealing the dangers of product.

  22. Theresa

    December 3, 2018 at 10:54 am

    Prior to finding out the truth, we gave our Duke these treats, thinking “What a great treat-real meat”! But then we noticed right away Duke was having frequent, terrible, foul smelling gas. It was so obvious that the treats were causing this so we chucked them in the trash. We are so lucky he is still perfectly healthy and no more gas bombs. I’m so sorry for those who did lose their fur-babies.

  23. Peter

    April 8, 2019 at 7:23 am

    What was the outcome of this particular situation? At least one news report stated (incorrectly, it seems) that the FDA was “investigating” this specific report.

  24. Howard Owen

    September 7, 2019 at 11:29 pm

    My Dog Max ate that treat (Golden Rewards Chicken Jerky) on 8/31/19 and died on 9/1/19 he was only 10 years old, my heart is broken. I do not trust any food products from China.

  25. vickii schwalm

    November 16, 2019 at 5:22 pm

    I have been feeding these for a couple months with no problem but I did just notice not long ago they were made in China.. I will never buy them again… I personally like the moon treats that state they are human grade.. I am going back to them.. It would devastate me to lose my companion….

  26. Richie C

    January 4, 2020 at 9:42 pm

    I have been giving these (Golden Reward chicken jerky) for a few months. Just recently, my lil dog (multipoo) became really sick. I took him to the vet and he was anemic, not eating or drinking, vomiting and not walking. Vet did blood and lab work, came back my lil buddy’s liver and kidneys were shutting down, They gave him a few IVs and in a day he made a 100% turn around, eating, drinking, running and barking. I have to take him back for more blood work in a few days, i hope he will still be fine and make it. Please, please please DO NOT give these to your animals. I wish i could do something to these manufacturers to shut them down for good.

  27. Keith Holland

    December 6, 2020 at 10:50 am

    wow. I just bought a batch of the golden retrievers duck treat for a Pappillion dog i just bought. she was healthy as all get out than she started getting sick from time to time. Her coat started loosing luster and she was constantly chewing at her skin to the point the fur was missing. the vet took one look at her and the first thing he mentioned was her food. i am very carefull of buying anything from china including the dog food. Lord and behold in small print PRODUCT OF CHINA. i just hate that i missed this. I know china and walmart both don’t care about your health at all, just the bottom line. USA have gotten so deep in bed with china that if it continues it will become our native language. WalMart should be band from here forever.

    • ~ Red & Proud of It ~

      December 6, 2020 at 1:40 pm

      Sadly for you pet, but a good subject to bring up again regarding 2021. With the FDA currently distracted by vaccine concerns, and the corrupt in bed with the corrupt – don’t expect any protections or recalls. This is getting very bad now. So don’t feed any manufactured foods that don’t state made from and sourced in the USA.

  28. Jennifer hastings

    January 13, 2024 at 11:33 am

    Why are these Chinese dog and cat treats still available on the American market Today I bought Goldrn Rewards treats for my dogs tomorrow it goes back TO WALMART this is disgusting and why os the Fda still allowing this CHINESE Garbage to be sold

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