The madness continues – some U.S. manufactured jerky treats are now being linked to acquired Fanconi disease in dogs – the same kidney disease linked to Chinese manufactured jerky treats.
Veterinary Information Network (VIN) released a story stating that the FDA has confirmed the agency “is aware of complaints related to USA made products”. FDA is stating that some of the reported US manufactured jerky treats contain ingredients “from outside of the US”.
However, Dr. Urs Giger – director of the Metabolic Genetics Screening Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine stated this lab has diagnosed recent cases of acquired Fanconi disease in dogs “that ate treats that ostensibly were not made in China or with ingredients from China.”
The brand of US manufactured treat mentioned in the story is Spot Farms – owned by Perdue. The company stated the chicken was raised in Kentucky and that all other ingredients “were sourced from U.S. companies”.
Note: This is a common trick used by pet food/pet treat manufacturers. ‘Ingredients sourced from U.S. companies’ could have a country of origin in China or anywhere in the world. This treat company only disclosed that they purchased the ingredients from a U.S. supplier. They did not disclose the country of origin the supplier purchased from. When you inquire about country of origin of ingredients – don’t accept this response. You want/need country of origin of all ingredients (not supplier origin).
It is also reported that the jerky related illnesses is spreading to pets in Europe – stating that two years ago cases of acquired Fanconi was unheard of. “Giger co-authored a report of the first jerky-related case of Fanconi in Europe to be recorded in a scientific journal. Involving a 5-year-old male border terrier, the case was published April 5, 2014, in Veterinary Record, the journal of the British Veterinary Association. Every day, the dog ate various beef and chicken jerky treats, some of which contained ingredients originating in China. His clinical signs improved four weeks after he no longer was given the treats. By 19 weeks after he first took ill, the owner reported that the dog was completely normal.”
Made in the USA on the label – per regulation – requires that “all or virtually all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of US origin. That is, the product should contain no – or negligible – foreign content.” Unfortunately for consumers, this rule is rarely enforced.
If you are giving your pet a jerky treat – call the manufacturer and ask the country of origin of all ingredients in the treat and processing aids. Get to know the company you trust your pet’s life with.
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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Ann*
April 6, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Phew! I was just about to push the online purchase button on some beef jerky treats that said Made and Sourced in USA when this email arrived in my inbox. I went back and double checked that I had read everything correctly and I did. My dog almost died from the China jerky treats so I am super careful in reading labels and checking the wording.
Thanks Susan for getting the new word out about this very disturbing development. Things must change.
Wolf
April 6, 2015 at 12:41 pm
the problem is with the word “significant”. Taurine, guar gum, anthem gum, and vitamin packs all come out of china. Have not found one single canned food yet without these Chinese ingredients. Yet they are such a tiny portion of the formula that they are not considered “significant”, and fall under the radar.
Shirley
April 6, 2015 at 2:14 pm
Nature’s Logic canned food doesn’t have these ingredients. I’ve fed this food for over 2 years. Every time I email the company I get a response back, even in the middle of the night. I’ve been very pleased with this food!
Wendy Gansereit
April 6, 2015 at 2:22 pm
I use this food as well. I also buy their raw and beef jerky.
None of their body Parts are irradiated!
Love this company!
Becky
April 6, 2015 at 7:06 pm
I have also been feeding Nature’s Logic since it first came out. And yes, Scott the owner and creator of NL does answer his calls. His meat products come strictly from Canada, USA and New Zealand. Absolutely no chemicals, by-products, etc. I do not feed ANY treats whatsoever but an organic mixed berry biscuit…Buddy Cookies are a good company.
Too many risks with all of the other products. NO rawhide or any kind of Dental chews from anywhere
but a reliable source like Dr. Becker – Dr Mercola products.
Dogs love carrots, apples, etc. I make them treats for my dogs.
Canned Organic Raw Pumpkin is good for them too.
Got to be so careful.
Got to be sure NOT to shop in grocery stores, WAlmarts, etc for pet foods.
