Listeriosis in a dog from recalled meat?
A Windsor, Ontario woman is convinced that her dog acquired listeriosis afetr eating recalled hot dogs. Last week, Maple Leaf Foods recalled various hot dog products because of low-level contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, the cause of listeriosis. Her dog Tigger was fed four hot dogs one evening, and the next morning starting vomiting. He recovered after a few days of treatment. No specific testing was done to investigate the possibility of listeriosis.
Dogs can get listeriosis. Non-specific signs of infection including vomiting, diarrhea and fever are most common. Neurological disease can occur in a small percentage of cases. Listeriosis is extremely rare in dogs, however, despite the fact that dogs are certainly exposed to the bacterium periodically. Just because the dog ate recalled meat and got sick, it does not mean that the dog had listeriosis.
No human illnesses have been reported in association with this recall, and it's very unlikely that this dog actually had listeriosis. It's possible but I really doubt it. Dogs get gastrointestinal disease like this all of the time, from a variety of causes. Eating four hot dogs in one night could itself cause diarrhea in some dogs.
Some tips come to mind from this story:
- Limit feeding of treats to dogs. Four hot dogs is pretty excessive. Low fat, nutritious treats are better.
- Pay attention to recalls. Don't eat recalled food or feed it to your pet. At the same time, don't overreact to recalls. We are exposed to potentially infectious agents on a daily basis, but a combination of our immune system, normal bacterial populations in the intestinal tract, low levels of contamination and other factors mean that we don't usually get sick. If you are concerned about listeriosis, make sure processed meats are cooked before feeding.
- If you are really concerned or suspicious about a disease, make sure testing is done.
- If you think food is the source of a problem, save a sample. It might be useful to test the food.
More information about listeriosis in animals is available in the Worms & Germs archives.
Bird seed recall: Salmonella
As you undoubtedly know, a large Salmonella outbreak has occurred in the US, associated with contaminated peanuts. The scope of this outbreak continues to expand in unexpected areas, including pets. The latest development is a voluntary recall of bird seed. The recall affects 20-pound packages of Wild Birds Unlimited Wildlife Blend bird food (produced by Kentucky-based Burkmann Feeds) with the manufacturing date code 81132200 2916 08124.
The contaminated bird seed was linked to the deaths of several birds in North Carolina, and it was confirmed that the bird seed manufacturer received peanuts from the Georgia facility that was implicated in the Salmonella outbreak.
People that have used this bird seed should clear out their bird feeders, ideally while wearing gloves. The feeders should be thoroughly cleaned and then disinfected (although this may be easier said than done). Hands should be washed after handling the bird seed, potentially contaminated feeders or any other potentially contaminated items.
The risk to people is presumably quite low, but people handling the bird seed could potentially contaminate their hands with Salmonella and then inadvertently swallow some of the bacteria. Concerns are greatest in people with compromised immune systems, the very young, the elderly and people taking antibiotics, as they are more likely to get sick following exposure to small numbers of Salmonella.
More information about Salmonella can be found on the Worms & Germs Resources page.
Dog infection linked to peanut butter Salmonella outbreak
Maybe the only thing surprising about this is that it's taken this long, but there has now been a dog infection reported in association with the massive peanut butter recall due to Salmonella contamination. This outbreak has made hundreds of people sick, and caused a few deaths so far. Pets that eat contaminated "people food" or pet treats are also at risk. So, it's not too surprising that an infection in a pet has now been reported (and reported cases are usually just the tip of the iceberg).
The case reported involves a dog in Oregon that was diagnosed with salmonellosis after being fed Happy Tails dog biscuits. The Salmonella strain recovered from the dog, who had severe diarrhea, was from the same serogroup as the strain involved in the peanut product outbreak. The product (Happy Tails Multi-Flavor dog biscuits, UPC 41163 42403, 4 lb box, “best by” date Oct 31 09) was tested at IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group in Lake Forest Park, WA and Salmonella was identified. Other products from this and several other companies have been recalled, so pet owners should check the products against recall lists. If in doubt, do not feed your pet(s) any treats until their safety can be verified.
Salmonella can cause disease in dogs ranging from mild diarrhea to severe bloody diarrhea and bloodstream infection that can be fatal in some cases. Dogs with salmonellosis can also transmit the infection to people, because they can shed large numbers of Salmonella in their stool.
If pets have been fed potentially contaminated peanut butter or treats, they should be watched carefully for signs of diarrhea, lack of appetite or decreased activity, and taken to a veterinarian promptly if there are any concerns. There is no indication to test or treat healthy pets that have potentially been exposed. Even if stool samples were tested and Salmonella was found, treatment of healthy animals would not be recommended. As always, careful handling of stool and frequent handwashing are key factors for preventing transmission of disease to people.
Peanut butter recall now affects pet products
I'm sure you've heard about the large outbreak of salmonellosis in people in the US associated (again!) with contaminated peanut butter. Based on the extent of the outbreak, it probably should not come as a surprise that pet treats are now caught up in the recall. The FDA has announced that the recall now includes some pet food products that contain peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant. The concerns here are two-fold: the risk of disease in pets fed the treats, and risk to people handling the treats. If you have peanut butter-containing pet treats, you should stop feeding them to your pet(s) until you can determine whether or not they are affected by the recall.
The recommendation in the recall notice really applies at all times: "It is important for people to wash their hands--and make sure children wash their hands--before and, especially, after feeding treats to pets."
More information on Salmonella and pets can be found on the Womrs&Germs Resources page.
