Mars Petcare US Issues Voluntary Recall of Everson, PA Plant Dry Pet Food

Mars Petcare US, Inc., has voluntarily recalled some of its dry dog food. The recalled products were produced at Mars' Everson, Penn., plant between Feb. 18 and July 29, 2008. Mars stopped production because it was alerted of a possible link with two salmonella cases in humans. Brands include some Pedigree, Krasdale Gravy, and Red Flannel Large Adult Formula dry dog foods which were distributed in eastern states.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact MARS Petcare at (866) 298-8332 or visit http://www.petcare.mars.com/

Hills has voluntarily recalled the following products:

1. Science Diet® Kitten Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish 3 oz. and 5.5 oz.
2. Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Beef 5.5 oz.
3. Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Chicken 5.5 oz.
4. Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish 5.5 oz.
5. Science Diet® Feline Senior Savory Cuts® Chicken 5.5 oz.
6. Hill’s Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline Dry Food

No other Hill’s products are affected by this recall.

The exact cause of this problem is not yet known.  More research is being done to pinpoint the cause and we expect more information in the coming days.

Don’t panic. If you think you have fed your pet one of the recalled foods, watch for the following signs of illness in your pet:

• Lethargy
• Decreased appetite
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Increased thirst and urination

If your pet shows any of these signs, make an appointment to see your veterinarian.

With the exception of Hill’s Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline Dry food, all diet and prescriptions food that we sell or have sold at North Portland Veterinary Hospital are safe and not on the recall list as of Friday, April 6, 2007.

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) - May 2006

What is avian influenza?
Avian (bird) flu is caused by influenza A avian viruses that occur naturally among birds. There are many different subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes differ because of changes in certain proteins on the surface of the influenza A virus. The avian flu currently of concern is the H5N1 subtype.

Wild birds worldwide carry avian influenza viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.

Infected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Domesticated birds may become infected with avian influenza virus through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other infected poultry, or through contact with surfaces (such as dirt or cages) or materials (such as water or feed) that have been contaminated with the virus.

Contact with infected fecal material is the most common of bird-to-bird transmission. Wild ducks sometimes infect domestic flocks raised on range or in open flight pens through fecal contamination. Within a poultry house, transfer of the HPAI virus between birds can also occur via airborne secretions. The spread of avian influenza between poultry premises almost always follows the movement of contaminated people and equipment. Avian influenza also can be found on the outer surfaces of egg shells. Transfer of eggs is a potential means of Avian influenza transmission. Airborne transmission of virus from farm to farm is highly unlikely under usual circumstances.

Avian influenza infection in domestic poultry causes two main forms of disease that are
distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The "low pathogenic" form may go undetected and usually causes only mild symptoms (such as ruffled feathers and a drop in egg production). However, the highly pathogenic form spreads more rapidly through flocks of poultry. This form may cause disease that affects multiple internal organs and has a mortality rate that can reach 90-100% often within 48 hours. The H5N1 virus is highly pathogenic.

Can humans become infected?
The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people, because the viruses do not usually infect humans. However, confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection, including H5N1, have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds.

The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.

"Human influenza virus" usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. There are only three known A subtypes of influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) currently circulating among humans. It is likely that some genetic parts of current human influenza A viruses originally came from birds. Influenza A viruses are constantly changing, and they might adapt over time to infect and spread among humans.

Symptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications. The symptoms of avian influenza may depend on which virus caused the infection.

Will this flu outbreak become a human pandemic?
Broad concerns about public health relate to the potential for the virus to mutate, or change into a form that could spread from person to person. There are concerns about a pandemic flu. A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in very short time.

H5N1 is one of the few avian influenza viruses to have crossed the species barrier to infect humans. H5N1 has caused the largest number of detected cases of severe disease and death in humans. In the current outbreaks in Asia and Europe, more than half of those infected with the H5N1 virus have died. Most cases have occurred in previously healthy children and young adults. However, it is possible that the only cases currently being reported are those in the most severely ill people, and that the full range of illness caused by the H5N1 virus has not yet been defined.

