Last week’s series of recalls on jerky-style dog treats from several different companies has led to at least one Chinese company having its exports to the U.S. stopped.
According to a Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) report reposted by HuffingtonPost.com, the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is investigating one Chinese company after officials there determined the company was falsifying records on where it purchased glycerin that was to be used in the production of dog treats and other products. Chinese officials have suspended that company’s ability to export products to the U.S. amid the ongoing investigation.
In a spate of recalls last week, several top makers of jerky-style dog treats issued recalls on several varieties of jerky treats intended for dogs.
Nestle Purina PetCare Co. issued a recall on its Waggin’ Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brand dog treats. DelMonte Corp. recalled the Milo’s Kitchen Chicken Jerky and Chicken Grillers home-style dog treats. Publix recalled its Chicken Tenders Dog Chew Treats and IMS Pet Industries Inc. called back the Cadet Brand Chicken Jerky Treats.
The actions were prompted by an investigation led by New York’s Dept. of Agriculture and Markets that discovered traces of “residual poultry antibiotics” in each brand of recalled treats. Only one of the antibiotics found in the treats has been approved for use in poultry in the U.S., and that prompted New York officials to contact the FDA. The antibiotics found in the treats are allowed in poultry production in China: sulfaclozine, tilmicosin, trimethoprim, enrofloxacin and sulfaquinoxalin.
Pet treats from China have been suspected for the last two years with thousands of pet illnesses and nine deaths. There is no indication that the levels of antibiotics found in the recalled treats pose any health concerns to pets in the U.S. but the recall announcements may have been enough for federal officials to finally find the source of those rampant dog illnesses.
Despite the alarming numbers since 2007 – more than 2,600 reports of illnesses and death among dogs and a single cat – the FDA has been unable to identify any ingredients in the treats suspected of causing the illnesses but said that it was continuing to investigate jerky-style treats imported from China.
