Salmonella in dry pet foood poses risks for kids

The New York Times reports on a new study:

Dozens of salmonella infections in toddlers have been traced to dry pet food, the first time human infections have been linked to dry dog and cat food, health officials say.

The infections occurred from January 2006 through October 2008 in 21 states. More than 23,000 tons of pet food were recalled, affecting 105 brands, and the manufacturing plant, in western Pennsylvania, was shut in 2008.

The link between salmonella and dry pet food was described by health officials from several states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a paper published Monday on the Web site of the journal Pediatrics. Officials referred to the factory only as “Plant X.” Altogether, 79 people were infected, including 32 children age 2 or younger.

Long-time readers might recall that the Scottie News reported on one of the cases in question. Strangely enough that story notes that the dog food was produced by Mars Petcare at its Pennsylvania plant and the affected brands included Pedigree and Special Kitty.

In any case, this gives us the excuse to show these videos from Mucklewags, breeders of my dog Bridget. I know they use excellent quality dog food and obviously they trust their dogs completely, but I’m probably too much of a Nervous Nellie to let this happen at the Scottish Terrier and Dog News world headquarters on the occasions that young children visit our editorial operation.

Related posts:

1. Dry dog food caused human salmonella outbreak
2. Terrierman calls beaver dog food a gimmick
3. British Kennel Club to review all purebred dogs