E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe Hartz Mountain Corp. is withdrawing some 20,000 packages of chicken jerky pet treats in the U.S. after the firm's own tests found trace amounts of antibiotic residue, the same problem that led to earlier recalls by top suppliers.
Hartz Chicken Chews and Hartz Oinkies Pig Skin Twists Wrapped with Chicken for dogs have been pulled voluntarily from retail shelves nationwide, according to the Secaucus, N.J., firm.
Company officials said they conducted independent laboratory tests after New York state agriculture officials found evidence of antibiotic residue in treats produced by Nestle Purina PetCare Corp. and Del Monte Corp. Nestle withdrew Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brand dog treats and Del Monte pulled its Milo's Kitchen Chicken Jerky and Chicken Grillers home-style dog treats from shelves nationwide.
In addition, two more firms recalled their treats as well, including Publix stores, which recalled its private brand Chicken Tenders Dog Chew Treats and IMS Pet Industries Inc., which withdrew its Cadet Brand Chicken Jerky Treats sold in the U.S.
Hartz officials said they found evidence of antibiotic residue in about a third of the treats they tested, but removed all the products as a precaution. They were not contacted by the New York officials, but lab tests found the same unapproved drugs including sulfaclozine, tilmicosin, trimethoprim, enrofloxacin and sulfaquinoxaline.
Four of the antibiotics are approved in China, where most of the treats are made, and in other countries, but not in the U.S. A fifth is allowed in the U.S., but in virtually undetectable amounts in finished products.
There is no indication that the detection of antibiotic residue is related to an ongoing investigation into deaths and illnesses of dogs and cats linked to chicken jerky pet treats made in China, treat manufacturers and Food and Drug Administration officials agree. The trace antibiotic pose no health threat to pets or humans, FDA officials said.
The agency is continuing to investigate what may be behind reports of 500 deaths and more than 2,700 illnesses in dogs and cats who consumed chicken jerky pet treats made in China.
Related stories:
Leave a Comment:
It still baffles me how anyone who loves their pet would feed them anything that originated in China.
Should look into USA made treats and donations going to help animal The best I know is www.goodnessgracioustreats.com if you real need the good treats! this is it.
I have wondered this also why do we buy the junk from China,? probably because it is cheaper than if it was made in THE U.S. plus our Government owes money to This Country;; Why don't the american people stop buyig this stuff and maybe we can get food and treats for our animals and maybe get food for us grown in american farms....!!
POOR DOGGIES :( don't feed them chinese junk food ,give them the best or homemade treats,spend a little xtra on the food ,you will save it on the vet bills
Nowhere on the packaging (on all of the brands) does it say the product was made in China, there is only mention of the American distributors.
That should be your first clue. By law, there should be a place of origin on all products.
Instead of $3to$7 packages of of dog treats, mostly made in China, try fresh baby carrots in the produce section of any grocery store for about $2 a big bag! My Pugs love them!
Items can be labeled as "made in the USA" even though their ingredients come from China. For example, you can say that your soup is homemade when the ingredients can come from other areas.
I get around this because I no longer use food treats. I use clicker system and toys. When my dog is behaving, I reward him with my time and attention.
For reference, "distributed by", "packaged by", and so forth are code words for "made with contaminated, toxic, and poisoned ingredients from Red China", so connect the dots when you are studying human, pet, and livestock food labels, as well as everything else . . .
Similarly, the word "natural" means next to nothing under US law, which is one of the reasons it is used so frequently by sneaky weasels, and making the word all the more problematic it can be used as part of a trademark or brand where it has no meaning at all, with an example being "Natural Goodness Happy Life Brand", where the general logic is that consumers should be sufficiently smart and well-versed in agriculture, biology, chemistry, and the other sciences to be able to connect the dots and consequently to realize (a) that "Natural Goodness Happy Life Brand" means nothing more or less than "Hostess® Twinkies" or "Sta-Puft® Marshmallows" and (b) that these trademarks and brand names have nothing whatsoever to do with providing factual information about product purity, naturalness, safety, nutrition, and so forth and so on . . .
It also is useful to note that the Red Chinese base their logic on over 10,000 years of screwing themselves and the fact that there are billions of them, which in terms of pinching a penny maps to saving 1 penny on each of 1 billion items representing $10,000,000 (US) or 10 million US dollars, if you prefer, hence while pinching a penny is not such a constant national focus in our great nation, in Red China it is their primary focus, and the Red Chinese are just as ready, willing, and able to injure and kill their fellow Red Chinese as they are to injure and kill us and our pets and livestock . . .
But perhaps most disturbingly, everything is one the table for the Red Chinese when it comes to devising new and highly devious ways to contaminate, toxify, poison, and otherwise adulterate food, which in the grand scheme of everything maps to the Red Chinese devising new ways to achieve this patently evil goal that the Western mind simply cannot comprehend in any immediate way, hence for example even though all the epidemiological data clearly indicates that Red Chinese pet treats are injuring and killing pets in the US, the USDA, FDA, and other federal and state agencies and departments are unable to identify precisely how the Red Chinese are doing it . . .
