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Evanger's Hunk of Beef pet food recalled for possible contamination with sedative, FDA says

High doses of pentobarbital used in euthanasia
Posted at 11:11 AM, Feb 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-07 12:02:28-05

CINCINNATI -- Evanger's Dog & Cat Food of Wheeling, Illinois is voluntarily recalling specific lots of its Hunk of Beef pet food because it could be contaminated with a potentially lethal sedative.

Pentobarbital was detected in one lot of Evanger's Hunk of Beef Au Jus.

So far, one dog has died and four others became ill after eating the product, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recall affects 12-oz. cans of Hunk of Beef products manufactured the same week, with lot numbers starting with:

  • 1816E03HB
  • 1816E04HB
  • 1816E06HB
  • 1816E07HB
  • 1816E13HB

They have an expiration date of June 2020. The second half of the barcode reads 20109, which can be found on the back of the product label.

The products were sold in stores and online in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Washington, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and were manufactured the week of June 6 – June 13, 2016.

In high doses, pentobarbital can be used for euthanasia. Side effects of non-lethal doses include drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, or nausea.

"All Evanger's suppliers of meat products are USDA approved," the FDA said. "This beef supplier provides us with beef chunks from cows that are slaughtered in a USDA facility. We continue to investigate how this substance entered our raw material supply."