ABCNews/Just six months after issuing its latest warning about chicken jerky dog treats made in China, the Food and Drug Administration confirms it has logged more than 900 complaints from pet owners who say their dogs either were sickened or died after eating the treats.
The number of complaints has
nearly doubled since the story was first reported by ABC News in March.
The FDA says its investigation is ongoing and that it continues to
test samples of the popular treats, which dog owners across the country
say have caused kidney failure in their pets, resulting in severe illness or death.
Consumers have largely blamed two brands for the reported illnesses. Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch, both produced by Nestle Purina
and made in China, are reportedly included in the samples being tested
by the FDA. The agency told ABC News it has solicited samples of treats
from the owners of the pets allegedly affected, but will not say
whether it is tested those samples. To date, the FDA has not been able
to determine a cause for the reported illnesses.
The FDA issued its first warning
about chicken jerky treats from China in 2007 and again in 2008, both
times based on consumer complaints. But it wasn't until a third
warning -- in late 2011 -- that the momentum of complaints accelerated
as an angry population of pet owners demanded to know what in the
Chinese treats might be sickening their dogs.
"It's hard to believe that we're still fighting the same battle," said Terry Safranek, whose 9-year old Fox Terrier named Sampson died of kidney failure in January.
"The last thing that he ate and
then threw up was the chicken jerky," said Safranek. "It kills me that
the treats I fed him killed him."
Safranek is a member of a
Facebook group called "Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made In
China," which has grown to 4,500 members and includes hundreds of
photos of dogs whose owners claim were sickened or died from chicken
jerky treats.
"We're just the ones who are online. There literally could be tens
of thousands of people whose dogs were affected," said Safranek.The group also keeps its own spreadsheet of victims, ranging from a 1-year old, five-pound Chihuahua named Kiarra to a 111-pound German Shepherd named Floyd.
"The problem with the issue is getting the word out," said Dr. Richard Goldstein, Chief of Medicine at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. Goldstein has been studying the connection between pet illnesses and chicken jerky treats made in China since 2007 and says although deaths have been rare in his experience, it's still crucial to seek veterinary care if a dog shows symptoms such as vomiting or lethargy.
"These are still on the shelves and cases are still popping up," said Goldstein, urging pet owners to be vigilant.
The issue has gained attention in
Washington, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D.-Ohio, who has been urging
Congress to look closely at products coming from China,
recently blasted the head of the FDA over the issue. At a Senate
Appropriations hearing in April, Brown told Dr. Margaret Hamburg he was
concerned that pet owners were still buying the treats, unaware they
may possibly be tainted. "The FDA must be as aggressive as possible to
find the source of this contamination," he said later in a press
release.
A spokesperson for Nestle Purina told ABC News in March that the
safety of pets is the company's utmost priority and that production of
the treats in China is held to the highest quality and safety
standards. Nestle Purina has not been named in any of the FDA warnings
and the company points out that reported illnesses may be the result
of eating things other than the chicken treats. "We've looked at this,
and we continue to look at this," Keith Schopp told ABC
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