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The Food and Drug Administration advises pet owner to avoid jerky treats until it cracks a mysterious outbreak that's sickened 3,000 dogs and killed 600.

(Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian)

Mysterious canine illnesses and deaths linked to jerky treats from China have slowed since two manufacturers pulled leading brands off the market earlier this year. But reports of sick dogs have not stopped altogether, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

"We're still getting complaints about products on the shelf," said Martine Hartogensis, a veterinarian and deputy director at the FDA.

She advised pet owners to be cautious about feeding their dogs any kind of jerky treat. Even if the packages don't mention China, they might contain Chinese ingredients.

"A lot will say 'product of the USA,' but they're just packaged here," said Mike Mallar, co-owner of Green Dog Pet Supply in Northeast Portland. "It's really deceptive."

The FDA appealed to veterinarians on Tuesday, asking them to be on the lookout for suspected cases. Federal officials need urine samples from dogs that are sick and samples of the treats they've consumed, Hartogensis said.

"The samples have been tough to get," she said.

The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association posted the appeal on its website and Facebook page and will alert its 1,000 members by email as well, said Raina Dey, the association's spokesperson.

Though the association is aware of the ongoing outbreak, Day said it's not been a big issue in Oregon. "We haven't heard of a lot of cases," she said.

Federal officials had no information about specific states but they said the outbreak, which dates to 2006, has sickened about 3,000 dogs and 10 cats and killed about 600 canines. It has swept up a wide range of breeds, hitting dogs both big and small, young and old, male and female. Nearly two-thirds have had gastrointestinal symptoms, a third have developed kidney disease and the rest have suffered convulsions, hives and skin irritation.

What they all seem to have in common is consumption of jerky treats from China. Originally, the outbreak appeared limited to chicken treats but the FDA said Tuesday that it has received complaints about duck and sweet potato jerky treats as well as jerky-wrapped rawhide treats.

In its years-long investigation, FDA officials have inspected two manufacturing plants in China. They've also conducted extensive toxicology tests on the treats, looking for mold, heavy metals, Salmonella and other toxins. Many of the tests came back negative. Others were inconclusive.

New York authorities found low levels of antibiotics in some chicken jerky treats, prompting voluntary recalls in January. Del Monte pulled Milo's Kitchen Chicken Jerky Treats and Chicken Grillers and Nestle-Purina recalled Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch dog treats.

The number of complaints dropped after those recalls but did not come to a standstill. Hartogensis said the FDA still receives about 20 reports a month.

In a word, the agency remains stumped.

"There really hasn't been anything that would explain all these illnesses," Hartogensis said. "It's been very frustrating."

It's worried pet store owners as well.

"The last thing we would ever want is for a dog that eats something from our store to get sick," said Mallar of Green Dog Pet Supply. "That would be tragic."

He only carries Kona's Chips, which according to the manufacturer's website, are made in the United States with U.S. chicken.

Furever Pets in Northeast Portland also sources its treats.

"We avoid China at all costs," said Janet Takayama, the store's manager. "We've dropped treats when we found out they were made in China."

Until the mystery is solved, federal officials advised pet owners to avoid jerky treats. They also asked owners to report any illnesses through their veterinarians.

-- Lynne Terry