Procter & Gamble (P&G) recently announced a voluntary recall of pet food products for dogs and cats after the Michigan Department of Agriculture detected Salmonella bacterial contamination in a bag of randomly tested pet food. In fact, Salmonella was detected in a single package of EVO Turkey & Chicken Cat Food on March 15, 2013. Late last Friday, P&G expanded its recall of Natura Pet Food Products for dogs and cats to include all products made at a Fremont, Nebraska production facility between January and March, 2013.
In addition, they announced that the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Salmonella bacterial contamination in various other lots of their pet foods.
Pet food lines affected include California Natural, Innova, Evo, HealthWise and now Karma.
A recent news release submitted by the FDA, confirmed, Salmonella was also discovered in other packages of EVO Turkey and Chicken Cat Food as well as in Innova Cat Treats.
It’s been a rough month for Procter & Gamble’s pet care division as initially a mold problem hurt the launch of their new Iams Shakeables pet product, then the Salmonella contamination issues followed.
These recent quality-control problems at Proctor and Gamble have arisen after years of declining sales for P&G’s pet care products. The fact is P&G still has not recovered financially from the Menu Pet Food Recall in 2007 in which Melamine contamination caused kidney failure and the subsequent death of thousands of innocent dogs and cats.
Despite the fact that no pet or human illnesses have been confirmed, taking precautionary measures is necessary to protect your pets and your family from Salmonella. Salmonella is a Zoonotic Disease which means it is easily transmissible to people and other pets.
Be sure to practice good hygiene by washing your hands well and sanitizing any and all surfaces the tainted pet food and it packaging may have contacted.
Signs of Salmonella in dogs and cats include vomiting and diarrhea with or without blood, lethargy, appetite loss and fevers.
In humans, additional symptoms may include arthritis, Endocarditis, eye issues and urinary tract infections.
Pet owners who suspect their dog and/or cat may have been exposed should contact their veterinarian. Individuals who may have become sickened should contact their primary health care provider.
Pet owners who have purchased the tainted pet food should carefully discard the tainted food.
Natura representatives are available by phone Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5:30PM CST. Pet owners interested in replacing the tainted pet foods may contact Natura directly by calling 1-800-224-6123.
It is noteworthy to mention the fact that despite P&G’s struggle to recover from the Menu Pet Food Recall in 2007, this is the third pet product-quality issue Procter and Gamble’s pet care division has experienced in the last two weeks since March 18, 2013.
This veterinarian questions the true aggressiveness of P&G’s quality control when it comes to their pet care division products. P&G offers pet food products for dogs and cats which are sold not only worldwide but also at major USA retailers and in veterinary offices.
Pet owners who wish to file a pet food complaint may do so online at FDA.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
Because the list of recalled pet foods and pet treats is so extensive, exact product codes and lot numbers of P&G’s recalled pet food products are available online at Natura dot com or at the Food and Drug Administrations pet food recalls section.
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