Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008
Subject: dog/cat food September 2008 Recall Information
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Mars Petcare US Voluntary Limited Food Recall
(US recall only; Puerto Rico not affected)
Click on a logo below to see if your products are affected:
Mars Petcare US Issues Voluntary Recall of Everson, PA Plant Dry Pet Food Product due to Potential Salmonella Contamination
Contact:
Debra Fair
Public Relations Manager — Central Marketing
MARS PETCARE US
(973) 691-3536
For Immediate Release
Mars Petcare US
Announces Nationwide Voluntary Recall
Franklin, Tennessee (September 12,
2008)—Today, Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of
products manufactured at its Everson, Pennsylvania facility. The
pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential
contamination with Salmonella
serotype Schwarzengrund.
This voluntary recall only affects the United States.
Salmonella
can cause serious
infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination
caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially
children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.
Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella
should monitor themselves
for some or all of the following symptoms:
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping
and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella
can result in more serious
ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis,
muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers
exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product
should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella
infections may be lethargic
and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some
pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.
Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can
potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has
consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please
contact your veterinarian.
The company stopped production at the Everson facility on July 29,
2008 when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food
produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people infected
with Salmonella
Schwarzengrund.
Even though no direct link between product produced at Everson and
human or pet illness has been made, Mars Petcare US is taking
precautionary action to protect pets and their owners by announcing
a voluntary recall of all products produced at the Everson facility
beginning February 18, 2008 until July 29, 2008 when we stopped
production.
The company is continuing to work collaboratively with the FDA to
determine the nature and source of Salmonella
Schwarzengrund at the
Everson facility. Since it has not yet identified the source of the
Salmonella Schwarzengrund at the Everson facility, Mars Petcare US
does not plan to resume production out of a commitment to the
safety of our pet owners and their pets, customers, and
associates.
The top priority of Mars Petcare US has always been and continues
to be the health and welfare of pets and their owners. Consumers
can continue to have confidence in the quality and safety of the
products produced at other Mars Petcare US facilities. Only those
products which were produced at the Everson facility are impacted
by the voluntary recall.
Many of the brands involved in the recall are national brands
produced at multiple facilities. A chart for all products is below.
For example, PEDIGREE® is manufactured in numerous facilities
throughout the country, and Everson represents a very small portion
of the manufacturing base - 2.7 percent of total PEDIGREE®
production.
Mars Petcare US will work with retail customers to ensure that the
recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should
not be sold or fed to pets. In the event that consumers believe
they have purchased products affected by this voluntary recall,
they should return the product to the store where they purchased it
for a full refund. Specific product details and other information
can be found at www.petcare.mars.com
In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to
family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone
follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their
pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at:
www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/petfoodtips080307.html
Pet owners who have questions about the recall should call
1-877-568-4463 or visit www.petcare.mars.com.
Production Lot
Code - (found on
back of bag just after "Best Before" date).
The products listed in the chart below are made at our Everson
facility on behalf of a variety of retailers. All production lot
codes, with the exception of PEDIGREE®, are listed in a similar
format as noted below:
Consumers should look for "17" as the first two digits of the
second line. Sample:
Best By Feb 18 09
17
1445 1
For PEDIGREE® the Everson code date format is as follows:
Consumers should look for "PAE" on the bottom line - the sixth,
seventh and eighth digits. Sample:
PEDIGREE ® Small Crunchy Bites
Best Before 02/2009
808G1 PAE
01 12:00
Recalled Pet
Food
Please
find recalled pet food UPC information below. UPC code numbers can
be found directly underneath the bar code on the package.
Media
Statement
Mars
Petcare US Comments on Voluntary Recall of Everson, PA Plant Dry
Pet Food Product
September
12, 2008
Today Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of all products
produced at its Everson facility beginning February 18, 2008 until
July 29, 2008. The pet food is being recalled because of
potential contamination with Salmonella
Schwarzengrund. This
voluntary recall only affects 31 states in the United States.
