The Animal Health Trust, a highly respected veterinary institution, has issued a warning that some imported “jerky treats” may be highly toxic to dogs. A public warning from the AHT does not happen often, and deserves to be taken very seriously.
There have been a number of pet food scares in North America and Australia in the past decade, but to date, the UK has managed to stay in the clear.
Thousands of pets died in the US pet food recall scare of 2007
The most memorable episode was in the USA in 2007 when thousands of dogs and cats died after eating pet food contaminated with melamine, a nitrogen-containing compound which had been illegally added to imported Chinese pet food products in order to boost the apparent protein content.
Melamine causes kidney failure, and as well as the deaths, many pets suffered serious illness during the episode. Over 5000 pet food products were recalled, and serious long term damaged was inflicted on the credibility of the North Americal commercial pet food business.
Owners who had lost pets were disappointed at the level of compensation paid out because calculations were generally made based on the monetary value of the animal, unrelated to the emotional bond between owner and pet. How much is a cross-bred mutt or cat worth? Nothing like the emotional value to a doting owner, that’s for sure.
Jerky dog treats caused serious issues in the USA in 2013
There was another major pet food recall issue in the USA in 2013: this time jerky dog treats were to blame. There have been a number of issues over pet food safety over the past decade in Australia as well. The warning from the AHT is the first hint of imported pet food issues in the UK.
My advice is simple: read the label of any food product that you give to your pet
Pete Wedderburn
The warning is very specific: “some imported jerky treats may cause kidney problems”. Jerky treats are dried strips of meat: dogs love them. Vets across the UK have seen an increase in the number of dogs being diagnosed with kidney problems after eating certain imported jerky treats.
The dogs have shown a decreased appetite, increased thirst and increased need to urinate. Many of the affected dogs had been fed dried jerky type dog treats, specifically chicken or duck. While a cause is still unknown, all the treats were identified as originating from China.
Dogs looking at food on the television screen
Make sure to feed only European meat to your pets CREDIT: MANABU OGASAWARA/GETTY
Several possible causes have been explored, such as the presence of melamine, salmonella, pesticides, glycerin, antivirals and the level of irradiation of the treats, but none of these have been confirmed. So to date, the mystery remains. This issue has previously been investigated in depth in the USA, and again, no definitive cause has been found.
One fact has been established in the UK: the link with the imported jerky treats.
Dog owners: make sure you feed only European meat to your pets
So what should dog owners do? My advice is simple: read the label of any food product that you give to your pet. I’ve written previously about the variation in animal welfare around the world: EU regulations insist on far higher standards than most other regions.
If you’re dog stops eating a much, take it to the vet CREDIT: JUNIORS BILDARCHIV GMBH/ALAMY
This potential toxicity alert is another reason to check to be sure that any meat products you give your pet are sourced in Europe, rather than further afield.
And if your dog does start to drink more and stop eating as much, go to your vet at once: prompt treatment can be lifesaving.