The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is collaborating with provincial public health partners and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of E. coli O157 infections occurring in three provinces. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as recent illnesses continue to be reported to PHAC.
Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to Carnivora brand frozen raw pet food has been identified as the likely source of the outbreak. All of the individuals who became sick reported exposure to Carnivora brand frozen raw pet food, or to dogs fed this raw pet food, before their illnesses occurred.
On June 12, 2020, the responsible company voluntarily recalled the affected Carnivora brand frozen raw pet foods with various date codes:
- Whole Animal Chicken Dinner with Vegetables ‘n’ Fruit, Ultra Premium Fresh Frozen Patties for Dogs & Cats
- Chicken Dinner with Vegetables ‘n’ Fruit
- Whole Animal Beef Dinner with Vegetables ‘n’ Fruit, Ultra Premium Fresh Frozen Patties for Dogs & Cats
- Beef Dinner with Vegetables ‘n’ Fruit
- Whole Animal Turkey Diet, Ultra Premium Fresh Frozen Patties for Dogs & Cats
- Turkey Diet
These products were sold in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and may have been distributed in other provinces or territories. For more information on the affected products, please consult Health Canada’s Recalls and Safety Alerts website.
This outbreak serves as a reminder that raw pet food products contain raw meat and should be handled no differently than other raw meat products. Canadians are advised not to feed any recalled Carnivora brand frozen raw pet food products to their pets. As the investigation is ongoing, it is possible that additional products will be identified. If you do not have the original packaging of the Carnivora brand frozen raw pet food and are unsure whether these products are linked to this outbreak, throw them out just to be safe.
If additional products are recalled, Health Canada will notify the public through the Recalls and Safety Alerts website.