Maggie
April 16, 2015 at 4:15 am
Owner of Hound & Gatos told me he sourced his taurine in the USA.
jb
April 6, 2015 at 1:19 pm
It may state “Made in US” but, ingredients are probably imported. Do not trust that label. Most of the chicken comes from China.
Also, Ethoxyquin may be added to preserve fish. Carcinogenic. It does not have to be on label if supplier added it versuses the manufacturer. Besides, Medhaden fish is nasty, do not feed to your pets. Open a can of wild caught sardines instead or buy fresh fish & cook gently.
susan
April 6, 2015 at 1:50 pm
I stopped feeding any rawhide or jerkey treats. My supermarket, and farmers markets in season, have femur bones from the butchered cattle they sell, and package and sell them as dog bones. my dogs love them, my house and yard sometimes looks like a cannibals den, but the vet always marvels at their teeth and gums.
Lala
April 6, 2015 at 2:30 pm
We only feed our dog Sam’s Yams by Front Porch Pets. These Sweet Potatoe Rewhide chews are made in th US from USDA sweet potatoes. That’s it nothing else. He goes crazy for them.
Meg
April 6, 2015 at 3:10 pm
So what are the Us treat that are making dogs sick?
Regina
April 6, 2015 at 4:42 pm
Susan, this brand is owned by Perdue?? Is that the same Perdue with the mass-produced chickens, or is this some other “Perdue” named brand?
I had heard from someone I kinda trusted that this Spot brand was pretty decent, small-farm, and all that. But if it just falls under the corporate umbrella of a big mass–producer, I’m less likely to trust them.
Thanks for keeping us posted.
Susan Thixton
April 6, 2015 at 4:44 pm
Yes – the parent company of this brand is the big Perdue.
Regina
April 6, 2015 at 6:39 pm
ugh. I hate that their packaging or website does not allow you to know this!!!!
For us folks who want to stick with buying from small outfits, we get outsmarted by folks like this distancing themselves from their parent company.
Is it too much to ask for a way to know who really owns/produces our foods? Does anyone know where one can look into who is really behind the label on these things???
At least purina puts their logo on all of their stuff, even if it’s really small, we still know it’s purina. I feel that this “Spot Farms” name was created so people don’t know that these treats are really produced by the very large Perdue corporation.
jb
April 6, 2015 at 9:40 pm
This chart may help you. It shows the Big 10 that own the majority of food on the shelves. Some you may think are healthy/organic are questionable.
http://twentytwowords.com/chart-showing-the-10-companies-that-own-most-of-the-food-products-we-buy/
Regina
April 6, 2015 at 11:24 pm
I already knew the big brands listed in this chart. I’m wondering about these new brands, like Spot Farms, that haven’t been around very long. Looking at packaging and websites, we had no way of knowing that Spot Farms was owned by mega-producer Purdue.
I think that was intentional, because Purdue knows that there are consumers who avoid their products.
Ellie
April 6, 2015 at 5:13 pm
I am a label reader. I always want to know what I am buying no matter what it is and I am finding that it is getting harder to find where things are sourced or processed. Many times you only find where the distributor is but not where the original source is. If that is all the information they are going to give me then I pass on the purchase and that goes for everything from clothing to food. If they can’t be upfront about their products I can’t be bothered trying to find out about it. I just do not purchase.
Peg
April 6, 2015 at 6:06 pm
Pretty wild……Perdue I mean.
Just a few minutes ago, I saw a commercial from Perdue saying that they are the only FDA certified chicken producer here in the United States.
So I took that to mean they have chicken from China that the FDA certified for Perdue.
That means everything is hunky dory…….dripping sarcasm.
Bangs head on wall………
Regina
April 6, 2015 at 6:41 pm
Perdue makes that claim? What about Tyson? Their chicken products are everywhere! (but not in my house!)
Ellie
April 8, 2015 at 1:13 pm
You can also make your own dehydrated meat treats (hopefully from a local farm) in your oven or with a food dehydrator. They are much better than anything you can buy in the store.
