Food & Water Watch Responds to Jerky Treat Pet Illness Report

is responding to the FDA announcement that they are asking for the public’s help in the mysterious illnesses apparently caused by pet jerky treats. This week, the government posted an update on the investigation admitting they don’t understand what is going wrong, and giving veterinarians information about reporting cases.

Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement, “we appreciate the new information the agency posted. But America’s pets are still at risk from these potentially deadly treats. Today’s update from the FDA showed a drop in reported illnesses since the decision by Nestle Purina and DelMonte in January to recall their chicken jerky dog treats produced in China. But the source of the problem has still not been identified. And there are imported pet treats from China made by other companies still being sold in the United States.”

Advocates would like to see FDA focusing on inspection and laboratory activities of those imported pet treats, and they should require more data and information from the companies making these products to prove that they are safe. Food & Water Watch wants the Obama administration to release the proposed rule on preventive controls for animal feed that was mandated under the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. The rule has been held at the Office of Management and Budget for almost two years.

There was a drop in reported illnesses after Nestle and DelMonte recalled their products. In addition, a study in Australia points to strong links between illnesses in dogs in that country and imported pet treats from China. The dogs developed acquired proximal renal tubulopathy. Most of the animals survived, but many required aggressive supportive care. The study concluded that the treats “likely contained a toxin targeting the proximal renal tubules.”