**THIS NOTICE IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO MAY HAVE PURCHASED THIS PRODUCT ELSEWHERE. RESCUE PET SUPPLY DOES NOT SELL RAW FROZEN PET FOOD PRODUCTS.**

Recall — Firm Press Release

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

OC RAW DOG RECALLS TURKEY & PRODUCE RAW FROZEN CANINE FORMULATION BECAUSE OF POSSIBLESALMONELLAHEALTH RISK

Contact:
Consumer:
1-844-215-DOGS (3647)

Media:
949-215-1111
E-mail: Olivia@ocrawdog.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — May 15, 2015 — Ranch Santa Margarita, CA — OC Raw Dog of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is voluntarily recalling 2055 lbs. of Turkey & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. An organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.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.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animals have consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

This voluntary recall is limited to Turkey & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulations that were packaged into 6.5 lb. Doggie Dozen Patties and 5 lb. Bulk Bags with the lot number 1511 and use by date of 10/8/15. These products were distributed in Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Colorado and sold to consumers through independent pet specialty retailers.

This recall is a result of a routine sampling program by the Nebraska Department of Food and Agriculture which revealed a presumptive positive to Salmonella.

OC Raw Dog has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continues their investigation as to what caused the problem.

We will be making several changes to our methods of production in order to further protect the product we so firmly believe in.

If you are in possession of this recalled product please submit a picture of the package with the lot number toOlivia@ocrawdog.com for verification of product in the marketplace. Please return the product to the retailer where you purchased for a full refund or replacement product.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-844-215-DOGS (3647) Monday thru Friday 9am – 5pm PST.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration.

Xylitol Toxin Showing Up in More Foods

Dr. Greg McGrath wrote a good article on xylitol toxicity and how it is showing up in peanut butter and other foods. Just one more good reason not to give your pet table food!

The low-calorie sweetener xylitol is being used in more and more products made for humans. This compound can cause serious or fatal poisoning if it is ingested by a dog, so owners need to be especially vigilant that it is not accidentally consumed by their dogs or even given to them intentionally by an unsuspecting owner.

Xylitol is a type of compound known as a “sugar alcohol.” It imparts a sweet taste, but has very little caloric content that the body can use. Consequently, it is being used in many products made for human consumption, including chewing gum, candy, mouth washes, in a powdered form for baking and sweetening drinks such as coffee and tea, and recently it has been used in peanut butter. Dogs may ingest any of these substances accidentally, and some owners give peanut butter to their dogs as a treat or to disguise a tablet the dog must be given.

Xylitol is advertised as “natural” because it is extracted from birch bark or corn cobs. If the label says natural, it must be good for you, right? In this case, that’s not true for dogs.

When a human consumes xylitol, it is absorbed slowly over many hours and does not have a dangerous effect on blood sugar. But dogs aren’t just small humans, and when a dog consumes xylitol, it is absorbed very rapidly, in as little as 30 minutes. The insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas see xylitol as a sugar and begin secreting more insulin, but since xylitol actually has very little caloric content, blood sugar levels drop precipitously in the dog. This can lead to severe or even fatal hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

As the blood sugar level drops, the dog may become disoriented or unresponsive, have seizures or go into a coma. There is also a direct toxic effect on the liver in dogs that is not fully understood, but either the hypoglycemia or the liver toxicity can be fatal. The hypoglycemic crisis can cause death in just a few hours, or the dog may die within a few days from the liver damage.

And it doesn’t necessarily take a large amount of xylitol to poison a dog. One or two sticks of gum are enough to cause toxicity in a 10-pound dog.

And just to complicate matters for those trying to determine if a product contains xylitol, it also goes under several different names, including xylite, birch sugar and birch bark extract.

How about cats? It turns out that the same toxic effect doesn’t seem to be a problem in cats. Cats are not dogs, and neither of them is a small human. This is a fact that veterinarians have to discuss with clients on a daily basis.

It would behoove dog owners to check their shelves, refrigerators, pockets and purses to see if they have any products that contain xylitol. Particularly scrutinize anything that says “sugar free” or something similar on the label. Store them where it’s impossible for your dog to get to them, and be prepared to tell your veterinarian you have xylitol around of your pet suddenly gets sick. Your pet’s doctor doesn’t want a needless tragedy to occur if it can be prevented by securely storing these products or removing them entirely from your home.

M. H. Archer, DVM

Loveland Veterinary House Call