Something that doesn’t happen very often…a check mark in the ‘Win’ column for pet food/treat consumers. Recently we scored one of those precious check marks – Petco is removing all treats sourced from China from store shelves. It is also reported that Petsmart will follow and remove Chinese sourced treats as well.
How long have we waited for this? To be exact…8 years. For 8 years jerky treats sourced from China have been sickening and killing pets in the U.S. and Canada. More than 1,000 dog deaths were reported to FDA in this time frame. FDA has yet to provide an answer to pet food/treat consumers as to why.
On Monday January 5, 2015 Petco announced all Chinese-made dog and cat treats will be removed from store shelves (to be completed by March). Petsmart made the announcement they too will remove Chinese-made pet treats.
Petco’s Jim Myers (chief executive) told the LA Times: “We believe this is the right thing to do.”
I have my doubts as to whether it was ‘the right thing to do’ or more that the treats were no longer selling because consumers did such a good job warning the world about the risks of these treats.
Consumers did a tremendous job – day in and day out over eight years – warning other consumers about the risks involved. Consumers got the attention of representatives in government – consumers got the attention of media. So whether it was truly ‘the right thing to do’ or loss of sales all thanks to consumer warnings that caused the Chinese treats to be pulled from Petco and Petsmart – they will finally be gone from the two largest pet store chains in the U.S. They won’t be missed.
So…how does everyone feel about this? And I would really like to hear comments from pet owners who lost a pet directly related to jerky treats from China – what do you feel about this decision by Petco and Petsmart?
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
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
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TNReedy
January 7, 2015 at 7:35 pm
Susan, your assessment of Petco’s & Petsmart’s respective decisions assuredly was based on markedly diminished sales. The bottom line, however, was why they took so long to act. Now, what about Amazon and other online pet products outlets including Petco’s and Petsmart’s?
Linda Leonard Hughes
January 7, 2015 at 10:14 pm
Finally! maybe some headway and maybe a light to some goodness!? Everywhere we turn their seems to be heartache! Hopefully this will begin to work! Let us all Hope!
Lisa Widenhofer
January 8, 2015 at 7:43 am
Took too d*** long, but Susan and pet parents keep up the good work of spreading the news and not buying the crap they want to sell us.
Peter
January 8, 2015 at 7:59 am
A decision based not on concern for pets or their customers, but on marketing, as Petco tries to “take credit” for something that should have happened years ago. The final push was likely the realization by their legal team, that the company would become entangled in consumer initiated litigation for continuing to sell products which reasonably can be assumed to be potentially toxic.
Ann*
January 8, 2015 at 12:50 pm
My dog was permanently harmed by the China chicken jerky and will never fully recover. While I could criticize Petco and Petsmart (where I bought the chicken jerky treats on sale in 2012) as “too little, too late”, I think it is more important to look forward and not backward and to see their decisions as very good ones for all pet owners. I view it as an acknowledgement that the battle to improve pet food has won an advancement and is good for everyone. I am thankful that it was not successfully swept under the rug and the outcry against this practice has resulted in changes, not only in marketing but in corporate/government thinking that pet owners can be treated in any old way and nothing significant will happen to them. I think the point has been made – if it happens again, expect the same or bigger responses. And we pet consumers will be vigilant.
Thanks to Susan and Mollie for all of their work in making this happen.
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Dog_Obsessed
January 8, 2015 at 9:33 pm
I agree that this is way delayed, and is probably more about decreased marketing than doing the right thing, but it is still a HUGE step in the way of pet food safety.
Carol Wright
January 9, 2015 at 11:58 am
A daughter-in-law lost a dog and cat to this junk. I have never fed my fur babies any of this. I cook and feed raw. I have two very healthy pets. C
Terri Janson
January 16, 2015 at 1:20 pm
I am thrilled! Finally…I make all my treats. A friend that works with me at the store asked if my dog which is a full sister to hers ever had any seizures. I said no. Then asked if she was giving her dog jerky treats. She said yes. Well she is NO longer. Don’t know what kind they were. NONE of them are good.