The FDA has released advice for consumers about the risks of feeding raw diets to their pets. Not only can your pets become ill, but you can too, either through contact with contaminated food or if your pet sheds pathogenic bacteria. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes are two bacteria found in raw diets that are especially dangerous to pets and humans. Raw pet food is meat, bones, and organs that have not been cooked. FDA does not believe feeding raw pet foods to animals is "consistent with the goal of protecting the public from significant health risks." The agency recommends cooking raw meat and poultry to kill pathogenic bacteria before you give the food to your pets. One of the problems with a raw food diet is that people think it's natural for animals to eat raw meat. Feral … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreaks from Contact with Tainted Pet Food
A Salmonella outbreak caused by contact with frozen rodents used as food for snakes and other pets has sickened 37 people in 18 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week. And this isn't the first time contact with tainted pet food has caused illness in humans. Since 2007, there have been four such Salmonella outbreaks, according to the CDC. People can get sick from contaminated pet food by feeding a pet or touching a surface the food has touched and then not thoroughly washing their hands before touching their face or eating a meal. The current Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak, which has hospitalized five people, has been linked to Arctic Mice brand frozen rodents produced by Reptile Industries, Inc. of Naples Fla. and sold at PetSmart stores … [Read more...]
Food & Water Watch Responds to FDA Pet Jerky Investigation
Food & Water Watch has responded to the latest information released by the FDA about their investigation into the pet deaths and illnesses linked to jerky treats imported from China. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the agency said in a statement, "this ongoing health threat to American pets illustrates how trade policy is trumping regulations to protect our health. When is the Obama administration going to show some backbone and stop the importation of these deadly products until we have some concrete answers?" At least 4,800 pets have been sickened by these imported products. At least 1,000 dogs have died as a result of their illness. The FDA does n0t have any answers, despite a lengthy investigation. The jerky treats are made from chicken, duck, or sweet potato. Some … [Read more...]
Pro Pet Recalls Dog and Cat Food For Possible Salmonella Contamination
Pro-Pet of St. Marys, Ohio is recalling dog and cat foods for possible Salmonella contamination. No illnesses have been reported. For a complete list of the recalled products, click the link above. The brand names under the recall include, Hubbard Life Happy Hound, Hubbard Life Cat Stars, Joy Combo cat food, QC Plus adult dog food. They were distributed online and through retail stores in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia Pet food contaminated with Salmonella poses a risk to pets and their humans. There … [Read more...]
FDA’s Pet Safety Tips To Avoid Medication Errors
When pets are sick, the last thing they need is medication error that could make them worse. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put together some tips to help consumers avoid medication errors with their pets. Start by making sure you understand why the medication has been ordered for your pet and what it's supposed to do. Ask about side effects, or possible interactions with other drugs your pet may be taking. It's a good idea to keep a list of drugs your pet takes – including over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and prescription drugs. Tell the vet about any allergies or adverse reactions your pet has had to medications. Check to make sure the dosing instructions are clear. Before you leave the vet's office make sure you know: how many times each day your pet needs the … [Read more...]
FDA Proposes New Food Safety Rule For Animal Food
Days after it announced that as many as 600 pets have died and thousands of others have been sickened from jerky treats imported form China, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a rule to improve the safety of food for animals. In keeping with thrust of the Food Safety Modernization Act, the proposal is aimed at preventing foodborne illness linked to animal food rather than responding to it. “Unlike safeguards already in place to protect human foods, there are currently no regulations governing the safe production of most animal foods. There is no type of hazard analysis. This rule would change all that,” said Daniel McChesney, Ph.D., director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine in a statement. For the first time, … [Read more...]
Food & Water Watch Responds to Jerky Treat Pet Illness Report
is responding to the FDA announcement that they are asking for the public's help in the mysterious illnesses apparently caused by pet jerky treats. This week, the government posted an update on the investigation admitting they don't understand what is going wrong, and giving veterinarians information about reporting cases. Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement, "we appreciate the new information the agency posted. But America's pets are still at risk from these potentially deadly treats. Today's update from the FDA showed a drop in reported illnesses since the decision by Nestle Purina and DelMonte in January to recall their chicken jerky dog treats produced in China. But the source of the problem has still not been identified. And there are … [Read more...]
Pet Food Safety Tips from the CDC
Pets aren’t the only ones who can get sick from tainted pet food. Humans who handle the food can get sick too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has some tips to help keep people safe when they are feeding their pets. Symptoms of a Salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, vomiting and fever in pets and humans. If your pet exhibits these symptoms, you can reduce your risk of becoming ill by washing your hands after petting him. Pick up dog waste promptly, seal it in a plastic bag and dispose of it in a closed container. For cats, scoop litter daily and discard waste into a tightly sealed plastic bag. To reduce your pet’s risk of contracting food poisoning, don’t feed him raw food such as raw dog foods, uncooked meat or poultry or raw eggs. Don’t buy cans of pet food … [Read more...]
Handling Pet Food Tainted With Salmonella Can Make People Sick
A number of recent pet food recalls for Salmonella are a good reminder that handling tainted pet food can result in human illness. Although no human illnesses have been reported in association with recently recalled pet food, last year at this time, cases began to mount in a Salmonella outbreak that eventually sickened 47 people in 20 states and two people in Canada. Ten people were hospitalized. The outbreak was linked to dry dog food made by Diamond Pet Foods. By state, the case counts were as follows: Alabama (2), Arkansas (2), California (3), Connecticut (2), Georgia (2), Illinois (4), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (2), Minnesota (1), Missouri (3), New Jersey (2), New York (5), North Carolina (5), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (3), South Carolina (2), Texas (1), and … [Read more...]
Hartz Mountain Recalling Chicken Chews and Oinkies for Unapproved Antibiotics
The Hartz Mountain Corporation is recalling Hartz ® Chicken Chews™ and Hartz ® Oinkies® Pig Skin Twists wrapped with Chicken for dogs because they contain trace amounts of unapproved antibiotics. This follows the recall of Nestle and Delmonte dog treats earlier this month, and issues with jerky pet treats made with ingredients imported from China. Testing found the illegal residue in some samples of the recalled products. Hartz states that "two-thirds of the products we tested did not contain antibiotic residues", but they are voluntarily recalling the products to be cautious. The antibiotics in question are legal for use in poultry in China and the European Union. The Hartz statement claims the FDA's review of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets testing … [Read more...]
