Pet owners and veterinarians are warned about Sportmix pet food products that are now linked to the deaths of more than 70 dogs and the diseases of 80 others.
Midwestern Pet Food is expanding its withdrawal of dog and cat food sold online by retailers across the country as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates life-threatening levels of aflatoxins.
Midwestern, based in Evansville, Indiana, extends a prior withdrawal to include all pet foods made at the company’s Oklahoma plant that contain corn and have an expiration date of July 9, 2022 or earlier .
Withdrawn products include “05” in the date / lot code, which identifies them as manufactured at the Oklahoma plant. More than 1,000 batch codes are affected.
The company in December just remembered certain batches of your Sportmix product after the death of at least 28 canines and the diseases of another eight. According to the FDA, the Missouri Department of Agriculture tested several product samples and found elevated levels of aflatoxins, which are toxins produced by mold that can cause deaths and disease in pets.
Toxins can be present even if there is no visible mold, the agency warned.
Pets with aflatoxin poisoning may experience symptoms such as slowness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or gums due to liver damage), and diarrhea. Pets can also suffer liver damage without showing symptoms.
“The FDA is issuing this notice to notify the public about the potentially deadly levels of aflatoxins in midwestern pet food products that may still be on store shelves, online or at pet owners’ homes.” the agency said in an alert released 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 on Tuesday. “Until recently, throughout our long history, we had never recovered any product.”
Customers with questions can contact a call center with authorized veterinarians at (800) 474-4163, ext. 455 or email [email protected], Midwestern said.