September 26, 2019
— The U.S. Food and Drug Administration 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).
What
Caused the Recall?
Two samples of different finished products
collected during an inspection of Bravo Packing, Inc., the manufacturer of
Performance Dog raw pet food, tested positive for Salmonella and/or Listeria
monocytogenes.
One of the products sampled had not yet
been distributed.
The product that entered the marketplace is
Performance Dog raw pet food, lot code 072219, sold to customers frozen in
two-pound pouches.
Lot codes are printed on the outside of the
boxes used to distribute the product, but the lot codes are not printed on the
individual sealed plastic pouches, also known as chubs.
Therefore, there are no unique
identification numbers on the individual chubs that would allow customers to
verify whether their product belongs to the affected lot.
The FDA is cautioning about all Performance
Dog frozen raw pet food produced on or after July 22, 2019 because the products
do not have lot codes printed on retail packaging.
If you have any Performance Dog product
that you purchased after July 22, 2019, throw it away.
Why
Is FDA Concerned?
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.
This is the second time Bravo Packing, Inc.
product has tested positive for pathogen contamination. In September 2018,
Bravo Packing, Inc. recalled all Performance Dog frozen raw pet food due to
Salmonella.
Also, during a 2016 inspection, the FDA collected samples
of Bravo Packing, Inc. horse meat chunk animal food that tested positive for
the drugs pentobarbital
and phenytoin.
Pet foods and treats contaminated with
Salmonella and Listeria mono are of particular public health importance because
they can affect both human and animal health.
Pets can get sick from these pathogens and
may also be carriers of the bacteria and pass it on to their human companions
without appearing to be ill.
People can get sick from handling
contaminated pet foods and treats or touching surfaces that have had contact
with the contaminated pet foods and treats.
Additionally, if a person gets Salmonella
or L. mono on their hands, they can spread the bacteria to other people,
objects, and surfaces.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
requires that all animal food, like human food, be safe to eat, produced under
sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled.
Without an effective control for pathogens,
such as cooking, animal food is more likely to contain pathogens such as
Salmonella and L. mono.
Refrigeration or freezing does not kill the
bacteria.
About
Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause
illness and death in humans and animals, especially those who are very young,
very old, or have weak immune systems.
According to CDC, people infected with
Salmonella can develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps.
Most people recover without treatment, but
in some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be
hospitalized.
In some patients, the Salmonella infection
may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and then to other body sites
unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
Consult your health care provider if you
have symptoms of Salmonella infection.
Salmonella
in Pets
Pets do not always display symptoms when
infected with Salmonella, but signs can include vomiting, diarrhea (which may
be bloody), fever, loss of appetite and/or decreased activity level.
If your pet has these symptoms, consult a
veterinarian promptly.
You should also be aware that infected pets
can shed the bacteria in their feces and saliva without showing signs of being
sick, further contaminating the household environment.
About
Listeria Monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that
can cause illness and death in humans and animals, especially those who are
pregnant, very young, very old, or have weak immune systems.
According to CDC, listeriosis in humans can
cause a variety of symptoms, depending on the person and the part of the body
affected.
Symptoms can include headache, stiff neck,
confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle
aches.
Pregnant women typically experience only
fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches.
However, infections during pregnancy can
lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening
infection of the newborn.
Pregnant women and their newborns, adults
age 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to
get sick with listeriosis.
Anyone with symptoms of listeriosis should
contact a health care provider.
Listeria
in Pets
L. mono infections are uncommon in pets,
but they are possible.
Symptoms may include mild to severe
diarrhea; anorexia; fever; nervous, muscular and respiratory signs; abortion;
depression; shock; and death.
Pets do not need to display symptoms to be
able to pass L. mono on to their human companions.
As with Salmonella, infected pets can shed
L. mono in their feces and saliva without showing signs of being sick, further
contaminating the household environment.
What
to Do?
If you have any of the affected product,
stop feeding it to your pets and throw it away in
a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it.
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.
Consumers should thoroughly wash their
hands after handling the affected product or cleaning up potentially
contaminated items and surfaces.
U.S. citizens can report complaints about
FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer
complaint coordinator in your area.
Or go to https://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
Canadians can report any health or safety
incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.
