The FDA has released an alert telling consumers to avoid Performance Dog Raw Pet Food because it may be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. A sample tested positive for both pathogens.
The samples were collected during an inspection of Bravo Packing, the manufacturer of the dog food, which is located in Carneys Point, New Jersey. One of the products was not entered into commerce, but one was.
That recalled product is Performance Dog raw pet food lot code 072219, which was sold to customers frozen in two-pound pouches. But the FDA is cautioning consumers about all Performance Dog raw pet food produced on or after July 22, 2019 because the products do not have lot codes printed on the retail packaging. If you have any Performance dog product that you bought after July 22, 2019, throw it away in a sealed container in a secure garbage can.
This is the second time Bravo Packing, Inc. product tested positive for pathogen contamination. In September 2018, Bravo Packing recalled all Performance Dog frozen raw pet food for possible Salmonella contamination. And in 2016, the FDA collected samples of Bravo Packing horse meat chunk animals food that tested positive for the drugs pentobarbital and phenytoin.
The FDA is concerned that people will have this product in their freezers. Check your freezer carefully to make sure you don’t have this product. The FDA says that this product “represents a serious threat to human and animal health.”
Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can make both pets and humans sick. When pets are sick, or if they are carriers of the pathogen, they can shed the bacteria in their feces and saliva. This can contaminate the dog’s coat and the environment. People can also get sick if they handle contaminated pet food and don’t wash their hands before eating or preparing food.
In pets, symptoms of a Salmonella infection can include vomiting, diarrhea that may be bloody, fever, loss of appetite, and decreased activity. Symptoms of listeriosis in pets can include diarrhea, fever, nervous, muscular, and respiratory signs, and depression. Some animals can be a carrier of these pathogens and appear well.
Human symptoms of a Salmonella infection include fever, nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. Human symptoms of listeriosis include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, and diarrhea.
