When you spend good money on dog food for your canine companion, you want to know that the product you have chosen is safe for him to eat. Most high-quality pet food brands follow strict standards for safety and quality when it comes to the manufacture of their products, but mistakes do happen. When they do, the product might be recalled.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a recall is “when a product is removed from the market or a correction is made to the product because it is either defective or potentially harmful”.
There are two different types of recalls for pet food – an FDA-issued recall and a voluntary recall. FDA-issued recalls usually occur when the FDA discovers a problem when testing a particular product – the problem may also be brought to their attention through consumer complaints.
The problem itself might involve potential contamination with a dangerous pathogen (like E. coli or salmonella) or it could involve inadequate levels of certain nutrients.
A voluntary recall occurs when the manufacturer themselves discover a problem and they withdraw the product of their own volition and then make the necessary corrections.
So what do you do if your dog’s food is recalled?As soon as you become aware of the recall, the first thing you should do is stop feeding the product to your dog. To help minimize any negative effects of suddenly changing your dog’s diet, try to find a similar product.
In some cases, only certain batches of a product will be recalled so you might be able to just buy a new bag of the same food – just be sure to read the recall information thoroughly to determine which steps to take.
But what do you do with that bag of dog food that has now become worthless? You should be able to return the product to the pet store where you got it for a full refund.
If you aren’t concerned about getting your money back, you can feel free to dispose of the product but be sure to do so safely in a way that no other animal can come into contact with it.
If you have additional questions about the recall you can always contact the manufacturer of the product.
You may also want to take your dog to the veterinarian for a check-up just to be safe, even if he isn’t showing any signs of illness. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to pet food recalls.
Here is a list of the most recent dog food recalls – check to make sure that your dog’s food is not on this list:
Hills Science Diet
Hills Prescription Diet & Hills Science Diet
On January 31, 2019 the Hills Pet Food Company voluntarily issued a recall for cans of Hills Prescription Diet dog food as well as wet Science Diet recipes for potentially elevated levels of Vitamin D. And as of March 20, 2020 they updated their status stating that: “it is expanding its recall of select canned dog food products “
Purina
Purina Honor Show Chow Showlamb Grower
On December 28, 2018 the Purina company announced a voluntary recall for select lots of their Purina Honor Show Chow dog food due to the discovery of elevated copper levels.
Blue Buffalo
BLUE Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner
On March 17, 2017 the Blue Buffalo Company voluntarily issued a recall for one lot of their BLUE Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner Wet Food for Adult Dogs, as the product has the potential to contain elevated levels of naturally- occurring beef thyroid hormones. It is a potential health risk for pets.
Wellness
Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs
On March 17, 2017 the WellPet Company issued a voluntary recall for one of their canned topper products, Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs. The recall was issued due to potentially elevated levels of naturally occurring beef thyroid hormone. No other Wellness products are affected by this recall.
Against the Grain
Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs
February 13, 2017 – Against the Grain pet food is voluntarily recalling one batch of Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs that was manufactured and distributed to independent pet retailers in December 2015 in Washington and Maryland due to Potential Adulteration with Pentobarbital.
Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight
Blue Buffalo, headquartered in Wilton, Connecticut, is voluntarily recalling cans of Blue Buffalo Homestyle Healthy Weight dog food according to an announcement on their web site Monday, February 13, 2017.
PetSmart
Grreat Choice® Adult Dog Food
Last February 8, 2017, PetSmart issued a voluntary recall on February 8, 2020 of one production lot of its Grreat Choice Adult Dog Food sold on PetSmart.com, Pet360.com, PetFoodDirect.com and in nationwide PetSmart retail stores. This product is being voluntarily recalled as a precautionary measure due to metal contamination that could potentially be a choking hazard to pets.
Evanger's
Hunk of Beef, Braised Beef
On March 2, 2017, Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food of Wheeling, Illinois, has voluntarily recalled specific lots of its Hunk of Beef product because the contaminant pentobarbital was detected in one lot of the pet food. Evanger’s wants 100% of its products to be 100% safe 100% of the time prompting removal of the products.
