Dog Food Recall: Here Are All the Brands and Products Being Withdrawn

The J.M. Smucker Company announced last week that it was recalling a number of popular pet food products after it was revealed that they may contain traces of a drug that is often used to euthanize animals. The drug, pentobarbital, does “not pose a threat to pet safety” in extremely low doses, but its mere presence is obviously a huge cause for concern.

The company has published a list of all the dog food products affected by the recall, including varieties of wet canned dog food sold under a number of different brand names. The brands, which include Gravy Train, Kibbles ‘N Bits, Ol’ Roy, and Skippy, are sold in a number of different can sizes and flavors. You can read the full list below.

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You Have Probably Heard That a Dog Can Eat Itself to Death: Can They Really?

It’s long been said that dogs, like some humans, don’t know when it’s time to stop eating when they’re full. They’ll continue to eat the food in front of them until it’s gone, be it a cup of food or 20 pounds of kibble. In fact, they just might keep on eating until they drop dead. But is there actually any truth to this?

The short answer? It depends on the dog. Some dogs aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed and will eat until they get sick; there have indeed been reports of dogs getting into a bag of kibble and eating the whole thing. Sometimes it’s caught in time for the dog’s stomach to be pumped; sometimes it’s not. The vast majority of dogs, however, will stop eating once they’ve had enough. They might eat to the point of nausea, or until they throw up, but rarely, if ever, until they die.

Dogs, cats, horses, and goats have all been known to eat themselves to death. But again, this only happens rarely. If you’re a good owner, a good rule to keep in mind is to feed your dog the amount recommended by the vet, twice a day, at set feeding times. Don’t leave a constant supply of food out for the dog, and don’t leave the kibble bag out where it can be found. And if your dog does find his or her way into the kibble bag, don’t worry: It might eat until it gets sick, but it’s not going to eat itself to death.




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Dynamic Pet Products Has Had Customer Complaints About The Real Home Bone Since 2006: The Dog Treat Is Making Dogs Ill

The uproar over Dynamic Pet Products’ Real Ham Bone began earlier in the year when pet parents began to publicly broadcast the terrible effects the chew toy was having on their pets. The number of dogs that have become sick and/or died from the bone continues to rise, with hundreds of product reviews and blogs covering the widespread disaster. And now, the Better Business Bureau is investigating the company, based in St. Louis, Missouri, to determine what, if anything, should happen with the customer complaints.

The danger in the ham bone comes from its penchant for splintering and breaking off.  The fragments end up being swallowed, which can lead to dogs becoming gravely ill. Bone fragments can perforate the lining of the stomach or intestines, causing hemorrhaging, blockage, and even permanent logging of the bone in the intestines. If the dog is able to pass the bone, it can be horrifically painful to them, and will lead to rectal bleeding and bloody diarrhea or stool.

Dynamic has had customer complaints about the Real Home Bone since 2006, which led to the Better Business Bureau issuing a public alert in 2010. There was a marked decrease in complaints after the warning, but recently the deaths and illnesses associated with the product have greatly increased, spreading over social media like wildfire. Complaints have  come from bones bought at Walmart and Jewel-Osco stores. However, a Jewel-Osco spokesperson had said that the company’s meat manager issued a “dump and destroy” order in March in response to the deluge of complaints.

Remember to avoid any type of cooked bone for your dog, and if they exhibit any of the symptoms outlined here, get them to your veterinarian immediately.

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The FDA Has Announced a Recall for a Nylabone Puppy Starter Kit That May be Contaminated with Salmonella

Routine testing by the Nylabone company found Salmonella present in one of these kits, and you shouldn’t take a chance on them. If your dog has consumed a Nylabone affected by this recall, you should definitely call your vet.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can affect dogs, cats, and humans with dangerous symptoms.  Watch for the signs! If your puppy has been exposed, keep an eye on her for fever, lethargy, diarrhea and vomiting, dehydration, and shock. For that matter, keep an eye on yourself and anyone who has handled the treat or the dog for similar symptoms.

The affected Nylabones are a 1.69 oz. package specifically for puppies, like the one pictured below, and have been distributed across the U.S. and in Canada. The package will be marked as Lot #21935, UPC 0-18214-81291-3, and an expiration date of 3/22/18. The Puppy Starter Kit should not be used at any cost, and you can take it back to the store you bought it from for a full refund.

  

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Urgent! Vets Warn of New Treats from China Poisoning Dogs

Despite repeated warnings issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), chicken jerky treats, but this time they are being poisoned with a whole new class of treats: sweet potato treats imported from China.

The brands veterinarians say are associated with the new cases of unexplained acute kidney failure are Canyon Creek Ranch Chicken Yam Good Dog Treats (Nestle-Purina), Beefeaters Sweet Potato Treats (16 types of yam-related treats), Drs. Foster and Smith (exact item not specified in the report) and Dogswell Veggie Life Vitality (4 types of Veggie Life brands).

It is important to remember that although the type of treat most often mentioned in the press is described as a jerky treat, the treats may also be called by a myriad of other names such as stix, chips, poppers, tenders, drumettes, kabob’s, strips, fries, lollipops, twists, wraps, bars, tops and discs.

The report says that there is speculation the problems may also extend to pork treats and cat treats imported from China.

In 2010 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Import Refusal Report and later issued an Import Alert for sweet potato dog treats imported from a company in China (whose main business is, oddly, in rubber and plastic raw materials) were contaminated with a highly toxic pesticide known as Phorate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorate.

Phorate is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound and is among the most poisonous chemicals commonly used for pest control. It is used in agriculture as a pesticide and Phorate is identified by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) as one of the “most toxic” set of pesticides known (aka a Bad Actor) in the world.

Although Phorate is known primarily as a neurotoxin and not classified as a nephrotoxin and therefore unlikely to cause acute renal failure in dogs, its presence in any food item is a disturbing indication that treats of any kind imported from China could pose a risk to the health and safety of pets and to the consumers handling them.

On the Veterinary Information Network, several veterinarians have reported cases where dogs have developed symptoms of kidney failure (Fanconi’s syndrome) similar to dogs who have been poisoned by Chinese-made chicken jerky treats.

So far, the brands implicated are all made in China:

Beefeaters Sweet Potato Snacks for Dogs
Canyon Creek Ranch Chicken Yam Good Dog Treats (FDA has issued a warning on this product)
Drs. Foster and Smith (exact item not specified in the report)
Dogswell Veggie Life Vitality

There was also speculation that the problem may also extend to pork products (pig ears) and cat treats made in China. Australian veterinarians have reported similar symptoms from chicken jerky treats, as well as several cases associated with “Veggie Dents,” a dog treat made in Vietnam by Virbac, an American company. Virbac recalled one batch of Veggie Dents in Australia in 2009.

The FDA still claims that there is no pending recall of Chinese-made pet treats, even though it has repeatedly issued warnings about the problems associated with chicken jerky treats since 2007.

Symptoms of Fanconi’s syndrome include:

• Increased drinking and urinating
• “Accidents” in the house
• Reduced appetite
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Blood and urine tests show azotemia (high BUN and Creatinine), dilute urine, and glucose in the urine (that isn’t diabetes).

Most affected dogs have recovered over time with good supportive care.

We strongly recommend that you check the source of all cat or dog treats you may have purchased, and do not give them to your pet if they were made in China. It would be best to avoid any pet food or treat products made in China, and probably a good idea to avoid all dried animal parts, because they are not heated to a temperature that will kill pathogenic bacteria.

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