US pet goods retailer Petco and PetSmart will stop selling pet treats manufactured in China after issues were raised on the safety of the Chinese-made treats.

Petco chairman Jim Myers the company has become wary of the China-manufactured jerky pet treats and want to ease pet owners' minds by offering only safe products in their stores.

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He added that Petco will be taking off the China-made jerky treats starting December of this year. All 1,300 Petco retail outlets as well as its online website will stop selling these products.

Erin Gray, spokesperson for PetSmart, on the other hand, said that the company believes that this decision will greatly benefit customers and their pets. She mentioned that PetSmart has been considering taking China-made jerky treats off the shelves for a long time already.

According to records of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 4,800 cases of pet illnesses and 1,000 deaths have been reported since 2007.

Although the FDA has yet to find a direct cause-and-effect between these cases and the China-sourced treats, studies showed that the illnesses occurred after the pets had eaten the said treats.

In the analysis of the ingredients of the questionable jerky treats, small doses of antibiotics were found.

In the study, 60 percent of the reported illnesses were gastrointestinal-related, while 30% accounted for illness associated with kidney and urinary problems. The remaining 10% described issues with the skin and other neurological problems.

Lisa Stark, spokesperson for Petco said that currently, 50 percent of their jerky treats are sourced from China but by the end of the year, they will no longer be offering any of these.

In an effort to address the issue, the FDA will work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find out the root cause of these illnesses.

In the meantime, the FDA advises pet owners that pet treats are not required for a healthy diet. If pet owners are unsure of the quality of the treats ingested by their pets, close supervision and observation is imperative. Any signs of illness should immediately be reported to their vets.

TagsFDA, food and drug, Dog, pet treats, dog snacks