They took care of it, right?
Remember "way back" in 2007, when scores of companies were recalling dog and cat food due to contamination with melamine? Melamine, which can be toxic in high doses, was found present in gluten imported from China, which brings elasticity or chewiness to pet food products. While federal testing identified the melamine, a New York State laboratory also cited aminopterin, a rat poison, as the possible culprit in the pet food. Numerous FDA Warnings were issued while the media highlighted the food recall, including the horrifying amount of pet deaths across the nation.
While the exact number of dog and cat deaths is unknown, one thing is sure: the scare from toxic pet food imported from China was real and it increased awareness from loving dog and cat owners all across the country about the dangers of imported pet food.
But that was 2007, and this is now. They took care of it, right?
Our own black Pomeranian, Kona, nearly died in 2007 from imported chicken jerky from China. And that's over now too, right? Think again--the brand that made Kona ill and the others that are imported from China still sit on pet store and big box store shelves today. And, guess what? Despite the FDA Warnings and the warnings from the American Veterinary Medical Association, the products are still selling and more importantly, still causing illness and death in dogs.
How can that be? Is it because the price of chicken jerky from China is cheaper and pet owners don't think about future veterinary bills? Is it because people don't scour the labels on the chicken jerky treats for three tiny words, Made in China? Is it because they don't know that irradiated treats, denoted by the green Natura symbol on the bag, gives the treats an unlimited shelf life and has been known to cause cancer in dogs? Is it because American companies and pet stores still import and sell these products to make big bucks?
After Kona nearly died from eating tainted chicken jerky from China, we started our own company in order to raise awareness about the dangers of imported treats and to prevent the needless suffering of innocent pets. Since 2008, we have continued to receive emails and phone calls from heartbroken pet owners about their stories. Here's an excerpt from a customer's email we received yesterday:
"In 2009 we started feeding our dog chicken jerky that was made in China. I questioned 'China' after hearing all the bad stuff about pet foods coming from there, but we trusted the owner of the pet shop and she said the chicken strips were checked by the U.S. and were safe. We bought them and gave them to our dog. But when our dog had her yearly wellness blood screen done, two items for kidney function were really elevated, indicating kidney disease.
Then my sister told me about USA made Kona's Chips. I went to their site and found information that sounded exactly like Coco's bad blood results. We immediately got rid of the China-made chicken strips and ordered Kona's Chips. Coco loved them, both the chicken and turkey. She's been eating them daily for a few months now and yesterday we had her yearly blood screen done. I told my vet what we've been thinking, that the China made chicken strips were the problem with her two previous blood panel results. We were anxious to see her new blood screening results. He just called me. Her results are all NORMAL. Every item is within the normal ranges! He is convinced (and it's exactly what we suspected) that the chicken jerky from China had caused her kidney functions to be elevated in her blood work. He said it's very fortunate that we quit using them when we did. Keep up the great work, Kona!"
The above email was just received and it's well past the 2007 pet food scare from China recall. But they fixed that, right? It's over, right?
That story was just one of the many we have received, from the heart-broken breeder whose puppy mistakenly ate an entire package of imported chicken jerky treats wrapped under the Christmas tree, and died within 24 hours from kidney failure on Christmas Day, to the darling stroller-riding 3-pound Chihuahua from Los Angeles who died within hours of eating one tainted chicken jerky strip from China.
News Flash: It's not over. Read your pet food and treat labels. Check chicken jerky bags for three tiny words: Made in China.
Follow the advice of the veterinarian who replied to our customer when asked about chicken jerky imported from China: "I would never feed my dog ANYTHING that was made in China."
Fight the profit mongers who want to make the big bucks at the expense of your pet.
Kona's Story
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