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FDA Recalls Dog Food Over Salmonella, Listeria Concerns

The FDA is warning dog owners to check their refrigerators to check their freezers following a recall of frozen raw pet food that is being recalled due to salmonella and listeria concerns.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets any Performance Dog frozen raw pet food after a sample tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets any Performance Dog frozen raw pet food after a sample tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono).

Photo Credit: Top Dog Tips

All Performance Dog frozen raw pet food products that were produced on or after July 22 are subject to recall because there are not lot codes printed on the retail packaging. The items being recalled pose a threat to any dog that consumes the product.

The FDA announced this week that two samples of food collected from Bravo Packing, Inc’s manufacturing facility tested positive for harmful pathogens.

One of the samples tested positive for Salmonella, the other for Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono). This is the second time Bravo Packing products have tested positive for contamination.

The product that entered the marketplace is Performance Dog raw pet food, lot code 072219, sold to customers frozen in two-pound pouches. However, the FDA is cautioning about all Performance Dog frozen raw pet food produced on or after July 22 because the products do not have lot codes printed on retail packaging.

“FDA is issuing this alert because Performance Dog raw pet food represents a serious threat to human and animal health. Because these products are sold and stored frozen, FDA is concerned that people may still have them in their possession.”

According to the FDA, “Consumers who have had this product in their homes should clean refrigerators/freezers where the product was stored and clean and disinfect all bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the food or pet may have had contact with.

“Because animals can shed the bacteria in the feces when they have bowel movements, it’s particularly important to clean up the animal’s feces in yards or parks where people or other animals may become exposed, in addition to cleaning items in the home.”

Consumption of food contaminated with salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts four to seven days.

Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness.

According to the FSIS, consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.

“Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

"An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems.”

Listeria strikes 1,600 U.S. citizens each year, killing around 260, according to the CDC. Most people suffer only spiking fever, stomachaches, nausea, diarrhea, and headaches.

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