Blue Ridge Beef
Turkey with bone
On January 12, 2017, Blue Ridge Beef is voluntarily recalling one (1) of its frozen products due to their potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes ( a Gram-positive bacterium). Listeria can affect animals eating the product.
Cesar
Filet Mignon Flavor Wet Food
On October 7, 2016 Mars Petcare US (the manufacturer of Cesar dog food products) issued a voluntary recall of their Filet Mignon Flavor wet food due to the presence of plastic in certain batches. This recall occurred because small hard white pieces of plastic entered the food during the production process, causing a potential choking risk.
Addiction
New Zealand Brushtail and Vegetable and New Zealand Venison and Apple Canned
On September 8, 2016 Addiction Foods issued a voluntary recall for batches of their New Zealand canned dog food entrees due to elevated levels of Vitamin A and a slight variance in calcium-phosphorus ratios. This recall affected 13.8-ounce cans of Addiction New Zealand Brushtail and Vegetables entrée and Addiction New Zealand Venison and Apples entrée.
Blue Buffalo
Life Protection Formula
On May 31, 2016 Blue Buffalo issued a very limited recall for one of their Life Protection formulas due to possible mold contamination. This recall affected 30-pound bags of Life Protection Formula Fish and Sweet Potato dry food.
Smallbatch Pets Inc.
Dog Duckbatch Patties
On March 26, 2016 Smallbatch Pets was affected by an FDA-issued recall due to potential salmonella and listeria contamination. This recall affected a single batch of 3-pound frozen bags of Smallbatch Dog Duckbatch Sliders – no illnesses were reported.
On March 18, 2016 Fromm issued a voluntary recall of several Gold canned food recipes due to inadequate levels of vitamins and minerals. This recall affected all lots of 12-ounce cans for the Gold Chicken Pate, Chicken & Duck, and Salmon & Chicken Pate canned food recipes.
Purina
Beneful and Pro Plan Wet Dog Foods
On March 10, 2016 Purina issued a voluntary recall for several Beneful and Proplan products due to inadequate levels of vitamins and mienrals. This recall affected 10-ounce tubs from certain batches for the following recipes: Beneful Prepared Meals (all varieties), Beneful Chopped Blends (all varieties), Proplan Savory Meals (Braised Chicken Entrée, Braised Pork Entrée, Braised Turkey Entrée, Grilled Salmon Entrée, and Braised Beef & Rice Entrée).
Vital Essentials
Frozen Chicken Patties Entrée
On January 15, 2016 Vital Essentials issued a voluntary recall for 6-pound bags of Vital Essentials Frozen Chicken Patties Entrees for dogs due to potential salmonella contamination. This recall affected products distributed in Florida, Georgia, California, Texas, Rhode Island, and Washington.
Freeze-Dried Beef Toppers and Frozen Beef Chub Entrée for Dogs
April 15, 2018, Carnivore Meat Company of Green Bay, WI, is voluntarily recalling a limited amount of pet food because the products may have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The following affected products were distributed in the continental USA through independent retailers and via online retailers Chewy.com and Amazon.com through direct delivery.
Big Dog Natural
Chicken Supreme and Fish Supreme
On January 4, 2016 Big Dog Natural was affected by an FDA-issued recall for a single production lot of two products due to potential salmonella or listeria contamination. The recipes affected were all weight volumes of Big Dog Natural Fish Supreme and Big Dog Natural Chicken Supreme recipe.
Nutro
Apple Chewy Treats
On December 12, 2015 the Mars Petcare company issued a voluntary recall for Nutro dog treats due to potential mold contamination. This recall affected 4-ounce bags of Nutro Apple Chewy Treats.
Stella & Chewy’s
Super Beef Dinner Morsels
On December 11, 2015 Stella & Chewy’s issued a voluntary recall for several frozen pet food products due to potential listeria contamination. This recall affected the following recipes: Frozen Stella’s Super Beef Dinner Morsels for Dogs, Frozen Stella’s Super Beef Dinner Morsels for Dogs, Frozen Duck Duck Goose Dinner Morsels for Cats, and Frozen Chick Chicken Chicken Dinner Morsels for Cats.
