When will it end? FDA investigating jerky illness for 3356 days

March 11th, 2016 at 10:43 am EDT
Hello Friend,

The safeness around jerky for dogs persists, with dogs getting sick from jerky made in the USA. Meaning you need to be extra careful around what you are feeding your dog, cat.

As in being informed and aware of what is healthy for your pets.

Here is a great, and inexpensive way to start..

Veterinary Secrets Revealed Getting Started Kit is a beginning course on how to start treating your pet at home. Includes a Course Guide, 3 introductory Videos (a total of 3 hours of instruction), and 4 e-Books on the most important at-home healing modalities. 

The FDA has now been investigating the 'Jerky Treat Problem' for 3356 Days.

When will it end?

According to the FDA, there are still ongoing reports of Jerky treat illness in dogs.

The cause: still unknown

Seems funny that we can easily send a man/woman to the moon, but the FDA can't seem to figure this out...

The FDA most current update (nothing since Sep 2104)

Since 2007, FDA has received reports of illnesses in pets associated with the consumption of jerky pet treats. As of September 30, 2014, FDA has received approximately 5000 reports of pet illnesses which may be related to consumption of the jerky treats. These include about 270 reports received since FDA’s last update in May 2014, a decrease from the 1800 complaints received in the previous six-month period. The reports involve more than 5,800 dogs, 25 cats, three humans, and include more than 1,000 canine deaths.


DEET and Drug Amatadine in Dog Jerky Treats

( Source: VIN News Service)

The Veterinary News Network published a story which claims: “Chicken jerky treats consumed by dogs that became sick have been found to be tainted by the insect repellent DEET and the drug amantadine, according to a veterinary pathologist leading an independent probe of the ongoing pet treat mystery.

The reports involve more than 5,600 dogs, 24 cats, three people, and include more than 1,000 canine deaths. 

Testing: 

Following testing performed by the New York State Department of Markets and Agriculture (NYSDAM) in 2012 that detected low levels of antibiotics in tested jerky pet treats.

Testing of jerky pet treats from China has also revealed the presence of the drug amantadine in some samples containing chicken. These samples were from jerky pet treats that were sold a year or more ago. Amantadine is an antiviral that is FDA-approved for use in people. It has also been used in an extra-label manner (using an approved drug in a way that isn’t listed on the label) in dogs for pain control, but FDA prohibited its use in poultry in 2006.

FDA does not believe that amantadine contributed to the illnesses because the known side effects or adverse events associated with amantadine do not seem to correlate with the symptoms seen in the jerky pet treat-related cases. 


American-made jerky tied to illness in dogs


Cases of acquired Fanconi arise despite treat-market shift
By: Edie Lau
For The VIN News Service

Dogs fed jerky-style pet treats labeled as made in the United States are turning up with a rare kidney disease that’s been associated with jerky made in China.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman confirmed Friday that the agency is “aware of complaints related to ‘USA’ made products.” Siobhan DeLancey of the FDA’s Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine said: “We have found some of these products may contain ingredients from outside of the U.S. FDA continues its investigation into these, as well as other, jerky treats potentially linked to illnesses.”

Dr. Urs Giger, director of the Metabolic Genetics Screening Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, said his laboratory 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.

Since 2007, the FDA has been receiving complaints of illness in pets, predominantly dogs, that ate jerky treats. The phenomenon became commonly understood as a Chinese-chicken-jerky-treat problem because most of the products were chicken-based and made in China. Until recently, virtually all chicken jerky for pets was imported from China.

FDA and other investigators have been unable to identify a contaminant in the implicated treats or other reason for illness. But public pressure led many companies selling treats to shift or establish manufacturing operations in the United States within the past year or two.

In February, the FDA reported that the rate of complaints it received involving jerky treats slowed between May and Sept. 30, raising hopes that the problem might resolve on its own. Whether that trend has continued since then is unclear; the agency has not posted an updated tally.

One thing is clear: Veterinarians still are seeing cases of jerky-related illnesses. Dr. Bonnie Werner, an internal medicine specialist at Animal Emergency Medical Center in Torrance, California, for example, is treating a 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier who was referred by her regular veterinarian. The dog was sick with vomiting and diarrhea for more than a week prior.

According to Werner, tests showed the dog had impaired kidney function and glycosuria — glucose in urine — which are signs that point to acquired Fanconi disease.

Werner said the dog’s owner was aware of the link between jerky treats and illness but thought that products made in the U.S. were safe. As a regular treat, the 5-pound terrier was given Spot Farms “all-natural chicken strips,” Werner said. The strips are described on the product website as made from “antibiotic-free chicken raised on family farms in Kentucky.”

The website also says that “all of the ingredients that we use in our products are certified fit for human consumption. Because all of the ingredients used in our treats are all natural, our treats are free of artificial colors and preservatives. You won’t find things like BHA, BHT, or any other chemical with strange abbreviated names in any of our treats.”

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Best Wishes,

Dr Andrew Jones, DVM
P.S. So what is causing the kidney disease in dogs secondary to jerky treat consumption?

Unlikely it's the meat to jerky process...just by drying out the beef/chicken you shouldn't be producing kidney disease. 

I suspect some lesser suspect additive to maintain freshness/extend shelf life...or something in the chicken itself IF the chicken is factory farmed, and hormone/antibiotic laden..

My suggestion  AVOID Jerky Treats all together

P.P.S.   
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DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. Dr Andrew Jones resigned from the College of Veterinarians of B.C. effective December 1 2010, meaning he cannot answer specific questions about your pet's medical issues or make specific medical recommendations for your pet.

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