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Pig Ear Dog Treats Linked To Salmonella Outbreak: CDC

93 people have been infected by the bacteria, including 20 who had to be hospitalized.
Dillon Thompson
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A multidrug-resistant salmonella outbreak tied to pig-ear dog treats has now spread across 27 states, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

The report, released Tuesday, said that 93 people in total have been infected by the bacteria, including 20 who had to be hospitalized. No deaths have been reported so far.

The pig-ear treats, which were sold in open bins at Pet Supplies Plus stores, were first recalled earlier this month after a possible link between the product and salmonella outbreak was first discovered.

At the time of the initial recall, the outbreak involved just 45 people in 13 different states.It has effectively doubled since then.

The recall affects all of the retailer’s locations — more than 400 stores across 33 states, including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

“Testing by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development revealed that aging bulk pig-ear product in one of our stores tested positive for salmonella,” Pet Supplies Plus said in an announcement. “We have pulled bulk pig-ear product from the shelves of all of our stores and have stopped shipping bulk pig ears from our distribution center.”

The exact source of the outbreak is still unknown, and the CDC said its investigation is ongoing. In the meantime, anyone who purchased pig ear treats from Pet Supplies Plus should throw them away in a secure container, according to the CDC.

The CDC warns that salmonella, a bacterial disease, can cause illness in both humans and dogs. Common symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

The outbreak comes just weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned the public about links between more than a dozen brands of pet food and a spike in heart disease among dogs.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that the FDA alerted pet owners about brands of dog foods linked to heart disease, but did not issue a recall.

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Before You Go

Dog Food
Commercial dog food is garbage!(01 of12)
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The trend toward raw, organic, and/or home-prepared food is partially driven by health considerations. Commercial dog food is garbage, alternative dog food proponents say, responsible for maladies ranging from dull hair to canine cancer. Old school dog food was every bit as unsavory as canned corn and Ding Dongs, dating back to its invention in the 1930s as a use for horsemeat. Photo from Rabid by Trish Aleve of Pawsome Pet Photography.
Dogs have their own raw food movement(02 of12)
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One of the hottest dog diets around is the aptly-name BARF diet, which stands for Bones and Raw Food or Biologically-Appropriate Raw Food. Think of it as the canine equivalent of the Caveman or Paleo diet. High-end butchers sometimes cater to BARFers, with the daily diet for a Golden Retriever consisting of 12 raw (of course) chicken necks, an egg or yogurt, pureed raw vegetables with oil, plus weekly supplements of uncooked organ meats such as tripe or heart. Photo from Shutterstock.
Top chefs create gourmet dog food(03 of12)
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Rachael Ray sent a dog food truck onto the streets of New York last weekend to promote her line of home-style pooch food, Nutrish. City dogs were treated to free servings of Ray-developed dishes such as Chicken Paw Pie and Muttballs & Pasta. Many other noted chefs have developed recipes for dogs, some of them collected in the cookbook The Culinary Canine: Great Chefs Cook for Their Dogs and So Can You! Photo by David E. Steele/Watershed Visuals
Give a dog a vegan bone(04 of12)
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As more humans go vegetarian or vegan, their dogs do too. Vegetarian dogs may eat eggs, dairy products, or seafood such as canned mackerel, but vegan dogs need to pretend that meaty carrot is a bone. Besides vegetables, vegan dogs eat rice, lentils, soy products, and spaghetti with tomato sauce, reported to be a doggie favorite even without the meatballs. Photo from Rabid by H. Ivan Ortiz.
Beer brewed just for canines(05 of12)
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Today's dogs wash down all that fancy food with drinks that are just as elaborate, from bottled water in Toilet or Gutter flavor, Puppuccino served in barista-style cups, and specially-brewed Bowser Beer, pictured here. There's also doggie wine and scotch, which is reported to taste like liquefied turkey products, a claim we don't want to test for ourselves. But while we like to pretend we're treating our dogs to a jolt of joe or a calming shot of booze, dog drinks are caffeine- and alcohol-free. Photo courtesy of Bowser Beer.
Dog treats mimic human sweets(06 of12)
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Dog treats have become as over-the-top lavish as human goodies, perhaps to make Fido feel better about having to eat all those carrots. Goodies on the market include red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and foie gras-flavored ice cream, rawhide waffles with baked-in syrup and popcorn that tastes like bacon -- which just might be shareable. While some dog treats are shaped like bones, others look like bagels, donuts, or martinis. Photo from Rabid by Matthew Sparkhall-Brown.
Cooking for (or with) your dog(07 of12)
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If you can't get Rachael Ray to cook your dog's dinner, you can do it yourself, with home-cooked dog food becoming the norm. Amazon lists hundreds of cookbooks to help you come up with recipes for "complete meals" for dogs that imitate human meals, from bacon-flavored biscuits to lamb-and-rice stew to banana biscotti. Photo by Mat Hayward on Shutterstock
Special tableware lets dogs dine with you(08 of12)
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New cups and plates make it easier for your dog to sup human-style. This wine glass and plate, by Alice Wang for Pet Plus, is specially shaped to let your dog dine with you without making a, well, pig of himself. Other new tableware for canines include talking bowls that encourage your dog to finish his meal, an interactive feeder that sharpens your dog's brain by making him solve puzzles to get his food, and a drinking fountain that encourages him to stay well-hydrated.
It's a dog-eat-dog world(09 of12)
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No, canine cannibalism is not on the rise, but dog food purveyors are pushing "special" food for all types and sizes of dogs: puppies and old dogs, allergic dogs and dogs with kidney or heart problems, The FDA recently announced it was looking more closely at so-called therapeutic dog food to determine whether its health claims are justified. Some pet owners endanger their dogs by using these foods to treat diseases that may instead need medical attention. Photo by Rosaida Surman.
Take your dog out for a drink(10 of12)
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Or a coffee or a meal, as more restaurants and cafes and bars welcome dogs -- usually with owners in tow. Some bars are hosting Yappy Hours for canine-human pairs, and the One Bal Harbour in Florida offers cocktail parties for doggie guests and their human companions. Websites such as bringfido.com and dogfriendly.com offer guides to thousands of restaurants around the world that welcome dogs and may even include dog food menus. Photo by Ronald Hackston.
For the dog who's eaten everything(11 of12)
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Since dogs' diets are now mimicking ours, is it any wonder that they have similar weight problems? And similar weight loss products and programs, too. There are low-carb dog foods and treats, low-fat dog chews, bowls that control portion size, plus canine treadmills. There's even fat camp for dogs! And if all else fails, Pfizer makes a doggie weight loss pill called Slentrol. Photo by M. Peinado on Flickr .
Get Rabid(12 of12)
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For lots more on dog food and other kinds of dog craziness, get ....get your copy of Rabid, out now from Bloomsbury.AmazonBarnes & NobleIndie
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