Tainted pet food leads to salmonella outbreak among humans
When people get sick from an unsafe product, they know they’re unwell by how they feel. However, when a beloved pet becomes ill from a dangerous product, it might not be immediately clear what the problem is. A new case involving salmonella from dog and cat food, however, is affecting both humans and their animal companions.
The pets were affected by consuming the food, which was made by the Diamond pet food company. But the pets’ owners got sick as well from handling the food. It’s not clear what caused the food to be infected, but the Centers for Disease Control says people in 13 states so far have been reported as suffering from salmonella poisoning.
Several different brands all manufactured by the same company were included in the recall. This includes brands familiar to Californians such as Diamond Naturals, Taste of the Wild and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul. Several other dry cat and dog foods were affected by the recall and were sold at Costco stores under their Kirkland brand.
Humans were at risk if they failed to wash their hands after touching the food or surfaces that had come into contact with the food. Pets that ate the food may have lethargy and loss of appetite as well as diarrhea. Those pets are also at risk of transferring the infection to people or other animals.
Those who are affected by these unsafe products may wish to consider legal action against the manufacturers of the pet food for reimbursement of medical bills or to compensate for pain and suffering.
Source: KING-TV, “Latest pet food recall notice includes Kirkland and Taste of the Wild,” Susan Wyatt, May 6, 2012