New Warnings from the FDA on Raw Food Diets

By Emilio E. DeBess, DVM, MPVM, State Public Health Veterinarian, Oregon Department of Human Services

November 2013

FDA warns about feeding your pet a raw-food diet

In a new study, compared to other types of pet food tested, raw pet food was more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria, the FDA said

“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning pet owners about feeding their animals raw diets, warning that those who do may have a higher risk of getting infected with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.”

In a new study, compared to other types of pet food tested, raw pet food was more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria, the agency said.

The new warning was issued after a two-year study, in which the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) screened more than 1,000 samples of pet food for bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses.

In the study, CVM sampled 196 commercially available raw dog and cat food. The center bought a variety of raw pet food online from different manufacturers and had the products shipped directly to six laboratories for analysis, according to the FDA. The raw pet-food products were usually frozen in tubelike packages and made from ground meat or sausage.

Of the samples analyzed, 15 were positive for salmonella and 32 were positive for listeria.

The study “identified a potential health risk for the pets eating the raw food, and for the owners handling the product,” said Dr. Renate Reimschuessel, a researcher at CVM’s Office of Research and one of the study’s principal investigators.

The FDA said the best way to prevent infection is to not feed your pet a raw diet; however, the agency is aware that some people prefer this type of food and offers some tips to prevent salmonella and listeria:

·      Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water (for at least 20 seconds) after handling raw pet food, and after touching surfaces or objects that have come in contact with the raw food. Potential contaminated surfaces include countertops and the inside of refrigerators and microwaves. Potential contaminated objects include kitchen utensils, feeding bowls and cutting boards.

·      Thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces and objects that come in contact with raw pet food. You can also run items through the dishwasher after each use to clean and disinfect them.

·      Freeze raw meat and poultry products until you are ready to use them, and thaw them in your refrigerator or microwave, not on your countertop or in your sink.

·      Carefully handle raw and frozen meat and poultry products. Don’t rinse raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood. Bacteria in the raw juices can splash and spread to other food and surfaces.

·      Keep raw food separate from other food.

·      Immediately cover and refrigerate what your pet doesn’t eat or throw the leftovers out safely.

·      If you’re using raw ingredients to make your own cooked pet food, be sure to cook all food to a proper internal temperature as measured by a food thermometer. Thorough cooking kills harmful foodborne bacteria.

·      Don’t kiss your pet around its mouth, and don’t let your pet lick your face. This is especially important after your pet has just finished eating raw food.

·      Thoroughly wash your hands after touching or being licked by your pet. If your pet gives you a “kiss,” be sure to also wash your face.

Case Study: Wild Mushrooms – Playing Roulette if You Eat Them for Dinner

Friday, November 8, 2013

By Beth Davidow, DVM DACVECC

It’s that time of year when all of us start seeing more mushrooms around. The combination of sun, rain, and increased organic material on the ground is perfect for fungal growth. This year in particular has been very good for mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest and those mushroom hunters who know what they are doing, have had a banner year. However, the conditions that make for amazing edible chanterelles, also lead to more of the poisonous variety as well.

Last weekend, we saw several cases of mushroom toxicity in dogs. Molly, a six-year-old female spayed Labrador, was seen to eat mushrooms in the yard. She vomited some mushrooms and began having diarrhea within the hour. However, she then became wobbly when walking and was comatose when she presented to our emergency hospital in Renton a few hours later. Molly was intubated (tube was placed in her throat to protect her airway) and we initiated breathing for her. We pumped her stomach to try to remove mushrooms and also gave her enemas, which removed even more mushrooms. She was placed on intravenous fluids as well as supportive ventilation. She needed to be ventilated overnight but by the next morning, she started to wake up and could breathe on her own. She continued to improve, was fairly normal by dinnertime and was sent home that evening, about 36 hours after arrival. She continues to do well with no organ injury.

The mushrooms were identified by a mycologist as Amanita muscaria. They are part of the family of “death cap” mushrooms, but unlike Amanita phalloides, they do not cause kidney or liver failure. Their appearance can vary making identification tricky. While the signs caused by Amanita muscaria are extremely dramatic, all the dogs we have treated with this ingestion have done well, but needed 24-48 hours of very intensive care. More information on this mushroom type can be found :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria

Amanitas are not the only poisonous mushrooms in this area. Other toxicities seen with mushrooms can include severe tremor syndromes, dangerously low heart rates, and severe gastrointestinal signs. Our veterinarians have treated pets with all of these different syndromes.

A general rule is that if your pet gets sick very quickly after eating a mushroom, they probably won’t have longterm damage but if they get sick hours later, it could be extremely serious. If you see your pet eats a mushroom, it is best to contact your veterinarian right away. If there are other similar mushrooms in the same vicinity, you can use a paper bag to pick a few for identification. Mushrooms are very tricky to identify but it is easier when they are stored in paper rather than plastic bags. The best way to keep your pet safe is to get rid of any mushrooms you see in your yard and to prevent them from eating any mushrooms they might find on a walk. 

Parvovirus – An update

By Beth Davidow, DVM DACVECC

ACCES Medical Director

A week ago, we alerted referring veterinarians in the area to an uptick in the number of parvovirus cases we were seeing at ACCES’ two referral hospitals (Seattle and Renton). Word quickly spread to the greater community setting off an unexpected scare.

Parvovirus is a virus that causes vomiting and severe diarrhea. In addition, it can suppress the immune system and put animals at risk for secondary infections. It mainly affects puppies and can cause death if not treated appropriately. With treatment, which includes intravenous fluids, anti-nausea medication, antibiotics and plasma in severe cases, survival is 90%. Adults dogs can get the infection as well but often are less sick or may shed virus and not have clinical signs.

