Salmonella in Minnesota : two children infected

Reported in news : Salmonella in Minnesota got two infections

In a follow-up on the Raws for Paws recall, Minnesota health and agriculture officials report investigating two cases of Salmonella Reading infection in two Twin Cities children.

The Minnesota Department of Health said Friday that testing found the same salmonella DNA patterns in the siblings. One of the children was hospitalized last month with a painful bone condition.

An investigation found the children’s home contained Raws for Paws Ground Turkey Food, and that the pet food was contaminated.

Conditions of Children with Salmonella

One child’s infection resulted in osteomyelitis, a painful and serious bone infection. This child was hospitalized and is now recovering at home.

Any affected lots of Raws for Paws Ground Turkey Food for Pets should be returned to the company or discarded and not used. If you do not know the lot number but you bought this pet food since Oct. 12, 2017, return it or discard it. Do not use the product.

In addition, pet dishes, floors, and the area around the feeding station should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Salmonella bacteria can survive for weeks on surfaces in the home, which can serve as a continuing source of infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend feeding a raw meat diet to pets because it can make animals and people sick.

Approximately 700-975 Salmonella infections are reported each year in Minnesota.

Dog food recall after Salmonella Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture discovered the presences of Salmonella in some of the Ground Turkey Pet Food packages while conducting testing.

“This raw ground turkey food has caused infections in people, specifically in two children who got salmonella infections from the dog food”, Medus said.

The Raws for Paws pet food products were packaged in both 5 lb and 1 lb sealed plastic tubes, also known as chubs, and distributed throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, either directly to consumers or through online mail orders. The chubs are packaged into regular Turkey Pet Food cases with case codes of 9900008, 9900009. But other customers may not realize the product they have in their homes is included. People who have the product are asked to return it to the company. Do not use the product.

Feeding pets raw meat is never a good idea because if it’s contaminated the contamination can easily spread, Medus said. Salmonella bacteria can survive for weeks on surfaces in the home, which can serve as a continuing source of infection.