Wash Your Hands

Within the last two weeks the Diamond Dog Food Company has recalled almost all of the dog food made at a Diamond Factory in South Carolina. Dog Food Advisor at www.dogfoodadvisor.com has an extensive list of the foods, which include dates and batch numbers. The food appears to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella is a nasty bacterium that causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. The same thing will happen to pets that eat the contaminated food.

There are already 15 cases of Salmonella reported in humans caused by the dog food from this latest recall.

I am not sure how we can keep our pets safe since the recalls happen after pets have become ill. One way to know whether you have the contaiminated food is to always keep the dates of production, batch numbers and expiration dates from yout pet food bags. Choose your dog food wisely. I have always been cautious of food made by Diamond. This is not their first recall, and I doubt if it will be their last.

Keeping the humans in the house safe is much easier. Wash your hands after preparing your dog’s meals. Wash the counter surfaces and wash your dog’s bowls after they eat. This is especially important if you feed raw food to your dogs. Raw food is potentionally contaiminated with E-Coli as well as Salmonella. If you feed raw clean your dog’s face after eating and resist puppy kisses. Do not let your children touch your dog’s food or treats like pig’s ears, bully sticks or raw hides or dirty dog food bowls. Wash the children’s hands if they do come in contact with dog food or dog treats.

Handwashing is still the best way to prevent most infections in humans. Take the pledge to read labels and not buy any dog food or treats made in China. Being a wise consumer and signing up with Dog Food Advisor for updates is another way to keep your pets safe from contaminated food.