Feeding & Nutrition

You are scrolling through your phone on a Tuesday morning and a post in a breed group catches your eye. Someone has shared a screenshot about a recall. The brand looks familiar. You go to the cupboard, and the bag you are halfway through is the same brand, but you have no idea whether it is the same batch, because you threw the packaging away when you decanted it into a plastic bin three weeks ago. Now what?

This plays out constantly, and it is avoidable with about ninety seconds of preparation. But first, some context.

Why the industry is the way it is

In 2007, wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate imported for pet food manufacturing were found to be adulterated with melamine and cyanuric acid, added to fake a higher protein reading on standard tests. The two compounds crystallise together in the kidney. Thousands of dogs and cats developed acute kidney failure, and many died. The recall eventually covered more than a hundred brands, because a handful of contract manufacturers supply an enormous number of labels, and owners discovered that the premium food and the supermarket food in the same aisle sometimes came off the same production line.

That event reshaped the industry. It brought in far more supplier verification, ingredient traceability and testing, and in the United States it fed directly into legislation giving the FDA mandatory recall authority for pet food. Things are genuinely better now. They are not perfect.

The recalls that have followed tend to fall into recognisable groups. Vitamin D excess has caused several, where a formulation or premix error puts many times the intended amount of vitamin D into a batch; because vitamin D is fat-soluble and accumulates, affected dogs turn up with vomiting, excessive drinking and urinating, weight loss and eventually kidney damage. Aflatoxin recalls come from mould growth on grain, usually corn, and aflatoxin damages the liver; one such episode in late 2020 and early 2021 was linked to well over a hundred dog deaths in the US. Then there are the microbiological recalls, Salmonella and Listeria, which are disproportionately associated with raw and freeze-dried raw products and with some treats. These are as much a human health matter as an animal one, since the person scooping the food, washing the bowl and stroking the dog afterwards is squarely in the exposure path. Households with babies, elderly relatives or anyone immunosuppressed should take those recalls seriously even if the pet seems perfectly well.

Where the notices actually appear

Social media is where most people hear about recalls, and it is the worst source. Posts circulate for years after the fact, brand names get garbled, and the crucial detail, the specific lot codes affected, almost never survives the sharing.

Go to primary sources. In the United States, the FDA publishes recalls and withdrawals for animal food on its website and offers an email alert subscription, which takes a minute to set up and is the single most useful thing in this article. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency and DEFRA publish notices, and the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association also flags them. In the EU, national competent authorities publish alongside the RASFF system. Canada has the CFIA, Australia has its own scheme through the PFIAA and state authorities. Whichever applies to you, find it once and subscribe.

Beyond that, sign up for the manufacturer's own mailing list for the brand you feed. Companies notify registered customers directly, and it is often the fastest route. Retailers post notices too, and if you buy on an online subscription they usually have your purchase history and will email you if your order is affected. Your vet practice is worth a call as well, since clinics often hear about veterinary diet recalls first.

The ninety seconds that make it easy

When you open a new bag or a new case of tins, photograph the label. Get the brand, the exact product name and variety, the lot or batch code, and the best-before date in one shot. Keep it in your phone. That is it. When a recall notice appears, you can check in seconds instead of guessing, and if your pet does become unwell, your vet can act on real information rather than a vague description.

While you are at it, stop decanting food out of its bag. Keep the bag itself, rolled down and clipped, inside the storage bin. The bag has the batch code printed on it, it is designed as a fat barrier, and this way the plastic container never becomes coated in rancid fat residue. Do the same with treats. Keep receipts for large purchases, since some manufacturers ask for proof of purchase for reimbursement.

If a recall does hit your product, stop feeding it immediately, even if your pet seems fine, and do not donate it or pass it to a friend with a supposedly hardier dog. Seal the food in a bag before binning it so wildlife and other animals cannot reach it, or keep it sealed and set aside if the manufacturer asks for it back. Wash the bowls, scoop and storage container in hot soapy water, and wash your hands. Then call your vet, describe what was eaten and for how long, and follow their advice on whether your pet needs checking. For vitamin D and aflatoxin recalls, bloodwork is often sensible even in an animal showing no signs, because early damage is silent.

Finally, report it. If your pet has been unwell and you suspect the food, tell the regulator, not just the company. In the US, the FDA's Safety Reporting Portal takes reports directly from owners. Other countries have equivalent routes. Ask your vet to submit a report too, since a professional report carrying clinical findings and lab results has far more weight than a consumer complaint. Recalls happen because enough dots get joined, and that only works if the dots are reported. Your one case might be the fourth report that turns a suspicion into an investigation.