Blue Ridge Beef of Eatonton, GA, is recalling one lot of its frozen “Kitten Grind” raw pet food after consumer complaints, including reports of the death of two kittens. One of the kittens was confirmed to have died from Salmonella septicemia.
The recall falls on the heels of the Food and Drug Administration’s investigation into the pet deaths, according to the recall notice on the agency’s website.
Septicemia is an infection of the blood stream, also referred to as bacteremia or blood poisoning. Lab tests conducted by FDA on samples of the raw meat kitten food found both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in the product.
Consumers can identify the recalled 2-pound tubes of frozen Blue Ridge Beef Kitten Grind by looking for “Lot #GA1102” and a manufacture date of Nov. 2, 2017.
The lot number is stamped on the clips at each end of the tubes, also referred to as chubs.
Blue Ridge Beef distributed the implicated lot in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina.
The manufacturer urges consumers to check pet food in their homes for the affected lot number and to stop feeding the recalled product of Kitten Grind to their pets. The product should be disposed of safely or returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Consumers with questions can contact Blue Ridge Beef by email at blueridgebeefga@yahoo.com.
The FDA encourages anyone with concerns or complaints about the safety of specific pet foods to file a report. Details are available at https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm
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