Purina Animal Nutrition is recalling four brands of rabbit, turkey and chick feed sold in 32 states after receiving customer reports of sick and dying pet rabbits, according to a notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The recall involves multiple lots of Purina Rabbit Feed, Purina Turkey Feed, Country Acres Rabbit Feed and DuMOR Chick Starter/Grower Feed and is due to elevated calcium levels, stated the company (which is separate from Nestlé Purina Petcare, a U.S. unit of food conglomerate Nestlé).
The Land O’Lakes subsidiary said it received reports from customers claiming the rabbit products “may have resulted in poor health and/or mortality.”
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The products containing elevated levels of calcium were manufactured between December 16, 2019, and February 3, 2020, and sold at Tractor Supply Co. retail stores in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Elevated calcium carbonate levels can cause health issues and possibly be fatal in rabbits, and can lead to leg abnormalities and kidney calcification in young chickens and turkeys, the company said. Symptoms in rabbits include pinkish urine and lethargy due to decreased eating, while chicken and turkeys up to six weeks old may show leg abnormalities.
Customers who purchased recalled product should discard it or return it to their local animal feed store to exchange the product for a like item or refund. Animal owners can also call Purina Animal Nutrition’s customer service department at (800) 227-8941 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central standard time.
The affected product and lot numbers are:
Formula No. Item No. Description Lot Number
- 532D 3004902-206 Purina® Rabbit Complete (50#) 0JAN06MFI3
- 532D 3004902-203 Purina® Rabbit Complete (25#) 0FEB03MFI3
- 532D 3004902-206 Purina® Rabbit Complete (50#) 0FEB03MFI3
- 532F 3004918-206 Purina® Rabbit Show (50#) 0JAN09MFI1
- 532F 3004918-206 Purina® Rabbit Show (50#) 0JAN24MFI3
- 532E 3004903-206 Purina® Rabbit Professional (50#) 9DEC17MFI3
- 532E 3004903-206 Purina® Rabbit Professional (50#) 0JAN09MFI1
- 532E 3004903-206 Purina® Rabbit Professional (50#) 0FEB03MFI3
- 8382 0009906 Purina® Turkey Starter AMP 0.0125% (50#) 0JAN24MFI3
- 56AW 0049200 Country Acres® Rabbit Pellet 18 (50#) 0JAN09MFI1
- 56AW 0049200 Country Acres® Rabbit Pellet 18 (50#) 0JAN23MFI1
- 60V7 0046487 DuMOR® Chick Starter/Grower 20% (50#) 9DEC18MFI1
- 60W7 0046488 DuMOR® Chick Starter/Grower 20% (20#) 0JAN08MFI1
- 60W7 0046488 DuMOR® Chick Starter/Grower 20% (20#) 0JAN23MFI1
- 60W7 0046488 DuMOR® Chick Starter/Grower 20% (20#) 0JAN28MFI3
