Dog food recalled over salmonella, listeria concerns: FDA

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A sign for the Food And Drug Administration is seen outside of the headquarters on July 20, 2020 in White Oak, Maryland. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Beware, pet owners: Certain dog food is facing a recall because it may be contaminated with salmonella and listeria, according to a recall notice posted to the Food and Drug Administration’s website this week.

New Jersey-based Bravo Packing, Inc. in a recall notice posted to the FDA website on Wednesday said it’s recalling all of its 2-pound and 5-pound sleeves of its Ground Beef and Performance Dog, frozen raw pet foods, over concerns the products are contaminated with the two types of bacteria.

Though no human or pet illnesses have been reported to date, the recall was initiated after samples of Performance Dog and a sample of Ground Beef tested positive for salmonella and listeria monocytogenes following an FDA inspection, per the recall notice. 

"Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Pets exposed to contaminated food can be infected without showing symptoms. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian," the recall notice reads. "Infected animals including those without symptoms, can also shed Salmonella through their feces and saliva, spreading pathogens into the home environment and to humans and other animals in the household."

In humans, symptoms of salmonella usually develop 1 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria, with most people developing diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. The illness usually lasts four to seven days and most people recover without treatment, according to the Centers for Diease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized," according to the CDC. "Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other places in the body."

Federal health officials say that children younger than 5 years of age, pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Listeria monocytogenes, meanwhile, is an organism that can sometimes cause "serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems," per the FDA. "Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, server headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women."

The pet food was distributed nationwide, with both Performance Dog and Ground Beef coming in frozen 2-pound or 5-pound plastic sleeves. Consumers who purchased either of the foods are urged to throw them away.

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