13 brands of dry pet food recalled because of possible Salmonella contamination

Several brands and varieties of dry dog and cat food have been recalled by Mars Petcare because the food may be contaminated with a strain of Salmonella called Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund. A joint announcement made by Mars Petcare and the Food and Drug Administration says the recall involves all the pet food produced at the company's plant in Everson, Pennsylvania between February 18 and July 29 of this year.

The recall affects food distributed to 31 states and includes such brands as Pedigree, Country Acres, Retriever, Doggy Bag, Members Mark, Natural, Ol' Roy, Special Kitty, Paws & Claws, Wegman's, Pet Pride, PMI Nutrition and Red Flannel. A full list of the brands, varieties and sizes of recalled foods can be found on the Mars Petcare Web site.  The company has not said how much food has been recalled.

Mars Petcare stopped production at the Everson facility on July 29 when it was alerted to a possible link between dry pet food produced at the Everson plant and two isolated cases of people infected with Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.  Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

In June, the Centers for Disease Control attributed a large, multi-state Salmonella outbreak that occurred between 2006-2007 to contaminated dry dog food. The two brands of food involved in that recall, Krasdale and Red Flannel, were also made by Mars Petcare. As we reported here, the outbreak affected at least 70 people across 19 states. Many suffered serious illness and some were even hospitalized.

The Everson facility has been taken offline until the source of the Salmonella can be identified. Many of the brands involved in the recall are national brands produced at multiple facilities. For example, less than three percent of Pedigree products on the market were produced in Everson. The company is working with retailers to have the pet food removed from shelves.

Dry pet food has a long shelf life so the FDA is advising  pet owners to check their supply. The food can be returned to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. To help consumers determine if they may have purchased any of the products, the FDA is offering this guidance.

Non-Pedigree brands. Consumers should look for "17" as the first two digits of the second line. Sample:

Best By Feb 18 09
17 1445 1

Pedigree products. Consumers should look for "PAE" on the bottom line—the sixth, seventh and eighth digits.  Sample:

Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites
Best Before 02/2009
808G1PAE01  12:00

Pet owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-877-568-4463 or visit www.petcare.mars.com. The FDA encourages pet owners to follow the agency's tips on how to handle pet food safely.

Comments

[Lynn Conto]

Our two boston terriers became very ill about three weeks ago after eating Pedigree dry dog food. They would continue to decline to eat their dog food. At first we thought they had a virus. Then we realized something was wrong with the food. What is our recourse for this?

[Brant]

I too found a bag of Pedigree dog food at Wal Mart that had a UPC code listed on the FDA website. The worker told me basically the same thing that they told a previous responder, that it didn't show recall on his handheld scanner. So he blew me off.

[Johnny]

As you are finding out 'Recall' does not allways mean it is being removed from public consumption. When most products that are recalled are returned to the manufacturer, they are sent to other countries. Ask Walmart and Peter Pan what they did with all the recalled peanut butter a couple of years ago. We saw it on the shelves in Mexico.

[rosalind]

We've just finished treating our two golden retrievers for salmonella that we're pretty confident they contracted from their pet food. Our neighbor was not so lucky, and lost their pup. When I contacted the retailer with the veterinarian's diagnosis, and told them the label UPC . . . as well as providing the web address of the recall notice, I was told that they would not remove the food unless their corporate office directed them to do so. Is there not some way that corporate offices should be held accountable for removing recalled product?

[mary beth long]

My friend purchased a bag of Special Kitty cat food from Wal Mart the other day, and and it had the # 17 upc code.
Apparently Wal Mart is not removing it from their shelves.