Mars Petcare US — makers of several brands of pet food — announced a voluntary recall of products manufactured at a specific plant on September 12, 2008. The food is being recalled because of a potential salmonella contamination. Affected brands include Pedigree, Retriever, Country Acres, Pet Pride, and Ol’ Roy. You can see a full list of recalled foods at www.petcare.mars.com.
Salmonella can cause infections in pets and in humans handling pet food. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets can include:
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea and/or bloody diarrhea
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Decreased appetite
- Abdominal pain
If you believe that your pet has eaten a contaminated product and is exhibiting symptoms of salmonella infection, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
Production at the Everson, Pennsylvania Mars Petcare US facility stopped on July 29th when they were informed of a possible link between dry pet food from the plant and isolated cases of humans infected with this particular type of salmonella — salmonella Schwarzengrund. In order to protect pets and owners, Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of all products that were made at the Everson plant between February 18th and July 29th of 2008.
Mars Petcare US is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to figure out the source of the salmonella contamination at the Everson, Pennsylvania plant. The plant has no plans to resume production until the source has been identified.
Many of the brands involved in the recall are produced at multiple facilities; the food produced in Everson represents only a small fraction of the total production. You can see a full list of affected products and UPC information at www.petcare.mars.com or call 1-877-568-4463.
If you have a recalled product in your home, please do not feed it to your pets. Return the product to the store where it was purchased for a full refund.