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Subscribe to RSSTwo more people have become ill after being exposed to salmonella-tainted dry dog food, bringing the total to 16, federal health officials reported Friday
That includes one more case in the United States, where people in nine states have been sickened. Another case was detected in Quebec, Canada. Five people have been hospitalized.
All of the illnesses follow a recall of at least 11 brands of dry dog food manufactured at a Gaston, S.C., plant operated by Diamond Pet Foods of Meta, Mo. They include the store brand pet food sold by Costco, Kirkland Signature and Kirkland Signature Domain.
Lab tests have confirmed that those sick were infected with a rare strain of salmonella Infantis, which was detected only after a routine test of dry dog food revealed contamination, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Public health investigators used DNA fingerprints of the bacteria to identify past cases of illness linked to the outbreak. People infected with the outbreak strain became sick between Oct. 8, 2011 and April 22, 2012.
Cases included three each in North Carolina and Missouri, two each in Ohio and Pennsylvania and one each in Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia.
Diamond Pet Foods has voluntarily expanded its recall of certain brands of dry dog and cat food manufactured at the South Carolina site between Dec. 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 because of potentially salmonella contamination. The federal Food and Drug Administration posted recalls as well, here.
People can become sick by handling the tainted pet food or through contact with an animal that has eaten the contaminated food.
Consumers should discard any of the recalled product. Those who think they may have become sick after contact should consult a health care provider.
Consumers should be sure to wash their hands after feeding or handling a pet, or after picking up after an animal. Cat litter boxes should be scooped daily.
Salmonella infections can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramping 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness can last up to a week and most people recover without treatment. In some cases, severe diarrhea can require treatment in a hospital.
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I was feeding my dog Diamond Naturals until a couple of weeks ago when it was time to get a new bag. I had a hard time finding it, so I looked online and saw the recall. So I did some research on brands that were considered to be a good balance of cost versus quality. Unfortunately, the brand I switched to (Canidae) was still made at the Diamond plant without my realizing it. The second time I fed this to my dog, she refused to eat it and clearly wasn't feeling good, and then I got an email from the website I got it from about the recall. I am so glad I bought online (Mr Chewy), and got the warning (and, upon request, full refund). And my dog is currently upset with me for not taking her for a walk while it is raining outside. Sorry, Kona, house rules.
There is a pet food called Life's Abundance, made by a female vet. They were the first to share this info with me. Their food is made every 5 to 6 weeks and is all natural, organic, no grains, plus the prebiotics and probiotics your pets tummy needs as well as the vit. a,c,d,e. and delivered to your door UPS.
Please buy fresh made wholesome food for your pets. Trying to buy at discount store likes Costco is not the way to go, their food sits on those selfs for months before you get it home. Go to lifesabundance.com/taraliggett and check it out today! Established co. for over 13 years.
Why do people eat dry dog food?
Why do people eat dog food? I hear it is cheaper than human food and WAS safer to consume. Media is stating that more people are dying from cancer than ever before. Look at the ingrediants on labels. Junk you never heard of...and everything is processed. The government allows everything in food now; and the liver just cannot filter it all. You can't even eat right (fruits etc) as they spray nanu (spelling) on it for a longer shelf life making the fruit bitter, dry and rot from the inside out. Guess we have to grow our own.
151 Checks on ingredients....Really???? Diamond has had many recalls....was feeding Taste of the Wild....will not buy any foods made by Diamond in the future. I have hunt test dogs...lots and lots of training plus the original clost of the puppy. Cannot take the chance anymore of feeding their products....
when a cow dies on the farm u call a rendering plant if the cow is less than 3 days old they come & get her 4 dog food companies this is used in canned dog food & nin dried dog food its called beef flavored hahaha oh they charge $100.00 2 haul it away cows wont graze around a dead cow thats why we remove it
I wondered why some canned dog foods were so tuff to chew.
@Truthhurts402
Try opening the can first, it is a lot easier to chew that way.
somestoriearetough2chew
we buried our dog about year ago, we feed her diamond lambmeal , she did not finish the bag. when we asked the vet what killed her, she said all i can say is she died from something she ingested. this dog did not just suddenly die. we had her over to the vet several times trying to save her life, but she just got sicker.
Obviously you need a different vet next time as well!! So sorry for your loss!
Obviously you need a new vet as well next time!! So sorry for your loss!
MY 3 YEAR OLD DOG BEAR GOT VERY SICK FROM EATING THIS RECALLED FOOD THIS MONTH AND WOULD HAVE DIED IF I HADN'T TAKEN HIM TO THE VET!!!! I am going to battle COSTCO on this till the end. The UPC on the bag of food I have matches with the bad batch. They said they will reimburse for the food but not the $350 vet bill!! I am pissed and plan on fighting this!!!
I don't have a dog, but I do have a cat. She is on a low protein diet, and I do hope her food doesn't go wrong, because she is too finicky! I searched for what felt as forever to find this food she likes.
Pets can get diarrhea from a sudden change in diet. So if their owners don't get it, the pets will.
