Pet Product Recalls

***NOTICE 6/1/07: I am in NO WAY associated with ANY for-profit web site linking to this page.***

Since this situation seems to be never-ending, and this page of recall-related information was becoming rather hard to navigate, I have created individual pages for each company in two sections (recalled product pages and suppliers/importers) and listed them below. I have decided to add ANY pet product recalls I find out about, hence the name change from Pet Food Recall info/posts to Pet Product Recalls. Other recent pet-related recalls have taken a back seat to the pet food recall, however these salmonella-related events are obviously worthy of everyone’s immediate attention. I have also continued to add to my initial March 17th post on the pet food recall (who would have thought it would go on THIS long?!), so if you’d like access to all my blog entries on the pet food contamination fiasco, click here. Hope the changes on this page help you find whatever pet-related information you are looking for! :)

I compiled a list of where to register complaints in each state since there was much confusion as to which agency interested parties should contact in their area. If you run across contact information which is more up-to-date, could you please post it in a comment so I can add it? Thank you!

Here are two versions of a story by Andrew Bridges for the Associated Press. Mr. Bridges should be commended for doing some quality investigative reporting on the pet product recall and contamination story, but this particular story raised many eyebrows since some rather high figures and information (more than likely accurate!) were deleted and/or altered in subsequent versions of his report.

***Added 4/28/07: Not sure when I’ll have time to create pages for the latest recalled products, so click these links to read the recall notices.4/27-FDA Press Release re: Additional Diamond Pet Food recall
AND (4/27)MORE firm FDA press releases: Blue Buffalo BLASTS American Nutrition, Inc***

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Recalled product pages:

  • American Bullie (A.B. Bull Pizzle Puppy Chews and Dog Chews manufactured by T. W. Enterprises)
  • Del Monte (Dollar General, Gravy Train, Happy Tails, Jerky Treats, Ol’Roy, Pounce)
  • Hill’s & Science Diet
  • Menu Foods
  • Natural Balance
  • Nutro
  • Petrapport, Inc. (importer of pig ear dog treats/includes Berkley & Jensen)
  • Purina (ALPO and Mighty Dog)
  • Royal Canin US
  • Sunshine Mills (Nurture Chicken & Rice, Nurture Lamb & Rice, Pet Life Large, Pet Life Extra Large, Pet Life Large Variety, Pet Life Large Peanut Butter, Lassie Lamb and Rice, Pet Life People Pleasers Dog Treats, Companion’s Best Multi Flavor Biscuit, Stater Brothers Large Biscuit, Ol’Roy Peanut Butter Biscuit, Ol’Roy 4 Flavor Large Biscuit, Ol’Roy Puppy Biscuit, Champion Breed Peanut Butter Biscuit, Champion Breed Large Biscuit, Perfect Pals Large Biscuit, Stater Brothers Large Biscuit)

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Importers/Suppliers: (still need to add pages for the companies involved in the salmonella-related recalls)

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Off-blog links:

  • AAHA’s (American Animal Hospital Association) page of links to other Veterinary organizations INCLUDING State Veterinary Medical Associations
  • ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
  • Animal Medical Center FAQ
  • AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)
  • Delta Society (list of pet loss and bereavement support groups)
  • FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
  • HSUS (The Humane Society of the United States)
  • PETA’s blog (pending lawsuit)
  • Pet Connection (compiling database of Menu Foods tainted food-related pet deaths)

Responses

can you please recommend what in god’s name i can feed my 2 little dogs. i just found out today one of the dogfoods i’ve been feeding them has been added to the recall list. help

By: janis parks on April 5, 2007
at 7:10 pm

Hi Janis,

First of all, I would DEFINITELY save the containers of food, if you still have any, just in case something might happen to one of your pets. (Fingers crossed that they’re fine.)

As for what to feed, that is most definitely the $64,000 question. Many are turning to home-cooked meals, but this press release by the AVMA gives some good advice.

The best advice I could give you is to talk with your veterinarian or at least a veterinary technician from the animal hospital you go to. I’m sure they have been getting many calls about this and have prepared some good information for their clients.

