According to a veterinarian's diganosis, Alda's Yorkshire Terrier "Rosie" died after being fed Vitalife pet treats bought at Costco in Calgary. Her likely cause of death is renal failure caused by consuming Vitalife Duck Tenders.
And this is not an isolated incident - veterinarians are concerned about various dog treats. The United States Food and Drug Administration is now investigating the deaths of a 1,000 dog who suffered renal failure.
What's worse are allegations from former employees at Normerica, the company that imports Vitalife. They admit to unsanitary business practices that would make anyone sick: repackaging moldy dog treats that have been sitting for years, and then putting new expiry dates on the package. Other pet companies have agreed to pull Normerica dog treats from their shelves -- yet Costco continues to sell the product.
Ask Costco to stop selling Vitalife dog treats until the FDA has proven they're safe.
For pet owners and animal lovers, the risk for these treats are too high. These products should be removed from sale until investigators find an answer to why so many pets have died.
“I am so angry, and I can’t believe Rosie is gone because of this,” said Alda Wirsche. “The treats are still on the shelf. No one is listening. They’re not listening.” It's time Costco took responsibility for the safety of the products it sells.
Ask Costco to stop selling Vitalife dog treats until the FDA has proven they're safe.
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More information:
Costco keeps selling treats from China despite dog death, CBC news, June 9 2014
Normerica repackaged, re-dated stale dog treats, say ex-employees, CBC news, June 11 2014