Savage Pet recalls some of its products in these states over fears of bird flu contamination

Savage Pet has recalled some products that are feared to be contaminated with bird flu. Savage Pet is in the process of recalling several boxes of cat food chicken from a specific lot as it may contain H5N1, or the bird flu, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The brand is recalling 66 of its 84-oz Large Chicken Boxes and 74 of its 21-oz Small Chicken Boxes bearing the lot code/expiration date "11152026", the FDA said in a press release.

Savage Pet cat food recall: Lot distributed across five states

The affected units were distributed to retailers across the states of California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, the agency noted. It advised pet owners to be on the lookout for symptoms such as fever, lethargy, low appetite, inflamed or reddened eyes if they fed their cats the recalled products.

As per the FDA, symptoms like discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, stiff body movements, seizure, lack of coordination, or blindness may also show up in the affected felines.

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Savage Pet recall: Symptoms to be on the lookout for

The FDA urged pet owners to immediately contact their veterinarians in case their cats exhibit the aforementioned symptoms. "In February, Savage Pet was made aware of one cat in Colorado who contracted H5N1, got sick and recovered. Colorado State University Laboratory tested sealed packets of Savage Cat Food using PCR testing for H5N1. The PCR test results were 'non-negative'. The product with 'non-negative' PCR results was sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa for virus isolation testing," the federal agency stated.

The product in question was taken off the shelves pending final test results, it added. Retailers who were believed to have received the affected lot code were instructed to return the products for proper destruction, the FDA said. The result for the virus isolation testing, however, returned negative on March 6. Days later, on March 13, Savage Per was apprised of a new case of bird flu in a cat that was being fed with lot code 11152026 in New York, the FDA informed. Further testing of the lot was underway when FDA issued the communique.

Human symptoms of bird flu

Noting the absolute absence of bird flu infections in humans handling raw pet food products, the FDA highlighted the chances of people getting infected in case the live virus made its way to their eyes, nose or mouth. It advised people who handled the recalled Savage Pet products to watch for symptoms such as sore throat, sneezing, runny/stuffy nose, muscle/body aches, headaches, fatigue, fever, trouble breathing, seizures, rash, diarrhea, nausea, conjunctivitis, cough, and/or vomiting.

The FDA urged customers who bought products from the affected lot to return them immediately to their retailers for a full refund.

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FAQs

How can customers get rid of the recalled product?
Customers who bought the affected lot code have been urged by the FDA to immediately return them to their retailer.

Will the customers get a full refund?
Yes. Customers who purchased products from the recalled product are entitled to a full refund.