Ever since the chinese-treat issue came to light, my Seven Dwarves get cherry tomatoes, bits of cheese, cut up apples, bananas or raw carrots as treats - and gobble them up!
[QUOTE=PRS;6272244]
It is very hard to avoid chinese ingredients in anything you buy. Remember a couple years ago all those Chinese babies (and some in the US) were dying and/or having kidney issues? It was very near the time pets were dying here. They found that it had melamine added to whatever they were selling to make laboratory tests test positive for a certain protein(?) or something that might otherwise not test well. It was all about money and productivity there…the Chinese government executed the guy that was blamed for that, just put him in front a firing squad and let him have it.[/QUOTE]
They were adding melamine to the babies formula to make it test for a higher percentage of protein. So they were boosting the protein content of the formula with the Melamine.
I adopted my daughter from China at that time, the formula that she was fed was tainted… so I’m familiar with the issues. But I didn’t know that US babies were getting tainted formula…
I of course will not avoid all things Chinese, since my dd is 100% Chinese and I loff her to pieces. So we got lots of Chinese art and stuff in our house. But I understand the gist of what folks here are about, the outrage over contamination in their pets foods. I get the whole frustration thing… I’m always freaked by what my dd got as “food” and what potential health issues it might trigger in the future. But I wouldn’t blame and entire nation for what a group of bad people did.
The part of the melamine contamination I find unforgivable is that at least one major manufacturer found out about the contamination, and did nothing. There have been many incidents of melamine and other bad additives from China, plus the tainted toothpaste (I think toothpaste), but also there have been the recent pink slime additives to meat here, and apparently there’s something about fish additive too. And all of the salmonella and ecoli outbreaks from domestic produce (and sometimes the authorities never find out what caused it) are very scary. I think someday we’ll be reduced to drinking water, and nothing else, and then they’ll ban that too. It really seems that there is nothing entirely safe no matter where it comes from.
[QUOTE=JanM;6275196]
The part of the melamine contamination I find unforgivable is that at least one major manufacturer found out about the contamination, and did nothing. There have been many incidents of melamine and other bad additives from China, plus the tainted toothpaste (I think toothpaste), but also there have been the recent pink slime additives to meat here, and apparently there’s something about fish additive too. And all of the salmonella and ecoli outbreaks from domestic produce (and sometimes the authorities never find out what caused it) are very scary. I think someday we’ll be reduced to drinking water, and nothing else, and then they’ll ban that too. It really seems that there is nothing entirely safe no matter where it comes from.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think you have that pink slime story right.
That was an unfortunate name someone with a beef, pun intended, against certain people used and it took a life of it’s own.
That product was the trimmings of the larger pieces, that was processed so it was clean of any possible contamination and that processing was with a, horror, chemical.
It is the same process used with all kinds of other animal protein products, chicken, turkey, fish and such.
No one gets purple polka dots from that.
To compare that to the melamine additive, that was used to falsify tests and defraud, well, there is no comparing.:eek:
Evidently it is not just the chicken treats to worry about (as far as coming from China). I feed TONS of Canyon River Duck treats to my dogs (and to one kitten who opens the jar and steals them). They cost a fortune and I thought they were healthy and made in the USA. I am so upset! My 4 dogs are so precious to me and one of them is an old girl. My chihuahua is so small - I would just lose it if something happened to them because of these darn treats and these cheepo stores. Thanks for the PSA here!
[QUOTE=vacation1;6268270]
Jesus. My dog developed medical issues a few years ago that led to a very restricted diet - and I’m glad, seeing all these stories.
Isn’t it odd, though, that we’ve all been brainwashed by the pet food industry into thinking that our pets need “special” treats, when they’re just as soon eat some of the cheese, meat or whatever else we bought for ourselves? I mean, the kibble is so much easier than mixing your own, I get that, but treats? Just pop some popcorn or chop up some leftover chicken.[/QUOTE]
Yep…I break up a Lance Nequot Cookie and split it between the dogs for a quick treat.
And I feed raw as much as possible. And Always look at the label.
[QUOTE=NRB;6275134]
They were adding melamine to the babies formula to make it test for a higher percentage of protein. So they were boosting the protein content of the formula with the Melamine.
