Kroger Recalls Three Brands of Cat and Dog Food: Old Yeller, Pet Pride and Kroger Value Foods May Be Contaminated

The Kroger Company pulled some Old Yeller, Pet Pride and Kroger Value pet food brand products from their shelves in 19 states December 18, 2010, announcing specific items that may have been contaminated with aflatoxin. If consumed, this substance is known to pose health risks to pets, including liver damage, serious illness and possible death.

Pet owner reports dog's death within three days of eating recalled food.

On a Petsit USA blog, a commenter reported his dog died three days after eating the infected food. The dog's symptoms were inactivity and refusing food on the first day; taking nothing but water given by turkey baster, and having bloody stools the second day; and death after a convulsion on the third day. The pet owner apparently did not call his vet. The Banfield Pet Hospital spokespeople in both Fishers and Fort Wayne, Indiana state the dog might have been saved if treated on the first day with fluids and medication after blood work. If your pet won't eat, is lethargic or barely moves, has bloody diarrhea and/or a yellowish tint to eyes or gums, call your vet immediately.

What caused Kroger's pet foods to have aflatoxin contamination?

Drought, heat conditions and high humidity are factors in the natural occurrence of aflatoxin, which is a by product of fungus on corn crops (Aspergillus flavus). This toxic chemical is the contaminant in the recalled foods according to the Kroger recall website. No information seems to be available as to when these infected foods became toxic. Was it during manufacture before being packaged, or after packaging, during storage?

How does your pet's food manufacturer protect against contamination?

Only the mentioned Kroger brands are included in this recall. However, even if you use a different pet food brand, you may want to check the manufacturer's quality control methods. December 2010 calls to Eagle Brand Pet Foods, a regional pet food manufacturer in Indiana, and Ainsworth pet foods, the company that packages Rachel Ray Nutrish dog food, revealed that these companies have strictly supervised quality control methods at every level of manufacture. Both companies use suppliers who implement HACCP-based (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) food safety and quality management systems even though the HACCP certification is not even required by the FDA for pet food. Both of these brands voluntarily meet FDA 's higher food safety standards required for human consumption. To make inquiries about quality control methods used by your pet's food manufacturer, check packaging for a website or other contact information.

Call the Kroger Recall Call Center if if your pet has consumed recalled foods.

Kroger has set up a call center just for questions about the pet food recall, at (800) 632 6900. I called even though my dog does not eat these brands of pet food because I still want to know how this happened, and why it was not detected before the products were stocked in stores. The call center is not set up to answer questions however, only to take information, assign case numbers for pets affected, and have specialists return messages to handle the cases. Call center employees have not been trained to give any information beyond what is available here on the Kroger recall site .

Find out if your state is included in the Kroger pet food recall.

To see a complete list of the states and store names included in the recall, click here.

Return recalled pet food items to Kroger.

Direct your questions about the recall to Kroger at (800) 632 6900 or visit www.kroger.com/recalls. The company is also alerting customers through automated phone calls and on register receipt messages. If you have purchased a recalled pet food item, do not use it; return it to the store for a refund. In fact, it may be safer to avoid any Old Yeller, Pet Pride or Kroger Value pet foods, until more is known about the quality control methods used. To check the complete list of possibly contaminated Old Yeller, Pet Pride and Kroger Value pet food items, with sell by dates and UPC codes click here. If you have partially used a recalled product, it can still be returned; but more importantly keep a close watch on your pet.

Sources:
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http://www.petsitusa.com/blog/?p=3779
http://aes.missouri.edu/delta/croppest/aflacorn.stm
http://www.rachaelray.com/pets/nutrish.php
http://www.eaglepack.com/NutritionTrust.aspx