# Jerky treat warning



## fuzzymom (Sep 19, 2013)

Never buy any food products from China! They have a long history of toxic products for both humans and animals. I always check labels. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## benjiboy (Oct 1, 2013)

Same here. I like to feed benji the quality that I would want to eat.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Carrie-e (Oct 23, 2012)

I am a bit funny about what I give my two. They are both on very expensive kibble so I wouldn't give them cheap treats,it defeats the object!


----------



## Rhett'smom (Sep 23, 2012)

Thanks for the heads up! I always check the labels but will double check the new ones as DH did the treat shopping for the boys and he may not have checked?!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Dog treats are one label he needs to check because unfortunately lots are made in China. If treats are made in the USA or Canada it is usually easy to see as there is usually a big add on the front saying that.


----------



## LibertyH (Jun 9, 2013)

> On Tuesday, the FDA issued a letter to veterinarians asking for help tracking the illnesses. The agency also released a fact sheet for pet owners warning of possible symptoms, including decreased appetite, decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea, increased water consumption and increased urination.


Wasn't there someone on these boards concerned about a lethargic dog with increased urination? Anyone remember who it is/was? They might want to talk with their vet about the possability of contaminated treats.

So scary.


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

CT Girl said:


> Dog treats are one label he needs to check because unfortunately lots are made in China. If treats are made in the USA or Canada it is usually easy to see as there is usually a big add on the front saying that.


But do not trust the website - pet food direct had a big made in the USA banner on a certain treat that I was ordering for my girls - then one day I was searching with a fine tooth comb for an expiration date, and found the smallest print, like one shade away from the background color "made in China" - I was So Pissed - they refunded my money for every bag I had ever ordered, but still that would have meant nothing if my girls had gotten sick!
Sitstay.com is a good source for treats because not only do they list where the product is made, they also try to find out from the manufacturer where the ingredients are sourced and list that too!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Even check your wee wee pad labels - once had a china made pad with an entire mouse caught mid run pressed into the layers of the pad!
Now my girls use human incontinence pads instead of dog pads!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

It is less worrisome and easier for me to make the treats than to try to keep up with the poisonings and recalls associated with commercial pet foods made by big corporations. One major reason for shifting to a mostly raw diet with lots of variety (relatively small amounts of a variety of different protein sources, fruits & veggies, etc., every day).

Current treat : Chicken heart jerky nuggets (made in my oven in ~30 minutes).


----------



## benjiboy (Oct 1, 2013)

Tiny poodles.. I would have died seeing a mouse in those wee wee pads. How gross. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

benjiboy said:


> Tiny poodles.. I would have died seeing a mouse in those wee wee pads. How gross.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Trust me, I did - my poor girls who were lined up waiting for me to put down a fresh pad never heard me scream like that before! I threw away like 3 or 4 cases of the things because I couldn't keep them in my house an extra second to deal with shipping them back to the seller, then ran right out and paid full store prices for some new ones - switched to buying human ones since then. The human ones are better anyhow because you can get various absorbency levels and many different sizes - price works out about the same or cheaper too!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

Just a note on checking labels... some treats that advertise that they're "Made in the USA" or "Made in Canada" sometimes use ingredients sourced from China/Asia. In some cases you need to ask the company directly where they source all their ingredients, because there's no hint on the label that they contain Chinese ingredients. I really like Champion pet foods treats (Orijen freeze dried treats) and Cloud Star treats for using ingredients sourced in North America or other reputable countries (i.e. sourcing rabbit from New Zealand, for example).


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

Rusty said:


> Just a note on checking labels... some treats that advertise that they're "Made in the USA" or "Made in Canada" sometimes use ingredients sourced from China/Asia. In some cases you need to ask the company directly where they source all their ingredients, because there's no hint on the label that they contain Chinese ingredients....


Yep, &, apparently, even if you call the company you can receive misleading information.

from Pet Food and China: More Cause for Concern?:

"China is By Far the Largest Importer of Pet Food Ingredients to the U.S.

According to PetfoodIndustry.com, in just the month of February 2011, 70 percent of pet food ingredients imported to U.S. pet food manufacturers came from China.

In that month alone, almost $22 million dollars worth of pet food products were purchased from China. The second largest importer was Thailand, from whom we purchased a measly-by-comparison $7.6 million in pet-related goods.

If you're worried about feeding your pet a food with ingredients imported from China (or anywhere else), at first glance the solution seems simple. Just read the product label to insure it says 'Made in the USA' … right?

Not exactly.

U.S. country of origin labeling laws only require that products made in the U.S. be put together here. There's no requirement of pet food manufacturers to identify where the ingredients in their products come from.

From the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection's Complying with the Made in USA Standard document:

"What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?

For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions."

If you're thinking you'll just call the pet food company's 1-800 number and inquire about where their ingredients come from, you might not find out much.

According to TruthAboutPetFood.com:

"… it seems that no one in the pet food industry is very willing to talk much about Chinese imports. Try calling or emailing several pet food manufacturers and ask them the country of origin of all ingredients. Many will just happen to forget to mention vitamins and minerals are sourced from China.
...
Concerns with Pet Food Products from China Are Not New
...
Current Outlook Remains Bleak"​


----------



## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

This is why I only buy treats that say "Made in USA." 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

Caniche said:


> This is why I only buy treats that say "Made in USA."
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


*The Shocking Truth About Country of Origin Labeling Laws*

Here in the U.S., current country of origin labeling laws are either weak or non-existent. They offer little protection to consumers, especially when it comes to the source of a dog food’s ingredients.
For a product to be labeled “Made in the USA” (or for that matter, any other country), regulations require only that the product be “all or virtually all” made in that country.

Nowhere do labeling rules mandate the identification of sources of the individual components that were used to make a product.
So, even though a company reports they manufacture a dog food completely in a U.S. or Canadian facility, there’s no way to assure a consumer the ingredients weren’t sourced from a foreign producer.​
source : China-Free Dog Food? Don't Count on It


----------



## benjiboy (Oct 1, 2013)

Honestly I don't buy any treats. If I need to train benji to do something new, I use Cheerios buy only a few. All the recalls on food make me nervous. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

nu2poodles said:


> Current treat : Chicken heart jerky nuggets (made in my oven in ~30 minutes).


I do the same thing with gizzards--cut each one into several small pieces and dry them in the oven at around 200 degrees for a couple of hours, until they're sort of rubbery-dry. The dogs love them, and if they're stored in the refrigerator, they last a long time. I usually save any hearts that are packaged with the gizzards to use as high-value raw treats.


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

JudyD said:


> I do the same thing with gizzards--cut each one into several small pieces and dry them in the oven at around 200 degrees for a couple of hours, until they're sort of rubbery-dry. The dogs love them, and if they're stored in the refrigerator, they last a long time. I usually save any hearts that are packaged with the gizzards to use as high-value raw treats.


Thanks ! I will try these. I freeze and take out portions as needed. Hearts, and, I suspect, gizzards, when I can get them, are less expensive than the lean beef cuts I usually buy to make jerky, and a nice variation.


----------



## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

I stopped feeding chicken and duck jerky... I know this probably sounds crazy but I feed salmon jerky with added glucosamine and chondroitin... It smells good, it is soft and has very few ingredients... But now I am concerned! I may have to start feeding them human grade unseasoned cooked chicken breast, steak and ground beef again.... 
I was just really excited about the salmon jerky because of salmon being good for their coat and the added glucosamine and chondroitin being good for their hips.... Maybe this is the last bag of it though.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------

