Feb. 24 (UPI) — Listeria found in dog food and salmonella found in dog treats are the latest two recalls by the Food and Drug Administration, continuing the string of contamination in the pet food industry this month.
On Friday, the FDA sent notices about Northwest Naturals of Portland, Ore., voluntarily recalling 5-pound frozen food chubs labeled Chicken and Salmon Recipe and TruPet, LLC of Milford, Ohio, voluntarily recalling Treat Me Crunchy Beef Delight, 2.5 ounce dog treats.
Northwest Naturals’ raw diet for dogs food chubs was recalled for possible listeria monocytogenes contamination. The product was an isolated batch sent to distributors in California, Washington, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and Rhode Island and sold at specialty pet retail stores. The UPC code is 087316384406 with a best before code of 15082218.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. There also is a risk to humans who handle the product especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after contact.
TruPet’s dog treats were recalled for possible salmonella contamination and were distributed in the continental U.S. via online retailer Chewy.com and TruDog.com. The affected products are identified by Lot No. 2019051413753.
Salmonella can cause pets to be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets will have only have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Just like listeria, salmonella can cause humans to become ill if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after contact with the product.
People infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. In rare cases the illness can result in arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms.
Earlier this month, pet food companies recalled some of their products after federal officials received several complaints of potential salmonella poisoning. Those products are Darwin’s Natural and ZooLogics pet foods made by Arrow Reliance of Tukwila, Wash., Beefy Munchies from Smokehouse Pet Products, Inc. of Sun Valley, Calif., 7-inch bully sticks from Red Barn pet products of Long Beach, Calif., and ground turkey pet food from Raws for Paws of Minneapolis, Minn.
Also this month, J.M. Smucker Co. withdrew shipments of Gravy Train, Kibbles n’ Bits, Ol’ Roy and Skippy brands, made by Big Heart Pet Foods, a Smucker subsidiary. The action comes after WJLA-TV Washington, in conjunction with food testing firm Ellipse Analytics, analyzed dog food brands. It reported on Feb. 8 that 60 percent of the 15 Gravy Train cans tested contained trace amounts of pentobarbital, a euthanasia drug.
