This post was originally released on July 30th, 2012. It’s been edited/updated for re-release. All these years later, do dog treats from China still pose a risk for our pets?
I’m pretty picky when it comes to treating my dogs. For many years now I’ve been hearing about the potential dangers of pet products imported from China. According to the FDA, between December of 2015 and August of 2018 there have been over 5,000 claims of “illnesses associated with consumption of chicken, duck, or sweet potato jerky treats, many of which involve products imported from China, which produces much of the jerky pet treats on the market. The reports involve more than 6,200 dogs, 26 cats, three people, and include more than 1,140 canine deaths.”
Post Contents:
A majority of the reports of illness involved chicken-based treats that were sourced from China.
Symptoms after eating such treats have ranged from GI upset to kidney disease. Dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds seem to be impacted similarly. Testing to determine why, exactly, treats are causing illness have thus far been mostly inconclusive. A single root cause for all the reported associated illnesses has not been determined.
Back in 2013, some jerky-type dog treats were removed from the US market. They were found to contain low levels of antibiotics.
The FDA noted that there was a decrease in the number of illness reports associated with Chinese dog treats after those products were pulled. While this may sound like a step in the right direction, I think it’s important to remember that Chinese manufacturers of pet products are just not held to the same standards as manufacturers in other countries. For pet owners in the US, I recommend looking for treats that are sourced and manufactured within the US or Canada. You can also make your dog homemade treats!
Symptoms to Watch Out For
If you do decide to feed commercial jerky treats, especially those imported from China, signs of illness to watch out for include decreased activity, decreased appetite, GI issues including vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, and/or urination. Rarer symptoms thought to be associated with Chinese dog treats include tremors/convulsions, hives, and skin irritation. If you feel your pet has been impacted by jerky pet treats, you can visit this page on the FDA website to learn how to report your case.
Prevention is the Best Cure
My dogs love these Newman’s Own treats! They are made in Canada and available in our local grocery store.
More and more brands of high-quality, safely made, treats are becoming available. I personally feel that the safest course of action is to avoid treats and toys imported from China altogether. Unfortunately, China doesn’t seem to have the best safety record, especially when it comes to pet supplies. Treats and toys are supposed to be something we can feel good about giving our pets. I can’t even imagine how upsetting it would be for one of my dogs to get sick, or even die, from something that was supposed to bring them joy.
I’d love to hear from some of my readers. What safe brands of treats or toys do you like to buy for your pets? What are some steps you take to ensure products you use for your pets are as safe as possible?
14 Comments
I do not buy any treats from China and if a bag of treats does not put clearly where it is made it does not go into my shopping cart. I to this day feel that was one of the causes of Baby’s death although the vet says otherwise.
Great reminder and post
I’m so sorry to hear of Baby! I’m with you, if I’m going to buy my boys treats I always check the packaging first.
Thank you for bringing more awareness to this topic! It is so important not to purchase pet treats/food from China. Pet brand manufacturers are simply not held to the same standards. Will share – can’t get this information out enough times!
Right! I know at one point in time it received a lot of attention but a lot of that has fizzled out over the years, despite the fact that IMO stuff from China still isn’t the safest option for our pets.
At this point in time, I suggest nobody buys anything made in China. It goes beyond responsible manufacturing and quality control. There are plenty of wonderful local companies to chose from.
So true. I love how many awesome local companies I’ve seen pop up over the years. With SO many better options, it doesn’t make much sense to support potentially dangerous Chinese companies.
I won’t buy anything edible from China. My fur babies deserve better than that. They mostly just want meat anyhow.
But toys are hard to come by that aren’t made in China so I’m less picky. I pay attention to the quality and safety of the toys I buy more than country of origin.
Makes sense! My boys have SO many toys I honestly haven’t bought them much lately, but I did find it harder before to find toys that weren’t manufactured locally verses treats.
After all of the issues, recalls, etc., how are these treats still readily available in stores everywhere? I can’t believe that they haven’t been pulled from the shelf once and for all. Personally, I’ll stick to making treats for my pets so that I can limit what is going into it. I just feel safer that way.
Right?! You would think after so many issues they’d be recalled. I actually make most of my boys treats as well. My Kitsune has food allergies and I’ve always found it easier to make him treats than to find local treats that don’t contain things he can’t eat.
I try to buy products made in the US for my dogs whenever possible, especially food and treats. My dogs love the jerky treats from NomNom!
I’ve heard of NomNom (I love the silly papillon on their website lol) but I’ve never tried them. I knew they made dog food, which I’m not really interested in because I don’t want to switch my boys’ food currently, but I didn’t know they had treats as well. I’ll have to check them out.
New Zealand, few years ago, had a rush of babies drinking processed milk with melamine it it from China (yes THAT melamine the stuff that makes tables) Since then, I am reluctant to buy anything food based made in China.
I can’t see the point (unless you are on a limited budget) as everywhere in the world you can buy locally made dog and cat treats.
I try to avoid any treats made from China. The three main types of treats my cats eat are made in the USA.