Chicken Jerky And Illness

[lilypily]

If there has been a previous thread about this i'm sorry I missed it. Feel free to link me.

My girl is back to the vets tomorrow. We have ruled out a UTI and she is not responding to Propalin to stop her wetting through the night.

So i'v been googling and her symptoms match chronic renal failure. Then I came across a lot of information regarding chicken jerky and illness. My girl has 2 JerHigh Chicken Tenders a day (she loves them) and reading the packet they are made in China - where the problems are coming from.

Does anyone know about this or had a dog affected?

Edited September 30, 2013 by lilypily

[Wundahoo]

If you are really concerned about this then I would suggest that you get a referral to an internal medicine specialist.

Alternatively you coud stop feeding the chicken jerky and see if things improve.

In the previous outbreaks in 2007-2008 some dogs got better within 2-4 weeks once the suspected cause of the problem was removed.

If your vet is stumped by this problem perhaps a referral to a specialist might be a good thing in any case.

[kayla1]

Has she had blood tests? That will tell you if it is renal failure.

[Loving my Oldies]

No way would I feed my dogs treats or chews or jerky or anything like that made in China.

FFS: so many factories don't give a ratz about what they give to human beings. You think they are going to care about animals?

[lilypily]

Oh trust me she is never getting another one....EVER.

First off her urine sample showed a very mild UTI. So we did a 10 day course of .AB's, but no change. Vet then prescribed Propalin, the thinking was seeing as she's a near 11yr old spayed bitch it could be incontinence. The Propalin has done nothing.

She is drinking massive amounts, no dribbles or loss of control, just 2-3 very big puddles waiting for me every morning. Her tummy is swollen/bloated and yesterday her gums were pale (but they returned to pink and have stayed pink today).

So vet again in the morning for blood tests and i'll be telling him about the chicken tenders. I got the shock of my life when I read that illegal antibiotics have been found in them. I got the packet out and yep, made in Thailand.

I had never heard anything bad about them. If she is sick due to what i'v fed her I will never forgive myself.

[Wundahoo]

MMmmmm, perhaps it's best to get a workup done by a medicine specialist.

The signs that you have described could be numerous things.... cushings, diabetes, cardiac, renal disease of several kinds, even liver disease can give those signs. Until a full workup is done a proper diagnosis cant be given and it's really only guesswork until then.

[lilypily]

Thanks guys, our appointment is 10:30 tomorrow morning so i'll update afterwards. :)

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

So much stuff is now made in China but I won't give any of it to my dogs. I won't have it so nor will they - scary how much there is on the shelves now.

Hope she's feeling better soon.

[_PL_]

Invest in a dehydrator and make your own. :) I never buy packaged treats anymore.

KraMar recalled a line of chicken treats a few years ago, ingredients sourced from China. It was a voluntary recall because of a spike in reported severe kidney problems but left many people cautious of all chinese pet food imports.

[kelpiecuddles]

Is there still considered to be issues now? I got given a few packs of Jerhigh chicken treats and have been giving them to my girls without a thought, if there are potential issues I have no qualms about chucking them.

[kelpiecuddles]

OK, the rest can go then. Will have to find something else to use when we go walkies.

[dwynwen]

I've been using chicken jerky from aussiepethealthtreats.com.au - all Australian sourced and processed.

Hope you get a diagnosis and treatment plan for your girl soon Lilypily.

[D'smum]

Antibiotic would be one of the less worrisome "ingredients". A lot were found to be tainted with rat poison. I read a report that it is layered between the jerky in the warehouses in china prior to being packaged to keep the rodent numbers down.

[PuddleDuck]

There have been instances in the past where melamine has been added to protein sourced from china which then caused kidney/liver damage in dogs and cats (google menu foods recall). I do worry about treats made in china now and tend to avoid them

[Wundahoo]

Invest in a dehydrator and make your own. :) I never buy packaged treats anymore.

KraMar recalled a line of chicken treats a few years ago, ingredients sourced from China. It was a voluntary recall because of a spike in reported severe kidney problems but left many people cautious of all chinese pet food imports.

Technically it was voluntary !!! The company was informed of the concerns quite some time before the recall.

Here is a quote from this link.

http://www.securepet.biz/wordpress/category/consumer-reports-pet-food-product-recalls-safety-reviews/unsafe-contaminated-pet-food/

" In fact, the first reported incidents of a Faconi-like syndrome in dogs who had consumed chicken treats occurred in Australia. Towards the close of 2008, Sydney veterinarians were suddenly faced with an unusually high number of small and medium-sized dogs who needed treatment for this illness. Simply stated Faconi hinders the kidneys from absorbing nutrients and electrolytes from the blood stream. The result is a spillover of glucose in the urine. The effects on the dog’s organs are damaging and will cause death if left untreated. However, Faconi is a genetic disease that appears only in certain dog breeds, particularly Basenjis.

Like super-sleuths the Australian veterinarians questioned the pet parents about their dog’s diet. (This was most likely prompted by the melamine contaminated pet food incident of 2007.) What they discovered was a commonality: All the dogs had received the KraMar chicken jerky treats. In their report to the Australian Veterinary Association, the veterinarians stated a suspected link between the rise in a Faconi-like syndrome and a pet treat manufactured in China.

According to the Australian Veterinary Association, it was at this point “AVA members were alerted via email (3 December 2008) and asked to report any similar cases to the specialist to enable further investigation of the syndrome.” As usually occurs in these situations the story was leaked to the press. Someone forwarded the email to a journalist for the Adelaide Advertiser, an Australian news source. The journalist in turn telephoned AVA president Mark Lawrie. The result of the phone interview and the email were featured in an article that appeared in the Adelaide Advertiser on December 8, 2008. Within hours the national media got wind of the story."

There are quite a few people who now will not purchase anything (treats, accessories or equipment)with the K>>>>R label. Confidence in the products we purchase and the company marketting these items is so important.

[Brandiandwe]

I try to avoid treats made overseas too, so I get the bulk pack of chicken jerky from Black Dog. The Aussie Pet Health Treats also looks good, but a little more expensive with the shipping.

[Loving my Oldies]

I try to avoid treats made overseas too, so I get the bulk pack of chicken jerky from Black Dog. The Aussie Pet Health Treats also looks good, but a little more expensive with the shipping.

If the only treats available when you are shopping are made overseas, why give them at all?

A few years ago, Urban Animal magazine had an article on treats and the bit I particularly recall was about rawhide chews. The amount and types of chemicals used to produce those was horrifying. The dogs I had at the time loved them, but after I read that article, they sure as hell didn't get them again.

Walking through the pet food aisles at my local supermarket and seeing all the crap that is on sale is enough to give me heart failure, god knows what those products are doing to our animals.

They are also putting the small producers out of business. I was so happy over the years to be able to source fresh meat and dried products produced here in Sydney. But guess what's happened to them? Yep, had to fold as just could not compete with the big supermarkets which import huge quantities of highly questionable and downright dangerous products from overseas.

[Brandiandwe]

Mine get just chicken jerky and things sourced and manufactured in Australia except for occasional Greenies or Paragon dog chews. They get treats for training on walks to help manage leash reactivity.

[lilypily]

I will get her blood test results late this afternoon. My vet said the chicken tenders could very well be the cause of her problems. If that's the case he said she will recover. He also talked about Cushings, kidney probs etc: so i'll know more later today.

Can someone tell me what are the Aussie made and safe brands.

[Wundahoo]

Safest way is to make your own.

Very easy.