Chicken Jerky Treats - FDA Warning

Preliminary Animal Health Notification

December 19, 2008

FDA Continues To Receive Complaints about Chicken Jerky Products for Dogs and Cautions Consumers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to caution consumers of a potential association between the development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky products also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats. FDA continues to receive complaints of dogs experiencing illness that their owners or veterinarians associate with consumption of chicken jerky products. The chicken jerky products are imported to the U.S. from China. FDA issued a cautionary warning to consumers in September 2007.

Australian news organizations report the University of Sydney is also investigating an association between illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky in Australia. At least one firm in Australia has recalled their chicken jerky product and the recall notification stated the chicken jerky product was manufactured in China.

FDA believes the continued trend of consumer complaints coupled with the information obtained from Australia warrants an additional reminder and animal health notification.

Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be
used occasionally and in small quantities. Owners of small dogs must be especially careful to limit the amount of these products.

FDA, in addition to several veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the U.S, is working to determine why these products are associated with illness in dogs. To date, scientists have not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. FDA has conducted extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified any contaminant.

FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs which may occur within hours to days of feeding the product: decreased appetite, although some may continue to consume the treats to the exclusion of other foods; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; and increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.

The FDA continues to actively investigate the problem. Many of the illnesses reported may be the result of causes other than eating chicken jerky. Veterinarians and consumers alike should report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html in their state.

Duker

Hi Don

Here are some photos, taken today. He is HANDSOME!!!!

Carol

Timber Hunt

Hi Don,

The river was flooded last weekend so I scouted puddle ducks in a little corner and we waded in there in the dark. It turned out to be even deeper than I had thought so we couldn’t get to the “honeyhole”. Too bad – it would have been one of those “Timber Hunts” like they do in the states on all the hunting shows! We had to settle for a more creative setup in the alders along the edge of the flooded field, but we still managed six ducks. Ruby had fun with the easy retrieves – a nice change from the Fundy Tides to be charging out into shoulder-deep freshwater. She did have an episode of “little miss independence” – deciding she was deaf to whistles and casts! I think that the commands went something like this: “BACK….. RUBY!!!! BACK…. BAAAAACCCCKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh FRIG it, do what you want!” The other funny moment was when she came to shore from a retrieve and her neoprene vest had slipped down to her hips – as if someone had pulled her pants down! The look on her face with her ears dropping as she stood there confused – holding the duck and looking at me with that “What the HELL?” look on her face – priceless. Unfortunately I was not quick enough with the camera.

Here’s a shot of “Little Miss Independent” with her harvest…





Cheers,
-Dave

Hope you have a Merry Christmas

Hi Don,
I hope you have a Merry Christmas,

We're off to Ottawa to see what trouble Tate can get into in the
Nation's Capital.

We're scheduled to come home on the 29th, but I'm not sure if we'll
make it in time to register for your obedience classes. If I don't
show up, can I still register another time?

Have a great holiday!!!

Leigh Ann

Sam I Am

Hi Don,

Been awhile since we chatted. Just thought Id say
Merry christmas to all of ya..

Peace and good health..

Steve, Nancy and sam I am

I Want to go out!!

Deer Incident

Had an incident last night at about 2am that I thought was kind of a neat story (also scary) that I thought you might enjoy.

I took Cassie (our Border Collie) out to pee last night about 2am as she was whining (we went to bed early so I didn't let them out at the normal time before bed). As soon as we got outside Cassie ran to the corner of the yard and stood looking at something that I couldn't see. I started walking towards her and then I saw what she saw....3 very large female deer were in the yard of the Mormon Church which is right behind my house.




