Organic pet food company Party Animal has decided to recall some of its products after samples were found positive for a drug commonly used for euthanasia.
Samples Of Dog Food Found Positive For Lethal Contaminant
In a statement released on April 24, the company said that it learned about the contamination after a Texas-based retailer informed about samples presented to a testing lab that turned out to be positive for pentobarbital.
Pentobarbital
Pentobarbital is a barbiturate that can be deadly for pets. Veterinarians routinely use it to euthanize animals such as cats, dogs, and horses. Once ingested, pentobarbital can also cause loss of balance, drowsiness, dizziness, and nausea. It can lead to death in most serious cases.
Affected Products
The recall affects the company's Cocolicious Beef & Turkey dog food and Cocolicious Chicken & Beef dog food. Party Animals said that the affected products were manufactured and distributed in 2015.
"When we were notified, we immediately tracked the lot numbers of the food in question and determined that the food had been manufactured and distributed in 2015," company said in a statement.
The affected beef and turkey variety has a best by date of July 29 and can be identified by the product number 0136E15204 04. Recalled chicken and beef variety has best by date of August 2019 and is marked with product number 0134E15237 13. The products were packaged in 13-ounce cans and were distributed for sale nationwide.
Pet Owners Who Bought Affected Products Can Get Full Refund
The company advised pet owners who have bought the affected products to return them to the place of purchase and get a full refund.
Party Animal Working With Retailers And Manufacturer
Party Animal also said that it requested retailers to send them the cans of the affected lots so these can be forwarded to an accredited independent laboratory for testing. Test results will be available after seven to 10 days.
The company likewise said that it is working with its manufacturer to determine the potential cause of the contamination and is also re-examining its manufacturing processes to ensure the safety of its products.
"Party Animal wishes to emphasize that we have submitted many recent lots of our beef flavors for testing and all have tested negative for any pentobarbital," the company said in the statement posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.
Other Dog Food Recalls Made Over Potential Contamination By Euthanasia Drug
In February this year, Illinois-based Evanger's Dog and Cat Food also issued a voluntary recall of some of its dog food products after the same contaminants was discovered in a lot that were distributed in 15 states in the United States.
At least five pet dogs were reported to have fallen ill and at least one died after consuming contaminated products.
Against the Grain Pet Food also issued a similar recall of Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs also because of potential adulteration with pentobarbital.
No complaints have been reported at the time the recall was issued.
