Recalls

Ever since the massive recall of pet food formulas in 2007, many dog owners have been more conscientious about checking up on the latest dog food recalls. Hearing that your dog’s formula has been recalled may be frightening, especially if you don’t know the reason why the formula has been recalled. To help you to ensure that your dog’s food is safe, this page will be regularly updated with the latest information about dog food recalls.

My Dog’s Food has been Recalled – What Should I Do?

Once you have learned that the formula that you’ve been feeding your dog has been recalled, the absolute first thing that you should do is to stop feeding the formula to your dog. Some recalls may be related to health hazard issues, which may cause your dog to become very sick. However, don’t throw out the remainder of your dog’s recalled formula! Instead, purchase a new formula that has not been recalled.

Since some dogs have sensitive digestive systems, you may want to purchase a formula that is similar to the formula that your dog has been fed. Read the ingredients list of your previous formula, and use it as a guide for choosing a new formula. This can help lessen the digestive problems a dog may experience from quickly switching to a drastically different dog food formula.

In some cases, a company may offer a refund for a recalled formula, which is why you don’t want to throw out your dog’s recalled food! In many cases, to get this refund, you may either return the unused product to the retail location from where it was purchased, or send the rest of the formula back to the pet food company that has initiated the recall. Depending on the reason for the recall, the procedure may be slightly different, so be sure to check for updated information.

Why Has a Dog Food Formula Been Recalled?

There are many different reasons why a dog food formula could be recalled, or could be listed on the FDA’s dog food recall list. It’s important to remember that not every dog food recall is directly related to an issue that could cause your dog to become sick. However, if your dog’s formula is recalled, you should stop feeding it to them immediately, and contact the company that recalled the food for information about getting a refund. Here are a few reasons why a dog food formula may be listed on a dog food recall list.

Improper Formula
In some cases, a dog food formula may be recalled due to the improper concentration of certain ingredients in the formula. This could be a manufacturing error, or a discrepancy between the formula and the proper recipe that the company uses. This may or may not mean that a formula will harm your dog’s health

Chemical Contamination
Many dog food manufacturing facilities use a variety of chemicals in their manufacturing environment. If a dangerous chemical makes its way into your dog’s formula, this could cause the formula to be recalled. Chemical

Past Recall
Many of the formulas currently listed on the FDA’s pet food recall list are the result of past pet food recalls. For this reason, there may be formulas listed on the site that are now available to purchase at pet food stores. This is because the recall of certain formulas usually affects products with a specific range of UPC numbers, or formulas that have a specific expiration date. New formulas may or may not be affected by the issue that resulted in the past recall, so be sure to check the UPC and expiration dates of your dog’s food formula.

Pest Contamination
Pest contamination may be another possible reason why a dog food formula is recalled. However, a pest contamination may not be related directly to the manufacturing company – in some cases, it may be the fault of the retail location where the formula was sold. For example, if a pet food store decides to keep its extra dry dog food bags in a poor environment, this may result in some insects finding their way into the sealed dog food bags. Pest contamination may also occur from improper preservation of a formula, or an error in the manufacturing facility.

Error on Packaging
There are rules which state that a formula’s packaging must be correct in much of the information it displays to a consumer. If there is an error on a formula’s packaging that violates any of these rules, this may cause the formula to be recalled until the packaging error is fixed.

General Quality Control
There have been instances in the past where a formula has been recalled for a general quality control issue. For example, bits of plastic or other materials may be present in the formula, due to a malfunctioning machine at the manufacturing facility.

My Dog’s Food has been Recalled – What Should I Do?

Why Has a Dog Food Formula Been Recalled?

FDA Alerts: