The dog and cat food company, Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food announced a voluntary recall of one of its goods when it was discovered to be tainted with a lethal sedative.
The New York Times reports that between June 6 and 13, some cans of Hunks of Beef produced by the company were polluted with pentobarbital, a chemical mostly used to anesthetize or euthanize animals.
In a press release through the Food and Drug Administration, the firm stated that even though only one batch of the product was involved, it decided to recall every product produced in that week “out of an abundance of caution.”
The company warned that the effect of taking the chemical could include “drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, or nausea, or in extreme cases, [and] possibly death.”
It was reported that five dogs took ill, and one of them later passed away.
That particular batch of food got to Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
The New York Times reports that a higher intake of pentobarbital causes a “cardiovascular effect” in animals, stopping their hearts. In humans, the drug is utilized to provoke coma in brain-damaged patients. In a fatal injection scenario, the drug is one of three most frequently used.
“Because we source from suppliers of meat products that are USDA-approved, and no other products have had any reported problems, we are not extending the recall to other supplier lots.” “This is the first recall for Evanger’s in its 82 years of manufacturing.”
The Consumerist confirmed that the firm is conducting an inquiry into how the chemical found its way into the meat. Pentobarbital is not supposed to be ingested or used by livestock. Nevertheless, the company holds the belief that its beef supplier seems to be the likely culprit.
“We feel that we have been let down by our supplier, and in reference to the possible presence of pentobarbital, we have let down our customers,” the company said in a recent release on its website.
“Despite having a relationship for forty years with the supplier of this specific beef, who also services many other pet food companies, we have terminated our relationship with them and will no longer purchase their beef for use in our Hunk of Beef product.”
Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food intends to settle the veterinary bills of all animals that fell ill after eating the product, and it has made an endowment to a local shelter in remembrance of the pug that died.