Alert about Bone Treats for Dogs that May Cause Illness and Worse

Alert about bone treats for dogs that have cause illness and worse.

The United States Food and Drug Administration issued an important  warning regarding store-bought bone treats for dogs. The associated treats have already caused numerous illnesses and even death in at least 15 dogs.

This alert comes from the DogFoodAdvisor, which has a mission of saving good dogs from bad dog food. Here’s what the DogFoodAdvisor says.

“A variety of commercially-available bone treats for dogs are in the reports, including items described as:

• Ham Bones
• Pork Femur Bones
• Rib Bones
• Smokey Knuckle Bones

“No specific brands are mentioned in the FDA bulletin.”

“The processed products may be dried through a smoking process or by baking. They may also contain other ingredients such as preservatives, seasonings and smoke flavorings.”

“According to Dr. Carmela Stamper, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA, ‘Giving your dog a bone treat might lead to an unexpected trip to your veterinarian, a possible emergency surgery, or even death for your pet.’”

“Illnesses reported to FDA by owners and veterinarians in dogs that have eaten bone treats include:

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• Gastrointestinal obstruction (blockage in the digestive tract)
• Choking
• Cuts and wounds in the mouth or on the tonsils
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Bleeding from the rectum
• Death

According to FDA, approximately 15 dogs have reportedly died after eating a bone treat.”

“How Widespread Is the Problem?

To date, reports submitted by pet owners and veterinarians have included about 90 dogs. Some reports included more than one dog. In addition, FDA has received 7 reports of product problems such as moldy-appearing bones and treats splintering when chewed by the pet.

This is from the Food and Drug Administration website.

North Carolina residents can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products to the NC complaint coordinator at (404) 253-1169. For a list of complaint coordinators nationwide, go here.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints

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You can sign up for automatic food recall notices from the DogFoodAdvisor here.