Several dog foods recalled for salmonella contamination. They can harm your pet — and you

Howard Cohen
·2 min read

Sunshine Mills has issued a recall of some of its dog food products because they could be contaminated with salmonella, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced Thursday.

The recall spun off from a flag raised by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture after a tested sample of the company’s 5-pound bag of Sprout Sporting Dog Food came back positive for salmonella. The distributor, Fleet Wholesale Supply Company, notified Sunshine Mills.

What can salmonella do?

Salmonella can affect animals that eat contaminated products and can also pose a health risk to their owners from handling the food — especially if they have not properly washed their hands and exposed surfaces.

According to Dog Time, salmonella symptoms in your dog can include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, miscarriage in pregnant dogs, depression, skin disease, shock and other ailments.

Some of these problems can happen to people, too, including nausea, arterial infections, endocarditis and urinary tract symptoms when exposed to salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates salmonella bacteria, almost always from food sources, cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the United States every year.

So far, no illnesses, injuries or complaints have been reported to date from the Sunshine Mills dog foods.

What are the products?

The best buy date and lot code can be found on the back of each package. The products identified below were distributed online and in retail stores.

The dog foods involved in the Sunshine Mills recall of June 2, 2021.
The dog foods involved in the Sunshine Mills recall of June 2, 2021.

▪ Sportsman’s Pride Professional Formula 30/20 Dog Food. The 40-pound bag stamped “Best if used by 7 Oct 2021.” Sold in Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina and Texas. Lot number 7015510184.

Sportsman’s Pride recalled dog food, June 2, 2021.
Sportsman’s Pride recalled dog food, June 2, 2021.

▪ Sprout Sporting Dog Food. The five- and 40-pound bags stamped “Best if used by 6 Oct 2021.” Sold in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. Lot TE1 and Lot: TI3.

Sprout recalled dog food, June 2, 2021.
Sprout recalled dog food, June 2, 2021.

▪ Intimidator Chicken & Rice Formula Dog Food 30/20 in 16- and 40-pound bags stamped “Best if used by 6 Oct 2021.” Sold in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi. Lot TA1 for both.

▪ FRM Gold Select High Performance Dog Food in 50-pound bag stamped “Best if used By 6 Oct 2021.” Sold in Florida and Georgia. Lot TA1.

FRM recalled dog food, June 2, 2021.
FRM recalled dog food, June 2, 2021.

What should you do?

According to the FDA, retailers who received the recalled lots have been contacted and asked to pull them from their inventory and shelves.

Consumers should discontinue use of the affected products and return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers can contact Sunshine Mills Inc. customer service at 800-705-2111 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. central time, Monday-Friday. Or email customer.service@sunshinemills.com.