Dog and Cat Food, Treats Recalled Nationwide as Salmonella Discovered

MINNEAPOLIS – Doctors from BluePearl Veterinary Partners are urging people to stop using and return or discard certain Natura Pet Products food and treats after the company issued a recall due to potential salmonella contamination Friday.

According to a press release issued by Natura Pet Products, the company is expanding its original recall after sampling conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of salmonella in additional dry pet food and a cat pet treat.

The brands affected are California Natural, Evo, Healthwise, Innova and Karma with expiration dates prior to and including March 24, 2014(See table below for additional details).

The affected products are sold through veterinary clinics and select pet specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Costa Rica, as well as online, the release said.

People who have the potentially contaminated product should discard it immediately and stop handling it as it poses a risk to humans as well.

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.

Common symptoms of salmonella in pets include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, fever and abdominal discomfort.

“Any time you notice your pet is not acting right, you should take him or her to your family veterinarian as soon as possible,” said Dr. Neil Shaw, chief medical officer of BluePearl. “If it is an after-hours emergency, we would be glad to help at any one of our locations.”

The affected products are:

Brand Size Description UPC Lot Codes(s) EXPIRATION DATE

California Natural All

Sizes All dry dog and dry cat

food and treat varieties All

UPCs All Lot Codes All expiration dates prior to and

including MARCH 24, 2014

EVO All

Sizes All dry dog and dry cat

food and treat varieties

All ferret food varieties All

UPCs All Lot Codes All expiration dates prior to and

including MARCH 24, 2014

Healthwise All

Sizes All dry dog and dry cat

food and treat varieties All

UPCs All Lot Codes All expiration dates prior to and

including MARCH 24, 2014

Innova All

Sizes All dry dog and dry cat

food and treat varieties All

UPCs All Lot Codes All expiration dates prior to and

including MARCH 24, 2014

Karma All

Sizes All dry dog food varieties All

UPCs All Lot Codes All expiration dates prior to and

including MARCH 24, 2014

Natura Pet Products also recommended for consumers to visit http://www.naturapet.com for additional information. For a product replacement or refund call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).

About BluePearl Veterinary Partners

Formed in 2008, BluePearl Veterinary Partners is headquartered in Tampa, Fla., and employs more than 1,200 people including approximately 250 veterinarians. BluePearl hospitals are referral-only and don’t provide primary care. Most BluePearl hospitals offer 24-hour emergency care services. BluePearl is one of the world’s principal providers of approved veterinary residency and internship educational programs. BluePearl also participates in and conducts clinical trials to study the effectiveness of new drugs and treatments, which give clients access to cutting-edge medicine not yet commercially available and improves the quality of care delivered to our patients.