Pet Carousel Recalls Pig Ear, Cow Hoof Dog Treats Because of Possible Salmonella Contamination
WebMD Pet Health News
Dec. 10, 2009 -- A California pet food maker has issued a nationwide recall of all varieties of its popular “pig ears” and “cow hooves” dog treats because the products may be contaminated with salmonella, a bacterium that can cause serious illness in animals and people.
Pet Carousel Inc. of Sanger, Calif., announced the recall following two statements from the FDA in November warning that certain dog snacks made by the company might be contaminated with salmonella.
Pet Carousel says the FDA found positive results for salmonella in tests of pig ears and beef hoof products.
The pig ear products, distributed nationwide, were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight, Pork Tasteez, and Pet Carousel. The beef hooves were packaged under the names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel.
The company warns that people can contract salmonella poisoning by handling dry pet food and pet treats, “especially if [people] have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or any surfaces exposed to those products.”
It says healthy people infected with salmonella may experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever, and sometimes more serious problems, including arterial infections.
They report that pets with salmonella may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever, decreased appetite, and abdominal pain.
The company says healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans and warns people whose pets have consumed any of the affected products to contact their veterinarians if their animals have become sick.
The FDA said Nov. 10 that it had warned dog owners that pig ears and cow hooves made by company, “both plain and stuffed,” might be contaminated with salmonella.
The warning was issued after routine FDA testing in a sample of the manufacturer’s pig ear dog treats, which triggered an inspection of the company’s plant.
The FDA says the affected treats were sold nationally through retail stores and over the Internet. The agency also says the retail chains PetSmart, Pet Food Express, and Petco had posted formal notices on their web pages and offered refunds or exchanges for any of the affected foods.
“Salmonella can cause gastroenteritis in dogs, including symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” the FDA says in its warning. “Some dogs will shed salmonella in their stools without ever showing any symptoms of illness. If any stool clings to an infected dog’s coat near the anus (not unusual with long-haired breeds), the salmonella can be spread to other parts of the coat by licking, and then transferred to anyone who pets, or is licked by, the dog.”
The FDA’s warning on Nov. 10 followed an alert issued Nov. 5.
Pet Carousel says it issued a news release “out of an abundance of caution and concern for public safety.”
The FDA says it detected salmonella in Pet Carousel products in September, prompting an inspection of the company’s facilities, during which salmonella was found in beef hooves, pig ears, and in the manufacturing environment.
The affected pig ear products were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight, Pork Tasteez, and Pet Carousel, item number:
- 18100-P Bulk
- 18016-P 10-pk red mesh bag
- 18120-P 20-pk red mesh bag.
The affected beef hooves were packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel, item number:
- 1506-K 5 lb. bulk
- 1507-K 10 lb. bulk
- 1520-K 20 lb. bulk
- 12125-T 10-pk vinyl bag
- 12110-T 10-pk, vinyl bag
- 12111-T 10-pk, vinyl bag
- 12122-T 10 lb., bulk
- 1503-K 3-pk, vinyl bag
- 1510-K 10-pk ,vinyl bag
- 1405-S 5 lb., bulk
- 1408-S 10-pk, vinyl bag
- 1410-S 10 lb., bulk
- 1420-S 20 lb., bulk
- 90058-H Cheese/& Bacon Stuffed Hoof, bulk
- 90056-H Peanut Butter Stuffed Hoof, bulk
- 17005-R Rope toy with Hooves
Tainted Pet Food Linked to Rare Salmonella Infection
By Katrina Woznicki
(Extract from WebMD Pet Health News)
Aug. 9, 2010 -- Pet food can be a source of salmonella infection, and millions of families, particularly young children, may be at risk of becoming sick if pet food is not properly handled and stored in the home, according to research conducted by the CDC and several state departments of health.
Human salmonella infections linked to dry pet food had not been reported prior to a three-year outbreak in 2006-2008. Overall, Salmonella enterica causes 1.4 million illnesses and 400 deaths every year nationwide. Although the most common source of human infection is ingestion of contaminated water or food, infection can also occur through direct or indirect contact with pets.
One type of Salmonella enterica is called Salmonella Schwarzengrund, which is not common and accounts for only 0.4% of all human salmonella infections per year. Federal and state researchers examined a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund that occurred from 2006 to 2008. They conducted one case-controlled study to evaluate household exposures to pet food and a second study to examine the risk factors for transmitting salmonella among children. In the United States, 37% of households have dogs and 32% have cats, and many pets are fed dry pet food, which includes animal ingredients such as liver, beef, or fish.
Researchers compared households where there was a case of infection to geographically matched households where there was no infection.Participants were interviewed and also filled out questionnaires about their contact with animals, use of pet food, brand of pet food used, and pet-feeding practices.
FDA to Fido: Dog Bones Not Safe
Broken Teeth, Internal Injuries, Even Death Among Risks Posed by Dog Bones
WebMD Pet Health News
April 27, 2010 -- Pet owners commonly give their dogs bones as a reward, but the FDA says in a new consumer warning that it’s not good for dogs to chew on bones because they can cause serious injury or even death.
“Some people think it’s safe to give dogs large bones, like those from a ham or a roast,” Carmela Stamper, DVM, a veterinarian in the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, says in an FDA Consumer Update. “Bones are unsafe no matter what their size. Giving your dog a bone may make your pet a candidate for a trip to your veterinarian’s office later, possible emergency surgery, or even death.”
Stamper says pet owners should throw away bones from meals and make sure dogs can’t sniff out and find discarded bones. She suggests putting bones in the trash immediately, or out of the dog’s reach until you have a chance to dispose of them safely.
And when you’re walking Fido around the neighborhood, pay attention to what the dog sniffs and “steer him away from any objects lying in the grass.”
The new warning lists 10 reasons why it’s a bad idea to give bones to your dogs:
- Broken Teeth. Bones can break teeth, requiring expensive veterinary dentistry.
- Mouth or tongue injuries. Bones can break and become sharp, causing bloody, messy injuries also requiring treatment by a vet.
- Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog, and potentially costly because a veterinarian’s help is usually required.
- Bone gets stuck in esophagus. The esophagus is the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. If a bone gets stuck here, your dog may gag and drool. Removal of the bone can be difficult, requiring endoscopic equipment or a complicated surgery. If the bone is not removed promptly, the esophagus may rupture and cause a life-threatening infection in the chest cavity.
- Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This happens if your dog accidentally inhales a small piece of bone and can be an emergency if your pet has trouble breathing. When this happens, the FDA says, get the dog to the vet immediately.
- Bone gets stuck in stomach. The bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. When this happens, invasive surgery or an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy may be required. An endoscopy is a procedure in which a veterinarian uses a long, flexible tube with a built-in camera to find the bone and then remove it with special grabbing tools.
- Bone gets stuck in intestines. This causes an intestinal blockage, requiring prompt surgery.
- Constipation due to bone fragments. Dogs may have a hard time passing bone fragments, because they are sharp and can scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move toward the outside world. This can cause severe pain and may require a trip to the vet.
- Severe bleeding from the rectum. When this happens, it’s not only messy but dangerous for your pet, which will need to see a veterinarian.
- Peritonitis. This is a hard-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen, caused by bone fragments poking holes in the dog’s stomach or intestines. Aggressive and expensive care is needed to manage this problem. Left untreated, peritonitis is fatal.
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