Dave’s
Simply the Best
On December 1, 2015 Dave’s Pet Food issued a voluntary recall of a single batch of dog food due to an “off odor”. This recall affected the Dave’s Simply the Best Dog Food with a “Best By” date of October 15, 2016. Customer supplied date code information and retain samples were pulled, tested and found to have high peroxide values.
Hill’s Science Diet
Various Canned Foods
On November 28, 2015 Hill’s Science Diet issued a voluntary recall for some Hill’s Science Diet canned dog foods. The company did not release any specific details regarding the reason for this recall but the stated reason was a “mislabeling problem”.
Blue Buffalo
Wilderness Wild Chews
On November 25, 2015 Blue Buffalo issued a voluntary recall of one lot size of bone treats due to potential for salmonella contamination. This recall affected one lot size of Cub Size Wilderness Wild Chews Bones distributed in PetSmart stores.
K-9 Kraving
Chicken Patties
On October 2, 2015 K-9 Kraving was affected by an FDA-issued recall for one of their dog food products due to potential salmonella and listeria contamination. The product affected by this recall was the Chicken Patties Dog Food product.
Good ‘N Fun
Beefhide Chicken Sticks
On October 25, 2015 Good ‘N Fun was affected by an FDA-issued recall for one of their dog treat products due to potential salmonella contamination. The product affected by this recall was 2.8-ounce bags of Good ‘N Fun Beefhide Chicken Sticks.
OC Raw Dog
Assorted Raw Products
On September 25, 2015 OC Raw Dog was affected by an FDA-issued recall for several of their frozen dog food products due to potential salmonella contamination. This recall affected the following products: 6.5-pound Doggie Dozen Patties, 4-pound Doggie Sliders and 3-pound Meaty Rox of the Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Recipe.
Raw Dog Freeze Dried Sardines
On April 212, 2018, another recall was issued. OC Raw Dog LLC is recalling freeze-dried sardines because they were determined by the Food and Drug Administration to exceed the agency’s size restriction guideline for uneviscerated fish.
Nature’s Variety
Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Bites, Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Patties for Dogs
On July 24, 2015 Nature’s Variety was affected by an FDA-issued recall for two raw dog food products due to potential salmonella contamination. The products affected by this recall were 4-pound and 7-pound packages of Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Bites and 6-pound bags of Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Patties.
Natural Dog Co.
Tremenda Sticks
On July 21, 2015 Natural Dog Co. was affected by an FDA-issued recall for a single batch of dog treats due to potential salmonella contamination. The product affected by this recall was 12-ounce bags of 12-inch Tremenda Sticks pet chews.
Bravo
Chicken Blend and Turkey Blend
On December 26, 2014 Bravo Pet Foods issued a voluntary recall for several products due to potential salmonella contamination. This recall affected the following products: Chicken Blend diet 2-pound chubs, Chicken Blend diet 5-pound chubs, Turkey Blend diet 5-pound bags, and Balance Turkey diet 3-pound bags.
Bravo Blends Chicken
On July 23, 2015 Bravo issued a voluntary recall for several chicken formula products due to potential salmonella contamination. The products affected by this recall include the following: Bravo Blend Chicken Diet and Bravo Balance Chicken Dinner in chubs and patties.
Bravo Blend Chicken diet for dogs and cats
On December 10, 2015 – Bravo Pet Foods of Manchester, Connecticut, has announced it is recalling select lots of its Bravo Chicken Blend diet for dogs and cats due to the possible presence of Salmonella.
Do not take the health and wellness of your dog for granted – stay up to date with the latest recalls to ensure that your pet’s food is safe to eat. In addition to keeping an eye on recall notices, you should also make an effort to feed your dog the highest quality food you can afford.
High-quality pet food manufacturers are not immune to recalls but they typically employ safer manufacturing processes with higher standards for quality and safety.
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An individual with a profound affection for animals, who was brought up in an environment surrounded by dogs, cats, and chickens. A self-taught enthusiast in the realm of pet care. At present, the proud caretaker of two rescued felines and two lovely mixed-breed canines.
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