As if there were not enough things for parents to worry about, comes new information about the threat to children from salmonella found in pet food and dishes used to serve pet food.
A new report indicates that there have been dozens of salmonella infections in toddlers traced to pet food. The common thread is the pets were fed in the kitchen, where one presumes, toddlers were toddling around putting their hands in food bowls.
Thirty-two children over a two year period, 2006-2008, were infected with the particular strain found in the contaminated pet food.
The guidelines from the Centers from Disease Control offer some common sense ideas to limit exposure, which include feeding the pet away from human food preparation areas and even not bathing the family dog inside the family tub.
Being the mother of former toddlers, half the challenge of having pets and young children together is preventing the child from eating dog food and doing laps in the dog bowl. A relative says he always had his animals’ water bowl on the counter (cats, one would hope) because his toddler daughter would not and could not resist the temptation of spillage.
We thank the CDC from saving us from this threat and we will keep it in mind, but in the big picture, 32 children in two years getting sick is an extremely small number. I know, one is too many, but there is a tendency to fear things where the risks are minimal.
Use common sense, but don’t let the threat of salmonella keep one from bringing pets into the home and the lives of children.
