More than 130 dog deaths, 220 illnesses linked to company contaminated feed, FDA warns

The Food and Drug Administration is warning dog owners after discovering that products manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.

The agency said in a statement Tuesday that it sent a warning letter to the Indiana-based company after discovering on Aug. 9 that more than 130 animal deaths and more than 220 illnesses could be related to the consumption of brands of pet food manufactured by Midwest.

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Dish of Dried Pet Food (Mercedes Ranca? O Otero / Getty Images stock)

An inspection of the Midwestern plant in Chickasha, Oklahoma, found that samples of the company’s Sportmix dry dog ​​food contained high levels of aflatoxin, which is produced by mold and can grow on corn and corn. other grains used to make pet food, according to the FDA. High levels of aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets.

“Not all of these cases have been confirmed as aflatoxin poisoning by laboratory tests or a review of veterinary records,” the FDA said in the statement. “This number is approximate and may not reflect the total number of pets affected.”

Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning in pets include vomiting, jaundice, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.

“We are issuing this warning letter company-wide because inspections of Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.’s manufacturing plants revealed evidence of violations, which were shared across multiple plants and have been associated with the illness or death of hundreds of pets that had eaten the company’s dry dog ​​food, ”Steven Solomon, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement.

The company did not respond to an NBC News request for comment. The FDA requested a written response from Midwestern within 15 business days outlining the steps it has taken to correct the violations.

The FDA’s findings come after it issued a recall in December for several products made by Midwestern, then expanded it in January when it learned that more than 110 pets have died and 210 pets became ill after eating company-made animal feed.

This was followed by the Midwest which issued a voluntary recall in March of certain brands of dog and cat food because they were potentially contaminated with salmonella.