Dogfood recalled after possible euthanasia drug link
Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food has expanded its recall of both Evanger’s and Against the Grain canned dog foods because they may contain pentobarbital, a barbiturate used in animal euthanasia, human executions and physician-assisted suicides.
The company initially instituted a voluntary recall earlier in February after five dogs in Washington state became ill and one died following their consumption of Evanger’s Hunk of beef products, according to a recent article in The Seattle Times.
In addition to questions regarding the presence of the drug inside the cans of pet food, private laboratory results discovered the presence of horse meat in some dog food.
According to Evanger’s vice president, the company has not yet isolated how the deadly drug—along with horse meat—got into the cans. However, they suspect their meat supplier to be the problem.
In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the supplier’s plant and did not find evidence of wrongdoing, as euthanized animals were kept out of the food stream.
Evanger’s is also facing questions about the quality of meat used in their products, as well as the condition of its production plants. In particular, contrary to Evanger’s claim that they used human-grade meat, the FDA has not corroborated this claim.
Processing plant issues include lack of raw meat refrigeration and the presence of an open sewer within 25 feet of food storage trailers, according to the report.
Which products were affected?
According to the company, they have voluntarily withdrawn the following 12-ounce cans:
- Evanger’s: Braised Beef; Item #776150
- Evanger’s Hunk of Beef; Item #776155
- Against the Grain Pulled Beef; Item #776107