[jimbo2012]

Federal health officials are warning pet owners to be cautious about feeding their dogs jerky treats as they continue to investigate a treat-related illnesses that has left nearly 600 dogs dead and sickened more than 3,000 others.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an alert to consumers about the illnesses and deaths tied to jerky treats from China. Officials say the exact cause of the illnesses remains unknown.

"This is one of the most elusive and mysterious outbreaks we've encountered," Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement. "Our beloved four-legged companions deserve our best effort, and we are giving it."

The agency has received reports from pet owners and veterinarians about jerky pet treat-related illnesses affecting 3,600 dogs and 10 cats in the U.S. since 2007. Approximately 580 of those pets have died, according to a news release.

The FDA noted a decrease in reports of illnesses earlier this year after a number of pet jerky treats were pulled from the market. Officials say the number of reports may have declined because fewer jerky treats were available to consumers.

Symptoms observed within hours of eating the treats include decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased activity, increased water consumption and increased urination, the agency said. Severe cases have involved kidney failure and gastrointestinal bleeding, the FDA said.

The agency urges owners of pets showing symptoms to consult a veterinarian and save any remaining treats and treat packaging for possible testing.

"Our fervent hope as animal lovers is that we will soon find the cause of—and put a stop to—these illnesses," Dunham said.

[Bonnevie]

my beloved dog, Twister, died from fanconi syndrome from eating these treats. I felt so bad that I gave them to him. He died of renal failure. They have not been able to definitively tie the treats to a reason for this but the treats are made in China and the Chinese won't allow inspections of the plants. I thought I was giving a healthy treat to my dog but I was slowly poisoning him. The brand I used was Smokehouse but any dried jerkey from China should be avoided.

[aussiemom]

Make sure your pet products contain ALL products from the US. Just saying Made In USA doesn't mean the products themselves are from the US. I never feed my dogs anything from China and many of the products in Walmart are from there, so never buy my pet items from there. Now a days you really have to check the packaging of everything we buy......both for our pets and us.

[wilkinsm1]

I just returned a large package of Chicken treats that I bought at Target. I looked online and saw that they had been recalled but they were still on the shelves...I was told that they would take care of it, but be careful anyway. They were called Vitality..by dogworth or something like that...and they were made in China. From now on I will be more vigilant in checking.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

I am so sorry for you Bonnevie and anyone who lost a dog to this or any wrong doing. It's just not fair that there are no regulations to keep these Chinese products from coming into our country. I try to check also but sometimes you buy something you think is fine only to find out it isn't the hard way. We ALL want to do th the best for our beloved pets and it truly is a tragedy all around. My sympathies to everyone affected by this.

[GeoGeo]

I always check the labels of any product I purchase for my dog to make sure it does not come from China and I would advise everyone else to do the same. I don't even like buying things for me or my spouse that come from there. Sometimes you can't avoid it, but I do when I have a choice. We hear so many negative reports on things made in China containing things they shouldn't. I sure wish we had factories here in our own country to produce the products we need. For safety sake and to give Americans jobs we need to produce our own products rather relying on other countries. Don't get me started on that issue. You know, I have noticed more and more people reading labels on pet products, which is a good thing.

[Bonnevie]

This has been going on for quite awhile but the FDA can't specifically ban them because they haven't found the link. There was a warning issued when I was giving them to my dog but unless you monitored the FDA site you wouldn't know. My dog died 4 years ago. My vet had not been aware of the problem and at first thought my dog was having age related kidney disease. However, he had fanconi syndrome which is rare for mixed breed dogs but results in kidney failure and death. My vet reported it to the FDA. The treats have been tested but they can not find the link. Also, some dogs get sick, others do not. Some get sick and recover, some die. I'm at least glad the news is getting out.

[jblum315]

I could never give jerky treats to my dogs because it always caused a violent fight. They never fought over anything else.

[Bonnevie]

that's the thing...dogs love them....even when Twister was just starting to lose his appetite (he wouldn't finish all his food) and before I realized something was wrong he would still eat them. Needless to say, now I scrutinize everything...nothing from China for my dogs.