# Salmonella och rå kyckling Author: gwen Hittade detta på: **[http://www.ferretnews.com/issues/ferret-news-107.html](http://www.ferretnews.com/issues/ferret-news-107.html)** **Can Your Ferret Give You _Salmonella_?** **By Mary R. Shefferman**   Many of you have read the [recent news reports](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5417a3.htm) about children getting sick from _Salmonella_ that they got from pet rodents (hamsters, mice). Some of the news stories included ferrets in the list of animals that can carry _Salmonella_. Is it true?   Yes. Many animals can carry _Salmonella_. However, some animals are more likely than others to carry the bacteria and pass it to humans. These are reptiles (e.g., lizards, snakes, turtles), baby chicks, and ducklings. Other animals that have been found to pass _Salmonella_ to people are dogs, cats (kittens), birds, horses, hedgehogs, and farm animals.   If _Salmonella_ occurs in so many different animals, what's the big deal? It's a big deal for children and the elderly or for people who have compromised immune systems or who are otherwise ill. _Salmonella_ poisoning (salmonellosis) may require hospitalization. Although most people who come down with salmonellosis get it from eating food (eggs or chicken) that is contaminated with the _Salmonella_ bacteria, people can get it from handling the feces of infected animals or handling the animals after they might have stepped in the feces. Often, an animal that has salmonellosis will have diarrhea or appear ill; however, that is not always the case. **Information on salmonellosis in humans** [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salmonellosis\_g.htm](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salmonellosis_g.htm)   The best way to avoid getting _Salmonella_ from a pet is to make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling the animal. If you have children, teach them from a young age to wash their hands after handling animals. If a child is too young to be responsible for washing his or hands, that child must be closely supervised when he or she is around animals.   Not all rodents or baby chicks or ferrets are going to have _Salmonella_. But it's best not to take chances, especially when prevention is as simple as washing your hands. Be especially careful if any of your pets are sick with diarrhea. Ferrets have been known to show symptoms of salmonellosis (diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain) if they are infected. **If your ferret is ill, take him to the vet. Diarrhea is very serious in ferrets.** Also, if you think your ferret might have been infected with _Salmonella_ be sure to clean every surface he comes in contact with and to be extra careful with litter boxes and cleaning up any "mistakes."   **Many ferret enthusiasts like to feed their ferrets raw diets. This is fine. Make sure any meat you feed your ferret is something you would eat yourself. "Questionable" meat is not appropriate for pets. Some of the _Salmonella_\-infected rodents mentioned in the recent news reports were feeder mice. If you feed your ferrets pinkies, be sure to get them from a reputable source. Always keep an eye out for any signs that your ferret might be ill. Always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat or feeder mice.**   Of course, even if you feed your ferret a live or raw diet, it doesn't mean he will get or is carrying _Salmonella_. It does mean he may be more likely to be exposed to _Salmonella_. However, if you handle raw meat, you're probably more likely to be exposed to _Salmonella_, too. Keep it in perspective. Just wash your hands.   The main concern with the occurrence of _Salmonella_ in pocket pets (like hamsters, mice, or even ferrets) is that usually children are the ones who handle these animals most. They are also less likely than adults to reliably wash their hands after handling the animals. Thus, they are more likely to get sick if the animal has _Salmonella_. It is a parent's responsibility to ensure their children learn safe and sanitary practices.   Any child who is too young to responsibly wash his or her hands after handling an animal should not be left alone with an animal. An adult must be present (preferably in physical contact!) at all times to ensure that the child washes his or her hands. If you can't guarantee that someone responsible will be there or that the child will be responsible for himself or herself, the child should not be allowed to interact with any pets (that's why there's Gund!).   For adults, hand-washing should be automatic after touching any pet -- whether it is yours or someone else's. Hand-washing should also be automatic after cleaning up pet "mistakes" or cleaning litter boxes or any surface that might have come into contact with pet feces.   _Salmonella_ poisoning is not something to be taken lightly. It can make children -- and even adults -- very sick. It can also make your pet sick. If you notice any signs of illness in your pet, take him to see a qualified veterinarian. If you or your child is showing any [signs of salmonellosis](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salmonellosis_g.htm), see a doctor. ## Comment 1 Author: gwen Satte det intressantaste som **BOLD.** ## Comment 2 Author: gwen På en annan sida hittade jag följande: [http://www.texasferret.org/news/199706.shtml](http://www.texasferret.org/news/199706.shtml) **Salmonella:** Can easily be caught by both humans and ferrets; causes severe gastrointestinal upset. Could be transmitted by reptiles. Do NOT feed your ferrets raw eggs or raw chicken, which both carry salmonella. Those who have caught salmonella can potentially spread it. ## Comment 3 Author: gwen **En annan artikel om hur folk resonerar om salmonella och rått kött i USA, lite amerikansk artikel kanske. Mer början är intressant... :-)** **[http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0602&L=ferret-search&T=0&O=D&P=45020](http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0602&L=ferret-search&T=0&O=D&P=45020)** **Date:**    Fri, 17 Feb 2006 13:36:28 -0500 **From:**    Sukie Crandall <[\[log in to unmask\]](http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?LOGON=A2%3Dind0602%26L%3Dferret-search%26T%3D0%26O%3DD%26P%3D45020)\> **Subject:** diet: weigh risks then decide for yourself **While the risk of contracting diseases or having injuries from raw meat and bones is low, it does exist.  