Media Inquiries: Rita Chappelle, 301-796-4672, rita.chappelle@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA
FDA Health Alert for Certain Pet Treats Made by Pet Carousel
Products may be contaminated with Salmonella
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif.
The products were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or feed them to their pets.
The affected pig ear products were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel. The affected beef hooves were 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 are included in this alert.
During September 2009, the FDA conducted routine testing of pig ears made by Pet Carousel. The test results detected a positive reading for Salmonella. This prompted an FDA inspection of Pet Carousel’s manufacturing facilities. 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.
Salmonella can affect both humans and animals. People handling dry pet food and/or pet treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their health care provider immediately.
Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may only experience a decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected products or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.
The FDA will continue to investigate this matter to determine the source of the Salmonella contamination and offer updates as appropriate.
Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area. You can locate the nearest consumer complaint coordinator at:
Dogster member Rosie has gone missing, here are the details from her good friend, Daisy.
Rosie escaped the morning of 11-5-09 from her pet sitter’s fenced backyard. She actually managed to unlatch the gate and presumably is headed for home. Her owner is one of my best friends and was scheduled to go out of town today hence the need for a pet sitter.
Rosie is an adult, female, German Shepherd with a very black colored face. AC saw her at North Star and Northwest Blvd. at 10:00 AM this morning but couldn’t catch her. If you find her or think you’ve seen her please call 614-297-8380 or 614-787-1405. She is normally a friendly dog but was very scared when she was last sighted and took off running. Please let us know if you see her.
Rosie was wearing a pink gingham collar, she has all her tags on.
Please help me spread the word to anyone you know who lives in the Columbus area. Share this message on Facebook and retweet on Twitter.
A 16-month-old black Labrador was rescued from a shelter by the local police department. Instead of going to an expensive breeder the Chicago Police Department decided to give a rescue dog a chance at life and a new career.
The dog, Pantera, is now working in the organized crime division. Here are the details from the Chicago Tribune.
Officer Steve Martinez visited the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League at least four times before picking Pantera based on the dog’s “high degree of maturity and strong drive.” After extensive training in various drug detection techniques, Pantera became an official police dog, the youngest certified narcotics detection canine in city history.
Since joining the force, Pantera has recovered evidence and assisted in search warrant executions with the narcotics section, the department said.
This is such good news, and shows what great dogs you can adopt from the shelter. The Animal Welfare League, where Pantera had been dropped off, hopes the police department continues to adopt from shelters. I hope so too, it sets a great example and maybe departments around the country will follow suit.
A good Samaritan, Gary DeNicola, rescued a stray dog running in traffic, most likely saving her life. What he didn’t realize at the time was he saved 10 lives, she was pregnant. When he picked up the dog she was starving and emaciated, it looked like she had been nursing but when he searched the area for puppies but didn’t find any.
He took the dog home and put her in his spacious backyard to keep her safe, he was worried about bringing her in because he has a 12-year-old and wasn’t sure how he’d react. DeNicola planned on dropping the dog off at the shelter the next day, things didn’t work out exactly as planned.
That evening, on Sept. 27, DeNicola noticed the dog begin to hunker down in a garden bed. Next, she was giving birth to one, two, four, seven, and then nine black and tan puppies. Read the rest of this entry »
I want to let everyone know that this is the last month Lisa and I will be the bloggers on For The Love Of Dog. I can’t tell you how much we have enjoyed working on the blog over the last year and a half, and we hope that our postings helped make a difference in the dog community.
The blog is going to be going in a bit of a different direction, a little lighter. This is great and I have no doubt it will be fantastic, but while working on the blog over the last 15 months Lisa and I have discovered we have a true passion when it comes to dog rescue. We want to continue working on the issues that have become so important to us, get the word out about all those dogs in need, let people know how they can help.
We will still be on Dogster everyday, and continue to be very active, just not blogging. You can always reach me via pmail, Facebook, or Twitter. You can stop by Bo’s site, BoKnowsOnline, or his new author page at BAD TO THE BONE MEMOIR. And you can always order Bo’s book online at Amazon, or your favorite retailer. We will continue to write freelance and are looking into working with Anna Nirva on Sunbear Squad, will update when I have more details.
