CDC: Pig ear dog treats are making people sick

July 5 (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and local health officials are investigating salmonella outbreaks in 13 states that may have been caused by pig ear dog treats.

A salmonella outbreak linked to pig ear dog treats has infected 45 people, including 12 who were hospitalized, in 13 states, according to a CDC report Wednesday.

Those states are California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

Reports of illnesses linked to salmonella began on Nov. 18, 2018, and continued through June 13, officials said.

The CDC said it interviewed 34 people who had touched their dogs before becoming sick, along with 17 other people who reported feeling ill after either touching pig ear dog treats or the dogs who ate treats.

In June, the CDC released a similar warning after a salmonella outbreak linked to chickens and other backyard poultry infected more than 200 people.

And last Friday, federal health officials recalled papayas after reports linked the fruit to a salmonella outbreak that led to 62 illnesses and 23 hospitalizations.

The agency advises people not to allow dogs to lick their faces or any open wounds. It also warns people to wash their hands after handling unpackaged dog treats.

To avoid salmonella, the CDC warns people not to feed raw diets, which include pig ear treats, to dogs.

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, which usually start between 12 to 72 hours after exposure and last between four and seven days.

Pregnant women, adults older than age 65, children younger than age 5 and those with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of suffering severe illness from the disease.