US – US food and Drug administration is announcing a recall of certain lots of Sportmix pet food products after FDA was alerted about reports of at least 28 dogs that have died and eight that have fallen ill after consuming the recalled Sportmix pet food.
According to the report multiple product samples were tested by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and found to contain very high levels of aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus and at high levels it can cause illness and death in pets. The toxin can be present even if there is no visible mold.
FDA is issuing this advisory to notify the public about the potentially fatal levels of aflatoxin in pet food products that may still be on store shelves, online, or in pet owners’ homes.
FDA is conducting follow-up activities at the manufacturing facility.
Symptoms of Afloatoixin in pets is may experience symptoms such as sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes, gums or skin due to liver damage), and/or diarrhea. In some cases, this toxicity can cause long-term liver issues and/or death. Some pets suffer liver damage without showing any symptoms. Pet owners whose pets have been eating the recalled products should contact their veterinarians, especially if they are showing signs of illness.
On December 30, 2020, Midwest Pet Food, Inc. announced a recall of nine total lots of Sportmix pet food products. FDA and the Missouri Department of Agriculture are working with the firm to determine whether any additional products may have been made with the same ingredients containing potentially fatal levels of aflatoxin. As new information becomes available, this product list may continue to expand.
The list of recalled dry pet food products announced by Midwestern Pet Food, Inc. on December 30, 2020 is:
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L2
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM”
More info on this recall here: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-alert-certain-lots-sportmix-pet-food-recalled-potentially-fatal-levels-aflatoxin
