Darwin's recalls more raw dog food for dangerous bacteria | Food ... - Food Safety News

Darwin's recalls more raw dog food for dangerous bacteria | Food ... - Food Safety News

Arrow Reliance, doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, is again recalling fresh, raw dog foods because testing by the Food and Drug Administration found Salmonella and/or E. coli O128 in samples of the products.

Pet foods that are contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites pose a risk to people who handle the foods as well as their pets. Also, surfaces and items in homes, stores and veterinarians’ offices can become contaminated when people are handling contaminated pet foods.

The lab testing of the Darwin’s products that spurred Monday’s recall was undertaken by FDA as part of the agency’s investigation into prior complaints of illness and/or death in animals that were fed Darwin’s Natural Selections or Darwin’s ZooLogics products.

Monday’s recall covers the following items:

• Natural Selections Chicken with Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Net wt. 2lbs., Lot #43887, manufacture date 1/30/2018

• Natural Selections Duck with Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Net wt. 2lbs., Lot #44147, manufacture date 2/5/2018

• ZooLogics Chicken Meals with Organic Vegetables for Dogs, Net wt. 2lbs., Lot #44037, manufacture date 2/7/2018

• ZooLogics Turkey with Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Net wt. 2lbs., Lot #44127, manufacture date 2/4/2018

All four recalled lots are potentially contaminated with Salmonella. In addition, the ZooLogics Turkey product also tested positive for E. coli O128. 

This is the fifth in a series of recalls initiated by the company since October 2016 and the first to be announced by public notice. Previous recalls were reported by direct email and/or telephone communication with Darwin’s customers.

People infected with E. coli O128 typically experience nausea or vomiting, diarrhea that is often bloody, and abdominal cramps. Most people recover within a week, but some illnesses can be more severe, resulting in a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

While E. coli O128 is not known to cause illness in dogs or cats; however, companion animals can become carriers of the pathogen and transfer it to humans, according to FDA.

What consumers need to know
Consumers should not feed their pets recalled lots of raw pet food manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc. Consumers who purchased this raw pet food should throw it away. People who think they might have become ill or their pets may be ill from exposure to contaminated raw pet food should talk to their health care providers or veterinarians.

Consumers who had this product in their homes should clean their refrigerator 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 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.

Pet owners who opt to feed their pets a raw diet should consult FDA’s Tips to Prevent Foodborne Illness from Raw Pet Food.

FDA encourages consumers to report complaints about this and other pet food products electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling their state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators.

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