Chew toys may be dangerous

WARNING The truth about the production of common CHEW-TOYS (RAWHIDE) for dogs came to light! MANY of the popular treats available on the market might be TOXIC and are manufactured using horrible methods and substances! Surely, you know what we are talking about: white bones often with a “knot” (see below), smooth plastic-like bones (pressed) or rolled-sticks (e.g. covered with chicken- or duck- meat):

We must confess: we have bought the “treats”, too a few times for Mr Dog & haven’t checked the ORIGIN…

WHAT’S WRONG with THEM?
So, the “dog-chews” in question are a SIDE-PRODUCT in tanneries (!), i.e. the factories producing LEATHER goods, and those, as it is commonly known, use one of the most TOXIC substances to tan the animal skin.

Theoretically,  in European Union, Scandinavia or USA the production process of dog-food (and other dog-goods) should be the subject to control and every product (chews including) must be approved before entering the market.

So why the PROBLEM? Many chews and treats available on the market are imported from factories in CHINA. And there… well, the only “standard” is much, fast and cheap… In such places the quality & toxicity control is a sham. So, such ‘treats’ have NOTHING to do with FOOD! It’s as if we gave our dog a ‘flavoured’ shoe-sole or a piece of tyre to eat…

Recently, the ALERT was started by Canadian and American dog-nutricians, when the production process of “dog-chews” was exposed. Basing on a video published by online dog-lover Mr Rodney Habib and dieteticians, we’ll summarize what the production looks like:

1. Cattle SKINS (cattle-hide) are obtained from SLAUGHTERHOUSES.

2. They are dipped into a few “baths” in TOXIC CHEMICALS (often containing eg. formaldehyde, arsen), to get rid of the meat rests and hair:

3. Next, using another chemical substances (sodium sulfide) the skin is delaminated and the top grain is used to make leather goods, and the lower to make “dog-chews”:

4. The next step is BLEACHING and softening using hydrogen peroxide (or simply: Domestos-soaking)

5. PAINTING (but not always) and SPRAYING with “taste” (so another toxins)

6. The last step is pressing and SHAPING: rolling, twisting, etc., but to make it hold, GLUE is added (!)

Will you give IT to your Mr Dog…??? A bit ‘fishy’ treat… 

ETHICS of Chinese GOODS: According to ongoing investigation of Humane Society International, in Chinese ‘dog-chews’ there have been dogs skins (!) found (info source: here). The report exposes, that there were dog-skins form brutally murdered dogs (dog-farms and Yulin dog-meat festival) also from other Asian countries and were mixed with other animal skins.
(What’s more, as Ken Midkiff writes in his book The Meat You Eat, the origin of all the animal skins is UNETHICAL. They are animals from so called CAFO breeding (a niece name: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), which is simply ‘concentration camps’ (the animals spend all their miserable life cramped in tight, metal crates in dark halls, never seeing the sunlight – they are fed on hormone and steroid food and then taken to slaughterhouses…).

Surely, not all dog-chews on the market are harmful. The producers from EU, are obliged to stick to certain norms and their products are manufactured in accordance with ethics and are under strict-control, so the presence of toxic substances should be eliminated.

Why the “country of origin” of a product is so important not the producer? Because even respected companies (e.g. Purina) import goods from China and some compounds are not checked. In 2006 and later in 2013 it turned out they were HARMFUL to dogs (2006r. poisoned dog-food, 2013r. poisoned dog-treats).
Recently, in 2015-2016, a lot of reports have been recorded about health problems after feeding dogs on treats made in China (treats with chicken / duck) product list.

British organisation for animal health “Animal Health Trust” (AHT) ISSUED an APEAL to pet owners, TO BUY exclusively pet food manufactured in UE, as the Chinese products available on the market are dangerous (but approved…) (the appeal HERE)

The vets WARN to observe your dog if you gave unsure treats. The first disturbing clinical SYMPTOMS are:
* decreased appetite,
* increased thirst
* frequent urinating.
In blood and urine tests a rare kidney disease was diagnosed, glucose level in urine was too high, while normal glucose level was in blood (any other causes of elevated glucose level in urine, like diabetis, kidney infection or leptospirosis, were excluded).

There were dogs DEATH reports, which are linked to eating products made in China. The case is being investigated (HERE you will find the statement by Agency for Food Control). The first signals on toxic Chinese treats were reported in Australia and USA, later in UK and Europe.

NOTE:
Musimy mieć świadomość, że producent NIE MA OBOWIĄZKU wymienić na opakowaniu kraju pochodzenia każdego ze składników, który zawiera produkt, więc wystarczy, że produkt jest “złożony” z różnych elementów w Europie i już jest “Made in EU” (np. gryzak z Chin owija się kawałkiem suszonego kurczaka z UE i już jest ok)…

JAK MOŻEMY UNIKNĄĆ TYCH “ZŁYCH” GRYZAKÓW?

Po prostu trzeba być CZUJNYM, ale może to nas kosztować trochę wysiłku. Przede wszystkim:
1. kupujmy produkty PROSTE (np. suszone uszy / ogony / ryjki, itp.), a nie ‘kombinowane’ i przetwarzane.
2. kupujmy produkty z krajów, gdzie produkcja jest kontrolowana (UE, USA, Kanada czy Skandynawia). Czyli po prostu na opakowaniu SPRAWDZAJMY PRODUCENTA, skład oraz KRAJ pochodzenia. Jednak tu pojawiają się dwie PUŁAPKI:

1. często na opakowaniu podany jest dystrybutor, a nie producent (!) A nie o to nam chodzi: dystrybutor może być polski, czeski, itp, ale dystrybuowany towar najczęściej pochodzi z Chin! Sprawdziliśmy to pisząc do wielu sprzedawców i często otrzymywaliśmy takie odpowiedzi:

2. “gryzaki” dostępne w sklepach INTERNETOWYCH jak i w SKLEPACH stacjonarnych często sprzedawane są LUZEM i nie wiemy skąd pochodzą (nie mamy możliwości sprawdzenia tych informacji), bo gryzak nie posiada żadnego opakowania ani etykiety.

Co wtedy zrobić? Możemy poprosić sprzedawcę internetowego o PODANIE kraju pochodzenia, a w sklepie stacjonarnym o pokazanie opakowania zbiorczego, na którym takie informacje być powinny.

Jeśli takich informacji nie ma lub sprzedawca nie chce nam ich udzielić – darujmy sobie zakup.

A jeśli nie znajdziemy “przysmaków” godnych zaufania, to co podawać zamiast? Marchewka, kalarepa, ucho świnki, kopytka, kurze łapki – czyli NATURALNE, a nie PRZETWORZONE.

Cały film o produkcji obejrzycie tu: Jak powstają przysmaki dla psa