Petco to stop selling dog and cat treats made [Killed by] in China

• BY LENNY BERNSTEIN

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• May 20 at 7:26 pm

Petco said Tuesday that it will stop selling dog and cat treats made in China by the end of this year because of fears that the imported treats are making pets sick. The pet food retailer said shoppers have asked it to stop selling treats from China, and it will switch to items made in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and South America, according to the Associated Press.

As my colleague, Brady Dennis, reported in March, the FDA is still stumped after seven years of study by what in jerky treats might be killing dogs. In an update issued Friday,the agency said 1,000 dogs had died and the total number of reported illnesses now includes “5,600 dogs, 24 cats and three people.”  (There was no word on how humans – or felines for that matter – came to consume chicken, duck and sweet potato treats intended for canines).

Petco rival PetSmart Inc., which is based in Phoenix, and also runs about 1,300 stores, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP.