Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,
As many of you have learned, I am not a big pet treat fan for several reasons, but I do understand that many of you are.
You may remember the discussions about Chicken Jerky treats causing real problems up to death in thousands of dogs since 2006. The problems occurred most often in treats that, though from American companies, were actually produced in China. To this day, we do not know the entire problem with the treats.
A recent report indicated that the problem with chicken jerky treats for dogs has reduced dramatically, though there still are cases. Not all the cases were from Chinese product, and, again, we never totally discovered the cause of the problem.
So, I recommend that you never feed chicken jerky treats to your canine friends in any case.
If you are a real pet treater, and feel you must treat…
– Use a product, preferably one made in the US that is known to be safe.
– Do not feed large quantities of treats, as they are often rich and cause upset stomach and sometimes diarrhea.
– Avoid “tipping,” meaning giving your dog a treat every time he does what he is supposed to anyway.
– Use lots of attention and petting and talking to in lieu of large amounts of treats, and your dog will be happier and lighter.
So, there you have it. My take on treats….
See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.
That is all.
Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic