Food poisoning is not limited to human beings, as a recent article on the Foodsafetynews.com website points out. A pet food manufacturer had to recall it’s product for a suspected Salmonella contamination. Salmonella often leads to disorders, including gastroenteritis, spontaneous abortions and Septicaemia. Both dogs and cats are at risk of getting sick and this bacterial disease is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans.
The recall of the meat-based dog treats which were suspected of Salmonella contamination occurred recently for the products that were manufactured between April and September last year. The dog food was sold at several large American retailers. This is in addition to an investigation currently underway in that country relating to Chinese produced dog food in the form of chicken jerky.
Although the Salmonella bacteria can infect your pet and make them very sick, humans are also at risk if they handle the contaminated meat. Humans may contract Salmonella from handling contaminated pet treats or interacting with infected animals. Consumers are advised to wash their hands thoroughly after handling pet treats. If consumers feel food they have purchased for their pets is contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria, they should discard it immediately instead of risking their pet’s health and their own.
Read this post from www.foodsafetynews.com which explains further:
Three pet treat manufacturers on Thursday announced product recalls due to Salmonella contamination — two for contaminated parsley flakes and another for apparent environmental contamination problems.
Kasel Associates Industries Inc. announced a wide-ranging recall of meat-based dog treats suspected of Salmonella contamination. The products were manufactured between April 20 and September 19, 2012 and distributed to a number of retailers, including Target, Petco, Sam’s Club and Costco.
Kasel has previously announced three recall notices for specific products manufactured during this time, after the Colorado Department of Agriculture found Salmonella in a retail sample of a Kasel product. Follow-up testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that 100 percent of tested products, as well as 48 out of 87 environmental samples, were contaminated with one of 10 Salmonella strains.
The FDA has received “a small number of complaints” of ill dogs related to these products.
Meanwhile, dog food manufacturer The Honest Kitchen has recalled lots of its Verve, Zeal and Thrive dog food products produced between August and November 2012 because those product included parsley flakes found to be contaminated with Salmonella.
Kaytee Products has similarly recalled numerous bird treats for containing contaminated parsley flakes.
Three pet treat manufacturers on Thursday announced product recalls due to Salmonella contamination — two for contaminated parsley flakes and another for apparent environmental contamination problems.If you suspect your pet may have contracted Salmonella poisoning look out for the following symptoms: fever, shock, lethargy, diarrhoea, vomiting, anorexia, weight loss, dehydration, skin disease, and mucus in stool, an abnormally fast heart rate or swollen lymph nodes.
Normally a host animal carrying the disease will have two or more different microorganisms or types of Salmonellae bacteria that cause this disease. Very young and very old dogs are most at risk, similarly to very elderly humans or children, because of their weaker immune systems. So if you pet is in one of these categories, be vigilant in order to protect the health of your best friend.
