Pet parents should learn to pay more attention to the food they are trying to feed the pooches and cats. It turns out that listeria has also found its way on them too.
Stella and Chewy's is the newest company to announce a voluntary recall in some of its dog food products after the Department of Agriculture in Maryland discovered the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in lot number 111-15. These products should have a used-by date on April 23, 2016.
In the official announcement of the company on Saturday, July 4, its CEO Jen Guzman related how they received the mandatory stoppage of the contaminated products in the market from the state's health authorities as of Thursday, July 2. The product that was examined then was Freeze-Dried Dinner Patties, which weighed 15 ounces.
However, the company stressed that they wanted to be extra cautious and had therefore recalled all the other products that belonged to the same lot.
Some products have also been recalled even if they were not part of the same lot and had therefore not tested positive. This is still in line with extra vigilance as cross-contamination is possible. In other words, the products may have come in close contact with the contaminated ones. These are:
You can view the complete list here.
So far, there has been no reported illness or death associated with the consumption of these pet products. However, the symptoms both humans and animals are similar. These include fever, stiff neck, convulsion, balance loss, and nausea. They may also develop diarrhea. The risks are higher when the persons have low or compromised immune system, are elderly, or are children.
For those who have bought the products can return them to where they were purchased for a refund. If they are already opened, they should be placed in a seal-tight container and disposed properly.