At the urging of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily recalling one specific lot of its product, Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats. On November 5, 2007, during routine tests, the FDA discovered that the supplements may possibly be contaminated with Salmonella. The Hartz Company of Baconton, Georgia is fully cooperating on the recall.
Who Is At Risk?
Salmonella is a bacterial organism that can cause serious infections in animals, young children, frail and elderly adults as well as those who have weakened immune systems. Anyone who falls into one of these categories is at risk and needs to avoid exposure to or handling of these cat supplements.
How Does Salmonella Cause Disease?
Salmonella is an intestinal disease spread by bacteria. After the food, or in this case the vitamin, is eaten or taken it passes into the intestines and binds to the intestinal walls. Through some special proteins it creates, it can penetrate the bloodstream.
Once it is inside, it can travel to the liver or spleen. Other types of intestinal bacteria would normally be killed by this process. However, Salmonella has evolved to escape the immune system's function to destroy it. When the Salmonella reaches the liver or spleen it can grow again and be released back into the intestines. At that point, some will be expelled in diarrhea while others will continue the growth process for up to 5 to 7 days.
Once the Salmonella bacteria are expelled from the body, however, they can survive in soil, ground water or rivers to infect the next animal or human that comes along. Because cats use litter boxes and the outdoors, owners who have used this product need to be extremely careful.
What Can You Do to Prevent Salmonella infections?
The best way to prevent the spread of Salmonella is by using safe hygiene. If your cat has used this product and typically goes outdoors, make sure to keep them inside for at least a week.
- Dispose your cat's litter daily in plastic bags that have been tied securely.
- Put the trash bags in your garbage can immediately.
- Disinfect your cat litter box and tools often.
- Wash your hands and any contact surfaces with soap and water frequently.
What Are the Symptoms of Salmonella?
Salmonella symptoms can occur in both cats and humans. There are four major symptoms.
- Fever
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
If cat owners experience any of these symptoms after using the Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats, they are advised to seek immediate medical attention. Cats who exhibit any of these symptoms should be taken immediately to a veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.
How Do You Know if You Have the Affected Product?
The product involved is 3,600 bottles of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats, lot code SZ- 1637 1, UPC number 32700-97701, which was manufactured by a third party manufacturer, UFAC (USA), Inc., in Baconton, Georgia.
While normal testing conducted by Hartz and UFAC has not revealed the presence of Salmonella in any Hartz products, sampling conducted by the FDA did detect the presence of Salmonella. Hartz is aggressively investigating the source of the problem.
What Can You Do with the Affected Product?
Hartz has not received any reports yet that indicate any cats or people have become ill from the vitamin product in question. They are taking precautions to have retail stores and distribution centers remove it from shelves or online sales.
Cat owners should immediately stop using the product and dispose of it quickly and properly. Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 if they have questions or would like to be reimbursed for the purchased product.
Sources: Associated Press and Salmonella.org
Marika Ray, researcher and writer for Natural Cat Lovers, has 20 years of experience writing for advertising agencies, magazines and newspapers. She has researched many areas of natural health and has written website articles for nearly a decade. She is the caretaker of four cats she has nurtured using only natural remedies and behavior methods. She now shares news and tips on cat health [http://www.naturalcatlovers.com] care.
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