FDA links hundreds of dog deaths and severe illnesses to recalled pet food

The manufacturer behind dozens of popular pet food brands is recalling products amid safety problems.

The FDA has issued a statement confirming that 130 pets have died and hundreds more have fallen ill after eating food produced by Midwestern Pet Foods.

For Immediate Release:

The following quote is attributed to Steven M. Solomon, M.P.H., D.V.M., director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine

“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. We are issuing this corporate-wide warning letter because inspections of Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.’s manufacturing plants revealed evidence of violations, which were shared across multiple plants and were associated with the illness or death of hundreds of pets who had eaten the company’s dry dog food. Samples of dog food were found to contain high levels of aflatoxin. It is imperative that manufacturers and distributors of pet foods understand their responsibility to comply with all requirements of federal law and FDA regulations and, when applicable, to implement a robust hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls program. We’ll continue to hold companies accountable and protect animal health as a core element of the FDA’s public health mission.”

Source: FDA links hundreds of dog deaths and severe illnesses to recalled pet food

Dog Food Recall 2021: Simply Nourish Dog Food Recalled From PetSmart – Thrillist

Wet Noses Natural Dog Treat Company announced a recall of 51,000 packages of Simply Nourish frozen dog food sold at select PetSmart locations nationwide. The issue is elevated levels of vitamin D. The notice, shared by the FDA, says that “dogs ingesting elevated levels of vitamin D may exhibit symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss.” Needless to say, you don’t want to take the risk and feed this to your pup.

Additionally, the recall states, consuming elevated levels of vitamin D “over a long period of time can lead to serious health issues in dogs including renal dysfunction.” If your dog has eaten the recalled food and exhibits these symptoms, you should contact your vet.

Here’s a look at the specific products that are part of the recall. All were sold in two-pound and four-and-a-half-pound packages. You can find more details about the products on the FDA website.

  • Simply Nourish Frozen Chicken & Veggies
  • Simply Nourish Beef & Barley
  • Simply Nourish Turkey & Sweet Potato
  • Simply Nourish Pork & Veggies

You can return the packages to the place of purchase for a refund.

Source: Dog Food Recall 2021: Simply Nourish Dog Food Recalled From PetSmart – Thrillist

Peek Into Fauci’s Closet Reveals Horrific Experiments on Beagles, Tests Left Dogs in Obvious Pain

A government watchdog investigation has uncovered evidence of animal abuse involving the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is led by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The agency used $424,455 in taxpayer dollars to support University of Georgia researchers who performed experimental drug tests on 28 beagles after infecting them with parasites, according to the Daily Caller.

Documents obtained by the White Coat Waste Project showed that some of the dogs “vocalized in pain” upon being injected with an experimental vaccine.

Source: Peek Into Fauci’s Closet Reveals Horrific Experiments on Beagles, Tests Left Dogs in Obvious Pain

Several brands of dog food recalled due to potentially high levels of mold

ORLANDO, Fla. – Several brands of dog food sold nationwide are being recalled over fears they could contain high levels of mold.

Pet food maker Sunshine Mills issued the recall voluntarily. The products in question were sold nationwide under a variety of names, including Evolve, Nuture Farms, Wild Harvest and Triumph.

Company officials say all of the recalled dog food contains de-boned chicken and rice with a best-by date of Feb. 11, 2022.

Sunshine Mills says no illnesses have been linked to the recalled food.

Customers who have any of the recalled items can return the food for a full refund.

Source: Several brands of dog food recalled due to potentially high levels of mold

Pet Product Subscription Service Halts Deliveries After Customer Says Chews Killed Her Dog

 

A service called BarkBox delivered a chew stick manufactured by a third party to a woman named Sarah who said her pup Sugar went from being a “healthy, happy dog to dead in 24 hours” after consuming the product.

Fox Business reported the company has reacted quickly by pulling the product and by advising any other customers who might have received one to be careful.

Source: Pet Product Subscription Service Halts Deliveries After Customer Says Chews Killed Her Dog

Pet Food Is Disappearing From Shelves | Best Life

Add another product to the list: pet food is the latest household staple has begun disappearing from shelves due to a sudden shortage.

