From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-03-31 21:30:51 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: 8-in-1 recalls DINGO CHICKEN JERKY ferret treats
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "ncferretmom" <crdowns@...> wrote:
>
> It was bound to happen! Here is the first FERRET recall:
> http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?
> ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070331005008&newsLang=en
These treats have the potential of having salmonella in them.
Now, salmonella has often come up in discussions of raw foods
because it is one of a number of infectious bacteria that can be
gotten from raw foods. In fact, it is extremely common in poultry
and eggs. On the other hand -- unlike some of the other bacteria
that can be gotten from raw foods * --salmonella does not usually
take off in ferrets. When it does take off, though, it is a horrible
disease, but, again, usually it does not.
So, basically, I'd personally throw the treats because I don't see any
reason to take the chance, and if anyone has a compromised ferret
then I think that tossing the treats away makes perfect sense, but
the people who are feeding raw poultry or raw eggs probably already
have ferrets whose bodies having been dealing with salmonella and
they might choose a different course, depending on their own decisions.
You may ask why poultry and eggs are not always on recalls given the
high levels of salmonella present. It is because it is assumed that they
will be cooked for human consumption so they are not recalled, but
people are instructed to do things like not use the same cutting boards
for those and foods that are eaten raw, or to wash the cutting boards well.
In an already cooked food, though, there is not an assumption that
cooking will later take place. The treats are meant to be given "as is"
so they DO get recalled.
Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
* According to _Biology and Diseases of the Ferret_ these diseases
come from raw meat and are documented in ferrets:
> pages 321-322, actinomycosis
> pages 322-323, botulism
> pages 324-327, campylobacteriosis
> pages 339-342, salmonellosis
> pages 343-347, mycobacteria
>
> Others, including Jerry Murray, also mention E. coli, some strains of
> which are very antibiotic resistant, and there are journal papers
> documenting that, too.
There are a range of potential infections from raw meat, including some
parasites (not listed here).
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