Christian Island, Ont., woman worries for her family's health after finding dead mouse in bagged milk

WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.

In Shaylynn Marsden's household, milk is a staple. With a three-year-old son who loves a glass before bed and with his meals, she can never have enough in the house.

That's why when one particular bag of milk felt heavier than normal, she knew something was wrong.

"I could see the tail and the hair, and I knew right away that it was a mouse," said Marsden, 28, who lives on Christian Island on Georgian Bay.

"That level of disgust was just unbelievable ... I literally wanted to gargle and drink bleach, that's how gross I felt," said Marsden, who works in social services.

On March 26, a little over a week after the bag was purchased, Marsden said she found the dead rodent near the bottom of the second Neilson TruTaste milk bag that came in a package of three — after she and her son, Onikaniw, had already finished one bag and some of the second bag, which contained the rodent.

Experts say that while this incident is disturbing, it's a rare occurrence. But to Marsden, the reassurance means little. She says she's lost trust in the institutions meant to safeguard food safety and is worried about the potential health consequences.

On the advice of Telehealth practitioners, Marsden says she's monitoring her son for any signs of sickness after already experiencing diarrhea herself. She says she's been told Onikaniw is at risk for worms. 

After he was diagnosed with asthma last year, she's worried about how exposure to a rodent might further impact his immune system.

"I'm kind of glad he doesn't understand what's happening — I'm taking that on for him as well."

Marsden filed an online complaint with the company on March 30.

Saputo, the company that owns Neilson Dairy, said in an email to CBC News it's aware of the complaint.

"While an issue like this is highly unlikely to occur at any of our facilities and we have not received any similar consumer complaints, we take all feedback seriously and will collaborate with the CFIA [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] as we look into it."

Ian Young, associate professor at the School of Occupational and Public Health at Ryerson University, said while the incident is disturbing, members of the public should still have faith in the country's food regulation system.