Dog Food Recall & Salmonella Outbreak

Lab Tails of Kingridge

Dog Food Recall & Salmonella Outbreak

Joy: Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 12:32 PM

There is a recall from the manufacturer Diamond pet foods

I wanted to include some information pertaining to the Salmonella outbreak that has led to a recall of certain brands of dog food. When something like this occurs in the dog community there is sometimes a tendency to overreact to the situation and become fearful. The purpose of this post is to help educate you, so that you can take the appropriate steps necessary in order to have a healthy family and furry friend. The manufacturer that is recalling the pet food is Diamond Pet Foods. They are expanding a recall of several brands of dry pet food that have been linked to a multi-state Salmonella outbreak, according to the CDC.

According to the company’s Web site, Diamond Pet Foods has voluntarily recalled some brands of dry dog and cat food that it manufactured in its Gaston, S.C. facility between Dec. 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 due to potential Salmonella contamination." The brands that were recalled on May 4 have not tested positive for Salmonella. The company is recalling certain batches of these brands, however, as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and well-being of customers and their pets.

Information from the CDC Web site states that:

A total of 14 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis have been reported from 9 states.
The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Connecticut (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (3), North Carolina (3), New Jersey (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Virginia (1).
Among the 9 patients with available information, 5 (56%) were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Multiple brands of dry pet food produced by Diamond Pet Foods at a single manufacturing facility in South Carolina have been linked to some of the human Salmonella infections.
Consumers should check their homes for recalled dog food products and discard them promptly. People who think they might have become ill after contact with dry pet food or with an animal that has eaten dry pet food should consult their health care providers.

To learn whether or not the brand of dog food you use is included in the recall, please click on the link below. This will take you to the specific dog food's website to discover the production codes and best-before dates on the bags of recalled food. If you have been using food, or have a new bag of food, that matches the information found from the manufacturer you should immediately call your vet and discontinue feeding it to your dog.

I hope that this information will spread quickly and that very few dogs and owners will have ill health as a result of this outbreak. Many of the foods included in this list are high quality dog foods, so it is important to remember that even among excellent products, events can occur that may compromise our pets' health. Please be sure to share this information with others who may have a pet that could be in jeopardy.