Questions and answers about the pet food recall

Jennifer LaPointe wrote:

WAGGIN TRAIN CHICKEN JERKY TENDERS ARE A SAFE PRODUCT!!
As an employee of ADI Pet, the company who manufactures Waggin Train Brand products, and an owner of two Labrador retrievers who consume these treats along with other Waggin Train Brand items on a regular basis, I can insure you ALL Waggin Train products, including Chicken Jerky tenders are safe and have NOT been pulled from store shelves.
Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Treats are made from high quality premium chicken breasts that undergo very strict quality control and testing procedures.
Please check out the links below for more information about Waggin Train Brand Chicken Jerky Treats. If you require further information please contact our head of customer service at waggintrainbrand@adipet.com.
www.waggintrainbrand.com
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/fo...
Sincerely
Jennifer LaPointe
Marketing Manager, ADI Pet, Inc.

Jennifer,

My lab adored your company's product ... and consumed several a week over a long period of time ... but there are lots of complaints on these boards about vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, collapse and death. I do believe that you test .. I do believe that you feed them to your labs and have not had problems but ... I also believe that there are way too many problems reported with your product and the product sold by Walmart that there must be something wrong. While I have seen general references suggesting that we should avoid all jerky from China, I have not seen complaints about any brands other than those sold at Walmart (Bestro) and those sold at Costco/Sams (Waggin Train and Kingdom?). Please - pay attention to the complaints of your customers. Test the lots that they are complaining about. Find out if something went wrong in processing. Please - my best friend is gone - don't let this continue. My only regret is that I did not hear about this before I opened that bag of Waggin Train Jerky last Thursday.

Count my dog in too. My Maltese/Bichon Finnigan has had unexplained diarrhea. He's five years old and has never been sick a day of his life.
I don't belive in coincidence. Despite what Waggin' Tail has posted on their website, all of us can't have the same problem without it being the Jerky.
I too will be keeping the product for testing. I am also emailing Costco and sending them a copy of my vet bill and a link to this web page. I feel like I've been slowly poisoning my dog.

My two dogs eat Kingdom Pets Chicken Jerky every day, in A.M. and in P.M. Henry isn't as excited as usual when he gets his treat and Lucy has been eating the grass in the lawn nonstop. Now, I realize why. I looked at lable but didn't see the small print which indicated China. It just occurred to me that I should google this.
Thank you for allowing us to message each other on such a forum. If I were to lose a pet, it would break my heart.
Shame on you, China. Shame on You. And shame on U.S. importers who expose our family pets to food not fit for consumption.

Jennifer,

You got to this posting board too huh? For all of those avid dog lovers and loyal readers out there, this is the second message board I have found the same impersonal, unconcerned, and uninformed post from Jennifer...Ms. Marketing Manager.

Instead of looking at her claims of safety, should we not look at her lack of concern for the consumer? Where is the apology? Where is the remorse? Where is even a hint of compassion. How about...."I am sorry your pets are violently ill, I would not wish that on anyone. ADI is doing everything we can to test batches from customers, to work with the FDA, to personally deliver samples to an independent source for testing....we are confident it is not Waggin' Train brand that is contaminated but we are still taking steps to ensure a safe product."

Please note, the quotation marks are my own as you will not hear this anytime soon from ADI Pet Inc. Try emailing the address she listed and see the form letter response (press release manufactured by ADI) that you receive. I asked questions, I wanted answers. I got a cut and paste email in response.

I replied again and asked for a corporate number and address (you need one to file the lawsuit, but I guess I will use the address on the bag). I got the 1800 number manned by employees who aren't paid enough to deal with this situation and aren't trained to really respond in an appropriate way.

You give use some websites citing safety records and the benefits of irradiation....I give you reality.

If your product was safe, if your company did have any concern....you would post a response and answer some questions.

Has ADI been in contact with the FDA?

Is ADI aware of the numerous complaints the FDA has received?

When will you deliver samples for testing?

How are you going to deal with the irate consumers whose dogs you have sickened and killed other than by serving your own interests?

