Kentucky father says his three children caught salmonella from class lizard
Taking classroom pets home for the weekend was a kindergarten ritual 40 years ago, along with the scurrying to find the bunny corpse behind the couch and returning it to class Monday morning.
It’s not dead. It’s sleeping. Tuckered out.
Jerry Curtsinger of Louisville, Kentucky, thought it would be a good idea if his kids could bring home the green anoles, a type of small, green lizard, that are apparently science class favorites.
Curtsinger said the problems began two weeks after his kids took home two lizards from school.
"Caden, our youngest, he got sick, and he had a fever of between 101 and 102.”
In the weeks that followed, Curtsinger and his two other children also became violently ill. And he said the doctor's diagnosis was salmonella.
Curtsinger learned about three out of four lizards carry salmonella. So he brought his concerns to the Jefferson County Public School District.
Lee Ann Nickerson, a science specialist with JCPS, said JCPS has a standard letter that is sent to all parents when their children want to adopt any kind of class pet, which outline the guidelines of each adoption and give some caretaking tips. After the Curtsinger family's salmonella episode, a new warning was inserted into that letter in bold italics.
Those classroom pets are now on double secret probation.
Nickerson said JCPS has been using lizards to demonstrate habitats in science class for several years, and this is the first time anyone has contracted salmonella from them. She also noted that other common pets, such as dogs, can also carry salmonella. Like lizards, they're perfectly safe as long as you practice proper handwashing when you handle them.
I’m sure that’s tremendously comforting to the Curtsinger’s of Kentucky.
Pet snakes and babies don't mix: 4-month-old hospitalized with Salmonella in UK
I don’t know what it is with parents in the U.K. letting pet snakes hang out with their babies.
For the third time in recent memory, a 4-month-old baby fell seriously ill with salmonella she caught from the family’s pet snake.
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The baby girl was admitted to intensive care at St Thomas Hospital with a fever and high heart rate in August, where hospital tests revealed she was suffering from a strain known as salmonella Arizona, which is commonly associated with snakes.
She has recovered since then and an investigation by environmental health officers at Sutton Council identified the most likely source to be the family’s two royal python snakes, which can carry the infection in their gut and spread it through their droppings.
The council has now issued a hygiene warning to owners of exotic reptiles, saying it is essential for them to wash hands thoroughly after handling a reptile and keep the animal away from anywhere food is prepared.
No doggie dining allowed in Wake county, NC
The Raleigh News & Observer reports today that Wake County health authorities have begun enforcing a no doggie-dining rule, an interpretation of a North Carolina state rule that prohibits pets from "a food preparation or storage area." The crackdown was apparently in response to a list of pet-friendly patios listed in the News & Observer last week.
Restaurateur Greg Hatem, questioned how health officials can regulate activity on sidewalks, where many of his restaurants have outdoor tables.
"I don't know how it would create any more of an environmental risk than people walking dogs by on the sidewalk," Hatem said. "If they want to regulate something, we have a lot of street vagrants hounding our guests who are probably more of an environmental risk than the puppies."
"We're certainly pet-friendly," Hatem said. "We're going to continue to be pet-friendly until we're told otherwise."
There are a number of potential risks including tripping, biting, dog fights, barking, allergies, and the transfer of dangerous microorganisms such as E. coli, Salmonella and Cryptosporidium. While pathogens can be transferred from pet-to-human and back and theoretically cause illness, there haven't been any patio-related outbreaks recorded.
Florida recently enacted rules permiting doggie dining with provisions to reduce pet and owner co-eating related risks; some restaurants have also set aside entire sections for doggie dining. Rules state that hand sanitizer be available, restaurant staff are not allowed to touch the pets while working and poop must be picked up promptly. Seems reasonable.
Salmonella can come from pets
Yesterday, a local story in a county newspaper in Texas carried the headline, “Salmonella can come from pets.”
The story reported, 
“Three cases of salmonella among children in Lubbock County since December 2008 are likely the result of exposure to reptiles, said Judy Davis, a spokeswoman for the city of Lubbock health department.”
The spokeswoman explained that handwashing is the key to preventing salmonella associated with reptiles and amphibians, such as snakes and turtles.
I just wanted to point out that, although less of a problem, handwashing is also important for preventing salmonella infections from furry pets.
In 1999, the CDC received reports from three state health departments of outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Salmonella serotype Typhimurium infections in employees and clients of small animal veterinary clinics and an animal shelter.
