FDA Warning: ‘Serious Threat to Human and Animal Health’ in Several Lots of Darwin’s Natural Dog Food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned of a serious threat posed by Darwin’s Natural Pet Products dog food after samples tested positive for salmonella.

“The FDA is issuing this alert because these three lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products raw dog food represent a serious threat to human and animal health,” a news release from the FDA said on March 26.

The agency is warning consumers not to feed three lots of the product to their dogs.

The recalled products are as follows:

• Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5309(11)181019, manufactured on October 19, 2018.
• Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5375(11)181106, manufactured on November 6, 2018.
• Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Turkey Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5339(11)181026, manufactured on October 26, 2018.

People who bought these lots are urged to throw them away in a “secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it.”

The FDA added that the “raw dog food represent[s] a serious threat to human and animal health” due to the presence of salmonella.

“The FDA collected and analyzed unopened samples of products from these three lots in response to a consumer complaint. Samples from all three lots tested positive for Salmonella,” read the notice.

Meanwhile, the products were manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, and they were sold online directly to consumers.

The health agency said it is issuing the warning because it is “not confident that the firm’s customer notifications are effective for this ongoing recall,” according to the notice.

According to the notice, the actions taken by Arrow Reliance to remove a product from the marketplace meets the definition of a recall. But the firm hasn’t issued a public notice.

“The FDA continues to work with Arrow Reliance, doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, on recalling the remaining products from these lots,” it said.

Consumers who bought the product should also clean out their freezers or refrigerators where the product was stored. They should also disinfect and clean bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the dog food may have had contact with.

“Clean up the pet’s feces in yards or parks where people or other animals may become exposed. Consumers should thoroughly wash their hands after handling the recalled product or cleaning up potentially contaminated items and surfaces,” the notice said.

Symptoms of Salmonella

The Mayo Clinic says people who have a salmonella infection typically don’t show any symptoms.

But, in other cases, people can develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps within eight to 72 hours after exposure, but “most healthy people recover within a few days without specific treatment,” the Mayo Clinic said.

“Salmonella infection is usually caused by eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs or egg products. The incubation period ranges from several hours to two days. Most salmonella infections can be classified as stomach flu (gastroenteritis),” says the health website.

Other symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and bloody stool.

Canned Dog Food Recalled

More canned dog food was recalled over a potentially toxic level of vitamin D, said Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which announced the recall of 33 total products.

Hill’s list of recalled pet food products (Hill’s website)

Hill’s list of recalled pet food products (Hill’s website)

The company’s canned Prescription Diet and Science Diet foods, sold at veterinarian offices across the United States, were impacted.

Hill’s issued a letter to vets on March 20, saying that it determined that the “issue is isolated to the same vitamin premix used in canned dog foods and limited to specific production lots.”

But, it added, “our review did determine that there were additional products affected by that vitamin premix, and it is for that reason that we are expanding the recall.”