You are correct about the sudden change in diet, but pets can also get diarrhea from food infected with salmonella. Anyone feeding their pet a brand that is affected by this recall should change immediately and abruptly. Medicine doesn't always taste good.
Kirkland Brand?, Costco?, say it isn't so........
"It isn't so"
I'll really miss the beef and chicken.
well, what are the 11 brands, funny how they mentioned that there are eleven but didnt say what they were!
That was my concern as well? They are a little lean with the important details, grrrr.
Vince, you just asked the same question that i have.
Don't ya just love the great reporting that gets posted these days??
OK, since its not in this story, here is a web address for the official recalls, you'll just have to put www. in front of it.
diamondpetrecall.com
South Carolina poor right to work state. Workers can't blow the whistle or their azz gets fired. Right to Work means no right to be Union. I wonder about the Boeing Plant down there will those workers be afraid to blow the whistle too? If its a South Carolina Boeing, I ain't a goeing.
You must be a disgruntled ex-employee from Wichita...
Chicken soup or Taste of wild, two of the more natural brands..
Every time I have tried to use Purina Dog Chow, my dogs have gotten the runs and had blood in their stool. It is not great dog food:(
Purina is the best food you can feed your pets. They have never had a recall. They own a huge farm and make everything themselves on site..We have been using it for years and never ever had a problem. Best of all our 6 dogs love it. Our 3 cats enjoy theirs too. :) Sounds like we have our own farm..LOL Ask your vet about it. or check it out online. Good Luck.........
sorry, bell-71040 but Purina just announced a recall about one hour ago, so you spoke too soon! And this has nothing to do with Diamond. The only canned cat food the Purina makes that has no toxins and bad junk in it is Fancy Feast Classic, but you still need to avoid the ones with dyes (salmon for example). Canned foods do contain gums (guar gum for example) to thicken the broth, and that's very bad for their teeth and can lead to stomatis, a horrible disease. But those gum are in all canned cat foods so best to look for best of the worst. FF Classic fits the bill for me: no gluten, no soy, no wheat, no corn, no veggies or fruits. First ingredient is a meat, or I avoid it. There are enough flavors to satisfy a finicky cat! But I also feed Diamond Naturals Active cat as it's high in protein (good for cats as they need dry food with at least 40% protein to keep their urine acidic to avoid urinary issues that can lead to chronic renal failure. Very complicated and very difficult to find the right ingredients to keep our furballs healthy! And now this Diamond recall. Something very wrong at that SC plant; their other 2 plants (missouri and calif) have never had recall issues...it was Gaston SC both times now! hmmmm
Purina is a crap food. It's poor quality with tons of fillers in it... Dogs are carnivores, they eat meat. Food that has primarily meat is what they should be eating if you have to feed them kibble at all. Orijen, Innova EVO, Nature's Instinct... TOTW (of course, its on the recall list).. they're all premium, grain free kibbles. Purina is crap and dogs on it have nasty, large stool, stinky breath and poor quality coats.
LOL!!!! Purina's the bottom of the barrel.
I agree, Purina is perfectly fine food that dogs have been getting for years. I remember back when Iams and all the designer stuff came out, then tons of allergies. Now this Diamond place has taken the place of the new, "in" thing. Dogs are absolutely not carnivores - wolves are carnivores, we adapted dogs to eat our table scraps. Purina gets such a bad rap online from all these extremists, it's a shame. Good quality food, backed by research and a good, American company. Don't let the haters fool you.
By the way, my dog has been raised on this, she is healthy, white teeth, energetic, never overeats, her coat is beautiful and soft like a cat's - and she has no dog odor, certainly not bad breath. We sleep and cuddle with her, she is a mini aussie. So for the theory that it makes your dog smell, she is the most odor free dog I have ever seen.
IMHO Purina makes one of the worse foods out there, Beneful. Just read the ingredients to see how much sugar is in the stuff. Tons. Some is a bit better, but most doesn't have any real meat in it. To me it is like feeding your child the same boxed cereal every day and every meal.
When I was a kid and didn't know any better we fed Dog Chow and our dairy goats would open the bag and chow it down. When we asked the vet why he laughed and said "They like the sugar and corn."
Dogs are omnivores but are more carnivores than vegetarians. Just look at their teeth and the acid in their stomach and the lack of amylase in their saliva.
IMHO dogs should not be 'free fed' either. It seems lazy to me and why waste a great training opportunity?
Can any of the ingredients be back tracked to China? A country that poisens it's own babies for profit? Just asking.
Diamond will kill your dogs over time
If you want a dry kibble with excellent results try sports mix Adult Mini Chunk blue bag I breed Dogue De'bordeaux and Bull Mastiffs there coat is always shiny and it keeps a nice muscle mass on there bodies and there stool is never loose diamond pet foods your dog will have diarrhea all the time
glad i never fed this brand to my furry friend .
Did you ever feed it to your pet? I know your boyfriend may not like the taste of Diamond.
