B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Bob Russell — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 16:00:33 GMT

[quote user="Mair Tyler"]

This is the food/treats: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/charlie-little

Looks pretty good quality... 'Known conventional food' -you mean any known brand eg Bakers/Pedigree/Hills, etc?

Dog not really unwell in herself, fully vaccinated, bloods all ok, no recent meds.

[/quote]

Checking the ingredients, it looks like cheap junk to me. Low meat content, lots of maize and pretty much the same as any of the budget diets.

Mutton dressed up as lamb?

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 22:18:46 GMT

Hi All,

So for anybody that does see a case the VPIS now has a registry up and running so that we can get as much information as possible about the disease and the source of any treats, you can find the survey at this link:

http://vpisglobal.com/poisons/jerky-treats-case-registry/

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 14:35:02 GMT

[quote user="Mair Tyler"]Looks pretty good quality... 'Known conventional food' -you mean any known brand eg Bakers/Pedigree/Hills, etc?[/quote]

Exactly - its probably not that food but its a new food that we haven't heard of so would change to something you know is ok.

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Mair Tyler — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 10:28:05 GMT

This is the food/treats: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/charlie-little

Looks pretty good quality... 'Known conventional food' -you mean any known brand eg Bakers/Pedigree/Hills, etc?

Dog not really unwell in herself, fully vaccinated, bloods all ok, no recent meds.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 09:31:24 GMT

The product in question! Looks lovely. 'Not for human consumption' and 'wash your hands after handling'. Nice. Why the "$%& would someone feed that to their dog?????

Bought from Poundstretcher, Manchester Road, Bolton.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 08:26:39 GMT

Hi Mair,

I agree that further testing would be useful here to get a clearer picture of what is going on.

I'm also not familiar with that dog food and I think, with the recent increase in cases, that I would suggest that the owner stops all treats and changes to a known conventional dog food for at least a few weeks as a trial to see if things improve. But it may be that this is not food related and in that case you should look for other potential causes - pyelonephritis, lepto, drug reactions etc.

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Mair Tyler — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 22:02:03 GMT

My case still has completely normal biochem and EPOC (electrolytes & pH all normal). Normal blood glucose, urine glucose ++++. Owner brought food/treats with her today -Initially on James Wellbeloved then changed to 'Charlie Little' dog food -never heard of it but looks like good quality food from the packaging. She did however change to this food about a week before the dog started being PUPD -do you think this is relevant??

Treats fed include Coachies, 'Charlie Little' treats, Bakers 'mini steaks'. No jerky treats and none of food/treats manufactured in China though that doesn't mean the meat used in them isn't of Chinese origin. Will look into further testing.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 12:27:31 GMT

[quote user="Andrew Kent"]So as an initial test we can look at fractional excretion of electrolytes and then potentially get a urine amino acid profile. These were traditionally sent to Penn for analysis but are now offered in the UK by Nick Carmichael at CTDS.[/quote]

Had a chat with Nick yesterday- he is now running the amino acid profile for us.....will take a few days for results. (Only knew about this problem due to this post on this forum - so many thanks Mair Tyler!)

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 08:30:51 GMT

True Fanconi-like cases also have other abnormalities in urine electrolyte secretion along with (often severe) amino aciduria. It is useful to know about these things because, if it persists and we therefore need to come up with a treatment plan, it can help to guide supplementation.

So as an initial test we can look at fractional excretion of electrolytes and then potentially get a urine amino acid profile. These were traditionally sent to Penn for analysis but are now offered in the UK by Nick Carmichael at CTDS.

If available blood gas analysis is useful to see if there is an abnormal pH and to see if the bicarb is low.

As an update in general - it looks like the VPIS have agreed to act as a central point of contact for collating cases that are seen. We are in the process of putting a survey together to gather information about cases and I will post the link here once it is ready.

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Mair Tyler — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 23:33:37 GMT

My case (young Bichon Frise) is due back in tomorrow for a recheck. The owner dropped another urine sample in yesterday and it's still got 4+ glucose. Just had 1 week course of ABs as there was some blood & protein on initial urinalysis. O going to bring in all packets for food/treats for me to see. I'll repeat bloods tomorrow though all were fine (and normoglycaemic) on samples last week. What is best way of testing for Fanconi's? Is it enough just to have persistent glucosuria with normoglycaemia?

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 16:20:03 GMT

No probs - will sort that out tomorrow.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 13:55:20 GMT

Hi Gillian,

Thanks for the update.

It would be useful to have as much information about the product they were feeding, ideally some photos of the front/back of the packaging and the specific store it was purchased from.

If it has been the treats then it should resolve over the next few weeks so we should monitor for that.

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 13:25:24 GMT

Andrew Kent

Aquired fanconi has been confirmed - multiple increased fractional clearances. Do you want me to post/send any more info?

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Gillian Mostyn — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 19:08:59 GMT

Currently investigating a case....had a terrier today (routine meds check for apoquel, currently 'well') with urine glucose but normal blood glucose. Currently awaiting full biochem... But owner says they do give the dog dried chicken strips bought at Poundstretchers, imported from China. Will let you know what bloods sat.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:02:21 GMT

PS It would be great if people could continue to post possible cases on the forum so that the extent of the problem can continue to be fed back to trading standards who are looking into it.

