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Man’s Best Friend

I feel I must pause here in my “Breast is Best but Formula ain’t Poison” tirade to talk a little about some news that’s been making headlines. No, not about the guy up in Maine with a pea sprout in his lung (although that’s cool and all), but about the outbreak of salmonella infections that have been traced to dry pet food. Nearly everything we eat is a possible source of infection, from chicken to spinach to bean sprouts to oysters (salmonella, E. coli, E. coli, Hepatitis A, respectively). Life is dangerous that way. But you know there was some bored dude sitting in the newsroom looking for a story and “children poisoned by pet food” certainly seems like something he could get a little mileage from.

Let me talk about food poisoning quickly. The most common type of “food poisoning” is an acute vomiting and diarrhea illness that comes on about 4-6 hours after eating (ruining a good slumber) and lasts for about a day. Most people, children included, survive intact, although become a little wary of their neighborhood Italian. However, other types of food borne illness can cause serious problems, and even rarely be fatal in certain people, such as the very young, very old or medically unwell. Salmonella is one type of infection that can cause serious illness in susceptible individuals.
Now there is no need to panic, since I’m positive you’ve got some live little salmonella living in your house right now. No? Do you have eggs? Right. Most good kitchen hygiene deals with whatever bugs come into our home (like not licking the knife you used to chop the raw chicken) and our immune systems handle the rest. It’s the rare and unfortunate individual that actually gets sick from something encountered on their dinner plate. And sorry to say, there is apparently a less-than-perfect salmonella control system in place for the makers of dry dog food.
But what I really find fascinating about this news story is not that some kids got sick from eating dog food. I mean, who hasn’t dipped into the dog bowl? What I find fascinating is that over 40% of these salmonella infections were in children. More than 40% were kids? Then who, pray tell, were the other 55%? Drunk teenagers? Culinary adventurers? Serious pet lovers?
Anyway, if your kid eats dog food, don’t freak out. Don’t encourage it but don’t panic because most pet food is harmless when ingested as an accidental meal. Bloody diarrhea, fever, and acting very ill are all signs that you should be calling your doctor. But for the majority of kids who find their way into the kibble, it’s not an issue. Unless, of course, your kid is 22 and stoned. Then, I’d worry.

Dr. Lara Zibners, Aug 15, 2010

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