WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Food and Drug Administration has expanded a recall and is alerting pet owners and veterinarians to the high levels of aflatoxin in some pet foods after 70 dogs died and more than 80 others became ill.
The dog food in question was identified as certain Sportmix products manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods. The products were voluntarily collected by the company on December 30, 2020, but Midwestern Pet Foods expanded the recall to include additional products that contain corn and were made at its Oklahoma plant on Tuesday, according to the FDA.
The impacted products have an expiration date equal to or before July 9, 2022 and have “05” on the date or lot code.
Aflatoxin is produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, the FDA said. It can grow on grains used as ingredients in pet food and, when high levels of aflatoxin are consumed, it can cause illness or death in pets.
Aflatoxin-poisoned pets may experience symptoms that include sluggishness, jaundice – a yellowish hue in the eyes or gums caused by liver damage – loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea, according to the FDA.
Even if a pet is not exhibiting any symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning, the FDA recommends that pet owners who have eaten the affected products contact their veterinarian – as this can cause liver damage in the long run.
Although the FDA says there is no evidence that pet owners who handled the affected foods are at risk of aflatoxin poisoning, it recommends that they always wash their hands after handling the feed.
The following foods added to the original recall are as follows, but the FDA says there are more than 1,000 batch codes affected, so they are not listed individually:
- Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 18 kg bag
- Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40 pound bag
- Splash Fat Cat 32%, 50 pound bag
- Better maintenance Nunn, 50 pound bag
- Sportmix Original Cat, 15 pound bag
- Sportmix Original Cat, 31 pound bag
- Sportmix maintenance, 44 pound bag
- Sportmix maintenance, 50 pound bag
- Sportmix High Protein, 50 pound bag
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 pound bag
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 pound bag
- Sportmix Stamina, 44 pound bag
- Sportmix Stamina, 50 pound bag
- Sportmix Bite Size, 40 pound bag
- Sportmix Bite Size, 44 pound bag
- Sportmix High Energy, 44 pound bag
- Sportmix High Energy, 50 pound bag
- Sportmix Premium Puppy, 16.5 pound bag
- Sportmix Premium Puppy, 33 pound bag
Customers can find the batch code on the back of the bag in a three-line code. The following dry pet food was flagged for recall on December 30:
Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 pound bag
- Exp 2/3/22/05 / L2
- Exp. 2/3/22/05 / L3
- Exp. 03/03/22/05 / L2
Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 pound bag
Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 pound bag
Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 pound bag
Sportmix Original Cat, 31 pound bag
Sportmix Original Cat, 15 pound bag
- Exp. 03/03/22/05 / L2
- Exp. 03/03/22/05 / L3
Pet owners can report suspected illnesses to the FDA electronically through its safety reporting portal or by calling the state consumer complaints coordinator. The FDA also offers a step-by-step guide for reporting a pet food complaint.
The investigation is ongoing and the scope of the recall could expand as new information becomes available, the FDA said.
The-CNN-Wire ™ and © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner company. All rights reserved.