The horror of the China melamine pet food tragedy a few years ago is all too fresh in many folks memories. For those of you who aren’t quite clear on the details, ‘protein’ imported from China and used as an ingredient in locally manufactured pet food contained melamine rather than protein – a substitution that ultimatley cost many pet’s their lives or their health, and cost their owners so much more, including expensive veterinary bills, damanged or dead pets and questions that were finally answered after way too many pets had died.
Pet products from China have been behind other pet health problems, especially jerky treats. Recently the Food and Drug Administration issued an update to its ongoing investigation of animal illnesses linked to jerky pet treats. To date the FDA has a reported 22,200 pet illnesses related to these treats, many resulting in kidney disease in dogs.
So how to keep your pet safe from becoming a victim?
- Know where the treat originates from. Eliminate imported jerky treats. Better safe than very sorry!!
- If you cannot find US produced treats your pet will eat make your own.
- Always keep an eye on your pet for any unusual signs that could signal a problem: loss of appetite, listlesness, vomiting, diarrhea, unusually thirsty, etc. You know your pet and you know what is unusual.
- If you feel something is not right, stop the treats and get your pet to the vet. You can take a stool and urine sample to help the vet determine what is going on.
- It is better to be safe and better to visit the vet than wait to see what happens when your pet is ill.
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