Pet treats made with raw meat, fish may carry salmonella

Health Beat, the Web log by Heather Lalley, has been hopping with topics lately. Check it out; you’ll be armed with plenty of conversation starters to ward off awkward silence that could arise during the long wait for the fireworks to start.

Scrub up after feeding Fluffy

Here’s a new thing to worry about:

You could contract salmonella after feeding your dog or cat a treat, according to a WebMD story.

The CDC reports that nine people in Washington and western Canada have gotten sick in recent years after handing out treats made from raw beef and salmon.

What’s more, the CDC says, there may have been “hundreds of other infections” that weren’t reported.

So, what’s a pet owner to do? Wash your hands after handing out the treats. People at increased risk of infection (young children, seniors and those with weakened immune systems) should skip treat duty.

Or, you could seek out treats that don’t contain raw fish or meat. Or, just train your dog or cat to get its own treats.

‘He loves Fluff as much as the next legislator’

There’s a debate raging in Massachusetts. Not over the Iraq war. Or tax reform. Or Medicare.

The “kerfuffle,” as the Associated Press notes, is over Marshmallow Fluff. The sticky white confection is what turns a plain peanut butter sandwich into a Fluffernutter sandwich. And those sandwiches are apparently served with great frequency in Massachusetts schools. (It’s the state where Marshmallow Fluff originated.)

One legislator wants to limit Fluffernutters to one day a week to stem the childhood obesity epidemic.

But critics are assaulting him as anti-Fluff, prompting his aide to make this pronouncement: He loves Fluff as much as the next legislator.

Another legislator (and I am not making this up) vows to make the Fluffernutter the official state sandwich, saying: “I’m going to fight to the death for Fluff.”

All of this makes me ask one question: Why, in the name of all that’s good and holy, did I not grow up in Massachusetts? I would’ve picked a Fluffernutter over soggy fries and mystery meat any day.

Also on the blog

• Refugees in Chicago are being given a “crash course on American diets.”

• Increases in depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in the region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

• Outbreaks of measles and mumps means it’s a good time to study up on these infectious diseases.

• You don’t have to be overweight to develop Type 2 diabetes, a new study reports.