A Massive Nationwide Recall Has Been Issued for Pet Food—Here's What You Need to Know
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Over the past few months, dog parents have been feeling anything buy jolly with recall after recall impacting their homes. And now, there's a brand new recall that we need to pay attention to because it affects every single variety from one very popular brand.
On November 9, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) — in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state partners — issued a notice that Mid America Pet Food has implemented a voluntary recall of all of its pet food brands. This includes both dog and cat foods produced that were sold nationwide, both online and in retail stores.
As the new recall reveals, any person who has purchased a Mid America Pet Food brand — which includes Victor, Eagle Mountain, Wayne Feeds and two varieties of Member's Mark — with a best by date that lands before 10/31/2024, should discard of the food due to a potential infection of Salmonella Kiambu. As the CDC reports, as of November 1, seven people have been reported to be infected with the strain in question.
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The cases — which were revealed to be across seven states — include six of them to be in children aged one year or younger. Five of the cases, however, were reported to have exposure to dogs and three noted feeding Victor pet foods to their fur friends. Out of all seven cases reported, one person was hospitalized. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported to date. For clarity, dates that the illnesses began appearing range from January 14, 2023 to August 19, 2023.
As mentioned above, the recall spans across all Victor dog and cat food varieties, Wayne Feeds dog and cat food, the Eagle Mountain Pet Food Pro Balance dog food, and both the Member's Mark Beef & Brown Rice Recipe and Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe dog food in various sizes. For the full list of foods recalled and photos of their corresponding labels, check here.
For context, pet foods that are contaminated with salmonella are important to pay attention to because they affect the health of both animals and humans. According the FDA, pets — even if they don't seem to be ill — can carry the bacteria in question and pass it to their human companions. And as the CDC notes, symptoms of salmonella in humans can include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. In serve cases, however, hospitalization or death can occur.
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Pets, similarly to humans, do not always display symptoms from the infection. Symptoms to look out for include vomiting, fever, lost of appetite, decreased activity level or either diarrhea or bloody diarrhea. If your pet has any of the above symptoms, be sure to contact your vet immediately.
If you happen to have any of the affected product in your possession, the FDA urges you to cease feeding it to your pets and discard of it in a secure container. Do not donate it or throw it out in a way that is accessible to other animals, including wildlife. It's also important that you clean and disinfect all pet supplies — such as storage containers, bowls, utensils, pet bedding, toys, floors, food prep surfaces, and more — as well as floors or any other surfaces that the food or pet have come in contact with.
Customers with questions regarding the recall should contact Mid America Pet Food Consumer Affairs via email at [email protected] or phone at 1-888-428-7544, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. CT.
