Pam

You may have heard about the recent E. Coli contamination scare that was reported a few days ago. Just in case you haven’t, here is a list of the 14 brands of bottled water that have been recalled due to possible contamination with E. Coli.

These dangerous brands of water include

  • 7-Eleven
  • Acadia
  • Acme
  • Big Y
  • Best Yet
  • Morning Fresh
  • Niagara
  • Nature’s Place
  • Pricerite, Shaw’s
  • Shoprite
  • Superchill
  • Western Beef Blue and Wegman’s

The manufacturing date range they are recalling is water bottled between June 10th and June 18th. If you have this brand of water and want to find out when it was bottled, look for the code on the bottle. All water that may be contaminated starts with an A or an F. The first digit after that is the number of the bottle in the production line, so you can just disregard that. What you are looking for follows this. The day, month and time follows this.

If you find that you have contaminated water and you don’t want to get rid of it, you must boil it for one minute and let it cool before drinking the water. E. Coli has the ability to develop when water becomes polluted with human or animal waste. If you find you have consumed water that contains E. Coli, visit your doctor if you start to feel ill. You surely understand why it is so dangerous to humans, but may not have heard what it can do to dogs and cats. When it comes to your pets, here is what can happen if they are exposed to E. Coli bacteria.

  1. Coli in Puppies and Kittens
  2. Coli exposure is especially dangerous to puppies and kittens, as it causes a condition called colibacillosis. This disease develops as a direct result of this. If a pregnant dog becomes infected with E. Coli, this bacteria has the ability to reach the bloodstream of the puppy as well, in utero. After birth, the puppy can also get it from its mother’s inflamed mammary glands.

When a dog has colibacillosis, this often leads to septicemia, or blood poisoning, as there are heightened levels of bacteria in the dog’s blood. Although more common among puppies and kittens, it can also happen in older dogs.

If you suspect that your dog or cat has been exposed to E. Coli, here are the warning signs of colibacillosis that you need to look for: depression, dehydration, lack of appetite, vomiting, rapid heart rate, weakness, lethargy, watery diarrhea, cold skin and bluish-colored mucous membranes.

If you find that your dog or cat has been exposed to E. Coli, take them to the veterinarian immediately. They will take blood, urine and possibly fecal samples to determine if they have been infected.

Puppies and kittens who have become infected are in grave danger, because of their undeveloped immune system. Affected puppies will become hospitalized, where they will receive special nursing care and antibiotics. This is essential step in saving the life of your pet.

If they are released from the hospital, you should make sure their activity is restricted, that they rest in their cage, and that you look after them and keep them warm. During this time, your veterinarian will monitor the health of your pet by taking blood samples to determine how much bacteria is still in their blood.

Save your dog or cat’s life by following this rule: When in doubt throw it out!