Morning Money Memo…

Some treats might bring nothing but misery. The pet food and accessory chain Petco has removed Chinese-made dog and cat treats from store shelves because of concerns they have sickened thousands of pets and killed 1,000 dogs in the U.S. since 2007. Petco is the first national retailer to pull the treats. Rival PetSmart said Monday that it plans to have them off shelves by March. The FDA says initial tests haven't connected the Chinese jerky and rawhide treats to the illnesses, but both retailers vowed last May to ban them. The FDA targeted the treats after receiving more than 4,800 complaints of illnesses, including the deaths, after pets ate jerky treats from China. Petco Vice President John Sturm says all treats are now made in the U.S. or places such as the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and South America.

Shoppers look over the merchandise at a Petco store in Chicago, Illinois, July 14, 2006. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The global price of oil keeps tumbling. The quote on futures markets for West Texas crude dropped to $49 - the lowest price in nearly six years. Gasoline prices are down 103 days in a row, which is great for motorists. The average dropped 9 cents a gallon in the past week. If the latest trend holds, pump prices will be even cheaper by late January than they are now.

T he relentless pace of the price drop is a headache for stock investors, especially energy firms and oil-rich countries and even states where oil production is a big part of the economy. U.S. stock averages dropped nearly 2 percent Monday - part of a global rout. European and Asian markets were down this morning. "Grexit" is another cause of headaches. Markets speculate what might happen if Greece quits the Eurozone. No one seems to know what the impact would be. France and Germany are again warning the Greek government not to ask for new concessions on the terms of its international bailout. There's concern that Greece's anti-austerity Syriza party could win the election there later this month.

The cable business channel CNBC will stop using Nielson for TV ratings. For years, CNBC and some other channels have complained that Nielson underestimates their audience. CNBC is the first network to end its relationship with Nielson, opting instead for Cogent Reports to find out who's watching. In other TV news, Dish Network will introduce an online service that includes ESPN. The service will be called Sling TV.