Back on Thanksgiving weekend PriceChopper grocery stores posted a limited recall of select Iams brand foods on their website (screen cap of the page available at the linked site). Shortly there after they pulled it down, and an Iams rep was quoted as saying that there was nothing wrong with their foods (see above link).
About a week later Iams officially recalled a puppy chow for aflatoxin contamination. A dog food that was NOT one of the ones listed previously by PriceChopper (link goes to same blog as linked above, links from there to the FDA site).
Now it appears that the aflatoxin problem isn’t limited to Iams. Now Cargill, Advanced Animal Nutrition, and O’Neals Feeder Supply have also recalled foods for the same issues. The Iams recall still does not include the foods listed by PriceChopper.
In case you’re reading this and wondering what the heck aflatoxin is, in this case it refers to a type of mold found in corn and corn based products. It causes hepatitis type problems in both humans and animals, and infact is often called hepatitis X. There is no known antidote, and unless you’re really really lucky its almost always fatal. The few survivors suffer from severe liver damage.
I highly recommend checking the ingredients of your dog food closely, if they list corn or any corn byproducts you may want to consider a different food. Aflatoxin has been an ongoing problem since it was identified in 1952, and almost every time there’s a recall for it a large number of dogs die from hepatitis X.
What does this have to do with me feeding my dog a raw diet? Well for one it means I know EXACTLY what goes into his food, and for two? Well consider, first there’s a recall, then nope, no recall, everything’s dandy you can keep feeding our foods with confidence…….um…..maybe not, don’t feed THIS food!!! Sorry, that has happened to often.