1. How to Use Pet Food Recalls Help Choose Safe Dog Food
Summer 2019 by
Donna DeBonis, D.V.M
(Masters of Science in Food Safety Project)
Michigan State University

2. By the end of this information about pet food safety, you will be able to understand:
Which hazards are in dog foods.
How to understand Dog Food Recalls and use them to choose safe food for your dog.

3. Who to trust about pet food safety
Veterinarians and those individuals, who are board certified or have advanced degrees in food safety or animal nutrition are the Experts on pet health.
The FDA enforces the pet food safety regulations.
The CDC monitors the health of people (i.e., pet owners).

4. Why Choosing Safe Pet Food is Important

5. Unsafe Pet Food the top three reasons for Pet Food Recalls
Toxins, Bacteria, Nutrient Imbalances
Chemical toxins and drug residues- e.g., Euthanasia Solution (pentobarbital), melamine.
Bad (Pathogenic) Bacteria = Food Poisoning: e.g., Salmonella, Listeria, Escherichia Coli 0157:H7
Incorrect Nutrient levels- e.g., Vitamin D toxicity, grain –free diet.

6. Results of Unsafe Pet Food
Gastrointestinal Illness like vomiting and diarrhea
Neurological problems like seizures and trembling.
Organ disease and failure-usually kidney and liver.
Death

7. Unsafe Pet Food can even result in the death or illness of Pet Owners.
How does this happen? Keep reading to find out.

8. This is called cross contamination
Pet Food Safety and Food Poisoning
People handle pet food in their kitchen and that is how they expose themselves and their family to pathogenic bacteria in pet foods.
This is called cross contamination
Pet owners and their pets can get very sick and die from exposure to hazards in pet foods.

9. As a pet owner, you are the most important part of ensuring the safety of your pet’s food and the wellbeing of yourself and your family.
It is critical to know and understand about dog food recalls.

10. Food Safety in Pet Food Manufacturing -a source to consider

11. Example: Diamond Feed Mills Salmonella Outbreak
Subject of a several month pet food recall in 2012 that kept expanding to more brands made at Diamond Feed Mills and to more states because they shipped contaminated brands.
CDC tracked pet owner and pet illnesses and deaths to Diamond Feed Mill.
The USDA inspected the Diamond Feed Mill where the unsafe pet food originated and determined the cause was poor sanitation leading to Salmonella overgrowth in the equipment, which contaminated the pet food.
Click here for the full CDC report and recommendations to pet owners.

12. Vitamins and Minerals
Typically are added to the pet food formulation as a MIXTURE.
Obtained from sources that should be tested to ensure the ingredients are in correct balances
Fatal examples: Vitamin D toxicity due to excessive amount of Vitamin D, causing kidney damage.

13. Raw Pet Foods
What do these recent recalls tell us?

14. Raw Pet Food and food poisoning
Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli 0157:H7
cause food poisoning
in human food and raw pet food diets.
Human food and pet food both rely on heat to kill bacteria.
If food is not heated to a temperature to kill them, bad bacteria will grow in it even when frozen or refrigerated.

15. Raw Pet Food and Recalls
Different brands of raw pet foods manufactured at the same facility all recalled for the same bacterial problem.
Raw pet foods have been responsible for the most pet food recalls within the past 18 months due to bacteria that cause food poisoning.
Recalls clearly document the death and illness of pets within the past 18 months on Raw Food Diets.

16. Raw Pet food diet made at home is still unsafe
Raw pet food diets made at home from raw human food can cause pet illness even if it’s the same meat source used by humans and the humans did not get sick.
This is because the humans have cooked the raw meat thereby killing the bacteria. Cooking is good.
Humans can still get sick by handling the raw pet food in the kitchen, then handling their own food or kitchen utensils.

17. Pet Food Safety and Raw Diet
The majority of 2
4 of the 25 pet food recalls in the past 18 months have been due to pathogenic bacteria contamination from Salmonella, Listeria, and E.coli in Raw Pet Foods.

18. Pet owners should not feed raw diet to their pets under any circumstances.

19. The bacteria can cause illnesses and deaths for pet owners and pets.
Pet owners should always wash their hands after handling pet food or treats, especially in the kitchen, because they can be exposed to Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli.
The bacteria can cause illnesses and deaths for pet owners and pets.

20. Carbohydrates and Pet Food Safety

21. Grain–free Dog Food implicated in Fatal Heart Disease (Dilated CardioMyopathy)
Grain – free diet may contribute to a taurine deficiency.
Grain-free diets are also high in Legumes, which may cause decreased taurine bioavailability.
Many DCM Dogs that are put back onto ‘grain diets’ show improvement.
Do not feed a homecooked diet or to feed raw diet, because other nutritional imbalances can occur.

22. Retrieved 5 Jun 2019 from https://www. fda

23. Carbohydrates (corn, wheat/gluten, fruits, and vegetables) are safe unless your pet is specifically allergic to that particular ingredient.

24. PET FOOD RECALLS

25. Pet Food Safety and Recalls
Not all pet foods are put on recall in time to catch the problem.
Sometimes the hazards are not identified fast enough or it was in a small batch of food.
Some pet food manufacturers refuse to recall their food. (Pennsylvania company Hare Today Gone Tomorrow refused to recall raw pet food after samples of the product tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.)

26. Pet Food Recalls are on the FDA website
These sources document the specific brands of pet foods implicated in the illnesses and deaths of pets.
They explain the causes of death and symptoms of the illnesses.
Pet owners can contact the FDA directly with their own concerns and complaints about their pet food.

27. The FDA Pet Food Recall website is reliable resource for pet owners to determine if their pet food is unsafe and to report possible pet food issues.

28. PET FOOD SAFETY RESOURCES

29. The most important takeaway from this knowledge presentation is to determine who is telling you the truth about the hazards in pet foods.
Legitimate resources have no personal agenda.
They only desire the health and well being of people and their pets.

30. How to choose Pet Food websites to consult Who can I trust?
Beware websites run by non-experts, who are not trained in pet food safety.
Do not consult pet food websites that are set up based on taste: “my dog loves this food, so I give it 5 stars!”

31. Consult only those websites provided by experts: Veterinarians and Government authorities.
Always monitor American Veterinary Medical Association Pet Food Recall List: recalls-alerts.aspx
Routinely consult the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pet Food Recall page for in depth information about any pet food that has been found to have hazards: withdrawals
Check the CDC for more in depth information about how any pet foods are harming humans. safety.html

32. Legitimate Resources for Pet Owners to consult about Pet food Safety
Veterinary Universities: there are 30 in the United States and they all have websites.
Veterinary Organizations: American Veterinary Medical Association, Veterinary Nutritionists organization, and US Public Health and Food Safety Veterinarians.
Veterinarians- advanced degrees (Masters and PhD in Food Safety, Animal Nutrition, Public Health, etc) and certifications (Board certified in Animal Nutrition, Preventive Medicine, etc).
Federal Public Health agencies: The Center for Disease Control and the FDA.

33. Summary of How to Ensure Pet Food Safety
Pet Food Safety relies on the Pet Owner.
Pet Owners must learn about every aspect of the ingredients in their chosen pet food before buying it.
Pet owners must keep current with information like Pet Food Recalls on the pet foods they choose.

34. POST-KNOWLEDGE QUIZ
In order to continue with this research project, you must take the 3 minute Post- Knowledge quiz. Please click on this link.