Parents with young kids in their home often think to get things childproofed, with baby gates on stairs, locks on cabinets, and covers on electrical outlets.
If you have a pet in the home, you may be overlooking a common hidden danger to your child's health and safety. Even if you think about dog bites, cat bites, and dog allergies, many parents forget that dry pet food is a choking hazard to their infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children.
Choking Hazard
Dry pet food, especially dog food, is a choking hazard for young children.
Like coins, hard candy, and toys with small parts, dry pet food should be kept away from infants, toddlers, and younger preschool age children. That means that simply putting a bowl on the floor filled with pet food would not be a good idea, since your child could easily get to it. Instead, feed your pet in a childproofed room of the house.
Pet Food Recalls
In addition to the more obvious choking hazard of dry pet food, there is the more hidden hazard that parents may not be aware of -- the recalls of pet food because of contamination with Salmonella. According to the CDC, as of October 2008, there have been 79 cases of Salmonella infections in 21 states from contaminated dog and cat food. And most involve young children, with a median age of infection of only 3 years of age. Many developed Salmonella symptoms, including bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, and cramping abdominal pain.
That is not to say that they are all getting sick by eating pet food. Another source of contamination may simply be touching the contaminated pet food and then eating something else before washing their hands or simply putting their fingers in their mouth.
Pet Food Safety
Since there have been at least 13 recall announcements involving 135 pet products since 2006 and there is always the danger of choking from dry pet food, parents should take steps to keep their family safe when feeding their pets, including:
- washing their hands after handling pet food and their pets feeding dish
- not leaving pet food unattended where a young child can get to it
- avoid putting pet food and feeding dishes in the kitchen where you prepare food for the family
- checking the floor for leftover pet food after your dog or cat eats
Also, to keep both your family and pet safe, monitor the FDA for recalls and safety alerts about pet food.
Sources:
CDC. Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella infections caused by contaminated dry dog food---United States, 2006--2007. MMWR 2008;57:521--4.
CDC. Update: Recall of Dry Dog and Cat Food Products Associated with Human Salmonella Schwarzengrund Infections --- United States, 2008.
