Evanger’s Dog Food Recalled after Five Dogs Took Ill and One Died

Five whole batches of Evanger’s “Hunk of Beef” dog food has been recalled by the company after owners of five dogs reported their companions took ill shortly after consuming the product and one even died. It was discovered that the canned food actually contained a high dose of barbiturate Pentobarbital. The company issued the mass recall, due to growing concerns that some dog owners could still have unused cans in their homes.

According to the latest reports, Illinois-based Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food of Wheeling is recalling five batches of 12-ounce cans of dog food, called “Hunk of Beef” with expiration dates set for June 2020. The recall notice was posted on Friday, February 3^rd on the Food and Drug Administration official website.

So far, the company distributed its products to retailers across 15 states, including Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, New York, Georgia, Ohio, Maryland, Florida, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Indiana, Minnesota, and Michigan. According to the recall notice, the batches of dog food in question were manufactured last year, during the second week of June.

However, the recall notice addresses only 12-ounce cans that have particular lot numbers. Hence, dog owners that have purchased canned food with batch number 1816E13HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E03HB, 1816E06HB, and 1816E07HB are advised against feeding the contents to their dogs. The batches are relatively easy to identify, given the fact that only these ones have the expiration date set for June 2020. However, if dog owners still encounter issues when identifying the affected products, those who contain life-threatening levels of barbiturate Pentobarbital have a barcode that ends in 20109 in the second half. Customers will find the barcodes printed on the back of the products’ label.

Veterinarians say that barbiturate Pentobarbital acts as a sedative. When ingested by animals, however, the substance causes dizziness, loss of balance, drowsiness, nausea, excitement, and, in extreme cases, even death. Fortunately, the ingredients used for making the company’s “Hunk of Beef” have not been used in any other Evanger’s products. Nevertheless, company officials say they will continue to investigate the issue further, specifically how did the substance get mixed with the rest of the ingredients.

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