Dog food taken off shelves after deaths

Three dog food products suspected to have caused 70 dogs to die have been taken off the market, the department of agriculture said.

Buddies Complete Dog Food, Legends Dog Food, and Hi-Pro Dog Food were no longer allowed to be sold.

"These products cannot be marketed, distributed or sold in South Africa as it is not in the public interest to have these products in the channels of trade," the department said in a statement.

Beeld newspaper reported on Friday that it was believed the dog food caused almost 70 dogs to die.

The department said its officials inspected the sites where the dog food was manufactured following media reports on the dog deaths.

Samples of the products were taken to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and "tested positive for aflatoxins".

"These results establish an association between the cases of aflatoxicosis that have been reported and the products in question," said the department.

Aflaxotins are toxic compounds produced by a certain strain of fungi, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

Members of the public were asked to inform the department if any of these products had not been taken off the shelves in shops. The department can be contacted at 012-319-6887.
 

- SAPA