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Pet Carousel pig ears, beef hooves under recall

Products sold by PetSmart and other outlets

Published: November 09, 2009
By Jennifer Fiala

All pig ear and beef hoof products manufactured by Pet Carousel have been recalled because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

The affected pig ears are packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel. The affected beef hooves are packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel. All sizes and all lots of these products made by Pet Carousel in Sanger, Calif., are the subject of a health alert by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA is warning consumers not to touch these pet treats or feed them to their pets.

The potential contamination was discovered during routine testing by the FDA of Pet Carousel’s pig ears. The results were positive for Salmonella.

The finding led the FDA to inspect Pet Carousel’s manufacturing plant, according to the health alert. “During the inspection, the agency collected additional pet treat samples. Further analysis found Salmonella present in beef hooves, pig ears and in the manufacturing environment,” the agency reported.

PetSmart, which exclusively carries the Dentley’s brand, separately issued a recall notice for Dentley’s Bulk Cattle Hoof UPC #73725703323 and Dentley’s 10 Pack Beef Hooves UPC #73725736055. The company stated that the affected products would have been purchased between Oct. 2 and Nov. 3.

According to the company notice, the affected products were shipped from the Pet Carousel plant to three PetSmart distribution centers in Ottawa, Ill., Groveport, Ohio, and Newnan, Ga., then shipped directly to certain PetSmart stores. The affected product was not shipped to every store, but as a precaution, PetSmart recalled the items from all of its U.S. stores and placed a register block to prevent product from being inadvertently sold.

PetSmart advises anyone who purchased the recalled products from its stores to return the items for a complete refund or exchange.

No illnesses have been reported in association with the products, according to the FDA alert, issued Thursday.

However, the agency is urging anyone whose pets have consumed any of the recalled products to contact their veterinarians immediately. Pets infected with Salmonella may become lethargic, have diarrhea (with or without blood), vomiting, abdominal pain and fever, or simply lose their appetite. Infected pets, even if otherwise healthy, may still be contagious to other animals and humans.

In addition, people handling contaminated pet foods and treats can become infected, especially if they do not thoroughly wash their hands or surfaces that have come in contact with the affected products.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection in people include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (with or without blood), abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, salmonellosis may result in serious illnesses, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract problems.

VIN News Service commentaries are opinion pieces presenting insights, personal experiences and/or perspectives on topical issues by members of the veterinary community. To submit a commentary for consideration, email news@vin.com.



Information and opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author and are independent of the VIN News Service. Letters may be edited for style. We do not verify their content for accuracy.



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