Author: Phyllis Entis

Chicken Jerky Dog Treats: An FDA Update

December 19, 2008

Last week, we reported on a mysterious kidney ailment occurring in Australian dogs, which appeared to be linked to Kramar brand chicken jerky dog treats. Kramar announced a precautionary recall of the treats, even though no one has yet been able to determine the exact cause of the ailment.

The chicken jerky treats were manufactured in China.

In our report, we mentioned that a similar problem had arisen in the United States in 2007, and that FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine had issued a warning to pet owners. As in the Australian situation, the treats were imported from China, and the contaminant that triggered the kidney symptoms could not be found.

Today, the Center for Veterinary Medicine has issued a new Preliminary Animal Health Notification on this same problem. According to CVM, the agency has continued to receive complaints about pet illnesses linked to chicken jerky treats. Unfortunately, CVM appears to be no closer to solving the mystery.

CVM has issued this new warning to alert pet owners who choose to give these treats to their dogs to watch for the development of any of the following symptoms, which may appear hours or days after a dog has eaten these treats. Small dogs appear to be especially susceptible.

  • decreased appetite (dog may continue to eat the treat but refuse usual food)
  • decreased activity level
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea – sometimes with blood
  • increased water consumption and/or increased urination

A dog that displays any of these symptoms after having eaten chicken jerky treats should be seen by a veterinarian if the symptoms are severe or if they persist longer than 24 hours.

FDA is continuing its investigation into possible chemical or microbiological contaminants in the chicken jerky treats. The agency urges dog owners and veterinarians to report any pet food- associated illnesses to the FDA Consumer Coordinator in their state.

Chicken Jerky Dog Treats Recalled In Australia

December 10, 2008

The Australian Veterinary Association has warned pet owners and veterinarians to watch for dogs exhibiting signs of acquired Fanconi-like syndrome after KraMar announced that it was withdrawing its Supa Naturals Chicken breasts strips from the Australian market.

The dog treats were imported from China.

The withdrawal comes as a result of an unusually high number of dogs being reported as suffering from symptoms consistent with this relatively uncommon syndrome. University of Sydney researchers have pointed an epidemiological finger linking the problem to the consumption of the chicken treat.

While KraMar has withdrawn the implicated product, the company was careful to point out that there is no direct scientific evidence linking the chicken treats to the problem. KraMar routinely tests these products for the presence of melamine, Salmonella and E. coli.

Fanconi’s syndrome, most often an inherited disease, is characterized by elevated levels of glucose in urine, but not in blood. The high glucose level is an indicator of damage to the kidney’s ability to reabsorb nutrients and electrolytes back into the body.

Non-hereditary Fanconi-like symptoms can be triggered – at least in humans – by a number of factors, including exposure to heavy metals or other chemicals, vitamin D deficiency, or multiple myeloma, among others. While the definition of a “heavy metal” is somewhat arbitrary, this category of chemical elements includes arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium and zinc.

The situation in Australia is eerily reminiscent of a similar incident that took place last year in the United States. In September 2007, FDA warned consumers that as many as 95 dogs might have been sickened – some fatally – as a result of having been fed chicken jerky treats imported from China. Extensive chemical and microbiological testing carried out by the agency failed to reveal anything unusual. At least some of the dogs exhibited symptoms consistent with Fanconi-like syndrome. But FDA never was able to tie down a cause for the illnesses.

KraMar has told ABC News that it is considering moving the production of their Supa Naturals Chicken treat to Australia. Meanwhile dog owners should be watchful for symptoms such as excessive drinking and urination, lethargy and vomiting, and should contact their veterinarian immediately should these symptoms appear.

For more information about the precautionary recall, consumers can contact KraMar by email at customerservice@kramar.com.au or by telephone at 02 4648 8500.

Food Safety Deserves Seat At Presidential Table

In 1993, US Vice President Gorerecommended that the nation’s food industry and regulators move towards a preventative system for ensuring food safety.

In 1994, USDA established the Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety.

In 1995, FDA introduced a compulsory HACCP program for the seafood industry.

In 1996, USDA introduced a compulsory HACCP program (the “MegaReg“) for the meat and poultry industry. CDC introduced the FoodNet surveillance system, and President Clinton signed both the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Food Quality Protection Act.

In 1997, the Clinton Administration introduced its National Food Safety Initiative, the “Food Safety from Farm to Table” program, and the “Partnership for Food Safety Education.” And approved the irradiation of meat.

In 1998, PulseNet knitted together a network of public health laboratories to speed the detection and identification of disease outbreaks. The Joint Institute for Food Safety Research sought to bring together expertise from government, academia and industry to coordinate research activities. The Administration established the President’s Food Safety Council.

In 1999, FDA and the Treasury Department began to tackle the problem of unsafe imported foods.

In 2000, George W. Bush took office.

The President’s Council on Food Safety issued its Food Safety Strategic Plan in January 2001. The Plan contained the following recommendations:

  • The Council recommends the development of near-term legislative proposals to strengthen the existing food safety statutes enabling stronger prevention, enforcement, and record keeping activities.
  • The Council recommends near-term efforts to strengthen agency coordination to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal food safety activities.
  • The Council recommends the development of comprehensive, unifying legislation, followed by the development of a corresponding organizational reform plan that protects the public’s health by allowing risk-based allocation of resources and utilization of science-based regulation, enforcement, and education. This comprehensive framework should address food safety standard setting, inspection, enforcement, research, and education.

Earlier today, the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University – a Pew Charitable Trusts initiative – issued its assessment of the government’s response to this year’s outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul. The report highlights:

  • the failure of federal and state agencies to communicate clearly with the public during the outbreak;
  • the lack of organization, capacity and coordination in the government’s response to the outbreak;
  • and the failure of the federal government (i.e., the FDA) to establish and implement mandatory preventative safety standards for fresh product, even though the agency has the statutory authority to implement those standards.

What happened to all of the Clinton initiatives?

President-Elect Obama is inheriting a full plate from the Bush Administration. But he cannot afford to ignore the pent up problems in our food safety system. Reactivating the President’s Council on Food Safety might be a good place to start.