The answer: too many. Over the past decade, there has been a common link in the deaths of countless pets in the US, Australia and now the UK. The common link – ingredients or products sourced from China.
Nine years ago this month, U.S. pet owners began to learn about the risk of Chinese imported pet food ingredients or pet food products. The date – March 16, 2007 – is seared into the hearts of so many pet food consumers. This is the date the largest pet food recall in history began. Before it was over, more than 5,300 pet food products were recalled – thousands of pet died, thousands more suffered years of kidney disease. The cause of this recall was Chinese imported vegetable proteins contaminated with melamine.
At about the same time (2007), FDA began receiving illness and death reports in pets associated with Chinese imported jerky treats. As of May 2014, the FDA received illness reports on more than 4,800 dogs and 25 cats – and more than 1,000 reports of dog deaths. To date, the FDA has found no cause for the pet deaths and illnesses.
In 2008, pets in Australia and New Zealand began to suffer the same illness and death fate as US pets linked to Chinese imported jerky treats.
Are things any better today? No.
Now pets are dying in England – again from the common link of Chinese imported jerky treats. The Animal Health Trust – veterinary institution in the UK – is warning pet food consumers “some imported jerky treats may be highly toxic to dogs.” “While a cause is unknown, all the treats were identified as originating from China.”
How many pets have to die linked to Chinese imported pet food ingredients or treats?
How many pets have to die until country of origin (COO) information of ALL ingredients is clearly marked on pet food/treat labels? How can consumers be informed if COO information is not openly provided?
How many pets have to die until manufacturers stop importing ingredients or products from China? Many US pet food manufacturers tell consumers ‘there are no other options’ as excuse for sourcing ingredients from China. If you are told this excuse – don’t believe it. China IS the option for cheap, bulk ingredients. But China IS NOT the only option. Many pet food/treat manufacturers to go great lengths to NOT source any ingredient originating from China.
Some pet food and treat manufacturers have provided consumers with their ‘Pledge to Quality and Origin’ – full transparency to the country of origin to all ingredients. See those companies and their Pledge here: http://associationfortruthinpetfood.com/the-pledge/
If the pet food you provide your pet has not provided their Pledge, ask them to. Consumers deserve to know!
Before you provide your pet with any food or treat, call or email the manufacturer asking the country of origin of each and every ingredient (What is the country of origin of all ingredients including supplements?). With this information, you can then decide if the product is worth risking your pet’s life for.
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 4000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
The 2016 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
Cande Griffin
March 14, 2016 at 2:31 pm
Hi Susan,
As far as I am concerned, keep sounding the alarm about the chicken jerky treats. I don’t think you can say it often enough.
Our Basenji girl Promise, who was a chicken jerky treat junky, is still in LSA remission – over seven years after she was pronounced a stage 3 in Aug. 2008. She is now 11 years of age and healthy. LSA is a stealthy form of cancer, so she has complete blood work, every six months so we can monitor her white blood cells.
Promise and our other two Basenjis are fed the same food we eat – the more simple, the better.
Cande Griffin
Debbie
March 14, 2016 at 4:35 pm
In year 2009, I lost 5 of my precious babies from kidney failure and cancer-Healthy kitties who had never been sick their whole lives and all died very young. I contributed their deaths from the food they had been eating-There was nothing else they were on in the form of medications etc.. The only thing they had been ingesting was the food. My conclusion was that the food killed them. After they died I changed the rest of my kids foods to better food, and no more supermarket food. What children I have left are still alive and I had my eyes opened later when I joined Truth about Pet Food, and I am so grateful to Susan for providing me eyesight into all this stuff that is going on for my babies sake.
Anthony Hepton
March 14, 2016 at 6:00 pm
Susan, I asked the Center for Veterinary Medicine a few months ago if they had checked any of these treats from China for endotoxins. As they have done with other questions I and others have raised, there was no reply. Even if they don’t think there is a connection, wouldn’t it be prudent to send a reply to that effect. There are clear indications that there are endotoxins in the materials that are used in pet foods and treats. There are also documented routs that show that endotoxins can pass from the small intestine to the blood system with the assistance of Chylomicrons, small globules of fatty acids, which can pass through the wall of the intestine into the blood system. It is hard to understand that the Federal Agencies say the have no leads on the causes of pet illnesses and deaths, yet refuse to comment on ideas that could lead to an explanation, if a little time and effort was invested into an investigation. There appears to be a closed mind syndrome at the Center for Veterinary Medicine.
Dawn
March 15, 2016 at 8:56 am
I just emailed Blue Buffalo regarding them not being on the pledge to quality and origin of pet food. I am curious to see their response.
Kristi Johnson
March 15, 2016 at 11:17 am
In January 2007 my two-year-old Staffy became extremely ill and suffered severe pain. I won’t go into the horrors of it – this just before the recall – but the emergency vet said it looked like Tylenol poisoning. Her liver was affected. She was saved by stopping the dog food and treats that I had been feeding and, I believe, getting an enormous subcutaneous fluid dose.
I still think it was more than melamine. I think there was a variety of chemicals being thrown into a variety of pet food ingredients. To get rid of them? Because they were sitting in piles on the floor next to eachother? Because machinery wasn’t cleaned? Probably all of the above and more.
brenda
March 18, 2016 at 11:56 am
My little terrier died of cancer, over several thousands spent on her Dr and test and blood transfusion, She started to get sick after several months of me giving her, what from the way front of the package looks to be a very good company that had glucosamine and chondroitin to help with her aging body of 10 years. In very TINY print on the last line was chicken from china! Never again from any company will any of my pets get chicken unless its organic chicken I eat.
shi wang
March 20, 2016 at 4:52 am
No ingredients from China, has become the language of advertising and marketing.
In fact, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries of raw materials is more inferior, still be inferior to China.
Mary Marseglia
March 24, 2016 at 3:03 am
Well if people would educate themselves or listen to people like myself and many other friends of mine that have done the research, all this is true what Susan has stated, and instead of buying lousy ALL dry kibble food is lousy(& most canned foods as well) then you should be feeding a complete raw diet made primarily from herbivore/ungulate animals(yes, poultry can be fed, stay away from pork & fish, but poultry is NOT the normal diet of our pets ancestors and our pets are true carnivores) So I educate people to feeding complete raw diets. Yes, I’ve had people say they can’t afford it so I’ll recommend on like 2 hands of so-called higher quality grain-free “as low in starches as possible” canned foods but I tell them these are still over cooked foods, and 98% of the pre-mix supplements added come from China & India and China has been killing thousands of animals for years with these pre-mixes!
linda kohl
March 26, 2016 at 3:25 pm
I can’t afford expensive food for my cat. I fee him meow.mix and one can of soft food per day. Is there anything you can recommend that sO can buy in grocery store without products from China? Thank you, animallover and activist Linda Kohl