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Disease Outbreaks & Information
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Lab that found antibiotics in jerky continues search
4/3/2013
Testing treats singly was possible key to discovery
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VIN solicits jerky-associated illness reports
1/15/2013
Research veterinarians seek solution to mystery
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Jerky treats recall not tied to mysterious pet illnesses
1/11/2013
Antibiotic residues detected by New York inspectors
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Swine flu outbreak continues to grow
8/24/2012
Summertime fairs advance spread, health officials say
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Pet treat investigation expands beyond chicken jerky
8/17/2012
FDA cites rise in complaints about duck, sweet potato products
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Veterinarians advise avoiding chicken jerky dog treats
5/25/2012
Attention to 6-year-old mystery intensifies
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Catching worms from pets: real risk or far-fetched?
2/15/2012
Veterinary personnel wonder whether to deworm themselves regularly
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Veterinarians serve family-health role in suspected zoonoses
2/10/2012
To test or not to test; that is the question
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Recent reports overstated canine influenza activity
1/23/2012
Some veterinarians suspect vaccine marketing clouds reality
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Spike in dog-flu reports attracts media attention
12/22/2011
Actual incidence is undefined
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FDA: Study of Salmonella in pet food just ‘routine’
11/18/2011
Agency downplays concern about contamination
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Jerky treats for dogs still suspected in illness
7/8/2011
Veterinarians advise caution in choosing snacks
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FAA spot inspects veterinary practices
11/5/2010
Surprise audits nab those who improperly package hazardous substances
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Recall issued of certain Blue Buffalo dog foods
10/8/2010
Excess vitamin D in food linked to illness in pets
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Germ that causes cat scratch disease not necessarily mild
9/20/2010
Veterinary professionals at risk of Bartonella infections
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Veterinarians report mysterious link between dog food and hypercalcemia
8/31/2010
Initial analysis: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Diet contains normal levels of calcium, vitamin D
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Sago palm poisoning cases increase
4/7/2010
Ornamental plant becoming popular nationally
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Canine flu: How big a threat?
11/17/2009
Clinicians grapple with immunization policy
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'Swine flu' could also be called ferret, feline and fowl flu
11/10/2009
H1N1 nimbly passes from humans to other species
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Pet Carousel pig ears, beef hooves under recall
11/9/2009
Products sold by PetSmart and other outlets
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Iowa cat tests positive for H1N1 virus
11/4/2009
First known feline case; role in transmission undetermined
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Following product recalls, Fanconi-like syndrome outbreak abates in Australia
9/23/2009
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Veterinarian dies after contracting Hendra virus
9/2/2009
CDC concerned about infectious disease control in veterinary practices
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H1N1 virus played no part in UC Davis worker's death
8/12/2009
Official cause of death pending
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UC Davis death prompts warning of Type A H1N1 pandemic flu
8/10/2009
Administrative assistant complained of flu-like symptoms prior to death
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Clostridium botulinum not detected, pet food maker says
6/17/2009
FDA action that stripped Evanger's ability to ship pet food based on paperwork flap, company says
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Media exaggerated threat of rabies strain that jumped species, epidemiologist says
6/10/2009
Bat rabies strikes foxes and skunks in Arizona
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Virbac recalls VeggieDent chews in Australia
6/4/2009
Action spurred by link to kidney disorders in dogs
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Strep zoo infects Philadelphia shelter dogs
6/4/2009
Lab results dismiss canine influenza, as reported by media
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Distemper strikes
5/18/2009
Leaders issue outbreaks warning, cite seasonal cases
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'Swine influenza' name sickens U.S. pork markets
4/29/2009
AVMA issues statement; efforts underway to rename virus
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International swine flu outbreak is fast-changing, mysterious
4/27/2009
Despite name, pigs are not implicated
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Guidelines raise bar on infection control in veterinary practices
2/17/2009
Report outlines safety strategy for protecting animals, staff, community
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Salmonella poisoning in dog linked to peanut-butter recall
2/12/2009
Officials tie first pet case to nationwide outbreak
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Pet food court settlement hung up by appeals
12/18/2008
23,000 pet owners filed claims to date
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Melamine turns up in Chinese dog food, Kills 1,500 raccoon dogs bred for their fur
10/23/2008
The latest melamine scandal in China has hit dogs again.