How much money do you make a year to lie to the public?

Who asked you to find all the websites posting specifically about your treat and post the same response on all of them.....do you get overtime for that?

What is the address for ADI Pet Inc so we can all have our civil summons delivered?

What is a corporate number where we can actually talk to someone not paid to sit at a call center and answer calls without any actual knowledge of what is really going on?

If Waggin' Train was not pulled from shelves, as you state, why can't I find it anymore in the city of Albuquerque? Hint: It is not sold out.

When the FDA officially recalls your product, how quickly will ADI admit responsibility and begin to reimburse consumers for the loss of their loved ones?

What if I eat your safe treat? Do you stand by your product that much?

Jennifer LaPointe wrote:

WAGGIN TRAIN CHICKEN JERKY TENDERS ARE A SAFE PRODUCT!!
As an employee of ADI Pet, the company who manufactures Waggin Train Brand products, and an owner of two Labrador retrievers who consume these treats along with other Waggin Train Brand items on a regular basis, I can insure you ALL Waggin Train products, including Chicken Jerky tenders are safe and have NOT been pulled from store shelves.
Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Treats are made from high quality premium chicken breasts that undergo very strict quality control and testing procedures.

Jennifer, can you please tell us who supplies the ingredients that go into your products? Your company has said that the two brands involved in the "unofficial" recall do not supply your company, but that is not the question. Can you tell us whether the company that supplied the ingredients to THEM have supplied any ingredients to your company? The problem with most of these "made in China" recalled foods has so far been with ingredients from the initial source, not with the manufacturer of the finished product. ADI telling us that the two other brands don't supply anything to ADI, is pretty much useless information. Which companies in China do your ingredients originate from?

My dog absolutely loves Waggin' Train and I would love to start letting him have it again, but with so many dogs (including mine) vomiting after eating Waggin' Train brand jerky, it's hard to feel confident about this product, especially if ADI won't answer questions about where the ingredients originate from, so that we can see if there is anything in common with the brands that are being pulled.

Maybe all these dogs getting sick and/or dying after eating Waggin' Train jerky is a coincidence. It's possible. But at this time I don't feel that ADI is providing us with the information we need to feel confident that it's simply a coincidence.

Palerican wrote:

What is a corporate number where we can actually talk to someone not paid to sit at a call center and answer calls without any actual knowledge of what is really going on?

I was trying to post the number here, but it doesn't allow posting of phone numbers, so try doing a Google search for the company. I found a non-800 number listed as the corporate number on a site about stocks, that shows various companies' profiles. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the site. But the person at that number didn't tell me anything different than what they've been saying in their press release and emails to customers anyway.

I don't think anyone here enjoys slamming a product our dogs love. I work in the pet care business. Until now, I've recommended Waggin' Train to many of my clients. Nobody is trying to harm this company. I think most of us would love to find out this has all been nothing more than a coincidence, and that the product is completely safe. But we simply can't go by the hype we get from these companies. Look what happened with the previous pet food recall. How many companies told us their food was completely safe, only to be added to the recall days later? Too many.
When our dogs become ill after eating a product, it's only natural for us to worry. ADI is doing nothing to put our fears at ease. Test the batches that have been reported. Tell us where ingredients come from. Show us you care more about our pets than the almighty dollar.

Please call the FDA AND REPORT your experiences also get your pet to the vet if they are showing any signs of illness. Cindy was sick since June and under a vets care, and at times she seemed better so in an attempt to get her to eat, I would give her the treat she loved the most, the Waggin Train Chicken Tenders and now she is gone. I pray that we find out I did not contribute to her death by my own hand. It makes me sick to think about it. But we need to know, we need this company to take immediate action and be proactive instead of trying to issue statements that may be true for the past. If the product is safe, show us you care and test the product in question, at least tell us you care.

paula wrote:

I also called the FDA as it seems odd that since my dogs have been eating the waggin train chicken jerky treats they have been sick. my dog vomited violently yesterday after eating them and they both have had severe diarrhea. We went to Costco today and saw that they also carry the treats and when we looked at them, several of the bags were loaded with mold on the inside....

