Pet owners across the country are being warned about a poisonous pet food that has killed and sickened hundreds of dogs.
The Food and Drug Administration says products from Midwestern Pet Foods have been "associated with the illness or death of hundreds of pets who had eaten the company's dry dog food."
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The FDA is aware of more than 130 pet deaths and more than 220 pet illnesses that may be linked to eating brands of pet food manufactured by Midwestern.
"Not all of these cases have been confirmed as aflatoxin poisoning through laboratory testing or veterinary record review," the FDA said. "This count is approximate and may not reflect the total number of pets affected."
The pet food was initially recalled in December 2020 due to the presence of deadly mold in the products. At that time, at least 28 dogs had died and eight were ill. The recall was expanded in January 2021 to include additional products, with the FDA saying more than 110 pets had died and more than 210 were sickened.
Multiple samples of Midwestern's pet food were found to contain very high levels of aflatoxin, which is produced by mold that can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food. At high levels, aflatoxins can cause illness and death in pets. Pets poisoned by aflatoxins may have symptoms such as sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice and diarrhea. In some cases, pets may suffer liver damage but not show any symptoms.
The affected products include several varieties of Sportmix for dogs, as well as Sportmix cat food, Pro Pac dog food, Nunn Better dog food and Splash Fat Cat fish food. The products were sold nationwide and expire on or before July 9, 2022. None of the recalled products should be available to consumers to purchase.
"The FDA is dedicated to taking all steps possible to help pet owners have confidence that the food they buy for their animal companions is safe and wholesome," Steven Solomon, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement. "We'll continue to hold companies accountable and protect animal health as a core element of the FDA's public health mission."
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The FDA issued a warning letter to the Indiana-based company on August 9 after inspections of its manufacturing plants in New York, Oklahoma, Indiana and Illinois revealed "evidence of significant violations."
"The preventive control you established to control the aflatoxin hazard at your facilities was not properly implemented and therefore was ineffective at significantly minimizing or preventing the hazard of aflatoxin and did not provide assurance that the pet food manufactured at your facility will not be adulterated," the letter said.
The FDA acknowledged that Midwestern did issue voluntary recalls of the contaminated products but added that recalling a product "does not prevent the reoccurrence of a hazard in your pet food."
"It is your responsibility to prevent adulterated product from entering the animal food supply through a robust hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls program," the letter said. "You have not provided documentation showing that you have adequately implemented your preventive control for mycotoxins that will significantly minimize or prevent this hazard."
The FDA has requested a written response from the company within 15 working days stating the specific steps they have taken to correct any violations. Failure to adequately address any violations promptly may result in legal action, including product seizure and injunction.
Midwestern Pet Foods has not yet issued a response.
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