Blue Ridge Beef recalls puppy food that may be tainted with salmonella
FILE - Jack Russell puppies eat from a food bowl (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
A recall is underway for 9,600 pounds of puppy food made by Blue Ridge Beef.
It was prompted by worries that the two-pound logs of the raw pet food company’s Puppy Mix may contain salmonella bacteria, according to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall notice.
Each of the recalled logs, distributed in August, sports the UPC 854298001696. The lot numbers, present on the end of the packaging, are 08/06/N25 and 08/16/N25.
The FDA notice instructed pet owners not to feed the recalled Puppy Mix to animals, sell it or give it away as a donation. Rather, they should either take it back to where they bought it or destroy it.
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Sales of the affected Puppy Mix logs largely occurred in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia at retailers, according to the notice.
The recall notice said Blue Ridge Beef "was notified by the FDA that these products tested positive" for the bacteria in late November.
Concerns about salmonella contamination had arisen after a "customer’s litter of puppies became ill and reported the issue" to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the FDA said.
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Salmonella "can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products," according to the agency.
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Pets may show symptoms like lethargy, diarrhea, fever, vomiting and lack of appetite if they fall ill because of salmonella, the FDA said. Meanwhile, exposed people may feel nauseated, vomit, have diarrhea and cramps, and develop a fever.
Blue Ridge Beef says on its website that it has a commitment to "quality, service, and safety."
The company has made raw pet food for over four decades. Its products can be found in retailers in a total of 33 states and the District of Columbia, according to its website.
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