Mars Pet Food Recall – Are Your Pets Safe?

Once again, people with companion animals are faced with the reality that most store brand foods are, well, crap. Mars announced a voluntary recall, this time because of Samonella.

Here is an excerpt from the press release, which you can read in its entirety by clicking on the link:

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. Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

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.

Some of the foods included in this latest recall are Pedigree, Pet Pride, Ol’ Roy, Special Kitty, and Wegman’s brand.

If you have any of the pet foods which have been affected, take them back to the store where you purchased them for a full refund.

This is yet another scary reminder that people should be very informed about and aware of the foods that they are feeding their pets, and not just buy what is on sale. I would be willing to bet that many people have no idea what is really in the food that they are feeding their furry friends. Many commercial brands of pet food not only test their products on animals, but they contain parts of animals that our government considers to be unfit for human consumption. They are often animals that have been taken out of the human meat pool, so to speak,  because they are diseased, dying, or disabled, so why feed this garbage to the pets that we love?

I recently came across a great book called Eco Dog, and it had a lot of fun and interesting ways to care for pets in safe, earth friendly ways. I highly recommend it. One of the best projects was an easy recipe for homemade dog treats:

• 1 large jar of organic baby food
• 1 cup of organic wheat germ
• Mix together, form into 1 inch balls, press with a fork, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

My dogs love the sweet potato treats! Try it with different flavors!