This Pet Food Is Being Pulled From Walmart and Target Shelves Amid a Shortage

Things like Sriracha hot sauce and baby formula have been hard to find on grocery store shelves recently—a situation pet owners know all too well. Dog food and cat food have been facing shortages since early Spring this year after an increase in demand started in 2020 when lockdowns found many people adopting a furry family member. In the last few months, it's been hard to find certain pet foods, though, with one major grocery chain even discontinuing several options after supply shortages.

Unfortunately, pet food sold at Walmart, Target, and other stores is facing another hit, as one brand is recalling one of its types of dog food because it could be contaminated with Salmonella. If a 4.5-pound bag of Freshpet Select Fresh From The Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe dog food is in your kitchen. Read on for all the details about how it could be a danger to you and your pet.

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Freshpet Inc. says the bags were sold in over 100 Walmart stores in Alabama and Georgia, as well as some Target stores and other retailers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Bags feature a picture of chicken on a wooden cutting board surrounded by vegetables with a black and white dog looking on. They contain a "Sell by Date" of 10/29/22 and a UPC code of 627975011673 on the bottom of the bag.

Dog food recall Freshpet — Courtesy of Freshpet

"Our Freshpet Team had designated this single lot for destruction, but a small portion of the lot was inadvertently shipped to retailers in limited geographic markets in the last two weeks," the company says in a recall announcement posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "If pet parents have products matching the following description and sell by date in their possession, they should stop feeding it to their dogs and dispose of it immediately."

Animals can be infected with the bacteria if they eat the contaminated product, but there is also a risk of humans contracting an illness, too, if they handle it and do not wash their hands after. Symptoms of a Salmonella infection in dogs include exhaustion, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and even a decreased appetite and stomach pain.

In people, symptoms range from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and a fever. Children, the elderly, and others with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to Salmonella infections, which can lead to more serious illnesses like arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. if you or your pet exhibits any of these symptoms, call a veterinarian or physician.

With the removal of this dog food from shelves, pet owners have an even slimmer selection to choose from. Just recently Trader Joe's stopped selling certain types of dog and cat food. The six types include the Ocean Fish, Salmon & Rice Dinner Premium Cat Food, Turkey & Giblets Dinner Premium Cat Food, Grain Free Salmon Recipe Cat Food, Grain Free Turkey Recipe Cat Food, Grain Free Beef Recipe Dog Food, and the Grain Free Chicken Recipe Dog Food. Two other dog food varieties are still available, however.

Meat, wheat, and aluminum—all of which are essential ingredients and packaging for pet food—are facing low supplies and high prices right now thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, droughts, and other supply chain problems, so the problem may not have a solution for a while.

In the meantime, This Beloved 1990s Cereal Is Coming Back to Grocery Store Shelves.