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I seen the paper about the recall yesterday and I took my 3 year old pug in for a blood test and she is having kidney problems. She has had vomiting, dirareah
The vet put her on meds for 10 days and check it again. I am so mad I gave her waggin tails chicken tenders from Sams club they also have them at walmat
Very disgised information, says all chicken, natural and from Reno Nv. Well down in the corner it has a circle vendor from China. How can they do that?
Hope this information will help someone else. I am not sure who to call but going to check into it today.
Judy from Kansas City area.

paula wrote:

<quoted text>
Brenda, I am very sorry for your loss. Our dogs love these chicken strips as well, but both have been ill all summer with horrible diarrhea. Our maltese has liver damage and the vet cannot figure out why. Today we went to costco and saw the waggin tail chicken tenders and when we looked at them we noticed that two or three bags were loaded with mold on the inside. Some of the other bags looked really off as well. I contacted the FDA and they are checking with other FDA branches to see if there have been other complaints. They asked me to keep the remaining chicken tenders - I am wondering if they want to check them out. I hope your other baby is ok.....

I seen the paper about the recall yesterday and I took my 3 year old pug in for a blood test and she is having kidney problems. She has had vomiting, dirareah
The vet put her on meds for 10 days and check it again. I am so mad I gave her waggin tails chicken tenders from Sams club they also have them at walmat
Very disgised information, says all chicken, natural and from Reno Nv. Well down in the corner it has a circle vendor from China. How can they do that?
Hope this information will help someone else. I am not sure who to call but going to check into it today.
Judy from Kansas City area.

I seen the paper about the recall yesterday and I took my 3 year old pug in for a blood test and she is having kidney problems. She has had vomiting, dirareah
The vet put her on meds for 10 days and check it again. I am so mad I gave her waggin tails chicken tenders from Sams club they also have them at walmat
Very disgised information, says all chicken, natural and from Reno Nv. Well down in the corner it has a circle vendor from China. How can they do that?
Hope this information will help someone else. I am not sure who to call but going to check into it today.
Judy from Kansas City area.

Jennifer LaPointe wrote:

WAGGIN TRAIN CHICKEN JERKY TENDERS ARE A SAFE PRODUCT!!
As an employee of ADI Pet, the company who manufactures Waggin Train Brand products, and an owner of two Labrador retrievers who consume these treats along with other Waggin Train Brand items on a regular basis, I can insure you ALL Waggin Train products, including Chicken Jerky tenders are safe and have NOT been pulled from store shelves.
Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Treats are made from high quality premium chicken breasts that undergo very strict quality control and testing procedures.
Please check out the links below for more information about Waggin Train Brand Chicken Jerky Treats. If you require further information please contact our head of customer service at waggintrainbrand@adipet.com.
www.waggintrainbrand.com
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/fo...
Sincerely
Jennifer LaPointe
Marketing Manager, ADI Pet, Inc.

I seen the paper about the recall yesterday and I took my 3 year old pug in for a blood test and she is having kidney problems. She has had vomiting, dirareah
The vet put her on meds for 10 days and check it again. I am so mad I gave her waggin tails chicken tenders from Sams club they also have them at walmat
Very disgised information, says all chicken, natural and from Reno Nv. Well down in the corner it has a circle vendor from China. How can they do that?
Hope this information will help someone else. I am not sure who to call but going to check into it today.
Judy from Kansas City area.

Waggin Train Chricken Jerky is made in China. Here is what the web site says. So that is it for me. I taking both bags back for a refund before my puppoes get sick. These are not cheap either $12.99 a bag.

Why does Waggin’ Train operate factories in China?.

We discovered the average person in China prefers dark meat (i.e. legs, wings, etc.) and as a result we can buy the white meat breasts and tenderloins from chickens grown for human consumption at a fraction of the price available elsewhere. We operate these factories under the most stringent safety and sanitary guidelines and they are regularly inspected by our own QA team as well as third party independent inspection teams and auditors to insure we don’t miss a single detail. The cost savings to our US consumers is approximately 70 – 75%.