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Potential Salmonella contamination prompts Hartz recall
10/22/2008
Chicken-Basted Rawhide Chips pulled from store shelves
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Melamine hangover lingers over pet food industry
10/13/2008
Latest China scandal, lawsuits, sales slump keep issue alive
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Arrests made in melamine contamination case
9/16/2008
Authorities link tainted milk to last year's pet food contamination
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State issues warning as rabies cases climb 60 percent
9/12/2008
Investigation underway, Georgia officials say
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Early test results show no new parvo outbreak, MSU says
9/4/2008
Unknown respiratory disease also strikes Michigan shelter
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Shortage of human rabies vaccine nears, CDC warns
8/27/2008
Agency asks DVMs to educate the public concerning ways to avoid exposure
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Mad cow case crops up in Canada
8/15/2008
Officials confirm disease in Alberta beef cow
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Mystery of illness associated with jerky treats persists
FDA advises continued caution
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Disease Outbreaks & Information
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Following product recalls, Fanconi-like syndrome outbreak abates in Australia
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September 23, 2009
By: Edie Lau
For The VIN News Service
An outbreak in dogs of acquired proximal renal tubulopathy, also
known as Fanconi-like syndrome, appears to have ended in Australia
since two different kinds of dog chews and treats were pulled from the
market.
The kidney conditions, sometimes fatal, were associated
with the feeding of chicken jerky treats made by KraMar and grain-based
dental chews made by Virbac. Analysis of both products revealed no
contaminants or toxicants, however.
KraMar pulled two products —
Supa Naturals Chicken Breast Strips 150G and 110G — in December 2008,
after receiving more than a dozen reports of dogs having eaten the
chicken snacks falling ill with Fanconi-like syndrome.
The
illness is so called because it resembles Fanconi, a usually inherited
condition in which the kidneys lose electrolytes and nutrients in urine
rather than resorbing them properly into the body. Symptoms include
excessive drinking and urination (polydipsia and polyuria, PUPD) and
glucose in urine (glucosuria). Lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting
also are common.
Dr. Linda Fleeman, a senior lecturer in small
animal medicine at the University of Sydney who treated some of the
dogs and has tried to track down the cause, reported that 99 dogs that
were fed the Supa Naturals Chicken Breast Strips had confirmed cases.
They acquired the disease between August 2007 and January 2008. Five of
the dogs died (some through euthanasia). For the survivors, recovery
took anywhere from less than two weeks to six months.
Once the
chicken jerky products were withdrawn from the market, incidence of the
disease declined significantly, Fleeman said, although a few new cases
this year came up, associated with KraMar’s Supa Naturals Chicken
Breast Bites, which retailers sold at a discount because the line was
discontinued.
Then in May, several more new cases of acquired
proximal renal tubulopathy surfaced that were associated not with dried
chicken treats but with VeggieDents, a corn-, soy- and rice-based
dental chew that had been introduced in March by Virbac through
veterinarians. Virbac pulled the product from the market in Australia
on June 1.
Fleeman told the VIN News Service by e-mail that she
is aware of only one new case since the Virbac recall, and that was
associated with a KraMar product.
Although Virbac’s laboratory
analysis of VeggieDents could identify no link to the disease, the
company is keeping the product out of the country for the time being,
said Stephane Wojtkowiak, a spokesman in Virbac headquarters in France.
“They have not scheduled yet the return of products to the shelves as
Virbac Australia is willing to work closely with the local authorities
to better understand the reason of Fanconi-like syndrome,” he told VIN
News Service by e-mail.
No cases of Fanconi-like syndrome have
been associated with VeggieDents outside of Australia, so the product
is still available in Europe, Asia and the United States.
The
chews are made in Vietnam. Virbac has said that the product in
Australia, unlike those sold elsewhere, is irradiated as required by
the Australia Quarantine and Inspection Service.
Pet food
irradiation at the levels used in Australia has been linked to
neurological disease, including ataxia and tetraplegia, in cats; dogs
are not known to be affected. The Australian government in late May
banned irradiation of cat food because of compelling scientific
evidence that the sterilization process may harm cats. How irradiation
may induce toxicity is unknown.
Outside of Australia, cases of
Fanconi-like syndrome occurred in the United States in 2007 among dogs
that ate various brands of chicken jerky that, like the KraMar
products, were made in China. Authorities were unable to identify a
cause.
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