Well Cassie being a Border Collie, she bolted at top speed after them, they took off running towards Mountain road went across the street and down into the woods. I chased after her on foot but all I saw were tracks in the snow of 3 deer and one dog. I immediately jumped in the car and was going up and down mountain road and side streets calling her name, no good, she was into the woods after these deer. I came home, woke Carrie and then feeling very helpless I had an idea! I leashed up Nash, took him outside and said, "where's Cassie, find Cassie!" in an excited tone, well Nash never pulls on the leash.. He took off like a bat out of hell with me running as fast as I could being almost dragged behind him. I didn't even lead him to the corner of the yard where she last was and he followed the trail. It was just like in the movies where the bloodhound catches a scent and then just bolts down the trail. He led me through 3 neighbors yards, over Mountain Road and through the woods for what seemed like forever and I was calling Cassie's name the whole time. Nash is dragging me through the woods, branches hitting me in the face, down a huge ravine and even deeper into the woods, when I could look I saw dog tracks and deer tracks. I'm not sure if Nash was chasing the deer, or Cassie's scent but the next thing I know, in the pitch dark, it's raining like a monsoon and Cassie is standing beside us. You can see from the attached picture how far that Nash followed the trail from our yard to where we found Cassie thanks to Google Maps.

Well Nash is one of the smartest, most trainable dogs I've ever owned or seen. And I've lost count of how many people who have asked me where we got him because he's such a good looking dog.


Charles Green

Study every day

Hi Don,

I make chev study every day but he is not getting any better

Karl

Tucker to the vet today

Hey Don,

I took Tucker to the vet today. It was that swimmer's tail like we talked about. He will be fine in a couple days.

He got told how handsome he was again at the vet office. It's going to go to his head.



Evan

Great Dog

Thanks for getting back to me, she is a great dog. We love her, she is the most lovable, gentle dog we have ever had. She took about two and 1/2 years to calm down, ha ha, not to bad though. She is very good with people, the grandchildren love her. We have often thought about getting another one but I think the house is too small for two big dogs. I have recommended you over and over. Thanks for the information, I will make sure to take her tags and her proof of shots.

thanks again,

Ann Marie

Ruby? Spoiled dog? Naaaahhhh!

Hi Don,

I thought you’d get a chuckle out of this. Kelly took on this project during the three months a year when she is a “hunting widow”. When she presented the final product I was quite impressed actually (I’m hoping she’ll build a deck for me next weekend!). You’ll note Ruby’s “Dad Leash” with the trout on it and her “Mom Leash” with the flowers on it! Not spoiled at all eh?! I can see you rolling your eyes now – darned yuppies and their “fur kids” – haha!

Cheers,

-Dave

Big birdy day on Saturday

Hi Don,

We had a big day on Saturday out on the Fundy mud. It was the greatest day of duck hunting that I’ve ever experienced. Not only did the ducks cooperate nicely, but Ruby made the 10 retrieves with skill, style and confidence that gave me more pleasure and pride than anything else. Particularly notable was a crippled mallard that glided down over behind the blind 200 yards before it hit the marsh running. I took Ruby downwind of where I thought it had ended up, lined her up and cast her back across the channel. It was such a thrill to watch her casting back and forth as she hunted the bird down and finally dove into another channel way off in the distance and came up with a lively mallard in her mouth. She also made several other big cross-current retrieves in the strong tides. In one case the tide was coming towards us but the wind was pushing the bird away from us. She had a long swim into the current to get him but then had an easy ride back with the tide! She even finished up the day by putting up a big rooster for my hunting buddy.

Cheers,

-Dave

Obedience classes (December 29th)

I will be holding obedience classes again this year at the Head of Saint Margarets Bay. We will have an information and registration meeting in the community room of the Sobeys store in the Westwood Shopping Center, Upper Tantallon at 8PM Monday 29th December.

