Wash After Handling Pet Food
Unfortunately, pet food can be contaminated with a variety of pathogens including salmonella and E. coli. Dry and canned food, treats and supplements formulated for animals may all be contaminated just like food produced for human consumption. Feeding raw diets to dogs, cats and ferrets are especially dangerous because freezing and/or refrigeration does not kill bacteria or parasites.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 2, 2011, "the Food and Drug Administration has begun a nationwide effort to test pet food for salmonella contamination amid evidence that it is sickening pet owners. FDA investigators started taking samples in October of dry pet food, pet treats and diet supplements from distributors and wholesalers. . . ."
Therefore, please handle all animal food with care. Wash well after feeding your pet. Keep children and immunosuppressed individuals away from pet food, bowls and utensils. Wash pet food and water bowls regularly to protect all the members of your family. Also, make sure any human products used on animals are not under a recall. Remember the Peter Pan peanut butter recall? I used a teaspoon of Peter Pan to give my dog, Susie, her medicine. Unfortunately, I bought a recalled jar and Susie got diarrhea. It was off the market for some time before returning to store shelves after they had resolved the issue.
Categories: Current Events
Tags: Salmonella contamination of pet food E. coli contamination of pet food FDA tests pet food for salmonella
What I'm wondering is where this puts the argument against feeding raw;
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Great comment! This is the reason why I am nervous about raw diets. I see animals suffering because they caught salmonella, E. coli or parasites from their food. Please be cautious with raw diets, especially if a human or animal in the family has a compromised immune system.
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Dear Dr. Kris
Thank you for your response.
I feed home-cooked myself, though the raw idea keeps sitting at the back of my mind.
The point I was getting to, though, is what difference does it make then, if these pathogens can be in the commercial dog food also. Meaning, if my dog can get sick from either, I might as well feed the raw ...? (not personally, since I cook it; in general)
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Thank you for commenting again and clarifying my misunderstanding. As you know, cooking kills the pathogens contained in our food. As long as the food isn't contaminated after cooking, it is safe. Unfortunately, the problems with bacterial contamination of commercial foods come from inadequate or uneven cooking and/or post cooking contamination. Since we don't know when a food might be contaminated, I recommend practicing good hygiene with every pet food, treat and supplement. To avoid salmonella and E. coli, I would continue to cook your pet's food and feed it immediately. Any leftovers, should be stored with meticulous care to prevent contamination.
Hope that helps and sorry about the confusion, Dr. Nelson
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