Pet Food Recall Expanded: Some Pricey Dog Foods Carry Salmonella Risk

By: Aina Hunter
Topics: News ,; Disease

(iStockphoto)

(CBS) If you go out of your way to buy high-end dog food for your best friend, be sure to check the package.

Procter & Gamble, maker of Iams and Eukanuba dry dog foods, is recalling certain varieties of these popular and pricey products because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

The risk extends to humans as well, as experts say dogs who become infected with salmonella can transmit the disease-causing bacterium to people.

The company says no cases of salmonella have been reported but is urging consumers to discard the products.

The products are sold at the vet but are also widely available at retailers.

Here's the list of recalled products:

Eukanuba Pure, all sizes and varieties
Eukanuba Naturally Wild, all sizes and varieties
Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin, all dry sizes
Iams Veterinary Dry Formulas, all sizes and varieties

The recall comes on the heels of another P & G recall. It involved certain prescription cat foods, as they might also have been contaminated with salmonella.

This latest scare has some pet owners wondering just what food is safe to feed their dogs.

Wendy Nan Rees, author of "The Dog Lover's Daily Companion," avoids all dry kibble and cooks for her animals instead.

Other experts advocate a raw meat diet for both dogs and cats. But veterinarian Marty Becker, author of "Chicken Soup for the Dog Owner's Soul," says raw meat can transmit salmonella.

"But look at what is happening with the pet food companies," he told CBS News. "There's a bit of risk in everything."

Pets infected with salmonella may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Left untreated, the infection can cause lethargy, diarrhea, fever or vomiting, according to the IAMS website.

Pets can also be carriers and infect other animals and humans, leading to similar symptoms.

If you think you have been infected, contact your doctor asap.

Oh, and if you want your money back, call P & G at 877-340-8823 for a replacement or a refund.

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by Hunter-Gatherer April 21, 2011 7:15 PM EDT: Iams is owned by Procter & Gamble, which is headquartered in Cincinnati. According to my research, Iams dog food is now made in Communist China, and some time ago there were reports of various brands of dog food, including Iams, that were contaminated with melamine.; Reply to this comment


by Hunter-Gatherer April 21, 2011 7:12 PM EDT: Stamped near the top of the tainted bag is the following code:

190612 19JUN12
10504175 EZ US30941; Reply to this comment


by Hunter-Gatherer April 21, 2011 7:00 PM EDT: Our lab became quite sick shortly after we had opened a new bag of Iams mini chunks. For a few days, he just seemed lethargic, but after a couple more days he started coughing, wheezing, and spitting up. We didn't make the connection, but we took him to the vet, who diagnosed him with pneumonia, which is, of course, a condition that can develop from a microbial infection. The poor dog was extremely sick, and we almost lost him. We gradually nursed him back with antibiotics during the following weeks, and we fed him prescription canned dog food from the vet. Once he seemed better, we started him back on the Iams dry food. He didn't seem to like the Iams, but we supposed this was because he had become spoiled on the canned food. Then within a week, he started vomiting frequently, and we had to take him back to the vet. At that point, I asked the vet whether the dog's illness could have been caused by the food he had been eating, but she didn't think so, and she prescribed more antibiotics and other medications. So we continued to mix canned food in with the Iams dry food. At first, he seemed to be getting better, but in a couple more days he started vomiting again. Now after having spent several hundred dollars on vet bills, I am convinced that the cause of all the dog's problems was the Iams dog food all along. Finding a specific product recall is very difficult. We will be discussing this crisis with our eldest daughter, who is an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio, and we will see where it goes from there.; Reply to this comment


by rediranch January 1, 2011 12:46 PM EST: Iams mini chunks...STAY AWAY!!! It's the end of December and we just had to put our 14 year old dog down. We assumed it was that he just got sick and because he was old didn't make it. Then our other dogs start the vomiting and being lethargic, so then I find out about the Iams recall that happened in October! It'd be nice if they would take that tainted food off the shelf so no other dogs and families have to suffer. I now have to tell our neighbors that their dogs may get sick too since our dogs have had contact with them!! Iams SUCKS!!!!!!; Reply to this comment


by charlene12 September 9, 2010 11:01 PM EDT: wow I just found out about the Salmonella.I have been feeding my dog Iams for years. I definitely have been a loyal customer. I think Iams should suck It up and reimburse there customers .; Reply to this comment


by JoeBoro August 18, 2010 12:48 PM EDT: We had similar situation 2 days ago (August 16, 2010). We bought a new bag of Imas Puppy food in the local Kroger store. We fed our puppy the food for breakfast. 30 minutes later he vomitted the food. We gave him another feeding at noon and the same vomiting occured. We took the bag back to the store and they indicated that several other people returned the Imas food with similar vomiting issues. We bought another brand and gave the dog and there is no vomiting. The puppy is back to normal. We think that Imas has a browder issue here and should not ignor it.; Reply to this comment


by tumbleyweed August 12, 2010 3:12 PM EDT: I think that they should look even deeper into this recall. We have been loyal Iams customers for years. We had a bag of Pro-Active Weight Control that our dogs wouldn't eat. At first, we were in a hot spell and we assumed that they were not eating because of the heat, but our lab was loosing weight (26lbs total.) He was happy to have treats and was devouring rawhides. We decided to throw away the rest of the bag of food and open a new one. They started eating again, but after a couple of days on that food they both started vomiting. I cleaned up 6 piles of vomit in less than 2 days. We became suspicious of the food, and decided it was time to change brands. They are back to their normal eating habits without incident. We pointed this out to our vet, but she said that at the time there were no Iams recalls.. and then a few weeks later they are having this one. I just wanted to pull attention to it for anyone that might be using the Pro-Active line, especially if you are seeing issues with your dog.; Reply to this comment


by heavenscent525 August 9, 2010 8:58 AM EDT: i bought my dogs some Iams dog food for the first time july and they had it all month now in august they are itching constantly. They do not have fleas or allergies. I do believe it was the Iams food. They usually have dog chow or petigree. Never had a problem with either of those. I dont know if the itching could have been some of this bad food or not. I surely hope not and i hope the itching stops soon. A vet told me up to 3 wks which is getting real close and they are still itching strong.; Reply to this comment


by wetnoseguide August 3, 2010 10:01 PM EDT: Eek! This is definitely a scary situation. While the products being recalled should definitely be avoided, I think it's even more important to keep things in perspective: only a few brands of dog food were at risk, and I'm sure that those infected were only a small percentage of all dogs who ate Eukanuba and Iams. Responding responsibly to risk is one thing, but I don't think that people should begin fearing contamination in all their dog food.

Wet Nose Guide Team
wetnoseguide.com; Reply to this comment

by fresh-air August 3, 2010 11:17 AM EDT

Sixteen cases of salmonella in dogs who have eaten this food have been reported from a vet clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah. Iams completely denies that their food was involved and will not return calls.

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