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Disease Outbreaks & Information
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Lab that found antibiotics in jerky continues search
4/3/2013
Testing treats singly was possible key to discovery
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VIN solicits jerky-associated illness reports
1/15/2013
Research veterinarians seek solution to mystery
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Jerky treats recall not tied to mysterious pet illnesses
1/11/2013
Antibiotic residues detected by New York inspectors
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Swine flu outbreak continues to grow
8/24/2012
Summertime fairs advance spread, health officials say
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Pet treat investigation expands beyond chicken jerky
8/17/2012
FDA cites rise in complaints about duck, sweet potato products
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Veterinarians advise avoiding chicken jerky dog treats
5/25/2012
Attention to 6-year-old mystery intensifies
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Catching worms from pets: real risk or far-fetched?
2/15/2012
Veterinary personnel wonder whether to deworm themselves regularly
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Veterinarians serve family-health role in suspected zoonoses
2/10/2012
To test or not to test; that is the question
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Recent reports overstated canine influenza activity
1/23/2012
Some veterinarians suspect vaccine marketing clouds reality
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Spike in dog-flu reports attracts media attention
12/22/2011
Actual incidence is undefined
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FDA: Study of Salmonella in pet food just ‘routine’
11/18/2011
Agency downplays concern about contamination
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Jerky treats for dogs still suspected in illness
7/8/2011
Veterinarians advise caution in choosing snacks
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FAA spot inspects veterinary practices
11/5/2010
Surprise audits nab those who improperly package hazardous substances
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Recall issued of certain Blue Buffalo dog foods
10/8/2010
Excess vitamin D in food linked to illness in pets
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Germ that causes cat scratch disease not necessarily mild
9/20/2010
Veterinary professionals at risk of Bartonella infections
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Veterinarians report mysterious link between dog food and hypercalcemia
8/31/2010
Initial analysis: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Diet contains normal levels of calcium, vitamin D
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Sago palm poisoning cases increase
4/7/2010
Ornamental plant becoming popular nationally
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Canine flu: How big a threat?
11/17/2009
Clinicians grapple with immunization policy
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'Swine flu' could also be called ferret, feline and fowl flu
11/10/2009
H1N1 nimbly passes from humans to other species
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Pet Carousel pig ears, beef hooves under recall
11/9/2009
Products sold by PetSmart and other outlets
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Iowa cat tests positive for H1N1 virus
11/4/2009
First known feline case; role in transmission undetermined
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Following product recalls, Fanconi-like syndrome outbreak abates in Australia
9/23/2009
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Veterinarian dies after contracting Hendra virus
9/2/2009
CDC concerned about infectious disease control in veterinary practices
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H1N1 virus played no part in UC Davis worker's death
8/12/2009
Official cause of death pending
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UC Davis death prompts warning of Type A H1N1 pandemic flu
8/10/2009
Administrative assistant complained of flu-like symptoms prior to death
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Clostridium botulinum not detected, pet food maker says
6/17/2009
FDA action that stripped Evanger's ability to ship pet food based on paperwork flap, company says
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Media exaggerated threat of rabies strain that jumped species, epidemiologist says
6/10/2009
Bat rabies strikes foxes and skunks in Arizona
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Virbac recalls VeggieDent chews in Australia
6/4/2009
Action spurred by link to kidney disorders in dogs
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Strep zoo infects Philadelphia shelter dogs
6/4/2009
Lab results dismiss canine influenza, as reported by media
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Distemper strikes
5/18/2009
Leaders issue outbreaks warning, cite seasonal cases
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'Swine influenza' name sickens U.S. pork markets
4/29/2009
AVMA issues statement; efforts underway to rename virus
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International swine flu outbreak is fast-changing, mysterious
4/27/2009
Despite name, pigs are not implicated
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Guidelines raise bar on infection control in veterinary practices
2/17/2009
Report outlines safety strategy for protecting animals, staff, community
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Salmonella poisoning in dog linked to peanut-butter recall
2/12/2009
Officials tie first pet case to nationwide outbreak
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Pet food court settlement hung up by appeals
12/18/2008
23,000 pet owners filed claims to date
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Melamine turns up in Chinese dog food, Kills 1,500 raccoon dogs bred for their fur
10/23/2008
The latest melamine scandal in China has hit dogs again.
