Here we go again...

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Vitals%20-%20Chicken%20jerky%20treats%20linked%20to%20mystery%20ill...

 

 

 

Here's the link to a story from a few hours ago. Chicken jerky again.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Pretty much same thing considering how much of it they actually ingest of the fabric, dyes and plastics. I look for as much Made in USA as possible, but it has not been easy and have gone to Deer Antlers and real bones for chew toys above all else.

We just had a discussion about the ink dyes on the balls at the pet store having something unsafe in them and it's not on regular tennis balls, so since then I go to the sports section for their balls. I think it was Karen who told us about that. But I have a really bad memory, so I'm not sure.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, it was from an article I read in Bark magazine a while back, and I've since researched it. Tennis balls made specifically for dogs have lead paint in the designs, logos, or writing that's on them. Tennis balls made for humans to use for playing tennis do not.  

[BG and Gavin]

Oh don't tell me this - the KONG air dog squeeky ball is the most favorite toy here!  I emailed KONG with an inquiry.  Will let you know when I hear back.

[BG and Gavin]

Ok I heard back from KONG and the news seems good:

Thank you so much for choosing KONG, and we appreciate you writing to us. The AirDog line is manufactured in china but we do all the independent testing of the toys in the US to make sure they’re safe; they do not contain any lead paint. All of our rubber KONG toys are made in the USA . Also, our Genius toys and all of our treats (except the IQ treats which are made in Denmark ) are made in the USA .

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write to us, we appreciate any and all customer comments.  Please feel free to write back with any questions.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

That's all good info! Thanks for taking the time to post for all of us!!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Thanks Karen, I think this will change a lot of our ball purchasing practices. Lead!!! When I think of all the balls my two have mauled, chewed, torn the cover off and eaten pieces of!!! Scary

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's a link to the info in the Bark article, with other links to companies that make unsafe and safe dog toys:

http://www.diademchihuahuas.50megs.com/custom_3.html

Also keep in mind that the amount of lead a dog would get from the paint on tennis balls is infinitesimal. I saw another article saying it would take something like 16 years of the dog ingesting some of the paint on a daily basis to consume enough lead to cause a health problem. I don't know if that's true, but it seems reasonable. I still don't want to give JD anything that contains lead paint, but that should at least be reassuring.

[BG and Gavin]

Still, people with dogs have kids and any exposure to lead paint with children is too much.  There should be a warning if it contains lead :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good point.

[Carolyn and Ruby]

Gosh. thanks for sharing. I'm about to be a new dog owner and was unaware of the problem.  I almost bought chicken jerky at petsmart today!

 

Thanks again

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Carolyn, the problem is not with chicken jerky itself. The problem is with chicken jerky made in China. If you read through the responses here in this discussion, you will find references and links to chicken jerky that is made in the U.S.A. and is fine.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

To be safe.... I make my own, I brought a dehydrator and the doodles LOVE the jerky