Research from the public health laboratory service shows some imported dogs chews could be infected with salmonella
Tests on imported dog chews made from hide have revealed thata significant number of them carried species of the salmonella bug, a cause of gastro-intestinal infection in humans.
The dangers are most acute for children who are likely to come into close contact with dogs and their chews.
The discovery by a team from the public health laboratory service based at Southampton General Hospital came as part of routine testing of imported animal hides.
The team found that hides from Thailand and China appeared to carry the most bugs.
Head of the team, Caroline Willis, said: ” The treatment of some of the hides from these countries was not what it should be – they should be baked at certain high temperatures and not just left in the sun to dry.”
She suggested that health warning should be printed on packs and that people should be aware of the problem.
However, she added that the numbers of potential infections from this source was “not very significant compared to those from food poisoning”.
