What's worse than fruitcake? Moldy fruitcake. For dogs. Claudia’s Cuisine is voluntarily recalling Dog Candy Fruit Hound Cake (7.5oz) and Dog Candy Blueberry Hound Cake (7.5oz) because of potential mold contamination. No other products made by the Maumelle, Ark.-based company have been impacted. The hound cakes, which are sold at pet food stores, are being voluntarily withdrawn from the market for potential mold contamination. No illnesses have been reported in connection with consumption of these products. Consumers who have purchased these cakes should not feed them to their dogs. PetSmart stores are offering full refunds to customers who suspect their cakes may be moldy. Fruitcake for people should never be fed to dogs as they often contain raisins or currants which are … [Read more...]
FDA Must Act On Chinese Dog Treats, Consumer Groups Say
Consumer advocates are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to move swiftly to prevent any more pets from becoming sick or dying from tainted treats produced in China. Food & Water Watch and pet food safety advocates Mollie Morrissette and Susan Thixton asked FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in a letter to take stronger actions on the issue and submitted a petition signed by nearly 18,000 consumers. “Since 2007, thousands of American dogs have fallen ill or died after eating jerky treats made in China,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “The FDA has shirked its responsibility to keep U.S. citizens and their pets safe, and it must step up and block these potentially deadly treats from harming more animals.” Over the last five … [Read more...]
Wenonah Hauter Rips FDA’s Probe Of Contaminated Dog Treats From China
Food and Water Watch's Wenonah Hauter says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has failed to protect dogs from serious illness caused by contaminated jerky treats from China. In a scathing statement released Friday, Hauter, the organization's executive director, blasted the FDA's handling of a five-year probe of illnesses and deaths linked to chicken jerky dog treats from China. Since 2007, thousands of dogs have become sick or died after eating jerky treats made in China. This week, the FDA released heavily redacted reports of April inspections of Chinese manufacturing facilities and revealed that China refused to let inspectors collect samples for independent analysis."The FDA waited until it received 2,000 reports of illnesses and deaths in U.S. dogs before launching its … [Read more...]
China Refuses FDA Jerky Pet Treat Testing
The Food and Drug Administration has released four Establishment Inspection Reports of facilities in China that make pet treats linked to dog illnesses and death. The facilities are Gambol Pet Products Co., Jinan Uniwell Pet Fodo Co., Ltd., Shandong Honva Food Co. Ltd, and Shandong Petswell Food Co. Ltd. You can see the heavily redacted reports by visiting the FDA site and scrolling down to "Compliance & Enforcement". The Chinese government has refused to let inspectors collect samples of the product for analysis. The inspections were conducted in April, 2012 at sites in Liaocheng and Jinan, China. The treats are sold by Nestle Purina PetCare Co. The Chinese government did say they would let the FDA test samples, but only if the U.S. agreed to have the products tested in … [Read more...]
Problems Persist With Chicken Jerky Dog Treats From China
Chicken Jerky dog treats imported from China continue to pose serious health problems for American dogs. But despite five years of research and testing, it's not clear why, according to the latest product safety update from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the July 18 update, the agency stops short of telling consumers not to feed the treats to their pets, but urges people who choose to do so to watch their pets for tellltale signs of serious illness: decreased appetite and activity, vomiting, diarrhea, and an increase in water consumption and urination. The dried chicken products are sold as "jerky," "tenders," "strips" or "treats." The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has ben receiving complaints of canine illness associated with chicken jerky treats … [Read more...]
Before Salmonella Outbreak, Diamond Pet Foods Had History Of Trouble
Before it manufactured tainted dog food that caused a Salmonella outbreak this year that has so far sickened 15 people in the U.S. and one person in Canada, Diamond Pet Foods, had a history of trouble. The company is based in Meta, MO and has operations in Lathrop, CA and Gaston, SC where most of its problems, including 10 current recalls and the Salmonella outbreak, have originated. However, last week, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a sample of Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Lamb and Rice formula collected from the Meta facility yielded a positive for Salmonella Liverpool, a bacterial strain that is different than the one that caused the outbreak, Salmonella Infantis. FDA officials say further investigations are underway to determine if the outbreak … [Read more...]
Dog Food Linked To Salmonella Outbreak Killed Dozens of Dogs In 2005
Diamond Pet Food, the maker of dog food linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 15 people in nine states and spawned 10 dog food recalls since April 6, was linked to the deaths of dozens of dogs in 2005, according to records at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In December 2005, the company issued a recall of 19 varieties of cat and dog food made at its Gaston, S.C. facility after some of them were found to be contaminated with toxic mold. The recall, one of the largest pet food recalls in U.S. history, would later grow to include 31 brands totaling 700,000 packages shipped to 24 states and 30 countries, according to a report by the FDA. But not before they killed dozens of dogs. At least 76 dogs died after eating foods manufactured by Diamond, others who were … [Read more...]
Plant Linked To Salmonella Outbreak, Lawsuit Violated Food Safety Codes
The Diamond Pet Food facility linked to 10 ongoing dog food recalls, a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 15 people in nine states, and a lawsuit filed earlier this week was in violation of several food safety codes during a recent inspection, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During an April 2012 inspection of the Diamond plant in Gaston, S.C., FDA officials found several problems with the company's food safety practices including: No microbiological analysis was conducted to make sure that incoming animal fat was not introducing pathogens to the finished product. The sampling procedure did not preclude potential for contamination after sampling or during storage at the warehouse. Lack of hand washing facilities at needed locations. Poorly maintained … [Read more...]
New Salmonella Strain Linked To Diamond Dog Food, Lawsuit Filed
A second strain of Salmonella has been linked to Diamond Dog Food, the source of a Salmonella Infantis outbreak that has sickened 15 people in nine states over the last seven months, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has been collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the investigation into the outbreak since the beginning of April when it discovered Salmonella Infantis, the rare outbreak strain, in an unopened package of Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice Formula for Adult Dogs and prompted a recall by the company. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, public health investigators were able to identify the DNA "fingerprints" of Salmonella bacteria and determine that the strain in the dog food was a genetic match … [Read more...]
How People Get Sick From Contaminated Dog Food
Tainted dog food is the source of a Salmonella Infantis outbreak that has sickened 14 people in nine states, five with infections so severe they required hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over the last week, Diamond Pet Foods has recalled nine brands of dog food due to possible contamination with Salmonella. And five other brands: Natural Balance, Kirkland Signature, Wellpet Solid Gold Health Products, and Apex, have issued related recalls. So, how does dog food make people sick? To find out, Food Poisoning Bulletin talked with Jeff Bender, professor of veterinary public health at the University of Minnesota. Bender is also Director of Animal Health and Food Safety and hospital epidemiologist. “These kinds of outbreaks are … [Read more...]
