It started with 6 pet food product recalls. Now it’s up to 20 product recalls after dogs are becoming seriously ill and dying. And this includes cat food recalls.
This is exactly why I raw feed my cat.
Disclaimer: Nothing I say is medical advice.
First, I want to extend lots of love to anyone that’s affected by this recall.
I’ve had 7 cats and 8 dogs in my personal life die due to serious health issues directly related to the food.
If you need someone to talk to, I’m here. Start a conversation with me in the comments in the video above.
Or go to my contact page if you prefer a private message.
Currently, only dogs are ill and dying. But this recall affects cat foods manufactured by the same company.
The recall comes from one manufacturing company. But the recall affected 5 different brands of food products.
This is why you must understand how to read cat food labels.
And do heavy research on who’s actually making your cat food products.
Typically, one company owns many popular cat food brands. A lot of these brands are some of the worst cat food brands.
So if one brand is contaminated, all other brands may be contaminated as well.
For example, with this Midwestern Pet Foods recall, they only recalled one brand on December 30, 2020.
Now, 2 weeks later (January 2021), they’ve expanded the recall to 5 different brands of cat and dog food products. And one catfish food product.
The reason for the recall is that these products are likely contaminated with aflatoxin mold.
Aflatoxin mold forms on corn, grains, and legumes. At high levels, aflatoxin can cause serious illness and death in pets.
I talk about many ingredients in cat food to avoid here on my website.
But put simply, corns and grains are only in cat food because they are cheap fillers. Manufacturers use these cheap fillers to bump up the protein content.
Most of these corns and grains include floor sweepings left over from the human food industry.
AKA ingredients that are deemed not fit for human consumption.
You won’t be able to simply look at the food and see the mold. It’s microscopic.
Unfortunately, the only way to know that cat food products are contaminated is when animals become sick and ultimately die.
I looked at the labels of these recalled products.
The nutritional adequacy statement says that the product is formulated to meet nutritional levels established by AAFCO.
So that means no feeding trials took place for these products.
Now, even if the products went through AAFCO feeding trials, they only last 6 months.
At the end of the day, your animals are the test subjects for the long-term feeding of these products.
Remember, AAFCO does approve, test, certify, or endorse pet foods in any way.
AAFCO has no statutory authority to regulate pet products of any kind.
I’d also like to point out that many of the dog food products in this recall say “premium” on the bag.
AAFCO says that premium means nothing. It is not better quality, and it is not held to different standards than any other pet food product.
The FDA says that signs of aflatoxin poisoning include:
- Sluggishness
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes, gums, or skin due to liver damage)
- Diarrhea
In some cases, this toxicity can cause long-term liver issues and/or death.
And some pets suffer liver damage without showing any symptoms.
If you’re feeding these products:
- Contact your veterinarian immediately.
- Check the label for the affected lot numbers and take pictures of the lot numbers.
- Call the manufacturer for instructions on how to discard the product so that people and animals (including wildlife) cannot get to it.
- Wash and sanitize all bowls, containers, utensils, and surfaces that may have come in contact with the product.
- Transition your cat to better quality food.
You must learn AAFCO cat food label rules, avoid inappropriate ingredients in cat food, and use a carb calculator for cat food.
Look for a high protein low carb wet food.
And then consider a properly balanced raw cat food.
Ready to feed your picky cat better? Check out my Switch Your Cat to Raw eBook Course!
