Pet Food Recalls
It is difficult to keep up with pet food recalls. The raw diets are commonly recalled for E.Coli, Salmonella and other similar food poisonings. If you go to www.petfoodrecall.com there is some information about the some current recall, yet this site is maintained by law firms that are seeking clients for a class action law suit. The best site is the agency which regulates pet and human foods; go to www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/. For convenience we also have this and the FDA website link on our clinic website at www.nelsonroadvet.com/; go into the Education and Resources and then into the Nutrition & Drug area.
If you are looking for ALL of the recalls for food, human drugs, animal drugs, biologicals and medical devices go to http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm. If one goes into www.nelsonroadvet.com and into the Education and Resources this and other links can be easily found. If you want to be kept up to date on the recalls we do post them on our Twitter if/when we find these notices. Once or twice a year we will post major problem recalls on our Facebook.
There is also a www.recalls.gov which has the USA recalls for almost all products including animal medicines; pet foods are not at this site because pet foods are not regulated by the FDA.
For information on pet food recalls you can also go to www.fda/gov
If you want to report an issue, problem or concern, the FDA has a “Safety Reporting Portal”. If you search the Internet you will find the site at http://www.safetyreport.hhs.gov/……….. (a long address).
E.coli, Campylobactor and Salmonella recalls are very common with the non-processed raw meat products sold; too numerous to list. It should be noted that all manufacturers can have a recall for many reasons and a quality pet food manufacturer usually has in-house quality control that may catch these problems before the items are released. It is common for one manufacturer to make many different brands (private labeler). The below are only other recent examples. The FDA site above has a list going back many years for all species of animals.
- Aflotoxins in pet food – Diamond Dry dog food, 2005. Advanoneed, Iams (Proctor & Gamble), Kroger and others, 2011
- Botulism from a human canned meat processor (canned dog food, 2007)
- Listeria in Raw cat food (Radcat), Big Dog Food, Raw Dog and Cat food (Blue Ridge Beef) in 2016 also 2017
- Melamine in wheat and rice gluten imported from china (2007)
- Metal pieces in Grreat dog food (PetSmart) in 2017
- Mold in Purely for Pets in 2015
- Phenobarbital in 2017 involved may food (Against The Grain, Evanger, Party Animal,
- Plastic pieces in Cesar (Mars Pet Food) in 2016,
- Propylene Glycol in Kitty Yums (Blue Buffalo) in 2015
- Quaternary ammonia (a disinfectant) in rawhide pet chews (United Pet Group) in 2017
- Salmonella in Iams cat food, 2010. Bravo dog food, Blue Buffalo in 2015. Big Dog Food, Raw Cat food (Radcat) in 2016.
- Pig ear treats with salmonella in pigs ears from Eurocan in 2017. Organic peanut pet treats due to salmonella.
- SmallbBatch cat and dog food, Blue Ridge pet food in 2017.
- Thiamine deficiency in Diamond cat food, 2009. WellPet in 2011. Best Furry Friends, 9 lives (JM Smucker),
- Wervuva (Massachusetts) in 2017.
- Thyroid gland excess in Blue Buffalo, Well Pet in 2017.
- Vitamin D excess in Blue Buffalo, 2010.
Other:
- 10/2007 = jerky-style treats from China causing a Ganconi-like syndrome; a glucosuria and proteinuria for no reason initially
Livestock labeled feeds are usually controlled by the state’s department of agriculture. The labeling requirements are much less than that for a pet food. It should also be noted that drugs and human or pet food products are inspected by the FDA and/or human health departments; this is why you see pet food recalls but not any recalls on exotic and livestock feeds unless poisons or deaths are involved. Supplements and vitamins have no protocols and oversight organizations; for more information go to www.consumerlab.com
Making your own pet food, especially a raw meat and/or bones diet, will increase the chances of your pet developing a bacterial food born disease such as E. Coli, Campylobacter or Salmonella; this includes buying such raw diets sold commercially. If you grow your own root vegetables and/or feed these vegetables to your pets we recommend that you use only aged manure (3 years if untested and you are concern).
www.NelsonRoadVet.com
There have been foods and drugs that have been recalled and/or pubic concern that later evidence showed that in fact these products were safe. Saccharin (1970’s, human), ethoxyquin (1990, pet food) are such examples.
For ALL of the recalls for animal drugs, human drugs, biologicals and medical devices go to http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm (2011) www.recalls.gov also has the USA products which were recalled (except animal food which is not FDA regulated).
2013 Rabies Alert
Terrestrial Rabies and Livestock
For many decades we have had rabies in the bats in Northern Colorado. The exposure to bat rabies is usually the “dumb form”, where a bat is weak and a cat or dog plays with it and/or eats the bat. If an unvaccinated dog or cat eats a bat, and we cannot make the animal vomit up the bat for rabies testing, there is a 6 month quarantine outside of the owner’s home (i.e. in a kennel-only facility as a quarantine case, which can be very expensive!) This is why we are adamant about having this unvaccinated pet be brought in for the vomiting injection; the oral peroxide, etc may not work, and after 1/2 hour the bat may have passed through the stomach of the animal. A vaccination reminder for rabies is not something to ignore. A day before the vaccine expires the animal is “ok”, but legally one day after this the animal is not current on the rabies vaccine; many pets that bite are quarantined for this reason. Throughout history only a handful of people have ever lived through rabies; one should expect to die if exposed and not given the antiserum. The series of antiserum and/or vaccination injections, etc for a human after a dog bite was $15,000 on average in 2006. This is the reasons why it is very important to find the animal that bite or exposed the person. In our area all bats found weak or dead inside the house should be tested, as most of the human rabies cases are from a bate bite the person never felt when sleeping. The requirement for a rabies vaccination in animals is for the protection of humans, not just the animal.
