FDA issues update on jerky pet treat investigation

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an update February 19 on its ongoing investigation into pet illnesses and deaths in animals that ate jerky pet treats.

As of September 30, 2014, FDA received approximately 5,000 complaints of illness associated with consumption of chicken, duck or sweet potato jerky treats, most of which involve products imported from China. The reports involve more than 5,800 dogs, 25 cats, three people, and include more than 1,000 canine deaths.
These numbers include approximately 270 complaints received since FDA’s last update in May 2014. This is a significant decrease from the previous period (October 2013 to May 2014), in which FDA had received 1,800 complaints.
Because of the sharp reduction in complaints, FDA is tentatively planning to shift from a biannual routine reporting cycle to issuing annual updates. This shift in reporting cycles does not mean that FDA is reducing its effort to investigate the cause of these illnesses; the agency continues to devote significant resources to its investigation, and will post non-routine updates if notable events occur.
Although it is impossible to determine in every case whether the events reported were in fact caused by eating jerky pet treats, FDA continues to believe that there is an association between some of the reports and consumption of jerky pet treats.
The agency continues to caution pet owners that jerky pet treats are not required for a balanced diet, and encourage them to consult with their veterinarians, both prior to feeding treats and if they notice symptoms in their pets.
FDA continues to devote significant resources to this investigation and to work with its Vet-LIRN partners to gather and analyze new information as it becomes available. If your pet has experienced signs of illness that you suspect is related to jerky pet treats, please report it to FDA. While FDA does not necessarily respond to every individual complaint submitted, each report is valuable and becomes part of the body of knowledge that helps to inform our investigation.

Food & Water Watch responds to FDA update on jerky pet treat investigation

Food & Water Watch, a group whose goal is to ensure sustainable and safe food for consumption, issued a statement following the October 22 release of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s update to its investigation into pet illnesses and jerky treats from China.
According to Food & Water Watch: "[October 22], the Food and Drug Administration posted a long-awaited update on the agency's investigation into unsafe imported pet treats and illnesses in dogs linked to these treats. Food & Water Watch has urged the agency to update the public with more information about this situation for many months, and we appreciate the new information the agency posted today. But America's pets are still at risk from these potentially deadly treats.
"Since 2007, thousands of American dogs have fallen ill or died after eating jerky treats made in China. Today's update from the FDA showed a drop in reported illnesses since the decision by Nestlé Purina and DelMonte in January to recall their chicken jerky dog treats produced in China. This drop in reported illnesses indicates that there is likely some connection between illnesses and jerky treats imported from China. A recent Australian study described in FDA's update also points to strong links between pet illnesses in Australia and consumption of imported pet treats from China.
"But the source of the problem has still not been identified. And there are imported pet treats from China made by other companies still being sold in the United States. FDA should focus its inspection and laboratory activities on those imported pet treats and require more data from the companies to prove that the products are safe.
"Finally, the Obama administration needs to release the proposed rule on preventive controls for animal feed, including pet food, under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This proposed rule has been held up by the Office of Management and Budget for nearly two years."

FDA issues update on investigation of jerky pet treats from China, pet illnesses

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FDA is warning consumers about the potential for illness associated with feeding pets jerky treats, mostly imported from China.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released on October 22 an update to its investigation into pet illnesses and deaths associated with jerky pet treats from China. The update includes a description of the extent of the agency's testing and current findings, as well as a "Dear Veterinarian" letter and "Fact Sheet" for pet owners.
The "Dear Veterinarian" letter to veterinary professionals explains how they can provide assistance to FDA's investigation, requests that veterinarians report to FDA any cases of jerky pet treat-related illness that come to their attention and, when requested, that they also provide samples for diagnostic testing by the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN), a network of veterinary laboratories affiliated with FDA.
The "Fact Sheet" for pet owners lists steps they can take to prevent or detect illness related to the treats. FDA continues to caution pet owners that jerky pet treats are not required for a balanced diet. The agency encourages pet owners to consult with their veterinarian prior to feeding treats and if they notice symptoms in their pets.
As of September 24, FDA says it has received more than 3,000 complaints of illness related to consumption of chicken, duck or sweet potato jerky treats, nearly all of which were imported from China. The reports involve more than 3,600 dogs, 10 cats and include more than 580 deaths.
According to FDA, the rate of complaints associated with jerky pet treats dropped sharply after several well-known brands were removed from the market in January, when a study conducted by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Marketing (NYSDAM) detected low levels of antibiotic residues in those products. FDA believes that the drop in complaints is linked to a decrease in the availability of jerky pet treats rather than the low levels of antibiotics found in January, which FDA believes are unlikely to be the cause of the illnesses. However, FDA is performing an evaluation to determine the possibility for low levels of the antibiotics to cause illness in dogs when fed over a length of time. This process involves review of the scientific literature, as well as any adverse event reports and consumer complaints sent to the FDA in connection with dogs and sulfonamide drugs, and may take many months to complete. In the meantime, FDA's investigation continues to evaluate all potential causes for illness from the jerky pet treats.
While FDA has not yet identified a cause for the reported illnesses, the agency, together with its Vet-LIRN partners, continue to perform testing to help identify cases and examine both animal tissue and product samples associated with the cases. FDA also continues to work with the manufacturers and distributors of the treats and China's Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to investigate potential sources of contamination or causes of illness in pets. 

US, China extend agreement for animal feed safety

The US Food and Drug Administration renewed an agreement with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China to further cooperation between the US and China on food and animal feed safety. Originally signed in November 2008, the US and China have extended the agreement for five more years.
The agreement includes:

• Enhanced ability for FDA to identify high-risk food products entering the US from China
• Collaboration between US and China to facilitate inspections of facilities that process and produce food
• A focus on high-risk foods frequently exported from China into the US, including petfood and aquaculture
• Creation of processes for FDA to accept relevant, verified information from the China’s General Administration on registration and certification