The problem is that when it happens the diseases encountered are so often very difficult to treat and too often fatal.  If a person checks in the FML and FHL Archives there will be repeated comments found by at least a half dozen vets (having counted them in the past) on just how hard it is to save a ferret with salmonella, how bad intestinal avian TB can be to treat, how death of all potentially infected animals is typical (and in many countries mandatd) with intestinal bovine TB, and even how an E.  coli infection is too often not a walk in the park. ** Choices are individual.  Read fully, especially things by the veterinary experts, on both sides of this topic, weigh the risks, and then make your own choices.  For some reason the closest thing many food discussions too often parallel in posters' behavior after a while is discussions on religious choices, and often with the same pitfalls (sadly not joking). Just know that it is your choice and there is nothing which is perfect. Our own personal choice is not to feed raw because even with a low infection rate I know too danged much about the illnesses involved, but others will make entirely different choices, and making one's own choices on this at this stage of lack of reputable information is akin to there being nothing wrong with a person choosing to be an Animist, or a Muslim, or a Buddhist, or a Jew, or a Christian, or... In other words, without enough data a lot of what anyone chooses if based on faith, no matter how the person may paint it.  It is a personal choice, hopefully based on information about the ups and the downs of each of the possible choices, and hopefully then the person making her or his own selection with an open mind and tolerance. As Darwin wrote (but he looked at the other side of the "The more I know, the more I realize that there is to learn." equation: "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." \-- Sukie (not a vet) Ferret Health List co-moderator [http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth](http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth) FHL Archives fan [http://ferrethealth.org/archive/](http://ferrethealth.org/archive/) replacing [http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org](http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/) International Ferret Congress advisor [http://www.ferretcongress.org](http://www.ferretcongress.org/) \[Posted in FML issue 5157\] ## Comment 4 Author: gwen Ytterligare en veterinärs kommentarer om risker med BARF: There are sevral problems with BARF diets. You brought up one of the main problems: ie infections from the raw food. A. Tuberculosis: The ferret appears to be highly susceptible to starins of Mycobacterium avain, bovine, and human. They can be infected through unpasteurized milk, raw poultry, and raw meat. Chicken offal could be a source of infection. Yes, this is a zoonotic disease. B. Salmonella: Salmonella is very common in chickens. In a Canadian Vet Journal there was a study testing BARF diets for Salmonella. 80% of the food samples were positive, and 30% of the dogs on the Barf diet had positive salmonella fecal samples. Yes, this a zoonotic disease. C. E. coli is also very common in chickens. This is also a zoonotic disease. http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG6619 ## Comment 5 Author: gwen Dock är detta amerikansk info (och kanadensisk?) så all info är kanske inte applicerbar på oss i sverige. ## Comment 6 Author: sarae Salmonellainfektion sprids genom livsmedel. Feber, magont och diarré är de vanligaste symtomen. Besvären går oftast över av sig själv.  Drick mycket vätska. När du tillfrisknat kan du fortfarande vara smittbärare i flera veckor. Var noga med den personliga hygienen. Det finns över 2 000 varianter av salmonella. Bakterierna finns hos olika djurslag över hela världen, till exempel nötkreatur, gris, hönsfåglar, vilda fåglar, ormar och sköldpaddor. Djuren har oftast inga sjukdomssymtom. Bakterien Salmonella typhi förekommer bara hos människor. I Sverige upptäcks cirka 4 000 fall av salmonellainfektion varje år. Över 80 procent har smittats vid utlandsresa. Smittan överförs oftast med förorenade livsmedel där bakterierna fått växa till i bland annat kött och äggprodukter. Även förorenade grönsaker kan smitta. Bakterierna dör vid kokning eller genomstekning. Oftast krävs en ganska stor mängd bakterier för att man ska bli sjuk, men personer med nedsatt immunförsvar, äldre och små barn är mer mottagliga för smitta. [http://www.vardguiden.se/Article.asp?ArticleID=3067](http://www.vardguiden.se/Article.asp?ArticleID=3067) salmonella finns även i nöt kött och griskött....alltså bör man utesluta allt som kommer från djurvärlden i en illers diet? ## Comment 7 Author: Robinsnel NEJ! Risken med SVENKT kött är yttepytteliten! Don't worry... \*hoppas MarieB kanske har nåt o säga här\*? ## Comment 8 Author: sarae #7 hon har redan sagt det i tråden BARF ;) och jag håller med...mindre en 1% av alla djur som används till mänskilig konsumtion bär på salmonella....då är risken större att de får andra sjukdommar ## Comment 9 Author: Robinsnel jo jag såg precis det.. är nöjd o ska hålla tyst.. ## Comment 10 Author: sarae haha du kan ju försöka ;) ## Comment 11 Author: gwen #8> Jag tycker iofs att "mindre än 1% av alla djur för mänsklig konsumtion" i sverige  som bär på salmonella är rätt stor procentsats. Men men... Visst, risken att de får andra sjukdomar är större. Men så är det även för oss, att risken att vi får salmonella är rätt liten, men den finns ändå och därför passar vi männsikor oss för rå kyckling mm... Nu lägger jag ned denna tråd. Men jag ville iaf visa vilken syn de har på illrar och rå kyckling i USA och andra länder. :) ## Comment 12 Author: sarae ja men att de har sån syn på det utmlands har jag full förståelse för! inget snack om saken,..men ändå finns det många många djurägare som ger sina djur rå kyckling utomlands, Rå kyckling är ofta en av grundstenarana i BARF...sen har djur en anna tarm flora än vi och ett annat imunförsvar. saker som vi är väldigt känsliga för är många djur nästintill okänsliga för och vice versa. men vi är nog alla medvetna om att salmonella finns och inte är någon myt ## Comment 13 Author: Faxlin Jag anser så här. Att risken för att mina illrar ska få salmonella av kyckling är liten. Men ärligt talat så tar jag den inte själv. Mina får inte äta kyckling. Men jag anser att det är upp till var och en vad man chansar med.