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FDA: Pet chews could be contaminated with salmonella
POSTED: 8:14 p.m. EDT, April 5, 2007
Story Highlights• FDA found salmonella in pet chew made by T.W. Enterprises
• Salmonella can cause infections in dogs, cats and people
• Pet chew contamination not related to nationwide recall tied to toxic wheat gluten
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(CNN) -- Pet owners need to avoid certain pet chews because they could be contaminated with salmonella, the Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday.

The contaminated product -- American Bullie A.B. Bull Pizzle Puppy Chews and Dog Chews -- was manufactured by T.W. Enterprises of Ferndale, Washington.

Consumers who have purchased the treats should "dispose of them in a safe manner (e.g., in a securely covered trash receptacle)," the FDA said in a written statement. (FDA statement)

Thursday's warning comes after the FDA tested packages of three different sizes of beef treats made by T.W. Enterprises and found salmonella in one of them.

Salmonella can cause infections in dogs, cats and people, and the bacteria can be transferred to people who handle the treats, especially if they do not wash their hands after handling the product, the FDA said.

Symptoms of salmonella infection in people include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. In rare cases, it can cause arterial infections, inflammation of the heart's lining, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms.

Symptoms in pets include diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some healthy pets can carry and transmit the infection, the FDA said.

The FDA warned consumers to contact their veterinarians if their pet has consumed the recalled product.

In 2005, T.W. Enterprises recalled dog and cat treats because they may have been contaminated with salmonella, according to its Web site.

Dog biscuits added to recall list
Also on Thursday, the FDA added dog biscuits to the nationwide recall of products that might be contaminated with potentially toxic wheat gluten. (Full story)

The recalled biscuits are made by Sunshine Mills of Red Bay, Alabama. (Details on recall)

Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans of wet pet food March 16 after melamine, which can be toxic in high doses, showed up in federal testing of some of its cat and dog foods.

Since then, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, Del Monte Pet Products and Hill's Pet Nutrition have also recalled some products.