Two major pet food chains are pulling all Chinese-made dog and cat treats off their shelves, amidst reports linking them to more than 1,000 canine deaths in Canada and the U.S.

Spokespeople for the PetSmart and Petco chains told the Star they plan to voluntarily stop selling all dog and cat treats that are made in China.

That includes popular Chinese-made jerky strips made of chicken, duck, sweet potato, or dried fruit.

Lisa Stark of U.S.-based Petco said the chain plans to have all the treats off the shelves by the end of the year.

“By March 2015, PetSmart will no longer sell dog and cat treats manufactured in China,” Erin Gray of PetSmart said in an email from Phoenix. “This is something we’ve been working toward for some time, and feel it’s the right thing to do for pets and our customers.”

Some of the jerky dog treats from China are imported by Normerica Inc. of Port Credit and marketed under the VitaLife brand.

Normerica Inc. president Colin Gleason posted a statement online which states that VitaLife markets healthy dog treats produced in China, Thailand and Canada.

“No matter where they are produced, each VitaLife dog treat undergoes a comprehensive battery of testing to ensure they are 100 % safe for our customer’s companions,” Gleason said in his posted statement. He could not be reached for an interview.

The move by Petco and PetSmart to pull all Chinese-made dog treats off the shelves comes as the U.S. based Food and Drug Administration reports it has received 4,800 reports of pet illnesses that may be related to the consumption of Chinese-made jerky pet treats since 2007.

These reports include more than 1,000 canine deaths, the FDA reports.

“To date, testing for contaminants in jerky pet treats has not revealed a cause for the illnesses,” the FDA statement says.

There is no similar government testing in Canada and Canadian vets and pet owners are forced to rely on the U.S.-based FDA for ensuring the pet food is safe.

Testing has been conducted for salmonella, metals, pesticides, mould, rat poison, and a variety of toxins, among other things, the FDA reports.

“Testing has also included measuring the nutritional composition of jerky pet treats to verify that they contain the ingredients listed on the label and do not contain ingredients that are not listed on the label,” the FDA statement says.

As the testing continues, pet owners are advised to watch their pets closely.

Within hours of eating the jerky treat products, pets may develop decreased appetite and activity, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst and urination, the FDA notes.

“Severe cases are diagnosed with pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and kidney failure or the resemblance of a rare kidney related illness called Fanconi syndrome (or “Fanconi-like syndrome”),” the FDA statement says.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association says that veterinarians here have been monitoring the situation, but pet food products aren’t regulated here like in the U.S.

“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) does not have the regulatory mandate or resources to test pet foods. Nutritional content and safety of pet foods and treats is the responsibility of the manufacturer,” CVMA spokesperson Kristin McEvoy says.

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“Our organization contacted the CFIA to inquire about the possibility of the agency taking a more active role in urging manufacturers to implement a voluntary product recall or to suspend import permits of these products until the suspect toxicity link can be proven or ruled out,” McEvoy says. “Without a conclusive link to toxicity, CFIA will not cancel import permits for these treats.”

Individual Canadian pet food manufacturers are responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of their products, according to the CFIA website.

“The CFIA’s mandate related to pet food is focused on ensuring that imported pet foods do not introduce diseases into Canada that could threaten the safety of the food supply or the health of livestock,” CFIA spokesperson Rachael Burdman said in an email.

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