“Even though no direct link between products produced at the
Everson manufacturing plant and human or pet illness has been made,
we are taking this precautionary action to protect pets and their
owners. We are continuing to work collaboratively with the
FDA to determine the nature and source of Salmonella
Schwarzengrund at the
Everson facility, and are committed to making sure our consumers
and customers have the information they need regarding our
voluntary recall,” said Catherine Woteki, Global Director of
Scientific Affairs, Mars, Incorporated.
Mars Petcare US stopped production at the Everson facility on July
29, 2008 when the company was alerted of a possible link between
dry pet food produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people
infected with Salmonella
Schwarzengrund.
In order to avoid any potential risk to pets and their owners, the
company initiated an extensive internal investigation to determine
the extent of the involvement of the Everson facility in
cooperation with the FDA. Ultimately, none of the pet foods found
in consumer homes have been determined to contain
Salmonella,
and there have been no reports of pet illnesses in those
households. However, the strain of Salmonella
Schwarzengrund involved in
the illnesses has been detected in the company’s Everson
facility.
Many of the brands involved in the recall are national brands
produced at multiple facilities. For example, the company
manufactures PEDIGREE® in numerous facilities throughout the
country, and the Everson facility represents a very small portion
of the manufacturing base – 2.7 percent of total PEDIGREE®
production.
Consumers can continue to have confidence in the quality and safety
of the products produced at Mars Petcare US’ other facilities. Only
those products which were produced at the Everson facility are
impacted.
Mars Petcare US will work with all of its customers to ensure that
the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products
should not be sold or fed to pets. In the event that
consumers believe they have purchased products affected by this
voluntary recall, they should return the product to the store where
they purchased it for a full refund. Specific product details
and other information can be found at www.petcare.mars.com.
Catherine Woteki concluded, “Our top priority has always been and
continues to be the health and welfare of pets and their owners. At
Mars, we hold ourselves to the highest quality standards.”
Constance
Sweitzer
cesweitzer@embarqmail.com
Subject:
Dog
bones sold at Walmart ~ you need to know
this
BOBBIE
WEINSTEIN
DIRECTOR
OF OPERATIONS
SOUTH
FLORIDA SIBERIAN HUSKY RESCUE INC
www.sibrescue.com
IF
YOU WANT THE RAINBOW
YOU HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE RAIN
----- Original Message ----- I would like to warn all dog lovers out there to be very careful about the dog treats that you give your dogs. Last week I bought a "Real Ham Bone" made by Dynamic Pet Products of Missouri from Walmart.
Here is what it looks like:
.The label says it is made with "100% Food Grade Ingredients" and it isn't made from China. I thought that meant that this would make a good treat for my dogs. Boy was I wrong. Trace, my dog, enjoyed chewing on this bone. It did not splinter or anything, in fact there is quite a large piece of it still left.
Then in the evening she started vomiting. She spent the next day at a veterinarian' s office where she was diagnosed with a blockage of the colon.
That night she endured a 4 hour surgery at Brandon Veterinary Specialists where the vet picked out small round pellets of the bone, up to the size of about a b-b.
The next morning she was moved to Florida Veterinary Specialist critical care unit. Again in the evening she had another 2 hour surgery, because the blockage had caused poison in her body. She passed away at 4:30 the next afternoon.
Everyone who hears this horrible story immediately says "Well that sounds like a lawsuit to me". That is what I thought also. Since then, I have learned that is not that easy to sue on behalf of a dog. The lawyers say a dog is a possession just like a couch. So, so far, all I have been able to do is write a certified letter to Dynamic Pet Products of Missouri. In it I requested my vet bills to be paid and their product to be relabeled or preferably removed from the shelf. I don't know if I will get a response. If anyone else has any ideas about how I may address this issue, please let me know atdjurgens12@aol. com.
In the memory of Trace, please pass this email on to all of the dog lovers that you know. This type of bone is sold in all of the stores under several different manufacturers names. I would assume they all may do the same thing. Even if they don't splinter, they can cause a blockage.
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