Pet owners and veterinarians are being warned about recalled Sportmix pet food products now linked to the deaths of more than 70 dogs and the illnesses of 80 others.
Midwestern Pet Food is expanding its recall of dog and cat foods sold online by retailers across the country as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins.
Midwestern, based in Evansville, Indiana, is expanding an earlier recall to include all pet food manufactured at the company’s Oklahoma plant that contains corn and has an expiration date on or before July 9, 2022.
The recalled products include “05” in the date / lot code, indicating that they were made at the Oklahoma factory. More than 1,000 lot codes are involved.
The company only called back in December determined much of his Sportmix product after the death of at least 28 canines and the diseases of eight others. The Missouri Department of Agriculture has tested multiple 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 can be present even if there is no visible mold, the agency warned.
Pets with aflatoxin poisoning may have symptoms such as sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowish hue of the eyes or gums due to liver damage) and diarrhea. Pets can also suffer liver damage without showing any symptoms.
“The FDA is issuing this advisory report to alert the public to the potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins in Midwestern pet food products that may still be on store shelves, online, or in the homes of pet owners,” stated the office in a warning posted Monday.
“We are continuing to thoroughly review our facilities and practices in full collaboration with the FDA,” the nearly 100-year-old company said in a statement Tuesday. “Until recently, in our long history, we have never had a recall.”
Customers with questions can reach a call center with licensed veterinarians at (800) 474-4163, ext. 455, or email [email protected], Midwestern said.