The virus is shed in stool and can live in the environment for weeks to months. It is extremely hardy and not killed by standard disinfectants – bleach is most effective. The virus can be passed from an animal shedding the virus, picked up on clothes, shoes, and other objects, and then carried to another animal.

Parvovirus is not a new infection. It is a virus we have known about for a long time and one of the first diseases for which we developed a vaccine for dogs. The vaccine is extremely effective when administered properly. Puppies need to receive vaccines every three to four weeks from eight weeks of age until they are over 16 weeks of age, again at one year and then every three years thereafter.

The difficulty with this disease is that puppies often get sick in the window after they have had one vaccine but not the full series. If puppies are in environments where the virus has been shed by asymptomatic carriers, they can pick up the virus. Health for the dog population relies on compliance by everyone – a concept known as “herd immunity”.

This year we have seen an uptick in the number of parvo cases. We see an average of 16 cases a year and have diagnosed 28 this year, eight in the last three weeks. The virus does ebb and flow so this may just be a high year. Cases have been from a number of locations and have been mostly young, incompletely vaccinated dogs. However, it is also possible that the move away from vaccines has led to less herd immunity and more shedding of virus. Speaking to other hospitals in the area, some are also seeing more cases but other clinics north of us are not.

Our recommendations are:

1)     VACCINATE – make sure your puppy gets the full SERIES of vaccines up to at least 16 weeks of year. Make sure the vaccine is boostered one year later and then every three years after that.

2)     Do not take incompletely vaccinated puppies to dog parks or other high traffic areas. Dog parks are great places to socialize but only after the full series of puppy shots have been given.

3)     If you have a dog with vomiting and diarrhea, have them seen promptly. Early diagnosis and proper treatment does lead to a good long term outcome.

If your dog is fully vaccinated, there is no reason to avoid the dog parks – let your dogs play if we have a sunny day. 

Parvovirus; Think Outside the Box

By Dr. Beth Guerra

Quite a few years ago, I evaluated a one year old schnauzer for an acute onset of vomiting and diarrhea. He had no known medical problems and had not eaten anything unusual that could have caused his symptoms. The owner allowed me to do a complete workup, including x-rays and bloodwork. There were very few abnormalities except for a very low white blood cell count, which can indicate overwhelming infection or inadequate bone marrow response to infection. I was wracking my brains for a cause that would also explain his symptoms, when I noted in the chart that the owner had acquired him as a very young puppy and that he was not yet neutered.  When I asked why she had not neutered him, she said he had never visited a veterinarian. That set off a bell in my head, and I questioned her about vaccine status. She reported he had never had any vaccines or boosters and that the breeder did not mention that he was given any before she acquired him. I immediately set up a parvo test, and it was a strong positive.

Veterinarians tend to think of parvovirus as a disease of very young puppies, usually under 16 weeks of age. The general public knows of parvo as “the puppy killer” because it is highly contagious and often affects young dogs that are not fully developed and therefore have an immature immune system. What I had failed to think of in this case was that even though this dog was a year old, he had never been vaccinated and therefore was still at risk for contracting the virus. We just had another case present this week with a severe parvo infection who is 4 years old, but again, had not been fully vaccinated.  In our current case, he had a single puppy shot and not the full series needed to produce immunity.

Parvovirus is ubiquitous in the environment and very difficult to kill with normal disinfectants; prolonged contact with a bleach solution is required. It is highly contagious and can remain in the environment for many months. Transmission between animals is via oral exposure to feces containing the virus, however, objects such as bedding and toys can also transmit the virus. Infection can be widespread in environments such as pet stores or breeding facilities due to close contact between animals. Incubation within the body can be up to two weeks and the virus can continue to be shed in the feces after infection has resolved.

The virus targets specialized crypts in the intestinal lining where new cells are rapidly produced. These cells die off and the intestinal lining becomes more permeable, allowing for loss of vital blood proteins and electrolytes and also letting harmful bacteria into the bloodstream from the intestinal tract. 

Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea (often bloody), inappetance, and abdominal pain. Septic shock or disseminated intravascular coagulation (widespread hemorrhage) can occur in severe cases. The virus can also destroy developing white blood cells. The drop in crucial white cells increases the risk of secondary bacterial infections.

Diagnosis is based on presenting symptoms, vaccine history, and test results, which can include a positive parvo test (fecal test that can be done in house), decreased white blood cell count, or low blood albumin. Some puppies also have intestinal parasites that are found on fecal exam. Therapy is supportive while the virus runs its course. Intravenous fluids, anti-emetics, and broad spectrum antibiotics are utilized to minimize secondary effects of the virus. Some animals receive transfusions of whole blood or plasma. Parvovirus can be rapidly fatal if left untreated and these cases usually require several days of hospitalization on the road to recovery. Puppies that develop severe sepsis or secondary infections, such as pneumonia, may succumb to the disease. However, studies have shown that chance of survival with aggressive treatment is over 90%.

Once infection has cleared, the puppy may have lifelong immunity, however, vaccines are the best prevention. Puppies usually receive a series of “combo” vaccines, which include distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus, and parainfluenza. Vaccines begin around 8 weeks of age and boosters are administered every few weeks until they are 16 weeks of age. Whether you obtain a puppy from a breeder, pet store, or friend, it is important to question them about the vaccination status up to that point. Infection with parvovirus can occur at any time between boosters, so it is important to have your puppy evaluated by a veterinarian and comply with the  FULL vaccine schedule.