Rabies in the terrestrial animals has been slowly creeping our way. A decade ago the skunks and raccoons with rabies were in Kansas, Nebraska and states to the east and south. In 2008 there were two cases of rabies in skunks in eastern Arapahoe County, and 8x cases of terrestrial rabid skunks and raccoons in the eastern and southern part of the state. Back in 2001 there were 32 animals testing positive for rabies in this state, and in 2007 there were 70x animals that tested positive. In the last five years a bobcat, a domestic cat, a cow, a coyote, a dog, a fox, raccoons and skunks were the terrestrial species found to be positive, most of the cases are still in bats. In 2012 there have been positive terrestrial animals (i.e. skunks) found in nearby Weld and Larimer County.
In the non-aggressive species of animals, such as a bat or livestock, they develop a “dumb form” of rabies. They act strange and may or may not salivate, which is similar to many other encephalitic diseases and poisonings that we may see. It is the aggressive, carnivore species which develop the “rabid form” of aggression in the latter stages of the infection. Since the incubation can be as little as 2 weeks or less in a carnivore, or longer in a herbivore, the animal needs to be quarantined. A few days after a bite from a rabid animal the treatment is essentially not successful in any species. At this time it is the skunks you need to be concerned about with your livestock. Any bloated, down, salivating/choke, colic or “mentally off” livestock are to be considered a possible rabies case until determined otherwise. We recommend that you separate this animal from the herd or flock and reduce the human handling of this animal; we can provide the gloves, etc. The only method to ensure the animal does not have rabies is to euthanize it and have the brain tested. Since the body will be an “infectious-hazardous waste” it cannot be rendered; we recommend that the patient be euthanized and hauled to the CSU State Diagnostic laboratory in Fort Collins if convenient. Anyone in contact with such an animal or body needs to be notified of the potential problem by the livestock owner. All people exposed should undergo the anti-rabies treatment, or as directed by your MD. ALL domestic animals that possibly may have rabies are required to be tested if they die within 6 months of a suspected sickness. For testing we cannot send parts of the body to the diagnostic laboratory by mail or UPS; direct courier only transport.
We will be giving more rabies vaccinations in livestock in our area; since 2004 we have recommended a rabies vaccine to the horses and other livestock we examined. Before 2012 we felt this vaccine could be given once every 1-2 years until we had a case of terrestrial rabies in our county. In 2012+ this will be a yearly vaccine. Rabies vaccines are relatively inexpensive and are labeled for only one year duration in all livestock. For the $16 livestock rabies vaccine fee, we recommend that this vaccine should be given with other vaccinations at the same time by the veterinarian. The multiple vaccine discount will apply if the vaccine is given with other procedures; it is more expensive if the rabies vaccine is the only procedure performed. Even if the patient is a miniature horse, the vaccine dosage is still the double the dose of the amount given to a large dog. If we dispense the vaccine it we need to know the animal it was given to, such as an expensive bull; the vaccine can be given by the livestock owner but realize the animal will not be recognized as a legally vaccinated animal. (As noted below owner given vaccines should protect the animal, but the animal still will undergo a 6 month quarantine on the premises. With the small animal rabies vaccinations the vaccine is also not recognized as being legal if given by the owner). All mammals on the premises that are not legally vaccinated will undergo a quarantine procedure; this includes dogs, cats, goats, etc. All animals that are not recognized as being vaccinated may be ordered to be euthanized if they are showing any signs of rabies.
If a rabid skunk or raccoon, etc is found on the premises then all unvaccinated livestock will be quarantined for 6 months. The state health departments will only recognize a rabies vaccine given by a licensed veterinarian. You should not be alarmed at rabies coming our way; people back east have lived with it for many decades. Expensive bulls should be considered a candidate for rabies, but for the average cow and small ruminant livestock the rabies will always be an optional vaccine and/or to be given by the owner or by the veterinarian next time on the farm for concerned owners and animals that they care for. We highly recommend the rabies vaccination to be given by a veterinarian for all horses in a stable situation. Even if the dead terrestrial rabid animal (skunk, raccoon, fox or coyote) is found a mile away from the barn and the field, and it is part of the premises of that stable, then all non-vaccinated horses will be quarantined there for 6 months; you cannot ride your horse off the premises, take the horse to any shows, trail riding, etc. When it comes to the law and determining what the requirements for exposure are “there are no grey areas, what will occur is black and white” in the eyes of the enforcement agency.
The Staff at the Nelson Road Veterinary Clinic
303-678-VETS(8387)