Purina, Milo's Kitchen recalling some dog treats

NEW YORK Two makers of pet treats are pulling products from the market because they may contain traces of poultry antibiotics that aren't approved in the U.S.

Nestle Purina PetCare is taking Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brand dog treats off the market, while Milo's Kitchen is recalling its Chicken Jerky and Chicken Grillers home-style dog treats.

The chicken jerky products, which are made in China, may contain minute amounts of antibiotic residue, the companies said Wednesday. The antibiotics have been approved by Chinese and European Union regulators, but they are not approved in the U.S.

The companies said the treats don't pose a safety risk to pets, but they are still pulling them off the market. The recall doesn't cover other products the companies sell.

Milo's Kitchen said there is no known health risk associated with the antibiotics, but their presence means the products don't meet its standards. It said the chemicals "should not be present in the final food product."

The recalls come after the New York State Department of Agriculture detected the antibiotics in samples of the companies' products. Purina said that the regulator asked that its affected products be pulled from stores in New York.

U.S. federal regulators have also been looking into reports of pet illnesses stemming from their snacks.

The Food and Drug Administration says reports of sick pets connected to jerky treats, particularly chicken jerky made in China, have been increasing for years. The agency said in September that it had been notified of 360 dogs that died after eating jerky treats over the last 18 months and is conducting a broad investigation. No definitive cause for the dogs' sicknesses has yet been identified.

Waggin' Train and Milo's Kitchen are mentioned often in consumer complaints made to the agency, and Canyon Creek is also named in a few complaints. Purina said Wednesday that there is no indication the recall is linked to the problems the FDA is investigating.

Symptoms reported to the FDA include gastrointestinal problems like vomiting and diarrhea, as well as kidney problems, which can cause dogs to drink and urinate more than usual.

The FDA says that commercially produced pet foods contain all the nutrients that pets need, so treats are not necessary for nutrition, and commercial pet food "is very safe."

Purina is a U.S. division of Swiss consumer products giant Nestle that is based in St. Louis. Milo's is owned by Del Monte Foods and is based in San Francisco.

[Tinaturbo]

I was feeding my dog the chicken jerky daily and I took her to the vet and they ran her blood panel and she was sick with very high liver blood count! She needed to take pills everyday ands he's not out of the woods yet. And all this time I have been feeding her the chicken jersey! It's been two months and I need to take her back to see if her level has gone down. This is scary since I have been poisoning her the whole time with what has been maybe killing her! How can they put this stuff on the shelf! Oh you have no clue what I have lost already and I cannot loose my year old dog too!

I am horrified and disgusted that I have been giving my dogs poison! We lost a cat a few years ago to the cat/dog food recall! One of my goldens has been diagnosied with renal failure about 6 months ago. Yes I have fed them these treats for YEARS! The day I found out about the "recall" I purchased a dehydrator to make my own Dog treats! The bonus is mine will have NO antibiotics or other chemicals harmful to my dogs. I think my dogs like them more than the store bought.

[EnnaSniklit]

So, if the ingredient they found is not allowed in the USA, what are we doing importing dog food from other countries? I lost two dogs to poisoned dog food some years ago and I find it frightening to know that after hundreds of pets died because of this poison, we are still importing from the offending producers :(

[GypsyJoey]

Walmart has not removed these recalled products from their shelves in Naples Florida and when I asked an employee to remove them, he refused and walked away from me.

BOYCOTT WALMART, or at least don't buy any dog products there until they get with the program!

[EnnaSniklit]

Unfortunately, the employees are not to blame. They can't arbitrarily take products off the shelf without someone's permission.

[Type_Z]

The Chinese don't mind if they harm and/or poison our pets, our kids or us. Our Vet is good about keeping safe food in stock for the animals. I have several cookbooks just for dog food, occasionally they get something home baked. In fact I just may bake something up for them today and their neighborhood friends.

[mkg2012]

The symptoms that the FDA tell you to watch for if you foolishly feed your dog Chinese made chicken jerky treats are the same side effects that can occur when dogs get antibiotics. Coincidence? Maybe the FDA should look into it.

[EdinWV]

Many of the drugs we humans consume are made in China too. This whole matter is most disturbing. I have fed those chicken jerky treats to my pets for years without any adverse results. An additional issue is that Purina doesn't appear anywhere on the packaging. It is hard to figure who is who and where corporate ties lead. The government reguates everything else -- why can't it get straight answers for consumers so we don't have to be lawyers or scientists to figure all this out?

[7A-3G]

The country of origin should be on ALL food products, even dog food. But I wonder, everyone is up in arms about buying products from China, how many of you shop at Walmart?

[deuelpete]

They are gone from Walmart as of yesterday when I was shopping.

[CHERRYTREE9]

I just called the Purina phone number listed on my cats' Friskies food cans. It was disturbing to me because I was told that the nutritional supplements in ALL of the Purina pet foods come from China because China can provide the supplements in the quantities that the company needs. I think that Country of Origin should be listed on pet food packaging no matter whether something is called a food ingredient or a supplement. That way pet owners can decide whether they want to leave an item on the shelf or place it in the shopping cart.

[deuelpete]

AMEN!!!!

[mkg2012]

For more scary stuff, many of the supplements and vitamins added to our foor are also from China. China supplies about 90% of all vitamin C that we use.

[netjunkie1]

I'd do a search for american dog food producers as I do for clothes.