(UNDATED) – Midwestern Pet Foods is recalling certain varieties of Sportmix dog and cat food because it may contain a potentially fatal level of a toxin called aflatoxin.
The Indiana-based company issued the recall after testing revealed aflatoxin levels above “acceptable limits.” The company’s Sportmix High Energy dog food is linked to “at least 28 deaths and eight illnesses in dogs that ate the recalled product,” according to the FDA.
The recalled products were distributed to online shops and retail stores across the country.
Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus, which can grow on grains like corn used as ingredients in pet food.
At high levels, it can cause illness and death in animals. Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice, and/or diarrhea.
The recall urges anyone with the impacted products to dispose of them in a way that “children, pets, and wildlife cannot access them.” You should also wash and sanitize any surfaces that the dog food touched, like counters and your pet’s bowls.
Here are the specific Sportmix products that people are urged to toss out. It includes some cat food, but, at the moment, the FDA says that there are no reports of humans or cats getting sick from the tainted food.
Sportmix Energy Plus, 50-pound bag
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L2
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
Sportmix Energy Plus, 44-pound bag
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50-pound bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44-pound bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
Sportmix Original Cat, 31-pound bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
Sportmix Original Cat, 15-pound bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
