FDA Issues ‘Do Not Feed’ Advisory on Pet Food Products: Here’s What We Know

“These products should not be fed to pets,” the notice said.
Affected products can be identified by a “Best Used By Date” sticker on the carton of the product, the FDA said.
No illnesses associated with the recalled lots have been confirmed, Answers said.
In the statement, the company detailed the risks posed by the two pathogens to both pet and human health. However, it did not make a statement regarding the FDA’s claim that the “firm has not initiated an adequate recall of the affected products.”
Answers said that it will “continue investigating this FDA report pursuing its number one priority to bring healthy, safe, truly raw pet food products to market,” adding that it is working with the agency to “ensure that the highest and safest food is provided.”
Severe symptoms can include persistent fever, shock, weight loss, blood loss, infections outside the intestines, diarrhea that lasts more than three to four weeks, and a miscarriage in pregnant female dogs, officials say.
The PetMD website says that owners “should promptly take their dogs to a veterinarian when diarrhea occurs with decreased appetite, lethargy, fever, and blood in the stool.”
“Even if a dog is not showing symptoms, it can still be a carrier of the bacteria and spread it to humans,” the notice said, adding that owners of pets that consume the affected Answers products “are encouraged to consult their veterinarian if symptoms exist.”
It further warned that people can contract listeria by handling contaminated pet food or touching surfaces exposed to the bacteria.
Symptoms in people can include fever, headache, muscle aches, stiff neck, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, the FDA said.
Young children, elderly people, pregnant women, and people who are immuno-compromised can be particularly susceptible to being infected with the listeria bacteria, it said.