CHICAGO - Doctors from BluePearl Veterinary Partners are urging people to stop using and return or discard certain Natura Pet Products food and treats after the company issued another recall due to potential Salmonella contamination Tuesday.
On March 18, the company issued a voluntary recall due to the presence of salmonella being found during routine testing performed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
On March 29, the company issued an expansion of their original recall citing the same reason as before and adding that the Georgia Department of Agriculture had also confirmed the presence of Salmonella.
On April 19, the company issued a further expansion of the original recall stating the same reasons as before and adding that this was being done out of an abundance of caution.
Most recently, on Tuesday, Natura Pet Products issued a press release recalling specific lots of dry pet food citing the potential for the food to be contaminated with Salmonella, after routine testing performed by the Food and Drug Administration tested positive for Salmonella.
The most current release states, "Natura is voluntarily recalling all products with expiration dates prior to June 10, 2014."
According to the release, the affected products are sold in bags through veterinary clinics, select pet specialty retailers, and online in the United States and Canada. No canned wet food is affected by this announcement.
People who have the potentially contaminated product should discard it immediately and stop handling it as it poses a risk to humans as well.
Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Common symptoms of salmonella in pets include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, fever and abdominal discomfort.
"Any time you notice your pet is not acting right, you should take him or her to your family veterinarian as soon as possible," said Dr. Neil Shaw, chief medical officer of BluePearl. "If it is an after-hours emergency, we would be glad to help at any one of our locations."
The affected products are:
BRAND LOT CODE/UPC/SIZES; EXPIRATION
Innova Dry dog and cat food and biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
EVO dry dog, cat and ferret food and biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
California Natural dry dog and cat foods and biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Healthwise dry dog and cat foods All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Karma dry dog foods All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Mother Nature biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Natura Pet Products also said in their release that consumers looking for additional information, product replacement or a refund should call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).
BluePearl Veterinary Partners does not carry any of the recalled products.
About BluePearl Veterinary Partners
Formed in 2008, BluePearl Veterinary Partners is headquartered in Tampa, Fla., and employs more than 1,200 people including approximately 250 veterinarians. BluePearl hospitals are referral-only and don't provide primary care. Most BluePearl hospitals offer 24-hour emergency care services. BluePearl is one of the world's principal providers of approved veterinary residency and internship educational programs. BluePearl also participates in and conducts clinical trials to study the effectiveness of new drugs and treatments, which give clients access to cutting-edge medicine not yet commercially available and improves the quality of care delivered to our patients.
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