If/when I find a product I may switch my Rudy to, I will definitely post the information and why I opted for that choice. I wish you lots of luck finding a good alternative for your pets, and would really like it if you’d come back and let us know what you found out. Thanks!

By: SoCalMuchacha on April 5, 2007
at 7:34 pm

Hi, Have had just lost my 13 yr old sheltie Monday from kidney failure. I know it just could have been her time because of her age but my vet was very concerned about how fast her kidneys had failed since she had just been to the vet in Dec and had the blood test done and everything was normal then. I have always been as careful as I could about what I feed my dogs, but I can’t help but wonder if the treats I gave my dogs just as the recalls started caused my 13 yr olds death. And now I am worried about my other dogs. I guess what I am asking is does anyone know anything about the “ADI Pet Inc.” out of Temecula, Ca. The name of the treat is “Meat Blast Pork Twists” Waggin Train Brand. Thet have Wheat Gluten in them and are made in China. It is very concerning to see that they are still on the store shelves at Wal-Mart stores. Please let me know if you have any info or input on this. Thanks, Cheryl

By: Cheryl Parkinson on April 29, 2007
at 6:11 am

Cheryl, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. It’s so frustrating to not know if it was indeed old age, or if tainted products had anything to do with your Sheltie’s passing. I did a quick check for you over on the FDA’s pet food recall search engine and didn’t find anything with the information you’ve given, but that doesn’t mean that the product may not eventually be added to the list of recalled items. At this point ANY product with wheat gluten has me on high alert. Again, I am very sorry for your loss.

By: SoCalMuchacha on April 29, 2007
at 10:09 am

My 1 yr. old daschund is in very bad shape. I watched him go through 3 days of rapid decline and shooting almost raw blood out his rectum. We took him to the vet this am along with a package of “new” rawhide chews, which I thought was suspect. The vet kindly blew me off saying I should never feed them to our pets, but hooves or sterilized bones…then went on to say, he was going to administer hydration which turned him into a camel of sorts…huge lump, and a couple of shots for the vomiting and diahrrea. He never even looked at the ingredients or company of the twists. My husband is on the floor right now with this poor animal and we are both numb and praying. It’s very late Saturday night and we are in a very rural area, husband is exhausted and stalling to take him to an emergency room. I am scared and very upset. I thought I would do a search on the product I think may have done this. I found this site. It is the same as above…Meat blast pork twists, from Walmart. My dog was robust, very healthy and in a matter of a few days, has just disintegrated in front of us. My husband is saying “wait till morning” and we will contact vet again. I pray my dog recovers, but I just wanted to know this…we can’t afford expensive exams, tests, etc…is there any company that will do the research for free? I feel this product may be contaminated as well. I can’t be certain, but it is very possible. I felt when I purchased them, that Walmart would for sure have pulled tainted items, so I was confident it was ok. Maybe not, and I would like to see this product added to a list to investigate. I can’t e mail the FDA it seems so I have a phone number for a coodinator to report. Please, if anyone knows who will do the test on this product, please help notify of the brand. (China, wheat gluten, and still on the shelves!) Thank you for your attention.

By: Berni Aziz on July 14, 2007
at 9:16 pm

One more thing, could you please advise the person who posted (Cheryl Parkinson) of my concerns as well, and you may give her my e mail addy to contact me. Thank you so so much.
Berni

By: Berni Aziz on July 14, 2007
at 9:20 pm

Hi Berni,

I hope things took a turn for the better for you and your pet! What a horrible situation; especially if the product is indeed tainted and still on the shelves! As for the email addy for the other poster, I don’t have it…sorry.

