FDA Cautions Pet Owners and Caretakers Not to
Feed Certain Evanger’s or Against the Grain Canned Pet Foods Due to
Adulteration with Pentobarbital
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising pet owners and caretakers not to feed their pets certain lots of Evanger’s canned Hunk of Beef or Against the Grain Grain Free Pulled Beef with Gravy canned dog food after unopened cans from both brands were found to contain pentobarbital, a barbiturate.
Pentobarbital
is a drug that is used in animal euthanasia. It should not be in pet
food and its presence as detected by the FDA in these products renders
them adulterated.
The FDA was unable to determine from available
records whether any other Evanger’s or Against the Grain products made
with beef contain any of the beef that went into the recalled products.
Additionally, the agency concluded an inspection of the
manufacturing facilities on February 14, 2017, and noted numerous
significant concerns with conditions found at both the Wheeling, IL and Markham, IL plants. These are initial observations and do not represent a final agency determination regarding the firm.
Following discussions with the FDA, Evanger’s initiated a voluntary recall
on February 3, 2017, of certain lots of its 12-ounce Hunk of Beef
canned dog food: 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB, and
1816E13HB, all with an expiration date of June 2020.
In the course
of the investigation, the FDA tested two cans of Against the Grain
brand canned Grain Free Pulled Beef with Gravy dog food manufactured in
the same facilities as Evanger’s products and using beef from the same
supplier: these samples also tested positive for pentobarbital. On
February 9, 2017, after conversations with the FDA, Against the Grain voluntarily recalled
lot 2415E01ATB12 BEST DEC 2019 of this product. The company issued a
public notice about its recall on February 13, 2017. To date, the FDA is
not aware of any pet illnesses associated with the Against the Grain
product.
The FDA began investigating Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food
Company Inc. when it learned about five dogs in a single household that
suffered acute neurological symptoms shortly after eating the product.
One dog was euthanized after secondary complications, and three others
recovered after receiving veterinary care. One of the dogs treated
remains on seizure medication, and the fifth dog that ate the least
amount of food recovered with time.
The stomach contents of the
deceased dog and an open can of the product were tested by an FDA
Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network lab, and
unopened cans of the product from the pet owner and retailer that sold
the products (from the same production lot), were tested by FDA’s lab.
All of the samples tested positive for pentobarbital.
In its
recent press release announcing a limited product recall, Evanger’s Dog
& Cat Food Company, Inc. stated that the beef for its Hunk of Beef
product came from a “USDA approved” supplier. However, the FDA reviewed a
bill of lading from Evanger’s supplier of “Inedible Hand Deboned Beef -
For Pet Food Use Only. Not Fit For Human Consumption" and determined
that the supplier’s facility does not have a grant of inspection from
the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection
Service. The meat products from this supplier do not bear the USDA
inspection mark and would not be considered human grade. USDA-FSIS
regulates slaughter of animals for human consumption only. Testing by
USDA-FSIS of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef confirmed that the meat used in the
product was bovine (beef).
The investigation by the FDA is ongoing
and includes examination of the suppliers of beef to Evanger’s and
Against the Grain to determine a possible cause for the presence of
pentobarbital. The FDA is also coordinating with the USDA to address any
possible areas of shared jurisdiction at the suppliers.
Oral
exposure to pentobarbital can cause drowsiness, dizziness, excitement,
loss of balance, nausea, nystagmus (eyes moving back and forth in a
jerky manner), inability to stand, coma and death. Consumers who notice
these symptoms in their pets should consult their veterinarian.
Consumers
with cans of product subject to the facilities' voluntary recalls
should refer to the firms’ respective press releases for information
about returning the product.
Read the entire article
Like Us on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Saturday, February 18, 2017
FDA Caution Regarding Dog Food
Labels:
Adverse Reactions,
Dogs,
Pet Food,
Pet Safe Products
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment