Here is a over due word of warning. Just before Christmas my old Aussie girl, Izzy got really sick. I thought I was going to lose her. She could not stand on her own, in fact she could not even roll onto her chest. She was the sickest dog I have ever seen...at least the sickest one that lived. Her temp was 104+, her blood values looked crazy, x-rays showed something either inflamed or a growth near her heart, ultra sounds showed a liver with a weird consistency and unhappy kidneys. My vet didn't give me much hope. We started her on a very aggressive antibiotic regime and I was her round the clock nurse. It took her a week before she could stand weakly on her own and more weeks until she could get up herself and move around steadily. The vet was stumped by the cause. I started to suspect a treat she had eaten. Waggin' Train Chicken Jerky I bought at Costco to be exact. The bag had fallen and Izzy had grabbed and gulped down 4-6 pieces. A few hours later the symptoms started and by the next day I was at the vet in the biggest nightmare with a mostly dead dog. After I got home from the vet I was playing with some of the dogs and gave both Brink and Tava a piece of the chicken jerky...after all it is healthy stuff right? It is just nice dried chicken breast. The next morning both Tava and Brink had shooting diarrhea. It was then that the warning bells started going. I immediately threw the bag of treats away. It was never officially recalled...however other stores (Walmart) pulled it from their shelves. Costco on the other hand did nothing but perfect their story. If you have some of that Chicken Jerky around GET RID OF IT NOW!!! Take it back and demand your money back or throw it out! Throwing away several bags is still cheaper than the vet visit. The jerky is sold under many brand names and is made in China. There are a couple brands made in the USA...but I am never feeding any kind of chicken jerky. If drying chicken was a good idea don't you think they would make it for human consumption?
So what set me off on this tangent at this late date is a note I got from a friend about this very thing. It isn't just me. It is still going on. Do a google search on it....or better yet check out this thread that was going last summer. I sure wish I had seen this!! It could have saved me a bunch of $$$$ and hours of torment. I found a statement from the makers of Waggin Train Jerky where they claim their treats are 100% safe. However they also said that in the few cases where there were problems it was due to the owner feeding too much of the product. Are they serious? I guess you have to feed small increments not to poison your dog. I gave my pup a treat because I love her, it makes me sick to think it almost killed her. I am happy to report Izzy recovered and is back where she belongs...sleeping next to my bed as she has been doing for the past 14 years.
http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?s=5631af1fa003b6d7b9d3f23a8c6ad4a3&showtopic=176818&pid=2926641&st=0&#entry2926641