Hundreds Of Dogs Poisoned, FDA suspects Tainted Pet Foods, US

According to the FDA, more than 130 dog fatalities and 220 illnesses may have been caused by the dog food brand Midwestern Pet Foods, after inspections “found evidence of substantial breaches” of food safety rules.

The Food and Drug Administration warned the pet food producer in a warning letter that the inspection discovered high amounts of aflatoxin, a toxic chemical generated by some molds that may cause disease and death in dogs.

The FDA director for Veterinary Medicine, Steven Solomon, said,

“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.”

The FDA also stated that Midwestern’s food safety measures were insufficient to prevent or reduce contamination. As a result, “Midwestern” was given 15 days to reply with a plan of action to remedy the infractions or risk legal action.

The inspections were conducted at four factories following the recall of numerous items, including Sportmix dry dog food.

The FDA discovered 558 parts per billion of aflatoxin in the food following the examination. Aflatoxin levels in dog diets are limited to 20 parts per billion.

Midwestern also recalled numerous additional products after samples tested positive for salmonella, which the FDA claimed the firm did little to prevent following the inspection.

Source: NPR