KONA'S
STORY :
Young Pomeranian Becomes Ill from Chicken
Chips from China:
Kona’s Chips was born in 2007, when our
beautiful black Pomeranian, Kona, became ill
from eating dried chicken breasts imported from
China. Only six months old, Kona was the son
of many champions—and he was lively and
active. He enjoyed eating one slice of dehydrated
chicken breast (from the local pet food store)
before we left for work in the morning to ease
his anxiety. After Kona became “addicted”
to these chips, our breeder sent us warning
notices about chicken breasts from China. Even
though not included in the national recall pet
food “scare”, she had been receiving
reports about dogs becoming ill from the dehydrated
“all natural” chicken breasts from
China. We called her immediately and let her
know which brand we were using. She told us
that if Kona had not yet suffered any ill effects
(he had been eating them for about 1 month),
then he would be okay.
Chips from China are Strangely Addicting:
Two weeks later Kona became ill. He began to
refuse all food (except for the chips). He was
completely listless. We remembered that the
lady at the pet food store had said these chicken
breast chips from China were highly addicting,
especially for small dogs. Kona had no energy
and was obviously ill, but would only eat the
dehydrated “all natural” chicken
breasts from China.
Treatment:
Medically confirmed, we began to treat Kona
with Pedialyte and water, forced through a syringe.
Baby rice cereal was also given—and no
more chicken chips from China! Due to his youth
and our care, Kona made a full recovery, and
we hope he will not have any long-term effects
or organ damage.
Note: If your dog becomes ill, always consult
your veterinarian.
Our Search for a Healthy Replacement:
Our search for American-made dried chicken breast
for dogs began. We started with our local pet
food store and searched on-line. We were not
able to find an all-American product which was
produced in America, processed in America, packaged
in American, and sold to American pet owners.
We began experimenting and making our own,
starting with 100% USDA inspected chicken. In
a few months, we had a healthy all-American
product which Kona was wild about—and
we were assured that he was safe.
The Three Little Words — “Made
in China”:
Next time you are looking at jerky treats at
a pet food store, search the label for the three
little words: “Made in China”.
Often very small, packaging can be misleading.
Appearing as a USA product because the product
is imported and packed in the United States,
an American company name and address is often
displayed prominently. Look very carefully and
you will most likely find in very small letters,
those three little words: “Made in China”.
When we first began our quest, I asked our
local pet store owner if she stocked any dried
chicken breast treats which were not from China.
“We don’t carry any products from
China,” she responded. I took her to her
own shelf display and we looked at each package,
which if inspected closely, all contained those
three little words: “Made in China”.
She was amazed!
Click on these links to read and see
more:
VITALS
on MSNBC
FDA
Warning Chicken Jerky from China November 2011
Fanconi
Syndrome Explained
FDA
Warning Recent Update
FDA
Warning about Chicken Jerky from China December
2008
AVMA
Warning
The
American Veterinary Medical Associations warning
about dog treats from China
The
US Food and Drug Administration Warning
The
American Veterinary Medical Associations warning
about jerky treats from China
The
American Veterinary Medical Associations updated
warnings about jerky treats
