Can a dog or cat get salmon poisoning from raw salmon products?
Salmon poisoning is a yearly occurrence in the Pacific northwest when dogs eat the decomposed salmon that have spawned in the river or are lying on the banks. The organism, Neorickettsia helminthoeca, is a parasite found in the entrails of the fish, and a dog would have to eat or lick the guts to become sick. Symptoms are fever and bloody diarrhea 5 to 7 days after exposure, and these are easily treated with oral antibiotics. If left untreated, it can be fatal. THE PARASITE IS KILLED BY FREEZING OR COOKING. Only dogs are affected, not cats. Many cases of poisoning come from spawned fish or ones that a sport fisherman pulled in. The commercial fish used by Amor are professionally gutted, cleaned, and inspected.. They are then frozen to -30 degrees before being incorporated into Amor recipes.
