Pet owners and veterinarians are being alerted to Sportmix’s recall of pet food products, now related to the deaths of more than 70 dogs and the illnesses of another 80.
Midwestern Pet Food is expanding its recall of cat and dog food sold online by retailers across the country, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins.
Midwestern, based in Evansville, Indiana, is extending a previous recall to include all pet food manufactured at the company’s Oklahoma plant containing corn and with an expiration date of July 9, 2022 or earlier.
The collected products include “05” in the date / lot code, which identifies them as having been made at the Oklahoma plant. More than 1,000 batch codes are affected.
The company in December recalled only certain lots of your Sportmix product after the death of at least 28 canines and the diseases of eight others. The Missouri Department of Agriculture tested several product samples and found high levels of aflatoxins, which are toxins produced by fungi that can cause death and illness in pets, according to the FDA.
The toxins may be present even if there is no visible mold, the agency warned.
Pets with aflatoxin poisoning may experience symptoms such as sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowish tint in the eyes or gums due to liver damage) and diarrhea. Pets can also suffer liver damage without showing symptoms.
“The FDA is issuing this warning to notify the public of the potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins in pet food products from the Midwest that may still be on store shelves, online or in pet owners’ homes,” he said. the agency in an alert posted on Monday.
“We are continuing a thorough review of our facilities and practices in full cooperation with the FDA,” the nearly 100-year-old company said in a statement. “Until recently, throughout our long history, we have never had a product recall.”
Customers with questions can contact a licensed veterinarian call center at (800) 474-4163, extension 455, or email [email protected], Midwestern said.