There is currently a pet food shortage across the U.S. According to comments made during Global Pet Expo (GPE) Digital Access 2021 by Steve King, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association (APPA), the pandemic has led to pet food and pet product supply issues and transportation issues, Supermarket News reports.

King noted that a 9.7 percent increase in pet food sales between 2019 and 2020 had put a strain on supply chains that are already struggling with a shortage of raw materials needed to make the products. Worker safety protocols at production facilities and labor shortages are also playing a factor in the supply chain hiccup.

Canned wet food for pets may be especially hard to come by, one CEO says.

Source: Pet Food Is Disappearing From Shelves | Best Life

Dog Food Recall 2021: Midwestern Pet Foods Recalls Dog Food Over Salmonella – Thrillist

Midwestern Pet Foods, the same company that issued a big recall in January due to aflatoxin, has recalled products from 10 dog and cat food brands due to the potential for salmonella contamination. The brands involved include CanineX, Earthborn Holistic, Venture, Unrefined, Sportmix Wholesomes, Pro Pac, Pro Pac Ultimates, Sportstrail, Sportmix, and Meridian. The full list of recalled bags is very long.

The recall is specifically for food produced at the company’s Monmouth, Illinois facility. Though, those products were distributed nationwide and to online retailers. You’re looking for an “M” in the date code on the bag that designates it as having been produced at the facility where salmonella was detected, per the company’s recall. The lot code information is printed on the back of the bag and looks like this: “EXP AUG/02/22/M1/L#.

Source: Dog Food Recall 2021: Midwestern Pet Foods Recalls Dog Food Over Salmonella – Thrillist

Champ and Major Biden are back at the White House – CNNPolitics

Washington (CNN)Both of the President and first lady’s dogs, Major and Champ, have returned to the White House after spending some time in Delaware following a biting incident involving Major, according to Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa.

The two German Shepherds returned to Washington after Major worked with a trainer at the Bidens’ home in Delaware following the incident at the White House.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the dogs were still getting acclimated to their new surroundings at the White House when Major “was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual.”
President Joe Biden told ABC that Major wasn’t sent to Delaware because of the incident and that the move was previously planned because he and First Lady were going to be traveling.

Source: Champ and Major Biden are back at the White House – CNNPolitics

Biden’s Dogs Moved After a ‘Biting Incident’ – The New York Times

The dogs joined the Bidens at the White House shortly after the Bidens relocated to Washington. Since then, they have been allowed to roam unleashed on the White House grounds.

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The Bidens have two German shepherds — a 13-year-old named Champ and 3-year-old named Major. Reports indicate that it was Major who was involved in a “biting incident” with a “member of White House security.”

The condition of the biting victim is unclear, but the dogs were moved back to Biden’s home in Delaware shortly after the incident and have not returned.

The Bidens adopted Major in 2018 from a dog shelter in Delaware. According to a Facebook post from the Delaware Humane Society at the time, Major was born to a litter of pups “that were surrendered and not doing well at all.”

Source: Biden’s Dogs Moved After a ‘Biting Incident’ – The New York Times

Source: https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/bidens-german-shepherds-sent-back-to-delaware-after-biting-incident-with-white-house-staffer

Study: Very Smart Dogs Learn Words Quickly | Newsmax.com

Think your dog is smart? New research suggests one way to find out.

Most dogs can’t learn words without extensive training, but a few with exceptional abilities learn words without any formal training, researchers report. They learn words simply by playing with their owners.

The team of Hungarian researchers investigated how quickly two of these talented pooches could learn new words.

Their study included a Border Collie named Whisky from Norway — already famous for her spontaneous categorization skills — and a Yorkshire terrier named Vicky Nina, from Brazil.

“Importantly, in both conditions the dogs heard the name of the new toy only four times,” Fugazza said.

Read Newsmax: Study: Very Smart Dogs Learn Words Quickly | Newsmax.com

Source: Study: Very Smart Dogs Learn Words Quickly | Newsmax.com

More than 100 pets died, over 200 sickened from recalled pet food, FDA says | Fox Business

Hundreds of pets have died and others have been sickened after eating recalled pet food manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) updated recall notice.

As of Jan. 21, the FDA became aware that more than 110 dogs died and over 210 others fell ill after consuming food from the company’s Oklahoma plant “that may contain potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins.”

However, as new information becomes available, “case counts and the scope of this recall may expand,” the FDA said.