Hi Fran,

After my doberman got sick [hepatitis/ecoli] and it cost me $4,000+ to help her survive, I have gotten in touch with my state of Virginia Dept of Agriculture. I had a call a few days ago saying they were assigning this to an inspector. He stopped by today to pick up my remaining bag of Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Treats and also stopped at Costco to get more bags and is stopping at the specialists who treated Lili. Complain to your local State Dept of Ag and I'll bet you will get a response. ADI who imports Waggin Train, of course, states there has NEVER been a problem with any of their food/treats. I am waiting to hear from Costco.

Judy,

Call your state dept of agriculture as I did [actually emailed them]. They are investigating now. It was a quick response.

Jennifer,

I agree with you about ADI. Their response to my email re Hepatitis/eColi and near death of my dobie, Lili was the marketing approach.

Everyone who has had a problem as a result of feeding Waggin Train Jerky Treats or others, PLEASE call your state Dept of Agriculture, file a complaint then call or email Costco/Sam's Club or where ever you purchased. THEN, email ADI at waggintrainbrand@ADIPET.com stating your specific complaints and telling them you expect them [and the retailer]to pay your medical costs. If they hear from enough people, these products will be pulled.

Becca wrote:

Waggin' Train Brand Jerky Tenders Lot# 94663 Made for ADIPet, Inc. Rancho Ca Are these safe or not?
Or is this where all those sick chickens ended up?

Have you seen the information that's here:

http://www.waggintrainblog.com

It sure doesn't sound like Waggin Train is the problem, they're the good guys.

DO NOT THROW AWAY A HAZARDOUS OR POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS PRODUCT – THAT IS THROWING AWAY YOUR EVIDENCE.
There are other ways to safely store it for now in the interim. We vacuum sealed ours in a heavy duty bag. You may need this evidence.
We have had the same experience with our little dogs after consuming Chicken Jerky Tenders by Waggin Train. We are not trying to pick on any particular company, it is just this one that we have had the experience of our little babies almost dying after consuming their product. There are also other companies selling the same type of product with people reporting the same types of results. Please understand, we would have no reason to tell our story if not for our experience and we wish that there really actually was a safe nutritious tasty treat for dogs such as this initially appeared to be to millions of dog owners.
<BR>
Sadly, we lost a little dog several years ago. It died of kidney failure like so many others we are reading here. We are still investigating that death through our purchase records from COSTCO to see how much of the chicken jerky product was purchased and used then. If so, then this has gone on quite a while.
<BR>
REGARDLESS - Our two present little white harmless trusting brother and sister Toy Poodles both have had terrible bouts of illness after eating these - nearly always delayed by up to several days.
<BR>
SYMPTOMS
<BR>
1. Dogs whimpering and in pain, very anxious and needing to go out a lot.
<BR>
2. Vomiting, greenish bile.
<BR>
3. Yellowish bloody diarrhea.
<BR>
4. Sick for a week, lethargic, semi-comatose, fading.
<BR>
5. Almost died.
<BR>
6. Vets perplexed.

""Have you seen the information that's here:

http://www.waggintrainblog.com

It sure doesn't sound like Waggin Train is the problem, they're the good guys.""

BLATANT DAMAGE CONTROL ATTEMPT IT WOULD APPEAR. HOW UTTERLY IMMORAL.
<br>
WAY TO GO, NOW YOU JUST SOLIDIFIED OUR RESOLVE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS AND PUNISH THOSE RESPONSIBLE.

I purchased some waggin train chicken jerky sticks. After reading about the problems with the waggin train chicken jerky tenders in this forum, The sticks are going to the trash

I believe that the media has crushed the Waggin Train Chicken Tenders brand by ADI Pet. The recall involved a brand similar but by a company called BESTRO.
I DO believe that all pet treat & food products made anywhere but the USA are to not be trusted though.
I WILL NOT buy any product for my pet unless made in the USA.