Hartz recalls Vitamin Care for Cats

Health Alert: The Virginia Department of Health's foodborne disease epidemiologist has alerted members of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association to a pet vitamin recall. The FDA provides the following information:

"The Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily recalling a second specific lot of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats due to concerns that bottles within the lot may have been potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Hartz is fully cooperating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in this voluntary recall.

Hartz recalled a specific lot code of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats last November due to similar concerns. Both lot codes were manufactured for Hartz by UFAC (USA) Inc. in 2007, and were removed from distribution last November. However, bottles from the second lot had been shipped to customers prior to their having been removed from distribution.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, all of whom are at particular risk from exposure and should avoid handling these products.

Salmonella symptoms may include fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea in both cats and humans. Anyone experiencing the symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek immediate medical attention. Owners of cats exhibiting these symptoms should also seek veterinary assistance.

The product involved is 739 bottles of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats, lot code SZ 22771, UPC number 32700-97701. While normal testing conducted by Hartz and UFAC has not revealed the presence of Salmonella in any Hartz products, recent sampling conducted by the FDA did detect the presence of Salmonella.

Although the company has not received any reports of animals or humans becoming ill as a result of coming into contact with this product, Hartz is taking immediate steps to recover this product from consumers. Cat owners should check the lot code on their bottles, and, if the code is not visible, or if the bottle has lot code SZ 22771 or lot code SZ-16371 imprinted thereon, they should immediately discontinue use of the product and discard it in a proper manner.

Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 with any questions they may have and to obtain reimbursement for purchased product."

Q: My dog keeps getting ear infections. Medications seem to help less and less. What can I do-

A: There are many causes of ear infections in dogs, so it is important to have your veterinarian diagnose the precise type of infection before beginning treatment. Most ear infections in dogs involve the external ear canal, however some also involve the middle or inner compartments of the ear. Mites, yeast, and several different types of bacteria can infect the external ear canal. Proper treatment depends upon accurate diagnosis.

To determine the cause of infection your veterinarian will want to examine some ear discharge under a microscope. For repeat, severe, or persistent infections, a culture is usually sent to a laboratory. The culture not only determines the organism involved, but also the appropriate drug to use.

Many modern canine ear infections have become resistant to ordinary antibiotics. This is partially due to inappropriate use by both pet owners and veterinarians. Using topical antibiotics sporadically or for short periods of time drastically increases the risk your dog may develop an antibiotic-resistant infection. The resulting "super-bugs" could be a serious health risk to two-legged members of your family. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that are known causes of dangerous infections in people (including Staph, E.coli, and Pseudomonas) are now routinely cultured from the ear canals of dogs. The danger is even greater when these germs develop resistance to second tier drugs, a more and more common occurrence since the introduction of topical Baytril. (I personally believe these drugs should be reserved only for aggressive infections that absolutely cannot be treated with other medications. A culture is a mandatory prerequisite for Baytril use in my practice… and the culture usually documents an acceptable alternative.)    
When a treatment involves antibiotics, the therapy should continue for a period of 2-6 weeks depending upon the species of yeast or bacteria that is being treated. Your veterinarian should recheck the deep portion of the ear canal before treatment is discontinued to ensure complete eradication of the infection. 

Finally, many ear infections are only secondary to underlying problems. Most commonly, these infections are the result of underlying seasonal allergies, food sensitivities, or water trapped in the ear. By treating the underlying cause, many otherwise persistent infections will resolve spontaneously. In fact, most yeast infections and many bacterial infections can be prevented or treated without ever using antibiotics. 
Watts contact info

Dr. Watts is a companion animal general practitioner and owner of Clevengers Corner Veterinary Care. He can be reached through ClevengersCorner.com or by calling 428-1000.