Petco Drops Chinese-Made Treats

(Photo credit: Mike Mozart via Flickr)

By Jason Claffey (Patch Staff)

If you bought Chinese-made treats for your dog at the Petco in Middletown or Eatontown recently, you may want to return them.

Petco on Monday said it has pulled all Chinese-made dog and cat treats from its shelves after fears they sickened and killed thousands of pets. The company said all of its treats are now made in the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, or South America.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports Chinese-made jerky treats sold at Petco and other stores have sickened more than 5,600 dogs, 24 cats, and three people. About 1,000 of the dogs died. The investigation is still ongoing and the agency has not yet determined if all of the cases are connected to the tainted treats.

“We believe this is the right thing to do,” Petco CEO Jim Myers said of removing Chinese-made treats from its stores.

The FDA said the treats suspected in the pet illnesses were mostly jerky-type ones and included duck, sweet potato, yams, and dried fruits in the ingredients.

Petco operates more than 1,000 stores across the country, including stores in Middletown, Eatontown, Englishtown, Freehold and Howell.

Petco’s website says merchandise ”in its original condition and packaging, accompanied by the purchase receipt, may be returned for a full refund within 30 days. Refunds are issued in the same form as the original payment or as merchandise credit. Customers without a receipt may exchange an item or receive merchandise credit for the value of an item returned. The item must be in its original condition and packaging. All Petco returns are subject to the approval of management. For more information, contact your local Petco store.”

PetSmart, which operates a similar number of stores, said it will pull Chinese-made treats from its stores by March.