E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
waggintrainbrand.com
Waggin' Train chicken jerky tenders, sold by Nestle Purina Pet Care, are among top brands of Chinese-made pet treats linked to illnesses and deaths in U.S. dogs.
Newly posted results of more than five years of testing chicken jerky pet treats made in China appear to confirm assertions from government officials that they don’t know what’s making America’s dogs sick, even as complaints about the products have nearly doubled.
Federal Food and Drug Administration officials unexpectedly posted summaries this week of lab results of nearly 300 jerky treat samples collected and tested in the U.S. between April 2007 and June 2012. To see the results, click here.
The documents indicate that FDA scientists at labs nationwide tested for bacterial contamination, for mold and for chemicals used in antifreeze, resins and plastics that can harm pets. They tested for heavy metals and for the melamine and melamine analogs detected in pet food that sickened thousands of animals in 2007.
At the same time, new FDA figures indicate that the number of complaints of animal illnesses and deaths blamed on the treats has risen to more than 1,800, according to Tamara Ward, an agency spokeswoman.
The lab results show a mere handful of adverse findings related to the popular Chinese-made treats. None of the reports rose to the level of needing regulatory action, such as a recall, the documents indicate.
“This does not represent ALL testing that has and is being conducted by FDA,” Ward said in an email. “Additional testing is currently being conducted through other avenues.”
The FDA released the data a day after NBCNews.com reported that the agency had refused to release results of February inspections of the Chinese plants that make the treats. The agency said releasing the information would violate rules protecting trade secrets and confidential commercial information and that it would interfere with enforcement proceedings. That data remains confidential.
Pet advocates critical of the FDA said that while they welcome the release of the domestic data, the results indicate that the agency is not looking hard enough for the source of the illnesses, including hundreds of reports of vomiting, diarrhea and kidney failure.
“When I scanned down through the list of testing, they all seemed to be centered around the same handful of tests,” said Susan Thixton, who writes the blog TruthaboutPetFood.com. She believes the FDA needs to broaden its view to include other potential toxins.
"You can't find what you don't look for," she said.
FDA covered bases, experts say
But animal health experts not affiliated with the FDA said the agency appears to be using due diligence to track the source of the problem. Tina Wismer, medical director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, said the review appears to be complete.
“Looking at what they’re testing for, I’m looking at the list of poisons that we know affect the kidneys and they’ve got their bases covered,” she said.
That’s a view echoed by Marion Ehrich, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
“From the website provided, it seems analyses of submitted samples have not yet led to the discovery of anything toxic that is consistently present in the samples,” she wrote in an email. “They have been looking at possible suspects (melamine, bacteria, molds, etc.) but nothing is standing out.”
The FDA is working to develop and validate new ways to detect toxic substances for which there are no current tests, said Ward, the agency spokeswoman.
The 284 samples included in the new data were collected after consumer complaints, as part of routine surveillance or as an assignment, Ward said. Of those, only six indicated adverse findings.
Those included salmonella found in three samples, including Dingo and Waggin Train chicken jerky products and in one unidentified product. Mold was found in a sample of Waggin’ Train jerky, too. Low levels of melamine were detected in one sample of Del Monte beef flavor jerky treats, the tests showed. Another Dingo treat had a questionable genetic fingerprint that was sent for further analysis.
In addition, a few samples were positive for undeclared propylene glycol, but not at levels that would have prompted regulatory actions, the documents said.
Most of the tests were like one posted on Aug. 20, 2007 for Waggin’ Train chicken jerky tenders. No melamine or related compounds including ammeline, ammelide or cyanuric acid was found, the test showed. No ethylene glycol or diethylene glycol -- toxic components of antifreeze -- were found.
The FDA has issued three warnings about jerky treats since 2007, including the most recent one last November. That’s a fairly strong action for an agency that typically keeps mum on investigations, said Kimberly May, a veterinarian and assistant director in the communications division for the American Veterinary Medical Association.
“This is as close as they’re going to come to saying there’s a problem,” May said. Officials with Nestle Purina Pet Care Co. and Del Monte Foods, which make the top brands of treats, insist that their products continue to be safe to feed animals as directed on the packages.
But some experts say it’s up to pet owners to be cautious.
“At this point in time, until we figure out exactly what is going on, I probably wouldn’t feed these,” the ASPCA's Wismer said.
To report complaints about animal illness, visit the FDA’s Safety Reporting Portal.
Related stories on Vitals:
- Jerky treats from China blamed for pet deaths; owners sue
- Nearly 1,000 dogs now sick from jerky treats FDA reports say
- 3 big brands may be tied to chicken jerky illness in dogs, FDA records show
A grieving pet owner says his 9-year-old dog was in perfect health until he fed her Waggin' Train chicken treats; the Pomeranian died 13 days later of kidney failure. He is now calling on the FDA to take another look at the product. WMAQ-TV's Michelle Relerford reports.
