Recalled pet food sold online and through local merchants.
[Editor’s note: this post has been updated on January 11, 2021 as more deaths have been reported and the pet food recall has widened. See the additional information that appears at the end of the post for more details.]
The FDA announced yesterday that certain lots of Sportmix brand dog and cat foods are recalled because more than 28 dog deaths have been associated with the products.
The December 30, 2020 notice from the FDA states that the agency “in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, is investigating certain Sportmix pet food products manufactured by Midwestern Pet Food, Inc. that may contain potentially fatal levels of aflatoxin.”
The FDA reports that the agency became aware of the potentially deadly pet food after 28 dogs died and another eight became ill.
According to the Sportmix website, Sportmix dog and cat foods are sold through Tractor Supply in Waxahachie and Ennis, Ennis Feed in Ennis, A-1 Feed in Cedar Hill and Livestock Supply in Hutchins, among other stores.
Sportmix dog and cat foods are also sold through online retailers, including Amazon and Chewy.
Aflatoxin Symptoms:
The FDA alert states that animals affected by aflatoxin may not show any symptoms even though their liver may be in peril. In some cases, affected animals may exhibit any of the following symptoms among others:
- Sluggishness
- Lack of appetite
- Vomiting
- Jaundice – yellowish tint to the eyes or gums due to liver damage
- Diarrhea
Recalled product expiration dates and lot codes:
Both dog food and cat food are involved in the recall and show the following expiration dates and lot codes.
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L2
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
- Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
- Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
- Exp 03/03/22/05/L3
Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM”
Aflatoxin is a toxic substance produced by the Aspergillus flavus fungus which can grow on corn and other grain products. The Missouri Department of Agriculture tested Sportmix products and found potentially life-threatening levels of the toxin.
What you should do:
First, stop feeding Sportmix pet foods to your dog or cat.
If you’ve fed your cat or dog Sportmix pet foods involved in the recall, you need to see a veterinarian immediately. For after-hours vet attention, Animal Emergency Hospital of Mansfield [map] is close-by and available 24 hours per day.
Animals showing symptoms need immediate care, and animals not exhibiting symptoms but who’ve eaten the food still need to see a vet to evaluate their liver function. Your vet may need to see the product label as well, so snap a photo of it and the expiration date with the lot code.
If a veterinarian determines that your dog or cat has indeed been affected by the recalled products, you also need to report the incident to the FDA. Information of how to report the incident is available on the agency’s recall webpage.
January 11, 2021 update:
The FDA has issued notice that the scope of the Sportmix pet food recall has widened to include all dog and cat foods manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods that contain corn as an ingredient and were made in the company’s Oklahoma facility. The products being recalled have an expiration date of on or before July 9, 2022.
The FDA reports that now more than 70 pets have died and 80 have been made ill after consuming the affected products.
The recall has expanded to 1,000 lots of food, making it difficult to list all lot numbers of food that must cease to be fed to dogs and cats.
Lots of the following pet food products have been recalled if the date/lot code includes an expiration date on or before “07/09/22” and includes “05” in the date/lot code, which identifies products made in the Oklahoma plant:
- Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 40 lb. bag
- Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40 lb. bag
- Splash Fat Cat 32%, 50 lb. bag
- Nunn Better Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
- Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
- Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag
- Sportmix Maintenance, 44 lb. bag
- Sportmix Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
- Sportmix High Protein, 50 lb. bag
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
- Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
- Sportmix Stamina, 44 lb. bag
- Sportmix Stamina, 50 lb. bag
- Sportmix Bite Size, 40 lb. bag
- Sportmix Bite Size, 44 lb. bag
- Sportmix High Energy, 44 lb. bag
- Sportmix High Energy, 50 lb. bag
- Sportmix Premium Puppy, 16.5 lb. bag
- Sportmix Premium Puppy, 33 lb. bag
Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM”
To be safe, dog and cat companions may wish to cease feeding all Sportmix, Pro Pac Performance, Splash Fat Cat, and Nunn Better labeled pet foods to the animals in their care until the company has resolved the issue.
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