Can you get salmonella infection through the skin?
11/08/2008 by Connie Veneracion · Filed under About cats & dogs
We have pets. A lot of pets. That’s Astro the pit bull and he’s on a Beef Pro diet. Twix, the pomspitz, eats soaked and mashed dry dog food. The cats eat Whiskas. In short, they are all on a dry pet food diet and they’re like little pigs. No, seriously, they are all round and full, maybe a little overweight but not so fat as to be considered unhealthy. Speedy buys Astro’s food by the sack directly from wholesalers. It’s cheaper that way and he consumes the dog food long before the expiration date anyway.
So, there are containers and containers of pet food in the house. And we all take turns in feeding the pets. In short, WE ALL HANDLE dry pet food. When I first read the news about people getting sick from handling dry pet food, I got the impression that some new strain of salmonella can now be passed on through the skin. Heck, my first reaction was to consider whether we ought to start wearing rubber gloves when feeding the pets. Or, perhaps, wear face masks AND rubber gloves considering that strains of salmonella earlier identified were airborne. That would make feeding time a major operation indeed. And that would take a lot of fun out of feeding the pets. In fact, wouldn’t the pets feel alarmed that the people feeding them look like they came straight from the set of Outbreak?
But it’s just one of those sensational news headlines. Farther down the article is a stern warning that people should really wash their hands after handling pet food and especially before handling food for humans. You can just put two and two together and realize that sanitation just isn’t a big thing with some people. Of the 79 reported illnesses over the past three years, seven six are toddlers and that presents an even clearer picture. Toddlers are fond of putting their hands in the mouths, washed or unwashed.
Of course, that doesn’t excuse the pet food manufacturers that have been less than careful in screening what goes into the pet food.
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