Disclaimer: Information correct at the time of writing. If you have concerns check the label.
Below is a list of treats sold in Australia which have been imported from China. For 12 years there have been numerous warnings and concerns about the safety of these treats, in many cases linked to sickness and death, combined with further concerns over irradiation of the products when imported into Australia.
It is believed treats (specifically jerky treats) are a possible cause of Fanconi syndrome which affects the kidneys, but vomiting and diarrhea have also shown to be issues with these treats.
The FDA in the US has issued warnings over jerky treats, and the RSPCA in Australia have issued concerns over irradiated pet food products. Irradiation has proved to be fatal for cats and subsequently banned, but the unknown effects on dogs means it is still legal in Australia to sell these products to dogs.
Many of the below products conceal the true origin by stating in obscure small print “Product of PRC” – an elusive way of labeling a Chinese import. Others distract you from the truth by stating “Packaged in Australia”, or saying they’re from an Australian company.
List of Australian brand pet food products imported from China
Note: This information may change over time. Please let us know if this proves the case. Manufacturers offer a range of products, in most cases only some are imported from China.
This is not a conclusive list, so always read the packaging.
Blackdog
Numerous Blackdog treats are sourced from China, being listed as “Product of PRC”.
- Blackdog Jumbo Pork Rolls
- Blackdog Chicken Filled Pork Twists
- Blackdog Pork Twists
- Blackdog Chicken Breast Fillet
- Blackdog Duck Jerky
- Blackdog Chicken Skewers
- Blackdog Chicken Discs
- Blackdog Sweet Potato & Chicken Wrap
- Blackdog Fish & Chicken Sushi
- Blackdog Veggie Ears
- Blackdog Sweet Potato Slice
Other products are sourced from South Korea and Australia.
Source: Blackdog website (Nov 2019)
Bow Wow
Many Bow Wow products claim “Contains local and imported products” without specifying the country of origin of imported products. Some products state “Must not be fed to cats”, which is a requirement of irradiated pet meats.
Source: Product packaging (Nov 2019)
Coles
Coles Rawhide Strips are labelled “imported and local ingredients”, without specifying the country of origin of imported products.
Vitapet (Masterpet)
Vitapet produce a number of treats, such as the JerHigh Chicken Tenders and JerHigh Fish Tenders (pictured) which are labelled as “Made in Thailand”. They are also labelled “Not to be fed to cats”, a requirement of irradiated pet meats.
Yours Droolly (Masterpet)
Originally manufactured in China, at the time of writing these may now be a product of Thailand.
To keep it simple, stay away from Asian made/souced pet foods/treats. I also refuse to by Asian produced foods. I’m not prepared to take any risks.
Please do not give your dog these treats i fed my dog around 4 pieces of chicken breast jersey (Blackdog brand made in china ) unaware they were not an australian product and he was fighting for his life thankfully he lived. This whole rangeis toxic and should be banned from the shops!
I Bought Blackdog Chicken Breast Fillet from Pet Stock. My Moodle has only had about 4 pieces and has had diarrhea ever since. They market the product as 100% goodness. I will be taking the Kg packet back to Pet Stock today.
The best kind of treats for dogs are some of the whole foods we eat. My Frenchie loves apple slices, carrots, 100% plain pumpkin, watermelon, an occasional egg. I found that if I slice up an apple and put the slices in a noisy bag in the fridge, he will come running when he hears it open. Apples are great for dogs, along with the other above mentioned foods.
The wag chicken jerky has made my dog unwell .. up and down to the vets ever since feeding them to her, I assumed they were Aussie made but was told only some of their products aren’t
Most foods such as this are often cheaper than treat products as well, so that’s an added bonus!
Avoid Blackdog chicken & duck jerky. My Poodle cross had diarrhoea throughout the night afterwards. He was also very agitated until we realise where it may come from. This article confirmed it. Back to Pet O today to let them know, apart from refund, whether they will take them off the shelf & stop selling them!! Pet owners beware! !I will dry meat to make own jerky from now on!!
Regards Jennifer
The Black Dog Jerky has potato in it, well known to make dogs very ill. Please check ingredients very carefully before buying foods for dogs.
Oh my Lordy I just came across this article while searching around for the VitaPet Soft Chicken Tenders …
also small prints Made in Thailand Not to be feed to cats
Only brought these because I have the most gorgeous little puppy and specifically claimed for Dogs and Puppies
I’ll never purchase VitaPet again and I shall let my local BigW know about this site
Can we return these products??
I just bought the rabbit ears n vita pet duck tenders
Hi Meredith, you could try returning them to wherever they were purchased?
Great article – very informative and I had no idea I was feeding my pooch potentially dangerous treats