I stood in the kitchen of Mia Chen’s West Vancouver home, watching as she carefully measured kibble into her golden retriever’s bowl. The simple act of feeding a pet had become fraught with anxiety since she’d heard about the salmonella outbreak linked to dog food.
“Harper got so sick last month,” Mia explained, absently stroking her dog’s head. “At first, I thought she’d eaten something bad on our hike. Then I got sick too—fever, stomach cramps that kept me up all night. My doctor confirmed it was salmonella.”
Mia is one of 27 Canadians infected in a multi-province salmonella outbreak that health officials have now definitively linked to contaminated dog food. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed yesterday that cases have been identified across five provinces, with the majority concentrated in Ontario and British Columbia.
The outbreak has affected people ranging from 2 to 79 years old, with eleven requiring hospitalization. No deaths have been reported, but health officials warn the situation remains serious, particularly for vulnerable populations like young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
“What’s particularly concerning about this outbreak is how it’s transmitted,” explains Dr. Hannah Woodward, an infectious disease specialist at Vancouver General Hospital. “People aren’t getting sick from eating the dog food themselves. They’re contracting salmonella through cross-contamination—handling the food and then touching their mouth or preparing human food without proper handwashing.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued recalls for several brands of dry dog food manufactured at a facility in southern Ontario. While officials haven’t named all affected brands publicly, they confirmed that testing revealed Salmonella Typhimurium in multiple samples from the facility and in opened packages from homes of those infected.
At the Downtown Eastside Community Veterinary Clinic, I watched as veterinarian Dr. James Nguyen fielded a steady stream of calls from worried pet owners. “Dogs can actually carry salmonella without showing symptoms,” he explained between appointments. “That makes this particularly tricky because your pet might seem fine while still shedding bacteria in their feces.”
For Mia Chen, the experience has transformed how she handles her pet’s food. “I never thought feeding Harper could make me sick,” she said, demonstrating her new routine: washing hands before and after handling kibble, using a dedicated scoop that never touches human food surfaces, and disinfecting her counters after preparing Harper’s meals.
This outbreak follows a concerning pattern. Health Canada data shows animal-related salmonella infections have increased by 18% over the past five years. The agency attributes this partly to the pandemic pet boom, which introduced many first-time pet owners to animal care without necessarily educating them about zoonotic disease risks.
“We’re seeing a knowledge gap,” says Alicia Dubois, director of OneHealth British Columbia, an organization focused on the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health. “Many people don’t realize that pet food isn’t processed with the same safety standards as human food, despite often containing similar ingredients.”
In Markham, Ontario, the outbreak hit the Wilson family particularly hard. Three family members, including 4-year-old Emma, were hospitalized with severe dehydration after contracting salmonella.
“Emma loves helping feed our puppy,” her mother Jennifer told me by phone. “She’d scoop the kibble and then go straight to eating her own snack. We never thought twice about it.”
Health Canada recommends several precautions to prevent salmonella transmission from pet food:
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap after handling pet food or treats
- Store pet food separate from human food
- Use dedicated scoops that never touch human food preparation surfaces
- Clean all surfaces that come in contact with pet food
- Prevent young children from handling pet food
- Keep pets away from food preparation areas
Back in Vancouver, the outbreak has prompted deeper conversations about our relationship with pets and the potential health implications. At the Commercial Drive Farmers Market, I noticed a new vendor selling locally-made, human-grade dog food.
“Since the outbreak, our business has tripled,” explained owner Maya Krishnamurthy. “People are suddenly paying attention to what’s in their dog’s bowl. The irony is that commercial pet food has always carried these risks—it just took an outbreak for people to notice.”
For Mia Chen, the experience highlighted something more fundamental about our relationship with our pets. “Harper sleeps on my bed, licks my face, sheds on everything I own,” she said. “When you live that closely with an animal, their health directly impacts yours. I just never thought their food could be the connection that made us both sick.”
As Canada’s public health officials continue tracking this outbreak, they emphasize that proper hygiene, not panic, is the appropriate response. Most people recover from salmonella infection without antibiotics, though severe cases may require medical intervention. The infection typically causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps that last 4-7 days.
“We often focus on foodborne illness from restaurants or grocery stores,” Dr. Woodward noted. “This outbreak reminds us that health risks can come from unexpected places in our homes—even our beloved pets’ food bowls.”
