WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Food and Drug Administration has extended a recall, warning pet owners and veterinarians about high levels of aflatoxin in some pet foods after 70 dogs are said to have died and more than 80 others fell ill.
The dog food in question has been identified as certain Sportmix products manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods. The products were voluntarily recalled by the company on Dec. 30, 2020, but Midwestern Pet Foods expanded the recall to include additional products containing corn that were made at their Oklahoma facility on Tuesday, the FDA said.
Affected products have an expiry date on or before 9 July 2022 and have “05” in the date or lot code.
Aflatoxin is produced by the Aspergillus flavus fungus, the FDA said. It can grow on grains used as an ingredient in pet food, and when consumed at high levels of aflatoxin, it can cause illness or death in pets.
Pets poisoned by aflatoxin may show symptoms such as sluggishness, jaundice – a yellowish hue in the eyes or gums caused by liver damage – loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea, the FDA said.
Even if a pet does not show any symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning, the FDA recommends that pet owners who have pets that have eaten the affected products contact their veterinarian as it can cause long-term liver damage.
While the FDA says there is no evidence that pet owners who have handled the affected food are at risk for aflatoxin poisoning, it recommends that they always wash their hands after handling pet food.
The following foods added to the original recall are as follows, but the FDA says there are more than 1,000 affected batch codes, so they are not listed separately:
- Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 40lb bag
- Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40lb bag
- Splash Fat Cat 32% 50lb bag
- Nunn Better Maintenance 50lb bag
- Sports Mix Original Cat, 15lb bag
- Sports Mix Original Cat, 31lb bag
- Sports Mix Maintenance, 44lb bag
- Sports Mix Maintenance, 50lb bag
- Sports Mix High Protein, 50lb bag
- Sports Mix Energy Plus, 44lb bag
- Sports Mix Energy Plus, 50lb bag
- Sports Mix Stamina, 44lb bag
- Sports Mix Stamina, 50lb bag
- Sports mix Bite Size, 40 pound bag
- Sports mix Bite Size, 44 pound bag
- Sports Mix High Energy, 44lb bag
- Sports Mix High Energy, 50lb bag
- Sportmix Premium Puppy, 16.5lb bag
- Sportmix Premium Puppy, 33lb bag
Customers can find the lot code on the back of the bag in a three-line code. The following dry pet food was listed for recall on December 30:
Sports Mix Energy Plus, 50lb bag
- Exp 03/02/22/05 / L2
- Exp 03/02/22/05 / L3
- Exp 03/03/22/05 / L2
Sports Mix Energy Plus, 44lb bag
Sports Mix Premium High Energy, 50lb bag
Sports Mix Premium High Energy, 44lb bag
Sports Mix Original Cat, 31lb bag
Sports Mix Original Cat, 15lb 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 national consumer complaints coordinator. The FDA also provides a step-by-step guide for reporting a pet food complaint.
The investigation is ongoing, and the scope of the recall may expand as new information becomes available, the FDA said.
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