A dog and cat treat sold across southeast Minnesota could cause life-threatening food poisoning to both the animals and their owners that handle it.

More than a dozen Minnesota pet stores could have a potentially fatal problem on their hands as freeze-dried sardine dog and cat treats being sold are being labeled extremely dangerous. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has issued an advisory over freeze-dried, uneviscerated sardines sold by the company OC Raw Dog.

There's a good chance it has a contamination that can cause botulism, a form of food poisoning that can be life-threatening to both pets and humans. The MDA says the products being sold at dozens of stores throughout the state but we wanted to highlight those in our region specifically:

  • The Pet Authority, Inc., in Albert Lea
  • Farmers Feed Supply in Owatonna
  • Winona Feed, Seed & More in Winona

Owners are advised to not feed it to their pets and to not touch the treats themselves, because we can also be infected by handling the sardines. The product was packaged in 3.2-ounce bags labeled "OC Raw Dog Freeze Dried Sardines," with all "sell by" dates affected by the bacteria.

If you're worried you may have purchased this product somewhere other than the ones highlighted above, you can look up all locations where the treats have been sold HERE.

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