Petco Pulls Treats: Chinese-Made Pet Treats Caused Illnesses, Deaths In Cats And Dogs

Petco pulled treats from their store shelves after several cats and dogs fell ill. According to the Los Angeles Times, thousands of pets got sick after consuming jerky treats, which were manufactured in China. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received nearly 5,000 complains from pet-parents since 2007, and there have been 1,000 pet deaths associated with these complaints over the years.

Petco removes Chinese-made dog, cat treats from stores http://t.co/4NaDyump6Xpic.twitter.com/Q1eXpq0kjF

— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) January 6, 2015

The initial decision to discontinue the treats was made in May of 2014, and Petco has just announced that the items are no longer available in store or online, despite their popularity. The treats accounted for $30 million in sales, according to Petco vice president John Sturm. Despite the warnings, people still fed these treats to their pets, which some would say was risky.

“We believe this is the right thing to do,” said Jim Myers, Petco’s chief executive, of the decision to pull the treats. Petco competitor, PetSmart, has also announced that they will stop selling those treats, which are expected to be out of their stores by March.

Petco’s decision to pull the treats makes them the first retailer in the U.S. to do so. According to Yahoo! News, the items will no longer be available as of this week. If you purchased these treats, you may be able to bring them back to your local store for an exchange (it doesn’t hurt to ask). Pets who have consumed these treats can experience lethargy, decreased appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you think that your pet is suffering from any of these ailments after consuming these jerky treats, you should consult your veterinarian.

.@petco and @petsmart are removing all Chinese made treats from their stores. http://t.co/aeJZTBspvm #dogs pic.twitter.com/f47sxJnUbP

— Orvis Dogs (@OrvisDogs) January 6, 2015

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, these same treats were recalled in Oct. 2013. At the time, 600 pet deaths and thousands of illnesses were reported. The treats were pulled from shelves and tested, but without any word on what was in the treats that was making these animals ill, the treats were brought back into stores.

Martine Hartogensis, a deputy director for the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the following.

“To date, testing for contaminants in jerky treats has not revealed a cause for the illnesses. Despite these warnings, we have continued to receive reports of illnesses in both cats and dogs.”

To this day, there isn’t an explanation for what exactly caused the bad reactions to these particular treats.

[Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]