I adopted my daughter from China at that time, the formula that she was fed was tainted… so I’m familiar with the issues. But I didn’t know that US babies were getting tainted formula…
I of course will not avoid all things Chinese, since my dd is 100% Chinese and I loff her to pieces. So we got lots of Chinese art and stuff in our house. But I understand the gist of what folks here are about, the outrage over contamination in their pets foods. I get the whole frustration thing… I’m always freaked by what my dd got as “food” and what potential health issues it might trigger in the future. But I wouldn’t blame and entire nation for what a group of bad people did.[/QUOTE]
China has a very long history and some beautiful things have come from China, their art is exquisite. BUT I remember when I was a child anything made in Japan was considered low quality junk. The Japanese turned their reputation around by paying attention to what the world was saying. They now take great pride in providing quality exports. The Chinese have gone through an incredible growth spurt of exports. They are now where Japan was in the 60’s and 70’s. There is very little regulation in China until the sh*t hits the fan and then their answer to execute their stool pigeon and say “problem solved” . I walked through the pet aisles of a large retailer and read the back of the pet treats. More than half were made in China. Literally ALL the toys were made in china and all the leashes and collars and pet clothes. We, as consumers are partly to blame for the proliferation of chinese products, we buy them because they’re often cheaper than American made products. I’ll be way more careful in the future. We trust that they are following minimum safety regulations but, as we have seen, they get around them whenever they can.
I always think about all the Chinese drywall problems and how it ruined a relative’s new house (and bankrupted them).
It takes me forever digging through the dog treat aisle to find treats made in the US. Still makes me wonder if their ingredients came from China or not, but it’s better than it saying Made in China on the back I suppose.
Its ironic, my SO insists that I don’t feed his princess min pin table food, but after seeing this I am glad I do!:yes:
We just buy beef jerky at the grocery store. It’s a big hit, easy to carry in your pocket and even the expensive brands aren’t any higher price per ounce than the freakin commercial pet treats.
Best dog treat in our house? Dehydrated carrot chips or dehydrated sweet potato chunks. They’re cheap. We grow the carrots and sweet potatoes ourselves and dehydrate them at the house.
Best dog treat in our house? Dehydrated carrot chips or dehydrated sweet potato chunks. They’re cheap. We grow the carrots and sweet potatoes ourselves and dehydrate them at the house.
MistyStormy-look on the back of the package and the true country of origin is on there. Many that say ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ are actually made abroad, and packaged here. For example, it is earlier in the thread that tell you virtually all of the big brands are overseas origin, including the cute commercials they keep showing on the tv in the mornings that talk about ‘look homemade’.
I’ve made all of my own dog treats after noticing how ridiculously expensive “dog treats” are and how icky the ingredients generally are.
Consider the Pupperoni, which, believe it or not, is actually one of the healthier treats on the market. Ingredients:
Beef, Meat by-products, Soy Grits, Sugar, Liver, Bacon, Salt, Propylene Glycol, Garlic Powder, Caramel Color, Natural Smoke Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (used as a preservative), Sodium Nitrite (for color retention), Red 40, BHA (used as a preservative), Onion Extract
So it’s cheap crap with flavorings. You know how much it costs? $6 for 10 ounces. That comes out to close to $10 a pound.
They advertise it as “when our pups want more real beef…” Ok. Well, you can buy some really nice steaks, pure beef, high quality, for $10 a pound, and of course cheaper ground beef, easier to make into soft pupperoni-like sticks, goes for a lot less. Or if you don’t want to cook, well, if you buy pepperoni intended for human consumption, it has a lot more meat and is the same or cheaper than the dog treats.
Even the pre-made “jerky”- you can easily make your own from good meat for less than the commercial dog treats, or buy pre-made jerky for human consumption if you don’t want to mess around making your own.
and that’s without even considering what toxins might be in there because it was made by an unethical manufacturer.
I keep a pretty close eye on the meat section when I go shopping. Stew beef will go on sale for 1.99 a pound, great treats. This week Publix has boneless chicken breasts BOGOF, great treats. Publix always has beef rib bones, the big ones, for $2.99 a pound (sometimes $1 off when on sale), they make a great meal once a week. Chicken livers always available, and they even had big beef hearts, that I cut up to use for a meal, or treats.
I never ever anymore buy treats that come out of a box or a bag.
[QUOTE=MelantheLLC;6291203]
We just buy beef jerky at the grocery store. It’s a big hit, easy to carry in your pocket and even the expensive brands aren’t any higher price per ounce than the freakin commercial pet treats.[/QUOTE]
watch the; salts, preservatives, nitrates, and spices in the jerky. Onion is not good for dogs, even in powered form.
[QUOTE=HydroPHILE;6291481]
Best dog treat in our house? Dehydrated carrot chips or dehydrated sweet potato chunks. They’re cheap. We grow the carrots and sweet potatoes ourselves and dehydrate them at the house.[/QUOTE]
do you use a dehydrator? or do you use the oven?