And the best evidence that this is exactly what the Red Chinese are doing is the fact that the Red Chinese recently refused to let FDA inspectors do independent testing of the various raw materials used at Red Chinese pet treat manufacturing plants . . .
The Red Chinese said that there could be testing but that all testing must be done by Red Chinese laboratories, which in the grand scheme of everything is the mea culpa, really . . .
Really! :-o
Theses AMERICAN COMPANIES are very DECEPTIVE. They state in large bright print on their packaging....PROUDLY DISTRIBUTED IN AMERICA! However, when you look over the UPC code it says Made in China. They have been doing this for years just to $AVE a BUCK!!!!
BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT these American companies until they can PROVE these treats are safe and pass standard regulations and are 100% MADE IN AMERICA!!!
Why do they still by from China, They produce crap and they do not care what goes in it.
The thing is it's the companies, outsourcing jobs to China !!! These are American companies, getting off cheap. They don't hold the same standards to the Chinese that they would be forced to do here. It's an easy buck for them which is always the bottom line.
people should avoid buying treats or dog food of any kind that is made with chicken, chicken by-products, turkey, or really any kind of poultry...it can cause an allergic reaction resulting in itchiness and hot spots...within a few days of my dog being on a poultry-free diet she stopped itching, biting, scratching and digging at her skin, she quit chewing her feet and her hot spots vanished
I stopped feeding my girls dog food after the first recall, even though I get bombarded with "oh you shouldn't feed them people food" comments. Oh please tell me how good dog food from China has turned out to be!!
I cook for them in the morning before I leave for work and I cook for them in the evening when I get home. They get portion controlled feedings with vegetables and a vitamin every day.
I just don't want to put my fur-babies at risk for a lousy "treat" that might kill them.
This is what has happen to my dog, No more of any kind of dog food or treats from China!
We feed raw USDA (ha ha) inspected beef hearts, brown rice, rolled oats, and cooked vegetables to our dogs and the vet cannot believe how healthy they are at an older age. 1/3 ground beef hearts-1/3 vegetables (carrots, celery, yams, zucchini and a pinch of garlic) and 1/3 brown rice-rolled oats. Ground egg shells and omega oils on top. Nice shiny coat. Most commercial dog foods use corn and that is not good for them.
123 freedom... Thank you for the tips. i am going to try this myself. I have been wanting to get my dogs off of dog food for a long time but didn't know how to prepare healthy food for them and if their stomach could handle it.
I don't buy anything that doesn't say MADE in the USA for my dogs. amazon.com has pages of pup treats made here.
Made in USA can mean "products" from China assembled in the USA. Call the phone number on the packaging, if any questionable answer, don't feed it to loved pets. They can, and some do, use "Chinese " meat and flavor it(make) in America.
Never ever buy food product from China or Mexico...If it ain't American it ain't Shlt...
canada got some high quality dog food and treats as well as USA
Comment # 6, #7 and #9 deleted. Racist derails. Watch it, folks.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the packaging will be accurate or correct. Milo doesn't tell you that some of their products are made in/imported from China, but they do tout American made. Didn't know I was feeding my pets poison until they recalled.
Correct! Many people mistake "Distributed by" as "made in", when they are totally different. Distribution centers are where the product is reshipped FROM to the stores for consumers to buy.
Manufacturing can occur anywhere and then be shipped back to the U.S. to those distribution centers.
Exactly right...What burns me is that we trust these well-known brands so we buy them, figuring they're USA. You have to squint to see they're made in China. My dog loves chicken jerky, been eating it for quite a well. I heard about Waggin' Train & stopped, was buying Milo. Doggie starts eating grass - must have eaten every blade in the yard!!! Yak, yak, yak - went on for a few days so I brought her to the vet. She had a perfect physical but was dehydrated so an overnite stay to rehydrate costs me over $200. I've looked in pet stores - $18, 19 for a bag, looked at the label & sure enough, made in China! I don't feed her 'people' food - animals require certain nutrition that our food doesn't provide. Shame on Purina, Nestle, Milo's - now can we even trust their pet foods??
We feed raw USDA (ha ha) inspected beef hearts, brown rice, rolled oats, and cooked vegetables to our dogs and the vet cannot believe how healthy they are at an older age. 1/3 ground beef hearts-1/3 vegetables (carrots, celery, yams, zucchini and a pinch of garlic) and 1/3 brown rice-rolled oats. Ground egg shells and omega oils on top. Nice shiny coat. Most commercial dog foods use corn and that is not good for them.
#3.3 - Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:31 PM PST
I always look at the box/package to see where the product is made.
I wanted some canned mushrooms but checking the label.... Made in China! Even Green Giant gets their mushrooms from China!
China.... it stays on the shelf!
I stopped buying my dog these chicken jerky treats over a year ago when I got the word. Why are people still feeding their dogs this garbage? Isn't the word getting out? I don't find HUMAN beef jerky that much more expensive and my dog just LOVES it.
"The trace antibiotic pose no health threat to pets or humans, FDA officials said."
Before the FDA makes such an all-encompassing statement, why don't they do a little more research and find out just what it is that's making the pets sick/die? They don't know the cause of the illnesses, but they're so sure it isn't from the trace antibiotics that aren't allowed in the U.S.? Whose side is the FDA on, anyway? Silly question.
Everyone should contact their congre$$man & demand a law that says every food product (for humans or pets), or drug, sold in the US is labeled with country of origin! I will not knowingly buy a food or drug made in China or India or any 3rd world hell-hole. But I'm sure many in congre$$ would oppose this because their corporate masters don't want us to know where their crap is made! If it's a store brand, then it probably is made in China. I love how companies say on their label..."Distributed by (company)" but not WHERE it is made. If it says that, then you can rest assured they are trying to hide the country of origin. We need to let congre$$ & the greedy corporations know we will not buy unless we know where products are made.
i totally agree with you!
Congress cannot even figure out a budget, how can they be smart enough to find out how these pets are dying when fed crap from China?
Everyone should contact their congre$$man & demand a law that says every food product (for humans or pets), or drug, sold in the US is labeled with country of origin! I will not knowingly buy a food or drug made in China or India or any 3rd world hell-hole. But I'm sure many in congre$$ would oppose this because their corporate masters don't want us to know where their crap is made! If it's a store brand, then it probably is made in China. I love how companies say on their label..."Distributed by (company)" but not WHERE it is made. If it says that, then you can rest assured they are trying to hide the country of origin. We need to let congre$$ & the greedy corporations know we will not buy unless we know where products are made.
maybe the antibiotics are in the chicken because the chickens were diseased? Just a thought.
I buy my kitty food & treats from a pet store here thats called Pure Vita www.nutrisourcedogfood.com
They handle dog & cat food. The best thing about it, it's made in the USA, Perham MN.
No CHINA garbage for me. Please be vigilant about reading the labels on food. Don't trust anything from China.
I very stupidly fed my dog the duck jerkey and I think that is what killed her. That was in June, and I still miss her. I will never feed a dog treats like that ever again.
The thing is a lot of treats that say they are made in the USA are getting the materials from China. They are making them in the USA with products from China. They don't have to put that on the bag. I lost my chiuaua Misty to these treats as well.
Read the lables people! NOTHING FROM FRICKING CHINA! Also watch candy especially from the dollar stores.Don't feed this to your kids! Only USA people! If it doesn't say "MADE IN USA" DO NOT BUY! THEY ARE TRYING TO KILL US ALL!!
Soooo.....wasn't China the country that started with the H1N1 virus? A.K.A. BIRD FLU! last time i checked, chickens were still categorized as a bird!!!!!!!!!
I look at everything I buy. I won't buy dog treats from China, or tomatos from Mexico, and you can't even get pineapple that's from the U.S.A.
i have friends in ASIA that sell and distrubute dog foods in korea ,they even won't think about feeding the chinese foods/treats to dogs or cats ,they strictly source all the food from USA,canada and a handful of european/australian firms ,even they know better then to risk both customers pets as well as there reputation for a little xtra profits,ironically they EXPORT to china as some chinese don't even trust chinese dog foods
Too funny. Hartz implies that "traces of antibiotics" may be killing pets. No how, no way. It takes something seriously nasty to do this.
There is no way that you can live in the US today without buying Chinese products because that is virtually all that is available. Even the grocery stores are full of Chinese products, including produce.
Apparently the Chinese are the quintessential capitalists in that nothing matters but the bottom line.
Oh my dog is so smart, she refused her chicken jerky treats so I threw them out. Then my other dog has refused the Ole Roy basted beef biscuits this week so switch over to milk bone. Trust your dogs, they are smarter than the Feds that are incapable of comprehending what the Chinese have planned for America. I even used some frozen stir fry for a dinner. On the first taste, I knew something was wrong and looked at the bag. Sure enough it was packaged in China so I threw it out and now watch what I buy. Yes even the candy like the lady mentioned above went into the garbage. I try to grow as much as I can, bake/cook from scratch and very seldom eat out. I have my grocery bill to below $50 a week for 3 people & buy my meat in bulk. It's people like me that made JP Morgan's bet on the food industry not fan out as well as they thought it would. We the people control consumerism, not them, and just when they think they have us figured out, we change course. So power to the people and keep them guessing.
Now that everyone is seeing the trend here -- contaminated food products from China -- research is now being done into whether the 'chicken' in these deadly products is even chicken at all!
As I've pointed out before, it's not just our pets the Chinese are going after. They want to get all of us---their toxic drywall as well as the myriad lead-based painted trinkets being cautionary examples. However, I am puzzled as to how they think we're going to be able to pay them back the trillions we owe them if we're all dead.
Why are these US Corporations allowing the importation of these contaminated products from China? Answer must be higher profits. But are they getting any profits from these if they have to recall them? Let's start holding the corporations accountable for their actions. Not with fines, you only buy your way out of jail by paying them.