Following a U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report on Thursday that contaminated Diamond Pet Food was responsible for the widespread illness in people infected with the Salmonella Infantis, Diamond Pet Foods announces today they are expanding their recall of pet food for the fourth time in less than a month.
Despite the CDC report that Diamond Pet Food manufactured at their Gaston, South Carolina plant was found to be contaminated with the same strain of Salmonella as the people who became ill, Diamond Pet Foods made no attempt to explain the connection between the recent closure of the affected plant and the two brands of pet food found by State Agriculture inspectors to be contaminated with Salmonella Infantis.
Instead, Diamond minimizes the CDC report with a brief statement buried at the end of the recall notice: “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have received a limited number of reports of salmonellosis, the illness caused by Salmonella. We are working with the CDC, but due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment further.”
Diamond claims that in this recall “none of the products being recalled have tested positive for Salmonella”, although that seems highly unlikely considering the details surrounding the recalls.
The expanded recall includes Diamond and Diamond Naturals pet food formulas manufactured between December 9, 2011, and April 7, 2012 due to Salmonella concerns. The recall did not specify whether this includes cat, dog, kitten and puppy dry food formulas, the brands are simply listed as “dry pet food formulas”.
The recall involves production codes that have a number “2” or a “3” in the 9th or 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit in the production code. The best before dates are December 9, 2012, through April 7, 2013.
Diamond claims the pet food recall affects “only products distributed in the following U.S. states and Canada“, yet they also add that “further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred”.
Wait. What? Either the pet food was “only” distributed to the following states or it wasn’t. In any case, the following are the states that Diamond is pretty sure the affected food was distributed to (or perhaps it went to other states as well, they’re just not sure):
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Maryland
Michigan
Mississippi
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Canada
What Diamond Pet Food would like pet parents to know:
Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact Diamond Pet Foods via a toll-free call at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 am – 6pm EST. Consumers may also go to diamondpetrecall.com for more information. The company is working with distributors and retailers to ensure all affected product is removed from shelves.
Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. We do not have any confirmed reports of pet illnesses.
Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people who believe they may have been exposed to Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who are more likely to be affected by Salmonella include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS and people receiving treatment for cancer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have received a limited number of reports of salmonellosis, the illness caused by Salmonella. We are working with the CDC, but due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment further.
For more information, please visit diamondpetrecall.com.
Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis infections linked to Diamond pet foods (poisonedpets.com)
Third time’s the charm? Diamond Pet Foods recalls more dry dog food made at its troubled South Carolina plant (poisonedpets.com)
RECALL: Diamond Pet Food expands recall; Chicken Soup for Pet Lovers Soul (poisonedpets.com)
RECALL Diamond Pet Foods Recalls Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice Dog Food (poisonedpets.com)
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