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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, July 23, 2014 | 4 Halton resident urges caution after dog treat controversy by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff A Halton woman is urging residents to be careful what they feed their pets following the recent death of her beloved eight-year-old dog Jessy. Brigitte Reinhard of Burlington described the schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle) as an active and healthy four-legged part of the family, who loved going on walks and playing with his owners. This changed several months ago when Reinhard noticed Jessy slow down, unable to go on the long outings he had previously enjoyed. "We thought maybe it was just because he was getting a bit older," she said. "We went to our annual visit with his vet in May for his rabies shot and we also had a full set of blood tests done... Those tests came back and we were devastated." The tests found that Jessy's kidneys were not functioning properly. Staff at Bayview Park Animal Hospital in Burlington tried to save him, even providing Reinhard an IV so she could flush the toxins out of Jessy's tiny body at home. But Jessy grew weaker and died of kidney and liver failure on June 9. "He was our world. He was so healthy too, it's just so terrible," said Reinhard. "We're heartbroken. The house is empty. It just puts such a big hole in your heart and in your life." Reinhard said pain over Jessy's loss grew when she learned of a controversy surrounding VitaLife chicken and duck jerky treats, which had been part of Jessy's diet for nearly a year. She became aware of various media reports questioning pet deaths in the United States and VitaLife, as well as other pet treat brands with products manufactured in China. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA's) website, since 2007 the governing body has become aware of an increase in the number of illnesses in pets associated with the consumption of jerky pet treats from China. As of May 1, 2014, the group has received approximately 4,800 complaints related to this matter involving 5,600 dogs, 24 cats and three people. That included 1,000 canine deaths. About 60 per cent of the reports involved gastrointestinal illness, and 30 per cent related to kidney or urinary issues, while the remaining 10 per cent involved other symptoms, including convulsions, tremors, hives, and skin irritation. It should be noted the FDA has conducted 26 necropsies on dogs and believes half had causes of death not related to the ingestion of jerky treats, but rather from widespread cancer, mushroom toxicity, abscess and other conditions. In the remaining 13 cases, the FDA stated a relationship between the deaths and the jerky treats could not be ruled out. That said, an exact cause-and-effect relationship has yet to be identified. To date, FDA testing for contaminants in jerky treats has not revealed a cause of the illnesses despite testing for such things as salmonella, metals or elements, pesticides, antibiotics, antivirals, mold and mycotoxins, rodenticides, nephrotoxins and other chemicals and poisonous com- Jessy pounds. The FDA investigation is continuing. Normerica Inc., the company which manufactures VitaLife treats, has responded to the controversy with a message on its website. "Our VitaLife brand encompasses many types of all-natural dog treats from our duck tenders produced in China, to our chicken tenders produced in our company-owned facility in Thailand to our new chicken fingers and nuggets produced right here in Canada," reads the statement. "No matter where they are produced, each VitaLife treat undergoes a comprehensive battery of laboratory testing to ensure they are 100 per cent safe for our customers' companions." It stated duck tenders made in China go through a two-fold independent safety test: first before they leave China, and on arrival in Canada. When contacted specifically about Jessy's case, a Normerica Inc. representative said they were sorry to learn of the dog's death and take customer complaints seriously and would investigate. The company said its duck tenders are made with only one ingredient -- 100 per cent natural duck fillet. It also noted none of its VitaLife products have ever been recalled throughout the company's 20 years in operation. Jessy's veterinarian said only that the schnoodle had died from kidney and liver failure. He noted he could not prove any particular dog treats were responsible for the dog's death. The Oakville & Milton Humane Society (OMHS) said it is aware of the controversy surrounding VitaLife pet treats and noted as a result, it is no longer feeding them to their animals. "We have not had any problems nor have we had anyone reach out to us who has had a problem with those treats," said Brenda Dushko, OMHS spokesperson. "They are donated to us fairly regularly and we have not been using them with our animals at all. Just to be on the safe side. It is important for us pet owners to always be careful with what we feed our pets and it is good to keep an eye on what is going on in the media." Pet retailers like PetSmart and Petco have also responded to the controversy. PetSmart Corporate Communications Manager Erin Gray said the pet food chain no longer sells China-sourced VitaLife treats in its Canadian stores. "We're not aware of a direct link between any of the treats manufactured in China as causing illnesses that have been reported, but we've listened to the concerns of our pet parents, and this is all part of our process to remove China-made products from our stores by March 2015," she stated in an email. "This is something we've been working toward for some time, and feel it's the right thing to do for pets and our customers." U.S. pet supplier Petco announced in May it would stop selling dog and cat treats made in see Pet on p.5 inside today's Editorial Sports Beaver www.insideHALTON.com 6 9 Artscene Classified 8 11 Dell Computers Slavation Army Real Estate Lowes Canada Atmosphere Hom Depot Sport Chek XS Cargo Listen Up Canada *All flyers not necessarily delivered to all homes For home delivery & customer service call 905-631-6095, 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington New subscriptions call 905-631-6095 or subscribe online @ www.oakvillebeaver.com August 90 7-10 6 STAGES FREE ACTS ON Over 2014 OTIS TAYLOR BAND SPECIAL GUEST KITCHENER ON, CANADA TICKETED CONCERT FUNDRAISERS KICK-OFF SHOW THURSDAY AUGUST 7TH STEVE STRONGMAN QUINN SULLIVAN and Featuring CLOSING CONCERT SUNDAY AUGUST 10TH Featuring AVEC Tickets available at TICKETSCENE.CA kitchenerbluesfestival.com info@kitchenerbluesfestival.com E UP TH BUDDY GUY MICHAEL DOUCET GET THE APP