• This story caught my eye because of the reference to Fanconi. A link to the article and a little of what it said:

    http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/21/8885427-chicken-jerky-treats-linked-to-mystery-illnesses-deaths-in-dogs

    FDA officials say they have not been able to find a cause for the illnesses. They note that the reports of illness have not conclusively been tied to chicken jerky products, also sold as chicken tenders, chicken strips or chicken treats.

    Dog owners and vets are reporting that animals may be stricken with a range of illnesses within days or hours of eating chicken jerky, including kidney failure and Fanconi syndrome, a condition characterized by low glucose.

  • First Basenji's

    You can get whole chicken jerky, made in the USA by going to PreenPets.com. The owner Ron is very personable and will email you as well as answer any questions…..I was introduced to the company and spend lots of money there!


  • Damage to the proximal renal tubule caused by toxins is referred to as Acquired Fanconi. Chinese pet products (or pet products packaged/manufactured in North America from Chinese ingredients) often contain heavy metals which cause kidney damage. So does Lysol (!) and certain drugs, including expired Tetracycline.

    If you want some truly scary reading, go to this link: http://www.vet.uga.edu/VPP/clerk/davis/index.php


  • IMO, if you buy anything from China, re food, you are putting yourselves and your pets at risk.
    I told Costco that when I saw the strips they had are from China. Well, now they are seeing that the $$ isn't worth
    the health of the pets.


  • I get nothing from china, as there is now a new problem being reported:
    http://www.examiner.com/dogs-in-national/beware-of-chicken-treats-from-china?CID=examiner_alerts_article

    I am excited about these, ordering them Friday as I know the guy who developed them (Pat McDonald). He actually started me on more holistic and natural feeding nearly 17 yrs ago.
    http://www.salmonears.com/


  • I just found out about the chicken jerky treats from China via Facebook a couple of days ago! Bella just loved them and now she looks so sad when I don't give them to her. I must find a good recipe to make my own. Any ideas?


  • Buy yourself a dehyrator and make your own. That is what I do and now I don't ever worry about their treats. Easy to do! Not to mention great for drying fruits too…

    I have done both chicken and beef for us humans and Basenjis


  • @tanza:

    I have done both chicken and beef and us humans and Basenjis

    You have dehydrated both humans and basenjis??? I would not want to admit that on here…......LMAO just kidding!


  • LOL. One dehydrator


  • I just use the oven. low heat (like 250?), slice thin and put on cookie cooling racks over cookie sheet for 3?-4? hours or whenever they're done. It's been a while since I've done it, but I'm sure there are recipes if you google it.

  • First Basenji's

    if you do not want to make your own….go to preenpets.com and here you do not get 'made in China' or ingredients you can not pronounce....no, I do not have stock in the company-it was recommended by a dog pal.....


  • It is easy to make your own…. I buy the chicken strips, pound them thin (I can be dangerous with knives...ggg). The dehydrator I have has 5 racks, two packages of chicken just about fills them up, throw in the dehydrator for 9 hours (give of take). And for beef, I use beef strips (like for faitas) pound them thin and those take a bit less time.

    As suggested by someone else, you can get a timer (like for lamps and such) so that it turns itself off.... if you want to do them at night or if not home...


  • Sadly, many facebook pages give misinformation, showing brands etc. To date, the FDA NOR Canada (who raised warnings last year) have found a single contaminant or problem, and most cases reported even the dogs' own vets suggested over feeding or other issues likely the problem.

    That said, I prefer to side with caution and quit all products from China. Well I quit all that were not made in the USA, Canada or european country.

    Someone here shared this and I plan to get some:

    http://www.coloradopettreats.com/shop/category.asp?catid=5

    I am not a "make your own" type gal. I have been feeding my dogs Salmon ears the last few months and they go insane for them– with giant moose butt Cara getting ON TOP OF THE KITCHEN TABLE for the first time (usually she just counter surfs she is so tall) to try to get to their container.
    http://www.salmonears.com/dogs.html


  • @elena86:

    I had some high value coupons for "Milo's Kitchen" treats. I bought the chicken jerky ones. Are these things like crack for dogs, or what? :eek:
    I recently noticed that they were made in China. I googled something about chicken jerky treats and found an article from a few years ago that said these treats can INDUCE Fanconi disease in dogs!!! Has anyone else heard this?

    I think there needs to be some clarification here. Chicken Jerky cannot cause Fanconi. Fanconi is a genetic problem. No food can cause a genetic problem.