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:00:38 GMT

True fanconi doesn't have a specific treatment but has a management protocol which can be reasonably successful in many cases. Most people use the Gonto protocol - which was made by a human biochemist called Steve Gonto who happened to have a dog with the disease. But it is largely supported by anecdote rather than evidence. You can see the protocol here:

http://www.basenjirescue.org/fanconi/fanconi-protocol-2015.pdf

In terms of the fanconi-like syndrome associated with jerky treats - the good news is that it seems to resolve when the treats are stopped as long as it is identified before the disease progresses to, for example, renal failure.

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Robin Grimmer — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 08:50:25 GMT

How do you treat Fanconi syndrome?

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

macvet — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 00:21:29 GMT

We have just seen two terriers belonging to same owner who have had a lot of the B+m jerky treats over the past year or so . Both have glucosuria +++ (confirmed on 3 separate samples)with normal blood glucose, both have hypophosphataemia - apparently they can lose excess phos thro damaged renal tubules and one has mildly elevated sdma. Rest of bloods and protein creatinine ratios normal range. O happy to monitor glucosuria just now , plan to repeat bloods/urine again 2 weeks. Dogs are otherwise well in themselves.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 14:05:48 GMT

We had someone booked in for yesterday, the dog had been anorexic and vomiting for 2 days since being fed B&M Chinese jerky treats. The appointment was cancelled as she said the dog was a lot better. She had seen about B&M treats on Facebook which had alerted her. I postulated that the vomiting could have been as much to do with a bout of acute pancreatitis from a low quality/high protein snack as any contaminant but could as likely been a dozen other possible causes. She was advised to bring the dog in for blood tests if she continued to be concerned.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Mair Tyler — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 11:40:18 GMT

So yesterday, I had a 2-year-old FN Bichon present with PUPD, 4+ glucose in urine and BG 4.2... Getting repeat urinalysis to ensure this isn't a false positive but looks suspicious! No jerky treats being fed but will get client to bring treat packets in if repeat testing confirms Fanconi's.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Rob Davis — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 14:17:53 GMT

I had a dog with Fanconi syndrome around 18 months ago after being given chicken jerky treats from a discount store. Dog has fortunately recovered fine.

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Andrew Kent — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:54:46 GMT

It's certainly true, and not just a B&M problem - so far it has only been reported in jerky type treats coming from China and usually Duck or Chicken.

This is an issue that has been recognised for a long time in the USA and been investigated at length by the FDA but the causative agent has not been identified - more info on the US side of things here:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm371465.htm

There has been a cluster of cases in this country over the last few months which may coincide with these treats appearing in discount shops. A group of us had a letter published in Vet Record about it last week - the text of which reads:

Acquired Fanconi- like syndrome cases associated with dried chicken and duck meat ingestion

A RECENT cluster of canine cases with polyuria and polydipsia (PU/PD), glucosuria with or without ketonuria and without hyperglycaemia has been reported by a number of referral practices and general practioners in the UK. This combination of findings is suggestive of a proximal tubular disorder (acquired Fanconi-like syndrome) and may also be associated with marked electrolyte and acid-base abnormalities. Where a dietary history has been available, the majority of these patients have been fed dried ‘jerky’ type dog treats (chicken and duck), of which many have been identified as originating from China.

Acquired proximal tubular disease has previously been reported in Australia and the USA, as well as small numbers of cases in the UK and Europe, in association with the ingestion of dried jerky treats (Thompson and others 2013, Carmichael and others 2014, US Food and Drug Administration 2015). As yet, specific toxins have not been identified within these treats as a cause.

Based upon previously published information, many pets presenting with these signs are responsive to discontinuation of treats alone when identified early in disease. However, some patients with more significant acid-base and electrolyte disorders will require supportive medical therapy. A small percentage of cases are reported to die or are euthanased.

Assessment of dietary history is key to identifying potential cases and, where a compatible presentation is identified, should be considered in addition to testing for other causes of acquired proximal tubular disease. Based upon information available from other countries, some dogs may also present with PU/PD and hypophosphataemia alone, without glucosuria.

We would urge veterinary surgeons throughout the UK to be aware of this potential presentation.

Mellora Sharman, Mayank Seth, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU

Amy Lam, Axiom Veterinary Laboratories, Manor House, Brunel Road, Newton Abbot TQ12 4PB

Andrew Kent, Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, Highlands Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 4NH

Victoria Smith, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH

Nick Carmichael, CTDS, Brookfield Court, Selby Rd, Leeds, LS25 1NB

So it is definitely something that is worth being aware of as I suspect more cases will appear over the coming weeks.

I have passed the details of the cases that I have seen onto trading standards who tell me they are looking into it.

Andy

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

Mair Tyler — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:11:31 GMT

Thanks Zoe. Interesting & worrying. :(

RE: B&M dog treats poisoning dogs?

zoe Gresham (Cleaver) — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:08:18 GMT

Not treats from any particular shop but: http://www.aht.org.uk/cms-xmodnewsrss_detail/some_imported_jerky_treats_may_cause_kidney_problems.html