Our time on the blog is coming to an end so let’s make the most of it and have a great November.
Laika and two other dogs, Albina and Mushka, underwent training prior to launch, including high-altitude flights and being kept in smaller and smaller cages. Laika was not just her name, but also what Russians called a northern breed known for their endurance.
Unfortunately, Laika died within hours of the launch from overheating and stress. Do you think it was alright that she was used in science? Give me a bark.
Our dog Copper has had allergies for years, we’ve tried everything to get it under control and nothing has worked. Donita Mason, The Salt Lake Alternative Pet Care Examiner, wrote an article on using grapefruit oil as an alternative to traditional medicines to help allergies and a host of other issues.
In the years since its discovery, grapefruit seed extract has been tested and validated by the FDA, USDA, the Pasteur Institute in France, and numerous physicians….The process converts the grapefruit bioflavonoids (polyphenolics) into an extremely potent compound that has been shown to be effective in treating hundreds of different organisms including: Shigella, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Giardia lamblia, Diplococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycobacterium species, Campylobacter, candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Proteus, Cholera, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Legionella pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, Herpes1, Influenza A2, and measles virus. It has been know to help with osteoporosis. GSE has been shown to kill both gram-negative and gram-positive strains of bacteria GSE has been proven in laboratory tests to be 10 to 100 times more effective as a disinfectant than chlorine, colloidal silver, and iodine.
It can help your canine companion with allergies by killing yeast in the intestines but not harming the good bacteria. If you like to take your dog swimming, or go hiking near streams or lakes, and your dog drinks the water it’s good to have grapefruit oil with you. A couple of servings of water that has been treated with the extract will kill off giardia (a parasite) that your dog might have swallowed while in the water.
Grapefruit oil is broad spectrum, non-toxic, cost-effective, from a natural source, doesn’t weaken the immune system, and is powerful and effective. Doctors are overwhelmingly positive in their evaluation. Yet it is not nearly as well-known as tea tree oil so many people don’t even know it’s available as an alternative to traditional medications.
The article is very informative, go read in its entirety on The Examiner.
As a fun way to kick off the start of the holidays we’re offering up three pawtographed copies of Bo’s book BAD TO THE BONE: Memoir Of A Rebel Doggie Blogger.
Just in time for the holiday season, “Bad to the Bone: Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger (published by Kensington Books), the first memoir ever written by a dog, is a laugh-out-loud look at how a canine and two seemingly normal people wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world while creating a lifelong bond in the process.
Bo Hoefinger is not your everyday, run of the mill author; he’s a mixed-breed shelter dog with an attitude.
Let’s get this clear right away: I’m a dog.
I’m 1′10″ and weigh 63 lbs, and although I’m a mutt on the outside, I’m a purebred on the inside. My good nature comes from the Golden Retriever side of the family, while my stubbornness is clearly from my Chowchow bloodlines. I’ve got Rastafarian ears, a black tongue for licking, and paws that should be on a dog twice my size.
I type 60 words a minute.
My name is Bo, and this is my story.
From shelter dog reject to beloved pet and popular doggie blogger, Bo’s life has been anything but ordinary.
How sad is this, a beautiful senior lab who is going to be put down without anyone even knowing her name? She was picked up as a stray and is only known as 1054.
I have no doubt she was a very loyal, loving companion and now she is nothing but a number. Her age is unknown, but she is obviously an old gal. Don’t let old age fool you, if you’ve never adopted an older dog before this girl can bring more joy than you can imagine.
She is located at Portage County Dog Warden Shelter in Ravenna, Ohio. You can reach them at 330-297-6924. There is no time to spare, I know there is a perfect family out there for this beautiful girl, is it you?
Please post and crosspost this message, before it’s too late.
The Dogster Dog Blog is committed to tracking every story related to all foods recalls. You can count on us to keep you completely in the nose of every detail.
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That evening, on Sept. 27, DeNicola noticed the dog begin to hunker down in a garden bed. Next, she was giving birth to one, two, four, seven, and then nine black and tan puppies. 
It was 52 years ago to the day yesterday that Laika became the first creature sent into space.
Our dog 
