Dog Food May be Yummy, But Beware: On The Pet Food Salmonella Outbreak

My general philosophy about childhood is that kids should get down and dirty as much as possible. I think that dirt is good for kids (as are stubbed toes and scraped elbows). Builds character!

So when parents tell me that their kid ate some sand at the beach or the playground, I tell them not to panic. It’s good for them!

A mother of one of my patients called me to report that her child had recently dined on some gourmet goose poop at the local park. Delish! And, luckily, ingestion of goose poop is unlikely to transmit any severe infections.

When I was growing up the family that lived next to us had a great brood of kids. Andrew, the 3rd child of 4, was always getting into their pantry and eating the dog food. Gross! But I never imagined that it was harmful for the little tike.

Well, Andrew, I hope that you have grown out of that habit. The CDC has reported an outbreak of salmonella in humans, which was transmitted from dry pet food. Apparently most of the cases are transmitted when young children touch or eat the contaminated pet food.

Despite this news, I am still going to advocate for kids to jump in puddles, to make mud pies, and occasionally to eat a little dirt. But, at least for the time being, please stick to human food.

Tips for Parents:

At about the same time that babies begin to learn to crawl and become mobile, they are also prone to put everything into their mouths. As I alluded to above, a mouthful of dirt or sand here and there should not harm your child. However, soil and even household dust can contain harmful substances like lead. (I will write about lead in a future post). If you are concerned about the amount or frequency of your child’s ingestion of non-food substances, please discuss it with your pediatrician.

Useful Links:

For details check out the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report or this article from the Times’ Health Blog.

As for the pet food, you can check out the recalled brands on this website. http://www.petcare.mars.com/OtherNewsReleases.html

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