Pet Food Recall 2019: Salmonella And Listeria Contamination Found In Raw Pet Food

After two recalls in July pig ears because they may be contaminated with Salmonella, Texas Tripe Inc. has recalled several lots of its raw pet food because it may be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria.

The recall affects 35 lots of 23 different product varieties sold frozen in 20- and 40-pound cases with multiple plastic pouches inside. The lot codes of the recalled pet food are displayed on the outside of the cases but not on the individual plastic pouches. Consumers that are unable to identify the lot code because the case packaging is missing should still throw the product away.

The recalled pet food was sold direct to consumers online and by phone. The affected pet food was sold directly to consumers in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

A full list of the recalled pet food can be found here.

Consumers should check their freezers for the contaminated pet food. They should stop feeding the food to their pets and throw it away in a secure container where other animals and wildlife cannot access it.

Salmonella can cause illness and death in humans and animals, especially those who are young, elderly or have weakened immune systems. Salmonella symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. In some instances, Salmonella can spread into the bloodstream and other body sites.

Pets that have a Salmonella infection do not always display symptoms, however, they may show signs of vomiting, diarrhea, which may be bloody, fever, loss of appetite, and decreased activity level. Salmonella bacteria can also be shed in animal feces and saliva, causing further contamination.

Listeria can also cause illness and death in humans and animals, especially those that are pregnant, young, elderly, or have a weakened immune system. Symptoms of Listeria infection include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions as well as fever and muscle aches. Listeria infections in pregnant women can also lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or life-threatening infections in newborns.

Pets that are infected with Listeria may have mild to severe diarrhea, anorexia, fever, nervous, muscular and respiratory signs, abortion, depression, shock, and death. Pets can also pass Listeria to humans without showing any signs of the illness through their feces.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recalled raw pet food poses a serious threat to humans and animals because Salmonella and Listeria can affect both humans and animals. Consumers that show symptoms of Salmonella or Listeria infection should consult their healthcare provider. Animals that display symptoms of Salmonella or Listeria infection should be seen by a veterinarian.

Consumers should also clean the area where the pet food was stored, including refrigerators, freezers, food bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, toys, floors, and other surfaces that may have come in contact with the contaminated pet food. In addition, consumers should clean up any pet feces that could be exposed to humans and animals as well as thoroughly washing their hands after handling the recalled pet food.

Texas Tripe was notified of the contamination after several samples of its raw pet food tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to the FDA, 16 of 23 samples tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria.