Comment

Comment by Jane Christensen on June 7, 2011 at 4:15pm

I also only buy "made in the USA" but have you thought of making your own? I make a cookie sheet full and freeze them and pull them out as I need them. I make mine with peanut butter and they all go crazy!

Comment by Jane on June 7, 2011 at 12:34pm

Not that long ago there were several children that died and thousands more that were sickened by melamine that was put illegally into baby formula in China. Very scary.

 

I try to buy things made in the US but I will admit my dogs get a milkbone here and there. Usually I buy Zukes for training treats and their chews come from bestbullysticks.com. I don't buy chicken jerky any more, it's just not worth the risk to me. I kind of worry about rawhides too, I buy the ones from Target that say made in the US, but the bigger bag by the same company says made in Brazil...kind of suspicious lol.

Comment by Geri & Sidney on June 7, 2011 at 11:28am

Thanks Ellen, he' s actually ok now! He was having bloodwork done in preparation for a dental procedure when they caught the kidney damage. By putting him on a renal formula diet, he's been good for the past three years. He's 16 now and slowing down from arthritis, but other than that he's a happy healthy old man.

 

Rachel, here's the FDA article, FYI:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm054448...

Comment by Rachael & Waffle on June 7, 2011 at 9:43am

I have never heard of this melamine poisoning before.  

 

"Melamine is combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a very durable thermosetting plastic used in Formica, and melamine foam, a polymeric cleaning product. The end products include countertops, dry erase boards, fabrics, glues, housewares, dinnerware, cooking spoons, guitar saddles, guitar nuts, and flame retardants. Melamine is one of the major components in Pigment Yellow 150, a colorant in inks and plastics."

 

And they put this is FOOD?? It's allowed at 1 mg/kg in infant formula. Wtf.  Seriously? Wtf. What makes manufacturers think that it is a suitable food item?  It has a high nitrogen content, but that makes it more suitable to be applied to the ground than to food. :|  ... (Wtf, seriously.)

 

Anyways.  Yes.  I was buying these chicken jerky things from Canyon Creek that looked really good!  But, I noticed on our fourth bag or so that they were made in China. :[  So, there went that treat.  It's pretty hard to find chicken jerky and other such products that aren't made in China, I've found.  I have these dehydrated lungs from Primal pet foods, but they are SO EXPENSIVE (2 USD/oz), and he only gets a small piece before bedtime so it's not even supplementing his diet in any way to justify the cost.  

Comment by Ellen Andersen on June 7, 2011 at 6:46am

Oh gosh, Geri, I'm soooo sorry about your corgi.

Comment by Ellen Andersen on June 7, 2011 at 6:45am

I always check country of origin, as well, and I'm very careful about where the stuff is from (be it parts or processing).

Comment by Geri & Sidney on June 7, 2011 at 4:22am

yes, I always look for country of origin. Don't be fooled if it says "made with US beef" (or chicken, whatever), because it usually means the beef was shipped to China and the treat was then processed there.

 

I nearly lost my senior corgi mix to melamine poisoning a few years ago, from eating chicken jerky from Costco that was processed in China. Costco's chicken jerky is now made in the USA, probably the result of many complaints about the melamine.