Thursday December 31, 2020
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is warning pet owners that Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. is recalling certain Sportmix dog and cat food lots due to tests indicating levels of Aflatoxin exceeding acceptable limits.
CNN reports that the toxins in the food are linked to 28 dog deaths and eight others were sick.
Products were distributed nationally to online distributors and stores.
Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, which can grow on corn and other grains used as an ingredient in pet food. At high concentrations, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets.
The lot code information can be found on the back of the bag and appears in a three line code, with the top line in the format “EXP 03/03/22/05 / L # / B ### / HH: MM “. The recalled lot codes are as follows:
50 # Sportmix Energy Plus Lot Exp 03/02/22/05 / L2, 03/02/22/05 / L3, 03/03/22/05 / L2
44 # Sportmix Energy Plus Lot 03/02/22/05 / L3
50 # Sportmix Premium High Energy Lots 03/03/22/05 / L3
44 # Sportmix Premium High Energy Lots 03/03/22/05 / L3
31 # Sportmix Original Cat Lots 03/03/22/05 / L3
15 # Sportmix Original Cat Lots 03/03/22/05 / L2, 03/03/22/05 / L3
If your pet shows signs of aflatoxin poisoning including sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowish tinge of the eyes, gums, or skin due to liver damage) and / or diarrhea, contact a veterinarian immediately. Provide a complete nutritional history to your vet. It may be helpful to take a photo of the pet food label, including the lot number.
Pet owners should not feed the recalled products to their pets or other animals.
Contact Midwestern Pet Foods Consumer Affairs at 800-474-4163, ext. 455 from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday, or by email at [email protected] For more information.