Dog Food Recall: One Lot Of This Product May Be Contaminated

Pet owners should check their pantries for dog food they may have purchased recently. Freshpet, one of the makers of dog food, is recalling one lot of its food product for small dogs because of a possible contamination.

Freshpet is specifically recalling one lot of its "Freshpet Select Small Dog Bite Size Beef & Egg Recipe Dog Food" that may be contaminated with salmonella, the recall notice on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website noted. The particular product was supposed to be destroyed, but was "inadvertently" shipped to retailers from June 7 to 10.

"Most of the product was intercepted at retailer distribution warehouses and not delivered to retail stores," the recall notice clarified. "If pet parents have products matching the following description in their possession, they should stop feeding it to their dogs and dispose of it immediately."

The affected proucts have the UPC code 627975012939, Lot Code 1421FBP0101 and Sell By date of 10/30/2021 L2. This information can be found at the bottom and back of the bags.

Photos of the affected products are also available on the FDA website. They were sold at Publix stores in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, and at "limited" Target stores in Southern California and Arizona.

Dogs that get infected with salmonella may develop symptoms such as lethargy, fever, bloody diarrhea or vomiting. However, infected pets that don't develop symptoms and look healthy can still be carriers and thus potentially infect other pets or people in the household. The best way to prevent salmonella infection from animals is to always wash the hands thoroughly with soap and water after having contact with them, their stool or their environment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

Freshpet clarified that it has not received any reports of illnesses related to the recall, and that no other products or lot codes are impacted. But those who do find that they purchased an affected product may contact the company or use this form to get a refund.

The refund requests will be reviewed, and those whose submissions meet the criteria will get a "full value coupon" via mail.

"The safety of pets and pet parents and the quality of our products are of the greatest importance and we value the trust placed in Freshpet," the company said.