Dry dog food tied to salmonella outbreak in children

Dry dog and cat food has been linked to at least six cases of salmonella in children.

Texas pet food manufacturer, Mid America Pet Food, said it is expanding a recall to include dozens of different types of dry dog and cat food after it was linked to seven cases of salmonella – six of which were in infants.

The manufacturer said all brands of the pet food the company makes will now be recalled, including 35 different products with best by dates before 31 October 2024, and produced at its plant in Mount Pleasant, Texas.

The brands include Victor Super Premium Dog Foods, Wayne Feeds Dog Food, Eagle Mountain Pet Food and some Member’s Mark varieties distributed to retailers nationwide, the manufacturer said.

Customers are asked to destroy the recalled pet food in a way that children, pets and wildlife can’t reach it, and to wash pet bowls and storage containers, the CDC said.

There were two prior recalls of pet food made by the manufacturer, the first coming in early September and involving one lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dog food and the second 10 days ago and involving three lots of Victor super Premium Dog Food, Select Beef Meal & Brown Rice Formula.

The recall comes after random sampling found traces of salmonella in pet food manufactured by Mid America Pet Food.

The salmonella-contaminated pet food is believed to have caused seven illnesses, including one hospitalization, in seven states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota and Oklahoma, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The cases were all linked to a specific lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dry dog food.

The CDC said that people began getting sick in mid-January and illnesses continued into August, adding that the actual number of individuals sickened in the outbreak is likely much higher than reported.

The US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the outbreak.

When two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, it is viewed as an outbreak, according to the CDC.

“People likely got sick by touching this dog food, touching things like dog bowls that contained this dog food, or touching the poop or saliva of dogs that were fed this dog food,” the CDC stated.

Salmonella can cause pets to get sick, as well as people who come into contact with substances contaminated by the bacteria.

The most recent recall is one of half a dozen this year in the US of pet food found to contain salmonella or potentially harmful elevated levels of vitamins.

Salmonella bacteria causes an estimated 1.3 million infections in Americans every year, and leads to more than 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths each year.

Pets infected with salmonella may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Other signs include loss of appetite and abdominal pain. In humans, salmonella poisoning can cause similar symptoms.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that causes food poisoning.