It is estimated that 43 million (36%) U.S. households own dogs,
and 36 million (30%) own cats (AVMA, 2012). The large numbers of
households that handle pet food makes this class of products a
crucial player in the control of foodborne zoonotic diseases that can
affect both pets and their owners. In the last decade dry pet food
and dry treats have been responsible for several salmonellosis
outbreaks and large-scale product recalls (CDC, 2008; FDA, 2015).
Human illness could be attributable to direct contact with
contaminated pet foods, exposure to cross-contaminated human
food items, direct or indirect contact with infected animals, or
house environments. Dogs and cats could become asymptomati-
cally colonized or infected, and shed Salmonella for 3e6 weeks, and
up to 3 months (Imanish and Rostein, 2014). However, little data are
available to quantify the risk posed by this class of products to both
pets and their owners. This includes a lack of information on Sal-
monella survival in this complex food matrix composed of
numerous ingredients including fats, proteins, and grains.