Pet food which usually tempted kids of all ages and had many infants chew on them has now become very dangerous for consumption, especially for children. The dry pet food now contains salmonella and it is no ordinary salmonella strain which is usually linked to food poisoning but a different one called Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

There have been dozens of cases reported in toddlers with a salmonella infection which has been directly traced to dry dog and cat food. The infections occureed from 2006 to 2008 and 23,000 tons of pet food was recalled.

To get more elaborate information about this new kind of salmonella go to the About Salmonella blog by Bill Marler.

Karen Kaplan lists out a few preventive measures that can be taken to avoid being contaminated by this salmonella.

He suggests washing hands with warm water and soap immediately after handling any kind of dry pet foods and treats. Wash hands before starting to cook your own food and also before eating it. Strictly keep infants away from pet feeding areas and never allow them to touch or eat pet foods.

Finally, follow the FDA’s safe handling tips for pet foods and treats.