Local pet owners concerned about dog food recall
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Jennifer Auh talks to a local pet owner and doctor about the nationwide dog food recall. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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Pet owners need to double-check their dry dog foods. Diamond Pet Foods voluntarily pulled several brands of dog food from the market nationwide, because of salmonella contamination.
Most stores already took the bags off the shelves, but Centers for Disease Control still worries about people who've already purchased a bag of the contaminated food.
Pet Owner Dave Sparks said the dog food at his home is on the list of recalled brands, meaning it could be contaminated with salmonella.
When Sparks found out, the first person he thought of was his young daughter. "I have a small daughter at home,” said Sparks, “my daughter plays with our dog. I called the company, Solid Gold Health, and they have a list of things to look for, a batch number. I'm going to go home and check and make sure it didn't come from a bad batch."
Sparks said he always buys the best for his dog, so he was shocked. “The brand that I buy is kind of a premium brand, and it’s not usually a brand that associated with these kinds of recalls,” he said.
So far, pet owners are the ones getting sick, not dogs. The CDC said14 people in nine states became ill from the food, but none are from Idaho.
Veterinarian Curtis Brandt says most people got sick from handling the food, and then not washing their hands. "I would even go so far as to put on latex gloves, to just get that food in the garbage, and out of the house," said Dr. Brandt.
He said removing the contaminated food and cleaning the dogs may not be enough. The salmonella may still be in the dog's system for days or even weeks.
"They could potentially shed it intermittently, times they are not spreading this bacteria and other times they could be, so in terms of pet harboring bacteria in their system, certainly several days, potentially a few weeks, so being cautious on that timetable is reasonable," Dr. Brandt.
He said also watch for certain symptoms. Salmonella can cause stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and fever.
Here is a list of the recalled brands:
- 4Health
- Apex
- Canidae
- Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover's Soul
- Country Value
- Diamond
- Diamond Naturals
- Kaytee Fort-Diets
- Kirkland
- Natural Balance
- Premium Edge
- Professional
- Taste Of The Wild
- Wellness
If your pet food is on the list, you can call the company and ask for a batch number to find out if your pet food may be contaminated.
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