California Woman Protesting Popular Dog Treat After Dog Dies - KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News

California Woman Protesting Popular Dog Treat After Dog Dies

MORGAN HILL - One woman is gaining international attention after claiming her dog died from eating a popular treat.

"It was the worst possible thing we've gone through in a very long time, to come downstairs and find her like that," said Rachael Chambers.

Chambers thought she was doing the right thing, giving her dog a treat, but was shocked when days later her dog threw up and then collapsed.

"It's been hard," she said. "She's left a giant void in our life. The kids have taken it really hard."

A dog collar is all she has left to remind her of the family's dog Cali.

She claims the shepherd great dane died after she ate Milo's Kitchen's home-style dog treats and life's never been the same.

"When we lost her, it was so overwhelming," she said. "We've lost pets before and nothing has been like this. She was a big dog, so there's big presence missing."

Now, Chambers is taking action to get the dog treats off store shelves.

She started this petition online, demanding Del Monte Foods recall the products made of chicken jerky from China.

In just two days, Chamber's got signatures from people in 29 states and 17 countries.

"What's killing these dogs is somewhat of a mystery. It really falls on the distributors of these products to do the right thing," she said.

Central Coast News reached out to Del Monte, the maker of Milo's Kitchen treats and it said its products are safe for dogs and released this statement: "Milo's Kitchen considers the safety of pets our highest priority. Pets are family and we are committed to providing safe, healthy and nutritious treats for dogs. Here at Milo's Kitchen, we are pet parents too and we understand that the information that has been released regarding the FDA warning about chicken jerky made in China is confusing and concerning. To clarify, all of our treats, including our Chicken Jerky variety, are made with nutritious and quality ingredients that meet the standards and specifications of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The health and wellness of all animals is very important to us so we have been closely monitoring external testing by the American FDA, the American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA) and several animal health diagnostic laboratories, none of which has identified any connection between illness and chicken jerky treats. Additionally, we at Milo's Kitchen have conducted our own extensive internal testing, all of which has shown our Chicken Jerky to be safe for dogs to enjoy. As is the case with all foods and snacks for dogs, we encourage pet parents to read feeding instructions and to feed with confidence as directed. Each scenario is completely independent and is reviewed on a case by case scenario. Out of respect for our pet owners, we do not share the content of the interaction or the number of interactions."

But this isn't a new problem.

In 2007, the FDA started to post warnings online about the jerky products and in the last few years has seen a wave of complaints dogs were sick from eating the treats.

Now, Chambers said she wants to stop them in Cali's honor.

"She died a very violent death and she was loyal to us. She protected us. She was mama dog. We just miss her terribly," she said.

Central Coast News checked in with some local pet stores that said they've pulled pet treats and food made in China from its shelves because of concerns.

Now, an Ohio senator is getting behind the push.