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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning a popular pet food company after it was linked to over 130 dog deaths and 220 illnesses.
The FDA started investigating Midwestern Pet Foods' plant in Chickasha, Oklahoma, after the company voluntarily recalled its SportMix brand in December 2020.
High levels of the mold-borne illness aflatoxin was found in the corn used at the Chickasha plant. Aflatoxin can cause liver damage and even death if dogs eat it.
"He started losing weight. He got really skinny. He started having bad diarrhea. He had blood in his diarrhea as well. He started throwing up," pet owner Lisa Garcia told News 9 about her dog Shadow that was sickened by the food.
The Chickasha plant was briefly shut down, but the FDA found issues at Midwestern Pet Foods' other manufacturers in New York, Indiana, and Illinois.
"Inspections of Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.'s manufacturing plants revealed evidence of violations, which were shared across multiple plants and were associated with the illness or death of hundreds of pets who had eaten the company's dry dog food," Steven Solomon, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement.
In March, Midwestern Pet Foods recalled multiple brands of dog and cat food due to possible salmonella contamination. The recalled brands include CanineX, Earthborn Holistic, Venture, Unrefined, Sportmix Wholesomes, Pro Pac, Pro Pac Ultimates, Sportstrail, Sportmix and Meridian. A full list can be found on the FDA website.