Leave a Comment:
The simple answer to this is to just stop making them in China and just make them here but the corporations won't do that until people stop buying them. Target is trying to do the right thing and their brand Boots & Barkley chicken jerky is made in America. I was giving my dog wagon train chicken jerky and he was throwing up sometimes. Since we stoped giving him those treats he doesn't do that anymore.
Omg! we eat those,can't afford real jerky!
These are just the formal complaints. Multiply that by thousands to get a real number. My buddy and I have 5 dogs combined. They ALL got sick from these treats a few years ago. The vets know this problem exists as when my buddy took his dogs in, the vet asked right away about these treats (vomiting, bloody stools, etc.). Don't EVER buy any food from China. Those sick scum poison their own kids without giving a second thought. Do you think they care about your dog? Thank politicians for giving us China as a trade partner!
I think the problem is with idiots that think that these treats don't go bad.
They open the bag and giove the dog a treat, then put the bag back and leaving it open. When any air, that's moist, gets into the product, then that product starts to go bad and get harmful bacteria OR other things growing on it.
Now, when you give the dog a treat a month from when you opened the bag, he can get sick and die.....
Must be bad product....Really?!
Shan,
What nonsense, 1800 official complaints and it all the pet owners fault. Baloney,there is obviously some sort of additive. Because of China's track record one can only conclude the American public is getting screwed again. Dog treats aren't the only food item to be imported...major supermarket chain has a product called Fisherman's Wharf, seafood, frozen food: processed in China, don't buy the stuff or do at your peril.
Some additive that's unknown to all that care to test?
1800 people couldn't possibly leave a bag of Jerky treats open, what? How many millions of bags were sold and nothing happened?
I am not saying that there is NO WAY China could hide something bad in a dog jerky treat. However, the one bag I had bought a long time ago had very crisp chicken treats inside when first opened, but they quickly turned soft and flexible after a couple of days (even with the seal closed).
I think that they're not mandated to put many preservatives in the treats like they do for Human consumables. Like the food companies aren't required to add many preservatives to frozen foods, so when they get defrosted, you better eat them ASAP or you'll get sick too. Same type of situation.
This is so a no-brainer. Don't give your pets anything Made in China. Period. The reason it does not show up in their tests is because it disguises itself as a Protein, so it just shows up as plain Protein, but it's really a Plastic called Melamine. It's not just 1,800 cases, I'm sure it's more like a Million or more. I am deeply involved in the Pet Community and hear about this happening ALL THE TIME! Additionally, most times, especially if it's an older pet, people will just chalk it off to old age kidney failure, even though it was caused by a Made in China Pet Food Product. You should see how fast they sell these things at Costco and Petco, this toxic stuff flies off the shelves. We used to give them to our dogs, and I feel lucky that they've lived through it and didn't get sick or die. But we don't give it to them anymore, absolutely no products unless Made in USA or made by hand!
It's the law of supply and demand. If pet owners stop buying treats not made in the USA, then the stores will stop carrying them. Please note: nowhere on the packaging does it state the country of origin. The FDA requires it on human food, why not pet food? We stopped feeding our dogs anything made in any other country (specifically China) when there were issues with canned dog food.
If these chinks poison our pets what are they doing to us? Go ahead. Let Unfit Mitt ship all those jobs to the gooks while he continues to make millions. He's the master of outsourcing. Soon we'll be getting food products form red dot nation where we're getting all the telephone calls from, They as well as the Chinese despise us.
I buy these at Sam's club for my dog and he loves them. He has not had any problems that i have noticed. Been buying them for about 3-4 years now.
guess the chinese just don't like us. they had lead paint in toy's some other kind of poison in baby food and now they're killing our pet's.
Try the new vaccinations being given to our pets. My dog had a teeth cleaning and later her annual vaccinations exactly one year ago. She was diagnosed with kidney disease in February and died this past July. I used the new flea and tick treatment on her that starts with a - V. I added a new shot for baterica in her bowel movements. The injections was to keep me from getting sick from picking up her waste. I lost my baby after 16 years and I feel so lost without her.
Hey JH-753756,
Then you eat the stuff if you feel there is no evidence of a connection between the treats and the deaths and illnesses.
What most of you don't take into consideration is user error. Dogs are not supposed to have large amounts of protein. You have to take into consideration the amount of protein already in their food as well as the jerky treat. Feeding a small dog more than one treat a day could make them terribly sick. Dogs have allergies, too. Mine are allergic to corn. Maybe some of the 1800 dogs have allergies to something in the product.
Once again, it seems like everyone is jumping on the wagon to blame someone else for what could be their own fault. You need to research how much your dog can have and stick to that guideline. Not reading packaging can kill, obviously. It's probably not some government conspiracy trying to kill your beloved pooch. It's probably your own over indulgence to a poor animal that doesn't know what's bad for him. Being a responsible pet owner means knowing what your dog can have BEFORE he gets it!
