Over the last two years we’ve been fielding reports of illness and death caused by dog treats from China. Specifically, chicken jerky treats. Some customers have told us about kidney and liver damage—even death—caused by treats purchased at mass market retailers. The FDA recently released information that up to 600 dogs and cats have been made ill or died from consuming these treats.
Here at Dog Patch we’ve been proactive. More than 18 months ago we set out to source chicken treats made here in the USA, running into few issues. First, we still do carry DogsWell treats made in China. We have been provided literature that shows the company in China has stricter controls on the plant than many in the U.S. That being said, some customers think the best course of action is to avoid treats made in China completely.
In our persistent search to find brands of treats made in the U.S., we only found a few. One thing stood out with all of them. They are significantly more expensive than their Chinese counterparts. The quality is there, but the cost creates sticker shock. Seems the cost of manufacturing just like everything else, is considerably cheaper in China (duh).
The same holds true for toys. We have found few soft toys made in the U.S. and they are priced prohibitively higher than the Chinese versions.
Rubber toys seem to be the exception. We have many reasonably-priced rubber and plastic toys that are USA all the way.
We will continue to seek out the highest quality, U.S. produced treat and toys and present them as reasonably priced as the market allows. As is always the case for consumers, it’s a balancing act between price and principle.