Don

Nash's first birthday

Hey Don,

Nash just had his first birthday. It was a quiet day but he did get a bone (not like he knows what it's for but ah well). The obedience classes are going very well, next week is the last week. Sheryl is actually quite good, but the class is more for creating a good family dog and not geared towards obedience trials. I am off work until the 22nd of December for Medical reasons and I have all the time in the world to work with him. I have been working mostly on healing off leash and keeping his focus on me. I was wondering if you could provide me with a full list of test that he will have to pass for obedience trials or better yet a copy of an obedience score sheet so that I can practice the specific exercises with him. I'm going to be entering him in the Show in Moncton in early May or we may travel to Halifax or Saint John to an earlier show if him and I are both ready. I would also appreciate any training videos you may be able to send me that might give me some tips for showing him. I would like to show him myself rather than paying someone to show him. I would like to be involved in every aspect of it. I've been revisiting the videos you sent me and I know you stressed the importance of the "hold"command. I'm rigging the exact setup in my barn that is in the video to train him on the hold command. I've also enclosed a couple pictures of Nash that Carrie took the other day, it has both Nash and Cassie (our Border Collie).


Charles Green

Ruby

Hi Don,

Here’s a nice shot of Ruby waiting for the geese on Saturday (they came in droves – 100 yards in the air!)

-Dave

Joint Success (TPLO surgery)

Two veterinarians team together to perform a modern procedure called TPLO to help dogs with ACL injuries regain an active lifestyle.



image left: Veterinary Team of Dr. Don Rushton and Dr. Ernie Prowse.

What is happening to my dog? He seems to have aged recently and has difficulty doing things he did before. He is also favouring one of his hind legs and seems to only touch his toes to the ground when he walks or stands. What could be the problem? If your first thought is hip dysplasia, you are likely wrong. Over 80% of ALL orthopaedic problems found in dogs involves a ligament in their leg which helps to stabilize the knee joint. This ligament is called the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). For unexplained reasons, there seems to be an epidemic of ACL problems. These problems are showing up in all breeds of dogs, but are especially prevalent in Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Newfoundlands, Bull Mastiffs and Rottweilers.

Read more of the Article, here

Kia Two

Hi Don,

Thanks for the invitation but I made my appointment for 6:30pm on the 24th. Maybe I could bring Kai (two) over for a visit some time though. He is getting big but is doing really well walking on the lead and with house training. I don't have any newer pictures downloaded, but here he is two weekends ago and he is twice the size now.

Karen

Dangerous Dog Toy




On Sunday, June 22, 2008 my 1 0-year old lab mix, Chai, sustained a severe injury from a product that the company Four Paws Inc, produces. The toy I'm referencing is the pimple ball with bell. (Item #20227-001, UPC Code 0 4566320227 9)





While chewing on the toy, a vacuum was created and it effectively sucked his tongue into the hole in the ball. From speaking with my vet, this likely occurred because there is not a second hole in the ball preventing the vacuum effect from happening. I became aware of this when Chai approached a friend at my home whimpering with the ball in his mouth. She tried unsuccessfully to remove the ball but the tongue had swollen and could not be released.






Chai was taken to the Animal Medical Center (an emergency care facility in New York City ) and was treated by Dr. Nicole Spurlock to have the ball removed. Because the size of the opening on the ball was so small, all circulation to his tongue was cut off. The doctors had to sedate him in ord er to remove it. Once the ball was removed, his tongue swelled to the point that he could no longer put it in his mouth. Chai was sent home with care instructions and to be observed overnight for any changes.





By the following morning Chai¢s tongue had swollen even more.





He was taken to his regular vet, Dr. Timnah Lee, for treatment. He was admitted and kept sedated for a period of three days during which time they were treating his wounds and waiting to determine how much of his tongue could be saved. On June 26, 2008 Chai had his tongue amputated.





He was kept in after-care for an additional three days. On Sunday June 29th I brought Chai home from the vet with a barrage of home care instructions, to last for an additional 7 days. His next visit was to have his mouth re-examined and have the feeding tube in his neck removed.





On the way home from the vet we stopped at Petland Discount where I purchased their product to speak to the manager on duty. Upon meeting Chai and seeing his condition, he removed all of the balls in question from the shelves. He also gave me the customer service number to their corporate headquarters to request that they refuse to continue purchasing all Four Paws products, but I have not called them as of yet.







Additionally, I shared my story with friends who have a French Bulldog named Petunia. Upon hearing my story their eyes widened. They explained that the same thing happened twice in one night with a smaller version of the same ball to their dog. Fortunately, they were able to pull it off before the tongue swelled, but not without tremendous effort and pain to the dog. They recalled how horrific it was to hear their dog screaming while they had to pry the ball from her tongue.





To date, my veterinary bills total over $5000.00 and I will have regular follow up appointments for some time. Additionally, Chai now requires a much more expensive form of food because of this injury, averaging approximately $200 per month.





Also - I am Chai¢s sole caretaker and the regime required to care for him following his surgery has forced me to lose a great deal of business. I am a hair stylist and my salon is in my home. Given that Chai needs constant attention, and given that he has bee n wailing in pain, I have not been able to see clients.





Additionally, I now have to re-teach my dog to eat, drink and adjust to life without his tongue. Just walking him requires about 30min twice a day and we only make it three blocks. Feeding him takes me about 90 minutes twice a day and for at least this first week he is no t to be unattended for more than 20 minutes at a time





I sent this information along with the reference to Petunia the french bulldog to Four Paws Inc, and it is their position that there just aren't enough instances to do anything about this. I told their Insurance company's case manager that was not a good enough excuse, It was inferred that my dogs value wasn't much and that his pain and suffering don't count as he is just a piece of property.

Reference snopes.com

Pulled pork goose sandwiches

Hi Don,

What a great meal we had last night – put goose breasts into the slow-cooker for a day on low in onion-soup mix. Then pulled the goose apart with forks, mixed with BBQ sauce and served on toasted garlic-buns with mozzarella and coleslaw. It was a HIT! Check out Ruby licking her lips!

-Dave

Obedience Class

Hi Don.

I would like to bring Flint along to the obedience class starting Jan 2nd. If you could let me know how many weeks the class will run for, where it is to be held and the cost that would be great.

Flint is doing great, he already sits, stays, heels, but fetch and let go need fine tuning. People are still stopping me in the street and asking where I got him from and a guy actually stopped his truck to ask my husband, Andy where we got Flint.

Thanks.
Gill.

Tate at 4 Months

Hi Don,

Here are some recent photos of Tate. She's doing just great, full of
badness and goodness.

Leigh Ann

No ducks so why not take a nap

new pup "It"

I have decided to keep a pup from the Mutt/Teddy litter and call her “It”. I will be taking her to Bangor this Saturday to have her eyes checked.

Don

Darby

HI Don,

Thanks for sending the registration.

Darby is doing really well. The house training has gone fairly smoothly. She still has accidents, but she generally asks to go out. She is up to 18 pounds. She and I seem to be having a power struggle - I hope I win :) There is no question that she listens to Greg more than me. She is fairly head strong, but I'm sure that is just part of being a puppy.

I have attached a couple of picture of her. She is very cute!

DAWN

MUD!

Hi Don,

I know you must have seen some dirty labs in your day, but Ruby’s condition by the end of our Fundy hunt yesterday was hilarious! After a face-plant she ended up looking like the phantom of the opera (first pic). One of her favourite pastimes during slow hunting is to pick up empty shell casings and carry them around. When I saw her sitting on the bank “smoking” a Kent 3.5” to pass the time I just had to get a pic – what a mess! We did get a goose, two teal and a mallard. We had tried for pheasant in the morning but the damp windless conditions were difficult for her. She put up a hen that held until she nipped its tail to get it in the air, then a rooster slightly out of range. Looking forward to some cooler weather!

Cheers,

-Dave

Chelsea Marie

These belong to Gary FALOON, the chocolate is Chelsea Marie from Rose’s last litter. Chelsea has her eye exam last weekend in Fredericton and all “normal”.