Pet food recall expanded after 70 dogs die, 80 more sickened, says FDA

An Indiana company has expanded a pet food recall it voluntarily issued last month after 70 dogs have died and more than 80 were sickened.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Sportmix pet food products were manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods in their Chickasha, Okla., plant.

As of Jan. 11, the FDA said “is aware of more than 70 pets that have died and more than 80 pets 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. This count is approximate and may not reflect the total number of pets affected.”

The expanded recall includes Midwestern dog and cat food made with corn “because those products may contain aflatoxin levels which exceed acceptable limits.”

The food was distributed nationally for sale online and in retail stores. All of the products recalled expire on or before July 9, 2022.

The FDA said, aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold aspergillus flavus, which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food. At high levels, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets.

Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes, gums, or skin due to liver damage), and/or diarrhea.

Lot code information can be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three\u2010line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM”.

All products in the recall will have the unique facility identifier in the date code as “05\u2033 and “REG. OK\u2010PFO\u20100005” at the end of the date code.

For more information, contact Midwestern Pet Foods Consumer Affairs at 800‐474‐4163, ext. 455 or email them at info@midwesternpetfoods.com.