Contaminated pet food sickens 2 children with Salmonella

The Minnesota Departments of Health (MDH) and Agriculture (MDA) announced Friday that they are investigating two cases of Salmonella illnesses contracted by children in the Twin Cities area. The children became ill after contaminated pet food was consumed by pets in their home.

Both children were sickened in January. One infection resulted in osteomyelitis, a painful bone infection that required hospitalization. The child  is recovering at home.

The same strain of Salmonella Reading that sickened the two children was found in samples of Raws for Paws Ground Turkey Food for Pets tested by both the MDA and MDH.

The contaminated pet food was produced last Oct. 12. It was sold online on the Raws for Paws website.

The product was recalled Monday by the Minneapolis-based manufacturer. Consumers who purchased directly from Raws for Paws were notified of the recall. Some consumers, however, might not realize they have recalled product at home.

The product is packaged into 1- and 5-pound sealed plastic tubes known as chubs. The chubs are packaged into regular Turkey Pet Food cases with case codes of 9900008, 9900009. The chubs also are packaged into Pet Food Combo Pack cases, which contain a variety of pet food products, with case codes 9900014 and 9900015. The recalled lot codes and the manufacturing dates are printed on the cardboard case label.

Any affected lots should be returned to the company or discarded.

Contaminated pet food produced by Minneapolis-based Raws for Paws sickened two children in the Twin Cities area with Salmonella.

Contaminated pet food: Osteomyelitis

When Salmonella spreads to other parts of the body through the bloodstream, serious complications can occur. Osteomyelitis is one such complication.

According to WebMD, osteomyelitis is usually acute when it develops in children and usually shows up in their arm or leg bones. Acute osteomyelitis develops rapidly over 7-10 days.

The symptoms for acute and chronic osteomyelitis are similar. Symptoms include:

• fever, irritability, and fatigue
• nausea
• tenderness, redness, and warmth in the area of the infection
• swelling around the affected bone
• lost range of motion.

Treatment usually involves surgery to remove portions of bone that have died. Surgery is then followed by strong antibiotics, often by an IV, for at least six weeks.