Sidenote to your personal message to me: I like the quote you mentioned, too! :)

By: SoCalMuchacha on July 16, 2007
at 8:20 pm

I truly suggest that people feed species appropriate food to their pets. There are thousands and thousands of people who are feeding either raw BARF-style or home cooked meals. Frankly, it is the pet food industry who has convinced humans that they are too stupid to care for a pet. Veteranarians go to schools where the ‘nutrition’ section they learn is very first of all short, and secondly is sponsored by dog food companies! The pet food industry was invented as a way for large food suppliers to use up their ‘not fit for human consumption’ leftovers - not particularly healthy in general (and of course with the China scare now it’s worse). I mean, you don’t question making your own food to feed yourself or your baby - but they have you scared silly to feed your dogs and cats real food as nature intended them to eat it! There are a few ingredients to never add (raisins, grapes, onions) but in general, the diets are simple and easy. I’ve been feeding my dogs like this for 24 years w/o one single problem. My sheltie/shepherd mix was 17 when she died, and I have 2 Appenzeller/Bernese mixes going strong now on food that I make (or thaw) out of ingredients that I know where they come from. I feed a cooked veggie/beef mix in the morning and raw chicken parts or beef parts and raw meaty bones in the evening meal. Here is a good link to start with:
http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html

By: musingsofabittergirl on August 6, 2007
at 9:25 am

Can you please check out Waggin Train Brand Chicken Jerky Tenders from ADI Pet, Inc in Reno, Nev. I have heard that Wal-Mart has pulled the product from the shelves. I have not been able to locate anything other than a news story on Yahoo.

Thank you so much

By: Mike on August 21, 2007
at 8:24 am

I am also interested in the wagging train chicken jerky treats. My Shih Tzu has been sick lately and now I am concerned about these treats. I just bought a bag of them at Sam’s Club. Usually they are slightly red in color but I noticed that the last bag I bought at Wal-Mart were really dark. Thank You

By: Twyla on August 21, 2007
at 8:51 am

Hi Mike and Twyla,

Thanks for the heads up about another recall possibly taking place. I did find information about Wal-Mart pulling some Chicken Jerky products without classifying it as a recall (Wal-Mart said they’re still testing the products, therefore haven’t officially recalled them yet), but I didn’t see anything about ADI, Inc. this time…at least yet. As we’ve seen, these recalls tend to go in spurts and all information doesn’t usually come out as quickly as it should. So if you have the product you asked about I wouldn’t take any chances and would instead NOT give it to your pet.

Here’s the blog entry I just did about the Wal-Mart issue. Take care. :)

By: SoCalMuchacha on August 21, 2007
at 9:14 am

Hi- Luckily through all this I have fed my dogs Bil-Jac products, although I have given them Waggin trail Chicken jerky treats from Adi Pet. All I saw on the back were the big letters that said “Rancho , CA”. The small print in the corner says ” made in China” so watch closely people, it’s easy to miss. I just noticed it today after the small ad on MSN. Luckily my dogs show no sign of sickness, YET! But I will not give them any more. PLEASE, if you have any additional information on this product , let me know. Let’s Quit Buying From CHINA!!! Thanks.

By: Dina on August 21, 2007
at 2:01 pm

I just threw away the empty bag of Waggin Train chicken jerky bit I wanted to see if they were made in China. My two Shih Tzus, mother and daughter, LOVE them. I mean, L-O-V-E them!!! I can practically get them to sing Puccini and vaccuum the entire house if I dangle one in front of them.

So what’s the scoop? If I hadn’t seen this on the news last night I’d be buying a new bag today. I understand that the CEO of Waggin Train just gave a media statement about the quality and safety of this product. I cannot find an ADI Pet Inc. Website, does anyone have any info on that?

OMG if anything happened to my girls because of something I gave them I would die.

Thanks for any help.

By: Jana on August 21, 2007
at 3:03 pm

I was relieved to find this release from ADI Pet inc, Jana:
Waggin Train SAFE - NOT recalled!

By: Julie on August 21, 2007
at 8:47 pm

Thanks for that information, Julie. I’m going to add it to the post I did today regarding Wal-Mart pulling two other chicken jerky dog treat brands. I LOVE the way pet owners totally look out for each other and spread news ASAP. :)

By: SoCalMuchacha on August 21, 2007
at 9:27 pm

How can we trust anything that’s manufactured in China. The PDI article says that their plant is sterile but how do they know that, It’s in CHINA!!

By: Beth on August 22, 2007
at 8:15 am

Personally, I have been doing some research on dog food and the ingredients and quite frankly i’m appalled what we appear to be feeding our dogs. I’ve posted a page with a shocking dog food video report on my website. If you are a dog owner you need to see this.