Earlier this month, the company expanded its recall “out of an abundance of caution” to include pet food products containing corn that were manufactured in the company’s Oklahoma manufacturing plant and have an expiration date on or before July 9, 2022.

Source: More than 100 pets died, over 200 sickened from recalled pet food, FDA says | Fox Business

Nestle uses insect protein in Purina pet food | One America News Network

LONDON/ZURICH (Reuters) – Nestle’s Purina brand is launching a line of pet food using insects, as the world’s biggest food group tests more environmentally sustainable protein sources.

The move addresses a trend of people seeking more eco-friendly or allergen-free diets for their pets, and puts Nestle into potential competition with smaller brands like Yora and Green Petfood’s InsectDog.

“We see increasing demand for diversified sources of proteins for pet food products,” Bernard Meunier, head of Purina in Europe, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

 

Source: Nestle uses insect protein in Purina pet food | One America News Network

Dog food recall over high levels of mold byproduct expands: FDA

Beware, dog owners: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced that it expan

Beware, dog owners: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced that it expanded a previously announced dog food recall over concerns the products contain a mold byproduct that is potentially above acceptable levels.

Various Sunshine Mills’ dog food brands have been affected, including Champ, Field Trial, Good Dog, Hunter’s Special, Old Glory, Paws Happy Life, Pet Expert, Principle, Retriever, River Bend, and Sportsman’s Pride, among others. A full list can be found here.

Sunshine Mills’ expanded recall comes after the company first announced the recall in September over concerns the products contained above-limit levels of aflatoxin, which the FDA said at the time is a “naturally occurring mold byproduct from the growth of Aspergillus flavus and can be harmful to pets if consumed in significant quantities.”

 

Source: Dog food recall over high levels of mold byproduct expands: FDA

More South African animal feed and pet food now contain insect larvae – thanks in part to Bill Gates

AgriProtein founder and CEO Jason Drew (supplied)

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in South Africa’s biggest producer of insect protein.

  • A number of South African pet food and animal feed products now contain insect larvae – a protein source produced by a Cape Town-based company.
  • AgriProtein processes up to 40 tonnes of food waste per day, and then gets black soldier flies to feed on the waste.
  • AgriProtein is building an additional five factories in 2019 – the aim is to have 100 by 2024.

Source: More South African animal feed and pet food now contain insect larvae – thanks in part to Bill Gates

PetSmart faces another dog death

Largest pet retailer in U.S. conducting an internal investigation after a trio of canine fatalities in the Garden State

The dog’s demise came the same day that officials raided a PetSmart store in Nashville and confiscated six small animals suspected of being abused. Lauren Bluestone, director of the city’s Metro Animal Care and Control department, said in an email that criminal charges are expected to be filed next week.

“The six animals finally were released into our custody from the small animal vet specialist,” she said, adding that “all animals are currently being treated but are doing much better.”

The death of Crawford’s dog follows the deaths of two dogs and the injury of another at a PetSmart in Flemington, N.J., during an eight-day period in December. Those deaths were not related, according to PetSmart.

Source: PetSmart faces another dog death

Scruffles was a healthy, 8-year-old Bulldog when he died during a grooming at the Flemington PetSmart on Dec. 29, 2017, owner Danielle DiNapoli said. (Photo courtesy Danielle DiNapoli)

Scruffles was a healthy, 8-year-old Bulldog when he died during a grooming at the Flemington PetSmart on Dec. 29, 2017, owner Danielle DiNapoli said. (Photo courtesy Danielle DiNapoli)

Dog license, rabies vaccination canvassing in Westmoreland County begins Tuesday | TribLIVE

 

When state dog wardens fan out across Westmoreland County over the next two weeks to check whether more than 40,000 dogs have current licenses and rabies vaccinations, they won’t choose communities haphazardly, according to Kristen Donmoyer of the Department of Agriculture.

 Checks will begin Tuesday and continue the week of April 9.

“Most residents are cooperative, but not all. If a person is uncooperative, the warden can’t just barge in,” she said. “People can tell us to take a hike or get off their property.”

In those instances, the warden leaves a request for the homeowner to provide the required information by mail.

Source: Dog license, rabies vaccination canvassing in Westmoreland County begins Tuesday | TribLIVE

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