Deb
April 6, 2015 at 7:58 pm
Are their treats by chance irradiated? I haven’t seen the packaging in person but their website doesn’t reference yea or nay on that issue. We are highly suspicious of any irradiated treats (for pets or people) and will NOT carry any treats that irradiate. Many manufacturers use this because they are concerned with salmonella and other pathogens and the FDA has been on the warpath in the pet industry in regards to salmonella.
jb
April 6, 2015 at 9:45 pm
Best policy is make you own pet treats. Then you know the ingredients.
MJ Ryan
April 6, 2015 at 10:31 pm
I feed my 2 dogs Plato organic chicken treats. Made with USDA approved organic chicken. I have been buying them for several years now and never noticed any adverse reactions. I think they are safe, but these days one never truly knows with anything we buy for the fur-kids or even ourselves.
Patrick Mahaney
April 7, 2015 at 12:50 am
Thank for this insightful story and for clarifying some of the verbiage that appears on treat packages in terms of where products are sourced or what the ling means. Dr. Urs Giger was one of my professors at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and has been very helpful in consulting with me about the genetics of immune mediated disease (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) in my own dog Cardiff.
Dr. Patrick Mahaney
Anne
April 7, 2015 at 7:48 am
“No way does Perdue chicken Co. import chickens from China; on the contrary; Perdue exports Chickens”; Anne
Peg
April 7, 2015 at 9:21 am
Anne……the ALL knowing.
C’mon Anne, fess up………just who exactly do you work for.
At least let us read your packaging……….
Lala
April 7, 2015 at 12:27 pm
Deb if you are referring to Sam’s Yams I just called and they only use local sweet potatoes and they are Not irradiated
Deb
April 7, 2015 at 1:09 pm
I’m referring to Perdue’s chicken jerky. I’m very familiar with Sam’s Yams and have carried them in my store. Irradiation is generally done on poultry to kill salmonella.
Pingback: Pet food could have hidden origin.
Jane Eagle
April 7, 2015 at 11:25 pm
Better yet, quit buying crap for pets and make your own SAFE treats; or just give human grade food as a treat! Canned pumpkin or yams are expensive. Fresh yams are 99 cents per pound at my local market. I buy a bunch, cook them up and mash them like potatoes, my dogs LOVE it! I also give raw chicken necks as a treat; organic, good, and good for their teeth.
Anne
April 8, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Sounds yummy chickens livers are healthy for cats! I hear pumpkin is good too!!
Anne
April 11, 2015 at 10:47 am
PEtMD http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ktudor/2012/dec/thiamine-deficiencies-and-excess-vitamin-A-in-cats-diets-29552#.VSkYTIW71Do.email
Terri Janson
April 8, 2015 at 12:52 pm
I don’t trust ANY ANY ANY jerky treats. I don’t trust any treats at all except the ones I make.
Ellie
April 8, 2015 at 1:17 pm
You will see chicken and eggs in the grocery store that is advertized as being from non caged chickens but that means nothing. Apparently these meat producers just stick the chickens in a huge barn and are fed the same cheap feed. Being in such a huge structure without a proper pecking order leads to many chickens being pecked to death and others die of the filthy conditions.
Stephen B. Murray
October 26, 2017 at 4:17 pm
I have a dog that is in the late stages of kidney failure. His blood work was fine 2 years ago. He is an 8-year old Pomeranian. The only thing that has changed in the last 2 years is that we discovered he loved chicken jerky. We bought two dehydrators, one for our summer home in Canada and one for our winter home in Arizona. At the end of a season, we take all of the meat in the freezers (almost all chicken) and make jerky treats. We make all of the jerky ourselves from fresh breast meat. We do not pre-cook or post-cook the jerky we make in the oven… we just dehydrate it for 10 hours. So, I think the jerky problem is not necessarily China or USA related. The specific condition is called Fanconi-like syndrome (FLS). Jerky has now been removed from our dogs’ diet. Benji is on a special diet for kidney issues, drug supplements and a heart disease medicine that increases blood supply to the kidneys. I must admit that we believe Benji is now in recovery mode. He eats well and plays well and is now back to his territorial old self. I guess time will tell. I am wondering if some toxins are created by dehydrating for 10 hours at a relatively low temperature.