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Potential Salmonella contamination prompts Hartz recall
10/22/2008
Chicken-Basted Rawhide Chips pulled from store shelves
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Melamine hangover lingers over pet food industry
10/13/2008
Latest China scandal, lawsuits, sales slump keep issue alive
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Arrests made in melamine contamination case
9/16/2008
Authorities link tainted milk to last year's pet food contamination
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State issues warning as rabies cases climb 60 percent
9/12/2008
Investigation underway, Georgia officials say
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Early test results show no new parvo outbreak, MSU says
9/4/2008
Unknown respiratory disease also strikes Michigan shelter
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Shortage of human rabies vaccine nears, CDC warns
8/27/2008
Agency asks DVMs to educate the public concerning ways to avoid exposure
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Mad cow case crops up in Canada
8/15/2008
Officials confirm disease in Alberta beef cow
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Mystery of illness associated with jerky treats persists
FDA advises continued caution
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Disease Outbreaks & Information
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Salmonella poisoning in dog linked to peanut-butter recall
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February 12, 2009
By: Edie Lau
For The VIN News Service
A 3-year-old shepherd mix hospitalized with bloody diarrhea and
vomiting in Oregon last month tested positive for Salmonella
Typhimurium, and state health authorities connect the illness to
tainted peanut butter in dog biscuits.
The dog’s illness is the
first confirmed animal case of Salmonella linked to contaminated peanut
butter or peanut paste that originated from a Peanut Corporation of
America plant in Blakely, Ga.
The problem is more widespread
among humans. On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported 600 cases in 44 states. Nine people have died.
The
contamination was the subject of a congressional hearing Wednesday,
where victims’ family members vented anger concerning the possibility
that the peanut company knowingly put tainted product into the
marketplace. Peanut Corporation of America President Stewart Parnell
and Blakely plant manager Sammy Lightsey were called to testify, but
refused to speak, citing their Fifth-Amendment rights against
self-incrimination.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Steven Sundlof, DVM,
director of the
Center for Food Safety, also answered questions before lawmakers,
defending his agency's response to the outbreak. He stated that the
outbreak has prompted FDA to tighten its food safety policies.
Inspectors now will routinely
collect samples for bacterial testing whenever they visit a facility.
Such analysis previously was conducted only when a problem was
suspected.
Among nearly
2,000 peanut-butter products recalled are a handful of pet treats,
including Happy Tails Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits, the source of the
Oregon dog’s infection. The biscuits were recalled on Jan. 23, but the
dog ate the contaminated treats before then.
Owner Dennis
Patterson told the VIN News Service Wednesday that his dog had been healthy
and active. But on Jan. 22, he took it to see Dr. Paul Gore at Oakland
Veterinary Hospital for loss of appetite and fatigue.
Gore prescribed antibiotics, but the dog’s condition worsened. On Jan. 26, the dog was hospitalized and put on IV fluids.
At
first, Gore didn’t consider peanut butter to be a culprit. “Initially,
(the owners) thought the dog had gotten into salmon in the trash,” he
said. “So we kind of went with that.”
Then Gore received an
e-mail from the Oregon state veterinarian's office with an updated
product recall list. That got him thinking about Salmonella.
He found out that the sick dog, along with four other dogs in the same household, regularly consumed Happy Tails treats.
The
other dogs were not ill, but that didn’t surprise Gore. Dogs, he said,
“are used to eating contaminated, dirty things,” and some can handle
that without getting sick. “Even with people, Salmonella tends to
strike the young ones or those sick with diseases,” he added. “An
adult, healthy dog tends to get less of a problem."
Why the dog
was susceptible to infection is unclear. Patterson said it’s possible
that it was given peanut-butter biscuits from the "multi-flavored" pack
while the other dogs ate other flavors.
Although Gore knew the
dog had eaten suspect biscuits, confirming the source of the illness
took some sleuthing. When he sent in the first stool sample for
culturing, the dog had been on antibiotics for a few days, and the
results came back negative. Moreover, Gore noted, Salmonella can be
tough to culture because infected animals don’t shed the bacteria daily.
State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Emilio DeBess recommended that the owners test for
Salmonella in all of their dogs. The owner managed to collect a sample
from one dog, which came back positive.
The state also tested
the dog biscuits, which Patterson said he bought at a local Albertson’s
grocery on Jan. 12. Those, too, were positive.
After three
nights in the hospital, Patterson took his dog home to convalesce.
Wednesday, he said that three-and-a-half weeks of illness have taken a
toll. “She is down to a bag of bones,” he said, estimating that the dog,
once 55 pounds, is down to about 40 pounds.
With the dog's appetite returning, Patterson is considering abandoning manufactured pet food for homemade.
“If
we’ve learned nothing else, we’ve learned the manufacturers aren’t as
careful as they should be,” Patterson said. “Like everything else, we
have to take personal responsibility for the safety of our kids and our
pets.”
Meanwhile, Gore said he’s seen a few other dogs recently
with intestinal problems but because the patients responded well to
treatment, the owners declined to have lab work done to try to identify
the source of the problem.
He credited State Public Health Veterinarian DeBess
for keeping Oregon practitioners up-to-date on the peanut-butter
recall, and recommended that his colleagues follow the recall list and
sign up to receive e-mail updates.
The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association maintains a list of recalled pet products at http://www.oregonvma.org/news/recalls.asp.
FDA’s list of recalled products and other
information about the peanut-butter contamination is available at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html.
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