Episode 6: Diet Recommendations - a podcast by Dr. Robert Gaston, DVM - OneVetMed Podcast Host and Veterinarian

 
Episode 6: Diet Recommendations 

Many choices in pet foodsDizzying array in the pet store from the least expensive to the more expensive and ‘holistic’ foods

What is a ‘holistic’ food? 

Which one to choose? Why? Two primary concerns:Nutritional quality
Safety 

Recent safety concerns with commercial foods – What’s in the bag?:Melamine
Aflatoxin or other fungal toxinsPentobarbital or other drug residues

2002 FDA veterinarian Newsletter Vol XVI, No III http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/FDAVeterinarianNewsletter/ucm110419.htm“After finding that the low levels of pentobarbital that dogs might receive through food are unlikely to cause them any adverse health effects, FDA officials did not think that further research into the issue was necessary.”




Bacterial contaminantsHuman Salmonella Infections Linked to Contaminated Dry Dog and Cat Food, 2006-2008

Seventy-nine case-patients in 21 states were identified; 48% were children aged 2 years or younger.A low attack rate supports the hypothesis that infection might have resulted from practices in a limited number of households.
One possibility is that the number of organisms was magnified in some households because of, eg, cross contamination in the kitchens or irregular cleaning of pet food bowls, which might promote bacteria growth.In addition, illness may have occurred primarily in persons who were more susceptible to infection with a small number of organisms.
Illness was not reported in dogs or cats from case patient households, although the outbreak strain was cultured from several stool specimens from dogs who ate contaminated dry dog food.Some children may have become ill from contact with a pet carrying the outbreak strain.
Prevalence of isolation of Salmonella from feces of healthy dogs is reported to be between 1% and 36%, and from healthy cats between 1% and 18%.Dogs and cats may shed Salmonella in the feces for as long as 12 weeks, and shedding may be intermittent, 11 so the risk of infection could continue for extended periods.
In addition, it is thought that Salmonella can survive for extended periods in dry dog and cat food, as it can in similar dried foods such as cereals.Forty-three million US households (37%) own dogs and 37.5 million (32%) own cats, and many pet owners feed the animals dry pet food.
…dry pet food, the most common pet food fed to dogs and cats, is not manufactured to be a sterile product.Typically, a more drastic heat treatment is required to destroy Salmonella in dried food products.
Since 2006, according to the FDA, at least 13 recall announcements involving 135 pet products (eg, dry dog food and cat food, pet treats, raw diets, and pet supplements) have been issued because of Salmonella contamination. No human illness was associated with these other pet food recalls.
The recommendation to wash hands is the most important prevention step for reducing the risk for disease transmission.{http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2010/08/09/peds.2009-3273.full.pdf }

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls/A total of 49 individuals (47 individuals in 20 states and two individuals in Canada) infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis were reported.
Among the 24 patients with available information, 10 (42%) were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.Epidemiologic and laboratory investigations conducted by officials in local, state, and federal public health, agriculture, and regulatory agencies linked this outbreak to dry dog food produced by Diamond Pet Foods at a single production facility in Gaston, South Carolina.


Multistate Outbreak of Human Salmonella Infantis Infections Linked to Dry Dog Food (Final Update)http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/dog-food-05-12/pet-owners-info.html

Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis) and Animals

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