70 dogs died after eating this company’s food

Midwestern Pet Foods increased the number of brands it has recalled for possible aflatoxin content after the FDA says the number of dogs who died after eating the company’s products has increased by 42 — in the past two weeks.

When Midwestern recalled three varieties of Sportmix dog foods and cat food on Dec. 30, the FDA said 28 dogs had died after eating the food.

Monday evening’s FDA announcement said the agency “has been made aware of more than 70 dogs that have died and more than 80 that are sick after eating Sportmix pet food.”

“Not all of these cases have been officially confirmed as aflatoxin poisoning through laboratory testing or veterinary record review,” the agency said. “This count is approximate and may not reflect the total number of pets affected. Reports submitted only to the pet food manufacturer are not shared with FDA and are not a part of this count.”

Midwestern yanked all the foods in its Oklahoma plant, with corn and with an expiration date on or before July 9, 2022. Now, that includes:

▪ Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 40 lb. bag

▪ Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40 lb. bag

▪ Splash Fat Cat 32%, 50 lb. bag

▪ Nunn Better Maintenance, 50 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag and 31 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix Maintenance, 44 lb. bag and 50 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix High Protein, 50 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag and 50 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix Stamina, 44 lb. bag and 50 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix Bite Size, 40 lb. bag and 44 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix High Energy, 44 lb. bag and 50 lb. bag

▪ Sportmix Premium Puppy, 16.5 lb. bag and 33 lb. bag

Over 1,000 lot codes are involved, but they can be identified as including an expiration date before “07/09/2022” and an “05,” designating it as coming from the Oklahoma plant.

The FDA said, “Pet owners whose pets have been eating the recalled products should contact their veterinarians, especially if they are showing signs of illness,” which include “sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes, gums or skin due to liver damage), and/or diarrhea.”

Pets are more susceptible to aflatoxin poisoning because their diet doesn’t vary as most human diets do.

Report any medical problem from a food or drug to your veterinarian, then either you or your vet should report it to the FDA.

Source: Miami Herald