I follow a blog called Proud Dog Mom and recently received a post about Pig Ear Dog Treats Making Humans Sick.  The FDA is investigating and urging all pet owners to stop buying and feeding their pets the pig ears and urging retailers to stop selling them.  The CDC is now reporting 127 cases of human infection with Salmonella — 26 people have been hospitalized. Of the illnesses, 24 (that’s 21%) are among children younger than 5 years old. No deaths have been reported at this time.

Tips for pet parents:

• Do not feed any pig ear to your dog.
• If you have pig ear dog treats in your home, throw them away in a safe container so no pets or other animals can get them.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling pet meals and treats. This includes pig ears.
• Clean items in your home that may have come into contact with contaminated pig ears — like floors. 
• Did you know animals can actually shed the bacteria? That’s why it’s important to pick up and dispose of your dog’s poop in your yard and public parks where people or other animals may become exposed.
• Children younger than 5 should not touch or eat dog food or treats, according to health officials.

A Statement From The CDC
“State health and regulatory officials in several states and the FDA have tested pig ear dog treats at various suppliers and identified many different strains of Salmonella. No single supplier, distributor or common brand of pig ear treats has been identified that could account for all the illnesses. This is why CDC and FDA are now advising people to not buy or feed any pig ear dog treats to pets.”

“Maggie wanted Jake’s bone even though she got one to”.  “Then she was blowing me kisses after yelling at me”.  “As you can see, she doesn’t have her scarf on because Jake tore it off of her!”