<http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/300018/3/5-on-Your-Side-Could-your-dog-treat-hurt-or-kill-your-dog>

While this is all good information, it is very VAGUE information that
has (as the article mentions) been known by the FDA and consumers since
2007 yet NO exact products and/or manufactures have been identified
(whether I agree with the FDA's actions is another topic). No new news
about this has been added since the story first began being reported
over FOUR years ago unfortunately. "Chicken jerky products" is like
saying beef flavored treats - how many products does that eliminate
from the market??? TONS!

So the concern is that the chicken jerky treats *could* be causing
Fanconi syndrome in dogs
http://www.askavetquestion.com/news/2011/chicken-jerky-fanconi/
and that may be a very realy, justifiable concern. From this link "In
2007 there were many cases of Fanconi syndrome in the USA. These cases
were linked to melamine contamination in treats made in China. In 2009
there was a rash of cases of dogs with Fanconi syndrome in Australia.
These were connected to either chicken treats or dental chews that were
made with corn, soy, and rice.

So how would one know if it was the chicken treats OR the dental chews
that was making a dog sick? Do you remove ALL products from your dog's
diet that are either chicken jerky treats or things that contain soy,
corn, and rice? Boy, that pretty much means that you'd have to make
your own dog food if that was the case!

I think the best (and really only) thing a consumer can do is choose
to either not buy ANY chicken jerky treats at all or buy *only* treats
that specifically say MADE IN U.S.A. (which we should be doing
anyway!!). BE CAREFUL THOUGH AND READ PACKAGING CAREFULLY!!!! There are
VERY VERY SNEAKY MANUFACTURING COMPANIES who will try to trick you into
buying their product by appealing to the patriotic side of Americans
and listing this information on their packaging in a very deceptive
way. For example, here's what Waggin Train does:

They list on all of their packaging "An American company" (and even
use a symbol similar to an American flag) but on *some* products it
also says (in small letters, of course) "Made in China" which means
that some or all of the ingredients are from CHINA, not the United
States. With the chicken jerky treats, since chicken is the only real
ingredient, it means that Waggin Train likely buys their chickens from
China and makes the product in China, too. UGH!!!!

Don't get me wrong - I am NOT saying don't act and just ignore the
warnings b/c the statements are 4+ years old. And I am NOT saying we
should ignore the cases and reports of dogs becoming very ill after
they were fed various brands of chicken jerky treats. What I'm saying
is "take the necessary precautions that YOU, the consumer, think are
necessary to satisfy your own concerns and make you feel right about
your decisions". If you are the slightest bit apprehensive about giving
your pet ANY chicken jerky then simply eliminate it all together from
your pet's diet. Or don't buy the stuff that says on the packaging
"Made or manufactured in China". It only takes ONE time - one piece of
bad food to make a pet sick and if a person continues to feed their
pet(s) chicken jerky treats despite the warnings (however old the
warnings are), then he/she *MIGHT* be taking a risk and gambling with
his/her pet's life but there is no difinitive proof that the pet is in
danger by eating a chicken jerky treat.

On the flipside, since there has never been any specific products
recalled and manufacturing companies shut down, the warnings could be
all for nothing and may not have any validity or merit to them
whatsoever. Up until late 2011, I was feeding my Sadie several pieces
of Waggon Train chicken jerky treats a day and to date she has shown
absolutely no signs of illness whatsoever. So clearly there was not a
problem with what I was feeding her (Waggin Train chicken jerky and
Milo's Kitchen brand chicken jerky treats) BUT *I* have decided that,
just to be safe, and because I want to support ONLY manufacturers who
are located in AND make their products in the USA, I will not be buying
ANY chicken jerky treats at all and have switched to a different type
of treat all together rather than play Russian roulette. That's the
choice I made and not every pet owner will make the same decision. We
just have to do what we each think is best for us and our pet(s).

Am I going to bash anyone who chooses to continue giving their pet a
type of chicken jerky product? No I will not. It's not my job to police
anyone and it's THEIR money and their choices. However, I can do my
best to inform people of possible dangers but then it's up to them to
make the decision that works for them and their pet(s).

[Moderator's note: Products made in the USA can still import their
ingredients. BIG]

[Posted in FML 7332]