The CDC’s report stated,
“Salmonella infections usually are acquired by eating contaminated food [including produce and peanut butter]; however, direct contact with infected animals, including dogs and cats, also can result in exposure and infection.”
Doug and Phebus, at the end of the lengthy video (from September 2008) below, also recommend washing your hands after handling food and treats for your pets… especially when they’ve been recalled.
Dog treats continue to sicken in U.S., Australia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to caution consumers of a potential association between the development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky products also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats.
FDA continues to receive complaints of dogs experiencing illness that their owners or veterinarians associate with consumption of chicken jerky products. The chicken jerky products are imported to the U.S. from China. FDA issued a cautionary warning to consumers in September 2007.
Australian news organizations report the University of Sydney is also investigating an association between illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky in Australia. At least one firm in Australia has recalled their chicken jerky product and the recall notification stated the chicken jerky product was manufactured in China.
FDA believes the continued trend of consumer complaints coupled with the information obtained from Australia warrants an additional reminder and animal health notification.
Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be used occasionally and in small quantities. Owners of small dogs must be especially careful to limit the amount of these products. … FDA has conducted extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified any contaminant.
Cats eating better than their owners
I’ve just started my first year of veterinary school, and after only two days into the program, I’ve been contacted by at least five pet food companies touting their premium pet food that is healthy for pets and tasty as well. I suppose that pets enjoy the variety of flavors, but a new study from Australia suggests it’s doing more harm than good.
Deakin University scientist Dr Giovanni Turchini has discovered an estimated 2.48 million tonnes of forage fish - a limited biological resource - is consumed by the global cat food industry each year.
This puts cats ahead of people as far as consumption rates go; pet cats are eating an estimated 13.7 kilograms of fish a year, which far exceeds the Australian average (human) per capita fish and seafood consumption of around 11 kilograms.
Just as obesity has become a major epidemic among Americans, it is also an epidemic among pets. These tasty canned foods with enticing flavors such as “shredded yellowfin tuna fare” only encourage pets to grow wider around the belly all while pet food companies continue to cook up new ideas for making cats want their food.
What happened to cats eating regular dry food? Though, even the dry food goes overboard for Fancy Feast, which touts three different flavors for the finicky cat. With the slogan of “A bowl full of ‘I love you,’” Fancy Feast has definitely gone overboard in pampering cats. If you love your pet, then why are you feeding it a high-fat meal?
The luxury products containing fish unfortunately are contributing to the overfishing problem worldwide.
Michelle Mazur: Cloning pets not for me
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BioArts International is behind a project called Best Friends Again where they’ve developed a commercial method to clone dogs. They’ve launched a “Golden Clone Giveaway,” in which owners send in a 500-word essay about why their dog would be the best dog to be cloned. The winner will be chosen June 30th, and their pet will be cloned for free.I work at a local vet clinic in Wichita, Kansas, and most clients I talk with say they would be delighted to have the chance to clone their beloved dog. Not me. Cloned pets can come with a ton of medical problems, and there’s a pretty good chance that they won’t have the same personality at the original dog. There’s no guarantee that cloned Fluffy will be as good as original Fluffy, and may leave an even larger hole in the owner’s heart. I can’t imagine going through the heartbreak of cloning my dog, Joey. Yes, I said heartbreak.
Joey is a six-year-old West Highland white terrier. This breed is well known for being prone to allergies, however Joey is completely without. He is incredibly healthy and happy; I really couldn’t ask for a better dog. But once he passes away, I plan to act like a normal person and cope with my grief. Coping will not include sending a DNA sample to Best Friends Again in California. Most likely, I would be sent a rambunctious little devil that bears no similarities to Joey, other than physical appearance. This terror dog will quickly ruin any memories of Joey that I had.
I can’t imagine a more perfect dog to be cloned than Joey, but I’ll save my money and tears and instead adopt one of the many thousands of dogs at animals shelters all across the nation.
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Salmonella in pet turtles in Korea
The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) reports that salmonella has been found in 13 percent of pet turtles that have been sold at aquariums, retail outlets and Internet shopping malls.The story says that according to statistics from the Korea Customs Service (KCS), nearly 200,000 pet turtles were imported last year. However, there is no regulation on their sales.
Recently the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported on the death of a 3-week-old Florida infant who, along with 21 other small children across the U.S., were sickened by a strain of Salmonella Pomona associated with small pet turtles over an 8-month period from 2006 to 2007.
I've reported on my own experiences with pet turtles.
And in Nov. 2006, Pam Anderson apparently filmed a movie, co-starring Denise Richards, and her pet turtle wouldn't stop farting.
