Mars Petcare US Inc. has voluntarily recalled two of its brands of dry dog food in states including New York and Pennsylvania, after the reports of the dog foods with a rare strain of salmonella came out.

The company admitted on its website that the dog food might be tainted with Salmonella Schwarzengrund. Salmonella is a potentially lethal type of food poisoning substance with symptoms, such as fever, abdominal pain, nausea, gas and bloody diarrhea. It can infect both pets and humans and symptoms usually appear in 36 hours. People with compromised immune systems, including young children and the elderly, are particularly susceptible to infection, which can be spread by handling the dog food or from infected animals.

The company also stated that some of the five-pound bags of Krasdale Gravy dry dog food sold in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania might also be involved. According to a statement distributed by the U.S. Food and Drug Association, 50-pound bags of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food sold in two Pennsylvania stores are being examined.

Mars Petcare, based in Franklin, Tennessee, started the voluntary recall when the FDA conducted tests on 150 samples of its dog food and two of them tested positive for Salmonella Schwarzengrund. The company issued a voluntary recall for the products on Aug. 21 and has posted consumer information about salmonella and safe handling guidelines on its Web site.

According to the company statement, the infected dog food has the UPC codes 7513062596 and 4286900062. The Krasdale Gravy dry dog food had ``best by'' dates of July 16, 2008, and July 17, 2008, and the Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula had a ``best by'' date of July 12, 2008. These products have been blocked from retail sale. The recall came 15 days after the Pennsylvania Department of Health warned consumers in the state of the potential for salmonella-contaminated pet food and how to safely handle it.