So far, the spread of H5N1 virus from person to person has been limited and has not continued beyond one person. Nonetheless, because all influenza viruses have the ability to change, scientists are concerned that H5N1 virus one day could be able to infect humans and spread easily from one person to another.

Because these viruses do not commonly infect humans, there is little or no immune protection against them in the human population. If H5N1 virus were to gain the capacity to spread easily from person to person, a pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease) could begin. No one can predict when a pandemic might occur. However, experts from around the world are watching the H5N1 situation very closely and are preparing for the possibility that the virus may begin to spread more easily and widely from person to person.

Are there treatments or a vaccine for the H5N1 virus in humans?
Studies done in laboratories suggest that some of the prescription medicines approved in the United States for human influenza viruses should work in treating avian influenza infection in humans. However, influenza viruses can become resistant to these drugs, so these medications may not always work. Additional studies are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these medicines.

The H5N1 virus that has caused human illness and death in Asia is resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, two antiviral medications commonly used for influenza. Two other antiviral medications, oseltamavir and zanamavir, would probably work to treat influenza caused by H5N1 virus, but additional studies still need to be done to demonstrate their effectiveness.

There currently is no commercially available vaccine to protect humans against H5N1 virus that is being seen in Asia and Europe. However, vaccine development efforts are taking place. Research
studies to test a vaccine to protect humans against H5N1 virus began in April 2005, and a series of clinical trials is under way.

The United States has been working closely with other countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen systems to detect outbreaks of influenza that might cause a pandemic.

Is there a vaccine for the H5N1 virus in birds and animals?
Vaccines are in development; no vaccine is commercially available yet.

Dr. Manoj Pastey, an assistant professor at Oregon State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded a research grant by the USDA to develop a test to quickly detect avian influenza in flocks of chickens and other birds.

A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Purdue University published a study in the Feb. 11 issue of Lancet about a vaccine that protects mice against several strains of the H5N1 virus. A team from the University of Pittsburgh, CDC, and USDA published a study in the Feb. 15 Journal of Virology about a vaccine that protects mice and chickens.

The researchers developed the vaccines by genetically engineering adenoviruses, which cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. The altered adenoviruses have the same hemagglutinin protein on the surface that allows the H5N1 virus to attach to cells. The idea is that the immune system, in confronting the altered adenoviruses, learns how to fight the H5N1 virus.

In the CDC-Purdue study, an altered adenovirus caused the immune systems of mice to produce both antibodies and T-cells to attack the H5N1 virus. The vaccine provided effective protection against death and disease. In the Pittsburgh study, an altered adenovirus protected mice in a similar manner. Chickens that received subcutaneous vaccinations also survived, while all the unvaccinated chickens died within days of intranasal exposure to the H5N1 virus.

What can I do to protect my birds and pets?
While the H5N1 strain of avian influenza has yet to be discovered in the US, it is expected to arrive within the year. The biggest threat would be to poultry raised outdoors (for instance, a free-range grower's farm, a backyard farm, or in an outdoor coop in an urban environment) who might be exposed to droppings from migratory birds carrying the virus.

According to Dr. Don Hansen, State Veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, poultry owners should try to keep birds such as chickens, ducks and turkeys in a screened area and restrict visits from owners of birds with any illness.

Keep pet birds indoors and don't allow contact with other birds.

Recent cases from Europe suggest that cats and dogs have became ill and died after consuming infected birds. Keeping pets inside when possible and keeping an eye on what they might be consuming outside is their best protection.

Resources
American Veterinary Medical Association - FAQ about avian influenza.
Click Here To Visit Site

Centers for Disease Control - Information about human infection.
Click Here To Visit Site

World Health Organization - Avian influenza (" bird flu") – Fact sheet.
Click Here To Visit Site

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