Salmonella in pet treats: One recall, and an FDA warning

After hearing about a recent PetSmart recall of beef hoove chews contaminated with salmonella from the indefatigable Therese Kopiwoda at PetSitUSA, I found myself launching into one of my regularly scheduled rants about "voluntary" recalls.



Every freaking press release, from industry or from FDA, uses that same meaningless phrase: a "voluntary recall" -- as if there's any other kind, considering that the FDA doesn't have mandatory recall authority.



And then I was caught mid-rant when something completely different popped into the old email inbox: a warning from the FDA that no one should buy other treats made by the same company that manufactured the treats in the PetSmart recall, because they, too, were probably contaminated with salmonella:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif.



The products were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or feed them to their pets.



The affected pig ear products were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel. The affected beef hooves were packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel. All sizes and all lots of these products made by Pet Carousel are included in this alert.



During September 2009, the FDA conducted routine testing of pig ears made by Pet Carousel. The test results detected a positive reading for Salmonella. This prompted an FDA inspection of Pet Carousel’s manufacturing facilities. During the inspection, the agency collected additional pet treat samples. Further analysis found Salmonella present in beef hooves, pig ears and in the manufacturing environment.

I guess a "health alert" is about as strong an action as our current FDA can take. Which raises the question: When will Pet Carousel issue a "voluntary" recall of its own?



However much the "voluntary" thing makes my head explode, at least PetSmart sent out a press release and recalled the treats. Good for them. Of course I'd rather they weren't selling contaminated treats in the first place (and I bet they do, too), but bad things do happen, and the way you tell the good businesses from the bad is how they react when they do.



A lesson everyone in the pet food industry should take to heart. The sooner the better.



Although I'm not exactly holding my breath.

Comments

[Dennis]

Speaking of Chinese treats - the pet treats from China are still coming in.



And now, thanks to Congress, we will soon have Chinese poultry to tempt our human palates. Yep, the original H5N1 reports, the common melamine and cyanuric acid use over there, and the 200 million tiny farms and nearly a million processors that are nearly impossible to inspect and regulate due to numbers apparently weren't enough to keep poultry from being imported to the USA. Aside from the rest, I cannot imagine deliberately eating any food with any amount of melamine in it knowing a potential for kidney damage.



Bon Appetit.

[Snoopys Friend]

My neighbors dogs almost died from treats from China, this was a few years ago, and after she told me the story I just decided my dogs don't need pig ears or beef rolls or anything else. I do buy them real bones from a feed store that I've had no trouble with and these do not come from China. I stay away from anything with a coating also. Thank goodness my dogs seem happy enough with what I give them and when they get bored, they carry around sticks in the yard and play with them. We have a good time with the sticks and no fear of poisoning either. We dog owners just want to love and do right by our pets and it is a shame we need to be so ever concerned about contamination that it does take some of the fun out of shopping.

[The OTHER Pat]

I suppose the fact that it is a zoonose might account for some of the motivation behind the FDA's action (maybe they're finally catching on that our pets live WITH us?).



But it's a start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Snoopys Friend]

I avoid these type of pet treats just because I do not trust their safety. My dogs don't seem to mind either.

[Rinalia]

Are we concerned about Salmonella because it's a human health concern or a canine one?



I'm curious about peer-reviewed studies involving the fecal analysis of dogs regarding Salmonella. I know of one small study involving a raw diet versus commercial diet (80% of raw fed dogs shed the bacteria) and another study that just blithely says "salmonella is commonly found in dogs". Do you know of any?

[Liz Palika]

Re: Carol V:



My thoughts exactly! Two months????



All three of my dogs had to make a trip to the veterinarian's office a month or so ago and my vet and I suspected some treats from Kahoots. But the treats had been eaten, the trash was gone, I hadn't recorded batch numbers of the treats, and we weren't able to find/prove anything. Frustrating!



All three dogs were fine after a week and a half of Flagyl but it makes one wonder?

[Carol V]

Only two months since FDA found salmonella until the alert came out...???