  • @TwinDogsDifferentMothers:

    I think there needs to be some clarification here. Chicken Jerky cannot cause Fanconi. Fanconi is a genetic problem. No food can cause a genetic problem.

    Yes it can cause Fanconi. There are two kinds of Fanconi, granted this is not genetic Fanconi as found in Basenjis, but it is the same conditions (of which Basenjis can get). And it has been linked to all these foods coming from China.


  • If you do not mind, then could you please point of post some links to valid scientific studies that indicate Fanconi is cause as a result of these foods.

    I/we will research the net today in effort of find out about what you are referring to as the non-genetic type of Fanconi.

    Also if this is true, even though we now have a DNA linkage test to identify a genetic carrier, if a second kind does exists, I would think it opens up a whole new pandora's box in regard to this disease, its transmission, and how it might affect Basenji's in the future.


  • Here area a couple of links:

    http://www.jaaha.org/content/47/6/e178.abstract

    June 18, 2011: The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association notified the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, that several veterinarians in Ontario have reported dogs with Fanconi syndrome-like disease associated with the consumption of chicken jerky treats manufactured in China. This mirrors the incidents reported in the United States in 2007 and investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    http://www.acvim.org/websites/acvim/index.php?p=5

    http://www.avma.org/petfoodsafety/jerkytreats/default.asp


  • Not playing devils advocate here even though it might appear that way. Fanconi syndrome-like disease is certainly not the same as proclaiming it is actually Fanconi. Certainly there is no foundation other than it appears similar. Appearing similar is certainly not conclusive evidence its the same.

    I think its important to point out here as someone already did in the thread above, that the FDA while issuing some cautions, has done some investigation and has not found anything conclusive in regard to chicken jerky strips. Yes, we agree there have been several owners and vets report they they suspect these products.

    We certainly support USA products and Companies, but there are American Companies packing and shipping these products. We went to our local Sam's Club yesterday and inspected the packaging on Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Tenders. On the bag itself it says Irradiated. So steps are being taken to kill any bacteria.

    What we do not know, is are the owners sticking to the feeding guidelines on the bag. We have no idea what other things the owners might be feeding their dogs in addition to these products. We have no idea of the health conditions of these dogs before the treats were given.

    My point is there are just too many unknown variables to draw an absolute conclusion. We can speculate all we want, and yes it is intelligent to err on the side of safety. What we really object to is a few who take a little information that might be posted on the internet as gospel and run with it. As it goes from one posting site to another the facts appear to change or are molded into what the person who is writing the article or post seems to want it to fit.

    From the AVMA article you posted:

    Based on very preliminary information, it appears that this problem is more likely to occur in small-breed dogs that are fed these treats regularly and/or in amounts exceeding the label-recommended frequency or amount.

    In 2007, most of the dogs affected recovered with proper treatment.
    No recalls have been issued for any chicken jerky treat product.
    Although chicken jerky treat consumption was a common thread in the cases reported to the CVMA recently and to the AVMA in 2007-2009, a definitive cause-and-effect link has not been established.
    Melamine, the contaminant that led to the wide-scale pet food recalls of 2007, is not the cause of the current situation. Product testing in 2007 was negative for melamine or melamine-related products, and the disease caused by melamine is different from that seen in these cases.

    There certainly is more to this article and it is very much worth reading. There are even suggestions to owners.

    Of course what Tanzab suggested is the safest thing to do. Make your own.


  • There are three classifications of Fanconi Syndrome-inherited, acquired, and exogeneous factors. Although most people combine the acquired and the exogenous factors which are heavy metals and medications.

    Jennifer


  • I suspect you read that information on Wikipedia. I am sure you aware that there are many good references usually provided on Wikipedia, anyone who desires can edit a Wikipedia page, and the information contained is nothing to be taken as absolute.

    Although the factors you mentioned are valid factors for Fanconi Syndrome, there is still no absolute scientific based study or evidence that supports the claims made that any Fanconi is induced by these chinese products. Anecdotal evidence is not a scientific study.

    So far, there is only speculation at this point.

    By the definition you have provided Food is not listed as a cause of Fanconi. So I will concede there is more than one type of Fanconi Syndrome, but I will stand by my original statement, that no Food by itself can cause Fanconi. From what is posted on Wikipedia definition you provided, it take heavy metals, drugs, or genetic defect. So unless the food has been contaminated somehow with the items mentioned or other item currently unknown, food is not the cause.

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