Pet Food Recalls - September 2008

  Mars Petcare U.S. has announced a voluntary recall of pet food products made at their Everson, Pa. facility. This recall comes less than 18 months after the historical recall of Menu Foods pet foods. This time the contaminant is being listed as Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund.
 
From the company's official press release, "Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian."
 
Humans who come into contact with the tainted food should also use caution as this strain of Salmonella could also sicken them.
 
Sadly, much of the suspect food may have already been sold and/or consumed since the production runs involved are from February 18, 2008 until July 29, 2008.
 
What seems inexcusable here is that the company stopped production on July 29th but did not start an official recall until 48 days later!
 
Customers who haven't already fed this tainted food to their pets may return the unused portion to the store they purchased it from for a refund. Most of the products involved are "house brands" with the exception of a number of Pedigree products. The list can currently (10/19/08) be found on the Mars site - Mars Pet Food Recalls. They also listed a phone number - 1-877-568-4463.
 
If you are looking for alternatives to mass produced pet foods, there are a number of sites currently being showcased on Pet Site Guides that offer free pet food recipes, organic pet food and pet treats.
 
Dog Food Recipes - nocans.com offers free cat and dog food and treat recipes. The most important page on this site is the list of foods not safe for pets.
 
No Cans also offers a selection of Free Cat Food Recipes.
 
Dog Treat Recipes - best-dog-treat-recipes.com offers a nice variety of dog treat recipes.
 
Family Freak Show, Life With Siberian Huskys - shares a number of dog food recipes for dog treats and food.