SAN DIEGO, California – Petco announced
yesterday that it will stop carrying dog and cat treats made in China at its more than
1,300 store locations nationwide and online at Petco.com by the end of 2014.
The move makes Petco the
first national pet specialty retailer to take this step following precautions issued by the U.S. Food &
Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the consumption of
jerky treats made in China.
Since 2007, and as recently as just last week, the FDA has periodically cautioned consumers about a
potential link between reported illnesses in dogs and the consumption of
jerky products made in China. However, the FDA has been unable to
identify a direct link between the reported illnesses and the China-made
treats, and has not recommended a recall of jerky products.
“We’ve been following the FDA warnings and related customer concerns
closely, and we’ve been actively reducing our China-made assortment and
expanding our American-made offerings for several years now,” said Jim Myers, Petco CEO. “We know the FDA hasn’t yet identified a direct cause for the
reported illnesses, but we decided the uncertainty of the situation
outweighs the lack of actual proof. It has taken some time and careful
thought to get to this point, but we’re proud to make the change and we
believe our customers will be pleased with it as well.”
The final stage of the transition will begin in September and is
expected to be complete by the end of 2014, marking the end of a
multi-year process in which Petco has been working with vendors and
suppliers to offer more safe and healthy alternatives to treats made in
China.
Pet owners looking for alternatives to China-made dog or cat treats
will find a broad selection of USA-made products at Petco.
Jerky Treat Illness Symptoms
According to the FDA, within hours of eating treats sold as
jerky tenders or strips made of chicken, duck, sweet potatoes and/or
dried fruit, some pets have exhibited decreased appetite, decreased
activity, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes with blood or mucus), increased
water consumption, and/or increased urination.
Severe cases have
involved kidney failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, and a rare kidney
disorder. About 60 percent of cases involved gastrointestinal illness,
and about 30 percent involved kidney and urinary systems. About
15 percent of the kidney or urinary cases also tested positive for
Fanconi syndrome, a rare kidney disease that has been associated with
this investigation.
The remaining 10 percent of cases reported various symptoms, such as neurologic, dermatologic, and immunologic symptoms.
