Canada faces Salmonella outbreak linked to dog food and treats

Photo: Pixel-Shot/Adobe Stock

Canadian health officials are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg, one of the serotypes of Salmonella bacteria, in 27 lab-confirmed people across the country. A number of people who fell ill reported handling dog food and treats, including kibble and dehydrated and freeze-dried treats, before becoming sick, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).¹

Thirteen cases were confirmed in Alberta, 12 in British Columbia, 1 in Ontario, and 1 in the Northwest Territories. So far, 6 people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

According to the health agency, the outbreak affected people between the ages of 0 and 87 years old, with the individuals falling ill between mid-February and mid-August 2025. Fifty-nine percent of the people are female.

To date, investigators have not identified a single common supplier of dog food or treats linked to the bacteria. The investigation is ongoing, PHAC said.

“More recent illnesses may continue to be reported in the outbreak because there is a period between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials,” PHAC said in its notice.¹ “For this outbreak, the illness reporting period is between 15 and 101 days.”

The health agency said the actual number of Salmonella cases in Canada is likely much higher, with the reported cases being only those that have been confirmed by laboratories. Researchers estimate that for each reported case of illness, there are 26 more cases that are not reported.¹

Canada is not the only country to experience Salmonella contamination linked to pet food products. This summer, US health officials identified Salmonella in some of Viva Raw’s raw cat and dog food lots, which the company voluntarily recalled on August 25.² However, no human or pet illness associated with the contamination was reported at the time.

Meanwhile, in July, the FDA warned pet owners against feeding their dogs certain lots of Darwin’s chicken and duck dog food after samples tested positive for Salmonella infantis and S. hadar.³ One sample of its beef dog food was also found to be positive for Escherichia coli. No human or pet illnesses were reported in connection with the Salmonella-positive products, but the E. coli strain in the beef dog food was genetically linked to a child’s illness that required hospitalization.

Earlier this year in April, kitten and puppy foods from Blue Ridge Beef were also voluntarily recalled due to Salmonella contamination after a pet illness complaint.³ No human illnesses associated with these contaminations were reported.

References

1. Public Health Notice: Outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to dog food and treats. News release. Public Health Agency of Canada. September 15, 2025. Accessed September 17, 2025. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/public-health-notices/2025/outbreak-salmonella-infections-dog-food-treats.html
2. McCafferty C. Viva Raw issues voluntary recall. dvm360. August 26, 2025. Accessed September 17, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/viva-raw-issues-voluntary-recall
3. Bautista-Alejandre A. FDA warns of contaminated dog food linked to serious infection in child. dvm360. July 30, 2025. Accessed September 17, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/fda-warns-of-contaminated-dog-food-linked-to-serious-infection-in-child
4. Coppock Crossley K. Kitten and puppy foods are voluntarily recalled. dvm360. April 15, 2025. Accessed September 17, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/kitten-and-puppy-foods-are-voluntarily-recalled