December 10, 2008The Australian Veterinary Association has warned pet owners and veterinarians to watch for dogs exhibiting signs of acquired Fanconi-like syndrome after KraMar announced that it was withdrawing its Supa Naturals Chicken breasts strips from the Australian market.
The dog treats were imported from China.
The withdrawal comes as a result of an unusually high number of dogs being reported as suffering from symptoms consistent with this relatively uncommon syndrome. University of Sydney researchers have pointed an epidemiological finger linking the problem to the consumption of the chicken treat.
While KraMar has withdrawn the implicated product, the company was careful to point out that there is no direct scientific evidence linking the chicken treats to the problem. KraMar routinely tests these products for the presence of melamine, Salmonella and E. coli.
Fanconi's syndrome, most often an inherited disease, is characterized by elevated levels of glucose in urine, but not in blood. The high glucose level is an indicator of damage to the kidney's ability to reabsorb nutrients and electrolytes back into the body.
Non-hereditary Fanconi-like symptoms can be triggered – at least in humans – by a number of factors, including exposure to heavy metals or other chemicals, vitamin D deficiency, or multiple myeloma, among others. While the definition of a "heavy metal" is somewhat arbitrary, this category of chemical elements includes arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium and zinc.
The situation in Australia is eerily reminiscent of a similar incident that took place last year in the United States. In September 2007, FDA warned consumers that as many as 95 dogs might have been sickened – some fatally – as a result of having been fed chicken jerky treats imported from China. Extensive chemical and microbiological testing carried out by the agency failed to reveal anything unusual. At least some of the dogs exhibited symptoms consistent with Fanconi-like syndrome. But FDA never was able to tie down a cause for the illnesses.
KraMar has told ABC News that it is considering moving the production of their Supa Naturals Chicken treat to Australia. Meanwhile dog owners should be watchful for symptoms such as excessive drinking and urination, lethargy and vomiting, and should contact their veterinarian immediately should these symptoms appear.
For more information about the precautionary recall, consumers can contact KraMar by email at customerservice@kramar.com.au or by telephone at 02 4648 8500.
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Even though there is no solid scientific evidence linking the chicken treats to the problem I think its better to stay away from it and consider getting other kind of dog treats we can give to our pets.
ReplyDeleteIs there a known link of chicken treats causing diarrhoea? My dog has had intermittent diarrhoea since september despite antibiotics. He has been having this treat for ages so I didn't think it was causing the diarrhoea. I'm now wondering if that is the cause. I have thrown all my packets of dog treats that have been made in China
ReplyDeletePatricia
Hi Patricia,
ReplyDeleteThere could be a couple of reasons for the diarrhea, depending on how the treats were processed.
One possibility is that there is, from time to time, Salmonella or Campylobacter in the treats and your dog is picking up an infection. The antibiotic treatment would take care of it, but if he has another contaminated treat, it could come back. There is no long-term immunity as a result of these infections - too many different strains of bacteria.
Another possibility is that your dog's digestive system can't handle an ingredient in the treat - either the chicken itself, or something added during processing.
Consider avoiding all "jerky" type treats completely for a couple of months and see how your dog's digestive system responds. And talk to your vet again, so that he/she is current on the situation. There might be specific things you should watch for.
Phyllis