Pet food recall expands

Dogs eat out of a bowl. ( (File Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

A warning if you own a dog:  The Food and Drug Administration says a pet food company is expanding a recall of certain products due to a mold byproduct that could potentially kill animals. 

Sunshine Mills, Inc. is expanding its voluntary recall of certain pet food products that were made with corn that contained Aflatoxin at potentially unhealthy levels.

It is an expansion of a recall initiated September 2, 2020, after an investigation conducted along with the FDA determined that additional corn-based pet food products produced between April 3, 2020 and April 5, 2020 may contain corn from a single load of corn with elevated levels of aflatoxin.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mold by-product from the growth of Aspergillus flavus and can be harmful to pets if consumed in significant quantities.

Pets with aflatoxin toxicity (aflatoxicosis) may show symptoms of illness including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, diarrhea, and in some cases, death. Pets experiencing any of these symptoms after consuming the recalled products should be seen by a veterinarian.

Various Sunshine Mills’ dog food brands have been affected, including Champ, Field Trial, Good Dog, Hunter’s Special, Old Glory, Paws Happy Life, Pet Expert, Principle, Retriever, River Bend, and Sportsman’s Pride, among others. A full list can be found here.