The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a recall of Sportmix pet food products that have been linked to multiple dog deaths.

The FDA said it is investigating certain Sportmix pet food products, manufactured by Midwestern Pet Food Inc., that may contain potentially fatal levels of aflatoxin. Dog and cat food are subject to the recall, which is included below.

Aflatoxins are toxins produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus that can grow on various pet food ingredients. Aflatoxin can accumulate within the pet’s body. Because dogs and cats often eat the same food day after day, they are at increased risk of such poisoning as the toxin keeps on building up inside of them.

The foods included in this Sportmix recall are Sportmix Energy Plus, Sportmix Premium High Energy, and Sportmix Original Cat. There are multiple lots and product weights included.

By January 11, more than 70 pets had died after eating Sportmix pet foods, according to reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On that date, the product’s maker Midwestern Pet Foods expanded the recall for excess levels of aflatoxin to include all products meeting these three criteria:

• Contain corn
• Manufactured in Oklahoma
• The expiration date on or before July 9, 2022

Pets experiencing aflatoxin poisoning may have the following symptoms: 

• sluggishness
• loss of appetite
• vomiting
• jaundice, a yellowish tint to the eyes or gums due to liver damage
• diarrhea

In severe cases, this toxicity can be fatal officials said. Pets can also suffer liver damage but not show any symptoms.

More details of this recall from ‘AWM’:

Fortunately, pet owners are not at risk of the toxin from handling the food alone. However, experts did suggest that pet owners should start washing their hands after handling pet food just in case future batches include some other type of dangerous toxin.

The jury is still out as to whether Sportmix needs to recall more types of pet food. The list of foods affected in this incident could grow if the FDA and the Missouri Department of Agriculture identify more problematic foods that could cause harm to pets.

Some pet owners have turned to social media to launch a discussion as to whether this pet food led to their animal’s sudden death.

“I was getting my dog this dog food, and she passes away,” wrote one Facebook user.

Another said that her Rottweiler “passed away three weeks ago just out of nowhere. He was a very healthy dog.”

In Daily Mail, more than one hundred people launched a discussion to talk about the toxic dog food.

“This happened with Purina Beneful at one time as well. They paid on a class action suit and tried to keep it as hush as possible. Really sad because it isn’t something you should have to worry about, but it happens too often not to.”

One user suggested making dog food from scratch at home to avoid these problems.

“It’s really easy to make your own dog food and very much worth it. My dog lived until he was 19.”

Source: AWM