Rachael Chambers' dog Cali died Wednesday morning. She said it was a sudden and painful death.
"It was so hard to see her that way and she didn't deserve it; she was the most loving, loyal family dog that…" Chambers said.
Chambers says 13-year-old Cali and her other dogs were given Milo's Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats. Shortly after, three of her four dogs began getting sick.
"On her blood work, there's not really anything specific which we can blame; liver, kidney, everything looked fine," veterinarian Jaspal Harika said.
Harika has heard and read of dogs getting sick after eating the treats. In fact, the FDA has received more than 900 complaints from dog owners. In November, the FDA put out an advisory warning dogs who have been given the chicken treats display Fanconi-like symptoms, including loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting and the need to suddenly drink lots of water. Fanconi is a condition affecting the kidneys causing them to leak electrolytes out of the body.
But the FDA does not require the makers to put that warning on the treats, which are made in China. The FDA will now examine the empty bag and may perform a necropsy on Cali.
Milo's Kitchen is owned by Del Monte Corporation. The company said the FDA and other outside organizations have performed a number of tests and have found "…[No] connection between illness and Chicken Jerky treats."
Milo's dog treats are sold in many stores, including Petco. Chambers says she bought the treats at their Morgan Hill store.
"This is impacting a lot of people and I just don't think there's enough out there to help people stop buying these things and hopefully push retailers to push them off their shelves, because it's the right thing to do," Chambers said.
Thursday afternoon, Petco issued a statement saying, "Neither the FDA nor our suppliers have recommended any recalls of Chicken Jerky products."
The FDA has also mentioned two other products: Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch, both made by Nestle Purina PetCare.