IS IT POSSIBLE., The jerky is reacting with something in these animals systems causing a toxic agent to be created? So it might not be the content of the jerky itself but a byproduct of an interaction.
Medication?
Vitamins?
Food with Jerky
Stomach acids?
I feed these treats to my 4 dogs for well over a year and one of them kept throwing up periodically. We couldn't figure out why so we stopped feeding them the Waggin' chicken treats and she has not barfed since...that is all the conclusion I need! Shame on Sam's Club for still selling this product and not others that are 100% safe for our pets. :{
While I was feeding my chihuaha these chicken jerky treats he was constantly getting horrible stomach aches, so bad he would cry in pain. I finally read a story on the problems the chicken jerky treats from China were causing. As soon as I stopped feeding him these treats he hasn't had any more stomach problems at all!
these are my dogs favorite treats, but i choose not to buy them because of all the dogs dying. there are other treats to give your dog, and its not worth it for them to possible die. i stopped buying them 2 years ago and won't again. please people have to stop relying on the govt to help you, you have to make the decision yourself.
Has the FDA tested any of the purchased dog treats that the dogs ate and got sick from afterward? The left over packaged treats that they could obtain from they dog's owners? If they didn't, why not? When humans get food poisoning, the food that was eaten before the symptoms started is tested. Wouldn't that be more reliable and simple than testing 300 random samples?
The Chinese meant to put it in human food as population control.
International trade agreements have made our country vulnerable to incidents such as this. Other countries don't have the standards that the USA does, so they make things "cheaper" with no regard to safety or effectiveness. The time is ripe to bring manufacturing back to the USA-we need the jobs and we need to know that the goods we buy are safe to use. Let China keep their toxic toys and treats.
Several months ago I asked a 'Sams' manager if there were any complaints about Wagon Train as we gave it to our two pets, and I had read articles about the damage being done; he assured me they were safe or they would not sale them; I quit giving them to our boys right away, and feel much better since I no longer felt I might be poisoning them!
I go out of my way when shopping to avoid the Made in China label. Toothpaste, cosmetics, food or dog food, etc. If I can find a brand made in USA, then I buy that instead -- even if it costs more. Perhaps these dog owners should follow suit.
FDA.....what a joke.....its a clearing house for international corporations that push inferior products on the marketplace.for humans and our pets....we have the best products money can buy.......its all about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$all they are are whores for special interests and major corporations...
Our Gov't should be putting a end to this.
Our government created this problem!!
Whenever I shop I go out of my way to avoid the Made in China label. I cannot always find a brand of item made in the USA, but if I do, I choose it instead -- even if it costs more. This would have saved the pet owners their anguish.
What happens if a toddler gets a hold of them? And thanks Hutr_Hater for sharing that info with us. We recently got a Pom/Chi/Dach mix 2yr old for our young daughter. She loves him, plays veterinarian with him (poor little guy) and sometimes she get a little rough with him. We tell her to settle down and she does. He naps by her when she naps and he is endeared to our family and the folks at the pets store. His little clown personality makes us laugh at least once a day.
The continuing news stories about pet products (and childrens toys) from China is upsetting to say the least. Though not a huge problem compared to what else is going on here and in the rest of the world, it becomes a "do I need this shat to deal with also?" I remember when the country was inundated with shoddy imports from Japan, but those products weren't dangerous to ours or our pets health. We called it "Jap-Crap". My apologies to anyone who's of Japanese descent. Political correctness was different in the 1970's. What can we call it now? "China-_______"?
In the name of global economy to interconnect all the countries financially under the guise of promoting world peace? Like some wackos out there would like to pin it on our President, it's closer to Romney capitalism out-sourcing. Just kidding, I despise Romney but the problem is WAY BIGGER than him and was started some time before. (No Willard the Rat, I'm not jealous or hateful to you or people who are financially successful. It's just that your form of capitalism has an offending odor about it. The made in China evergreen tree rear-view mirror car freshner has been depleted of it's key ingredients.) We say we can't enforce our safety laws on Chinese industry or in the scope of trade-deficit/loan arena we can't ban those products outright. If we force the Chinese to clean things up it will cost more money to make that stuff there, which makes for a slimmer profit margin for our "patriotic out-sourcing captains of industry" and that sends their investors all kerfluffy. Maybe it's these folks poisoning us. Maybe an outlandish statement, but it's closer to anything else I can think of. How Wall Street is ruining America just makes me to wish the American populace and their ELECTED representatives would grow some balls and throw a symbolic rock through Wall Street's symbolic window and watch them scurry like rats on a burning ship. Andew Jackson and The Second Bank of America stuff.
There is a almost politically-incorrect joke by Robin Williams in a show hosted by Lewis Black called "The History of Joke". Ties in well with the subject matter.
DON"T FORGET TO REGISTER TO VOTE!
If you don't, don't cry when we tell you "we told you so".