Switched to Taste of the Wild after new Purina one formula with pieces that resembled pop corn chicken changed my dog's body odor enough I thought I had gotten so allergic I was going to have to give her up. Once I switched foods, the odor that stuffed me up and made me cough so much I got a hernia went away. Glad I kept the bag from the Taste of the Wild to be able to check the code, my food was okay. They use sweet potato base instead of corn which I'm allergic to so I don't get itchy measuring dog food. I just can't let my children feed the dog anymore as they are less likely to thoroughly wash up afterwards. I could go back to the regular Purina One w/out the new pieces, but I have liked not getting itchy doing food for a change. Lesson learned: keep the bag in the back of the closet until all food from that bag is done and don't mix in a new bag with food left in the storage container. I should probably start wiping the container out with a bleach solution before adding a new bag of food.
No wonder I feel sick !
THIS IS THE SAME DIAMOND PET FOODS that was involved in the 2006 MELAMINE scandal that killed over 400 dogs.
put these people OUT OF Business!!!!!
DO not buy any of their products, even if just for common sense.
By the way, Science Diet is the ONLY company that hasn't recalled anything, even during the 2006 melamine horror.
I do not believe that Eagle Pack dog foods have ever had a recall either. I have been feeding their Hollistic foods to my dogs for years. It is costs a little bit more, but I think it is worth it for my two dogs.
Too bad that Science Diet is not a very good food IMHO. Just read the ingredients and research it.
I personally find the articles in Whole Dog Journal to be very informative,
I also ordered and was notified by Mr.Chewy!! The cat food i ordered was Taste of the Wild for cats and luckily was not affected !.
I love my pets and cook for them well balance meals...they are happy and healthy.
Pedro- I, too, cook my dog's food myself. That way I know exactly where the ingredients comes from and how they're handled. This method may not be for everyone (can cost more in the long run and is somewhat time-consuming) and you need to make sure that it's balanced to make sure they get all their vitamins & minerals, but it's the only thing I'll feed my pet! Within 2 weeks my dog dropped his extra weight (we had tried so many ways to get it off previously) and has been able to maintain a healthy weight, hair coat, and energy level!
I cook my dog's food too. It adds moisture to my nose and really improves the shine in my hair.
What about "Blue Buffalo", no one has mentioned this as an alternative? I've done some extensive research (as I just rescued an 8 month old), and it's supposed to be highly nutritious. Apparently, they even require the fishermen who they buy fish from not to use the preservative "eu...." (can't remember the spelling), but it was found to be carcinogenic. Any further news? It's not a Diamond product.
If anyone knows differently - please respond ASAP, as I have to go to the store and buy him food today - LOL, but I'm not kidding!
If you feed diamond and got sick you may be entitled to alot of money law suits are taking place and people will make bank
"Those who think they may have become sick after contact should consult a health care provider."
Thanks for the insight.
I thought diamond goes threw 151 checks they lied
No actually they go "through" 151 checks and "threw" out several.
You can buy several different kinds of ready to eat vegetable/meat soups and crush up some crackers in it to feed your pets. It is human food that is safe for animals. STORE BRANDS are cheaper.
If you knew what is in pet food you would not bring it home. When I was a kid our pets ate only table scraps, yours can too.
Well thanks for informing me two weeks after buying a years supply at Costco for my dog kennels. i suppose you're going to repay me for the truck and crew that picked it up from your warehouse and delivered it to me? That alone was $650.
davethedoubter not all human foods are good for dogs. Garlic and onion will cause liver failure. Chocolate can be fatal. A single grape or raisin has been documented to kill some 90 pound Labradors. Dogs were never meant to eat vegetables or fruits. Dogs are completely unable to utilize wheat and corn is very harmful causing pancreas problems. And pork in most forms will cause diarreha.
Military survival manuals warn personnel not to assume any food edible by observing other animals eating it, not even monkeys. Oh and Mad Cow Disease is a result of feeding cattle beef made from their relatives to provide more protein for leaner beef and higher milk output. Battle are completely unable to handle meat as well, being they have multiple chambered stomachs. A similar disease is found among cannibals in New Guinea.
Jennifer, maybe you need to read up a little more on canine nutrition if you are going to run a kennel. while the list of dangerous foods you listed is accurate, the statement "Dogs were never meant to eat vegetables or fruits" is not. outside of those you listed, many dogs enjoy multiple kinds of ripe fruits and veggies and derive a lot of nutrient value from them. things like avocados, carrots, apples, bananas, cooked potatoes and parsley are fine. grain products of any kind are bad, including rice, and a dog food made without grain is better. the best, most natural diet is a raw, biologically appropriate diet which can be formulated by anybody who is willing to spend some time on the internet doing research, and then some more time making dog food. I did it for 5 years and my dogs were at the peak of health- clean, shiny-eyed, fresh-breathed and all- but it was a lot of work... now I also feed costco dog food, and I am hoping that the reason we aren't recalled is that there is a factory here in CA which supplies the western US.