An outbreak of a rare condition that causes severe illness in cats has led to a voluntary recall of multiple brands of cat food
Fold Hill Foods is voluntarily recalling a number of its hypoallergenic cat food products, from brands including Applaws, AVA and Sainsbury’s, over a possible link to an outbreak of a potentially fatal condition, feline pancytopenia.
The original article published below on 16 June 2021 stated that only the Applaws products with the Best Before dates of December 2022 to June 2023 were included in the voluntary recall.
However, since this was first reporting, Fold Hill Foods has issued an update to include all best before dates for Applaws products listed below, with the site code GB218E5009.
The manufacturer has taken this precautionary measure after the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) reported a sudden increase in cases of severe feline pancytopenia. An investigation into what’s caused this spike is ongoing. Pancytopenia is a very rare condition wherein the number of blood cells rapidly decreases, causing serious illness and can often prove fatal.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said “The GSPCA would like to highlight to Guernsey cat owners the recall of a number of cat foods linked to a possible serious illness.”
“The illness is Pancytopenia which is usually a very rare condition, where the number of blood cells rapidly decrease, which leads to serious illness such as anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia”
“This means Pancytopenia can often prove to be fatal.”
“We have listed the information published so cat owners can check the food they may have purchased isn’t putting their cats at risk.”
“If you have purchased any of these cat feeds please contact your retailer and if you have fed any to your cat and have any concerns contact your vet immediately.”
“We are holding a cat first aid course later this year and for more information check out http://www.gspca.org.gg/services/training-courses .”
Read on for the full list of products being recalled and what to do if you’ve bought these products or fed them to your pet.
Products from Applaws, AVA (sold at Pets at Home) and Sainsbury’s have been affected.
Only those products with the specific best before dates below are being recalled.
No other cat food products have been affected by this recall.
Applaws cat food recall
- Applaws Cat Dry Chicken 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: all date codes
- Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Salmon 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: all date codes
- Applaws Kitten Dry Chicken 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: all date codes
- Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Lamb 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: all date codes
- Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Duck 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: all date codes
- Applaws Cat Dry Ocean Fish 350g, 1.8kg and 6kg. Best before: all date codes
- Applaws Cat Dry Senior Chicken 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg. Best before: all date codes By
Sainsbury’s cat food recall
- By Sainsbury’s Hypoallergenic Recipe complete dry cat food with Salmon 1+ Years 800g. All batches and best before dates
- By Sainsbury’s Hypoallergenic Recipe complete dry cat food with Chicken 1+ Years 800g. All batches and best before dates
AVA cat food recall
- AVA Adult Fish 2kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Adult Mature Chicken 7+ 2kg and 4kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Senior Chicken 12+ 2kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Sensitive Skin & Stomach 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Weight Management 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Hairball 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Oral Care 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA British Shorthair 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Persian 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Maine Coon 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Kitten Chicken 300g and 2kg. All batches and best before dates
- AVA Adult Chicken 300g, 2kg and 4kg. All batches and best before dates
Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retails stores that are selling these products.
What do I do if cat food I’ve bought has been recalled?
If you have bought any of the above products, you should stop feeding them to your cat immediately and return the food to your nearest store for a full refund. If your cat has already eaten the food and you’re concerned about their health, then you should seek immediate advice from your vet. See below for symptoms to look out for.
If you have any concerns or queries, contact the relevant retailer.
Applaws www.applaws.com/uk/contact-us
Sainsbury’s 0800 636262 www.sainsburys.co.uk/help
AVA www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/homeofhelp – fill out the contact form or livechat
What are the symptoms of pancytopenia?
Pancytopenia is a serious, but usually very rare condition, where the number of blood cells (red, white and platelets) rapidly decrease, leading to serious illness such as anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Pancytopenia can often prove to be fatal.
Here are some symptoms to look out for:
- Fatigue Loss of appetite
- Spontaneous bleeding (eg nose bleeds, bleeding gums)
- Spontaneous bruising
- Pale gums
- Pin-prick rash of blood spots
What does Fold Hill Foods say?
‘We are voluntarily recalling the dry products we manufacture as a precautionary measure. We are also supporting an investigation by the food and veterinary authorities into a possible safety issue affecting cats.’
What does the Royal Veterinary College say?
‘We welcome the Food Standards Agency’s product recall notice. While we have not definitively established diet as the cause of pancytopenia in these cats, we are continuing to liaise with the pet food industry and regulatory bodies to investigate the matter and identify the possible underlying causes.’
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