(NaturalNews) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still
reportedly trying to pinpoint the cause of an illness outbreak affecting
an increasing number of dogs all over the country. According to a
recent warning issued by the FDA, dog owners need to be aware of the
source of their pet treats. Many chicken jerky treats imported from
China have been making dogs severely ill.
Just a few weeks ago,
we reported on 70 known cases of dogs becoming severely ill or dying
from chicken jerky treats imported from China (http://www.naturalnews.com/034313_p...).
But that number has spiked to more than 350 after the FDA's Center for
Veterinary Medicine issued a new warning to pet owners to beware of the
Chinese imported pet treats.
"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 that may occur within
hours to days of feeding the products: decreased appetite; decreased
activity; vomiting; diarrhea; increased water consumption and/or
increased urination," says the FDA warning (http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary...).
At
this point, regulators have been unable to identify a specific brand,
or even a specific contaminant, that may be responsible for causing the
illness. However, the warning follows several others dating back to 2007
and 2008 when the FDA issued similar warnings about chicken jerky
treats that were making dogs ill, an anomaly that remains to be solved.
Many
popular pet treats and pet food products are questionable to begin
with, as the source of their ingredients are typically undisclosed. Even
pet food products manufactured by domestic companies may contain
ingredients sourced from other countries, and sometimes contaminants
slip in undetected, as was the case in 2006 when Diamond Pet Foods
recalled 19 varieties of dog food that was contaminated with aflatoxin (http://www.naturalnews.com/017839.html).
As
an alternative to store-bought food and treats, pet owners may wish to
search out local sources of pet food made from farm-fresh ingredients
instead. Some local suppliers will carry raw meat products derived from
pastured animals, for instance, that are specifically made just for
pets.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) also has a buying
guide for pet products that you can use to find trusted sources of
quality pet food in your area (http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc...).
Author: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Sources for this article include:
http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...
Showing posts with label contaminants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contaminants. Show all posts
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