By: Woofer on September 4, 2007
at 2:02 pm

ADI/Waggin Train Warning

For those of you asking questions about the ADI/Waggin Train products please let me share this story. A couple months ago I bought a bag of their Chicken Jerky Tenders, which my dog loves. I noticed the meat was bright pink and looked soft, when normally it’s tan and very hard/dry. My pet happily ate the treats, so I thought nothing of it. I usually have a bag for a couple months, as my dog is small and doesn’t eat much. Within a few weeks the treats were covered in white and green mold. I live in Utah, which is a very dry state, and have not had any moisture problems that would cause this. Obviously the meat was not properly cured, and at this time my dog became sick. He recovered, but I will never buy dog food or treats made in China again. If anyone can recommend the same type of dehydrated chicken jerky treats that are made in the US I’d love to buy some.

By: Nicole on September 11, 2007
at 2:18 pm

There are ways to make your own dog treats - there are many recipes out there for making for example your own liver biscuits or you could get a dehydrator and make your own chicken strips. We are killing our dogs due to our insistence on processed convenience foods.

I am glad to see the video posted by Woofer however, I also disagree with something on the page that is hosting the video from Woofer. Dogs have no nutritional need for grain, and diets made of 30% grain are not held by most experts to be part of what dogs require and are in fact a known trigger for various allergies.

Dogs need species specific foods. In the wild, dog’s closest relatives will eat meat, including organ meats bones and sometimes wild grasses or berries, as well as the stomach contents (grasses) of their kills.

Grains can cause allergies, no matter if they have preservatives or not - you just do not see dogs wandering through wheat fields gathering wheat and baking bread from it.

If your dog’s teeth are not clean its’ because he’s not eating enough raw meaty bones which clean teeth naturally, provide an outlet for natural chewing tendencies and give needed calcium and minerals.

Feed real food - not processed food - and you will see the health of your dog improve tremendously and will avoid all dangers from Chinese ingredients as well as our own home grown poorly made dog food (it is absolutely evil what is allowed to be put in dog food in the USA).

I am not selling anything. I care about the health of my pets and have seen real diets of species specific foods improve the health of dogs time and again.

I suggest you check out sites such as this forum for people to share their own experiences - which tell you how to take care of your dogs the way that nature intended - not by a steady diet of processed junk food.

http://www.geocities.com/margaretmbradley/NaturalRawDog.html

By: musingsofabittergirl on September 28, 2007
at 12:46 pm

Open comment to Jonathan Bernstein (Bernstein Crisis Management):

Just curious. After reading your comments on numerous websites and forums (regarding the Waggin’ Train Chicken Jerky Tenders debacle), do you EVER advise your clients that they should perhaps take the high road?

A decent company would not try to defend themselves in such manner as they have hired you to do - if their product came up in so many places as being a culprit to ill or dead pets, they would pull the product and cooperate fully with the FDA and AVMA.

This would lead to a much better situation regarding their reputation. As it is, my bet is that Waggin Train will fold in the next year due to their evasive tactics - and you, my friends, may very well go with them. Sometimes, you simply cannot defend the ind

By: kaycee on October 5, 2007
at 9:15 am

last word above was supposed to be “indefensible.”

For those who don’t know, Jonathan Bernstein is in the employ of Waggin Train in his capacity as a “Crisis Management” expert - http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

By: kaycee on October 5, 2007
at 9:28 am

Corporations spend millions to protect their good names and their products. Now some are even asking the government for more regulations. This is a way to pass the cost associated with their bad Chinese imports directly on to the tax paying consumers. Why should the consumers pay for testing their goods to see if they are safe for the market? Consumers are sick and tired of this whole issue. A good way to let them know is to not buy any brands associated with the largest corporation. If they loose enough money, maybe the others will realize that they must stop importing from China, and yes many other questionable countries. Isn’t it time to tell them that we want MADE IN THE USA products for our pets and for ourselves?

By: Nell Liquorman on November 5, 2007
at 12:09 pm

Earlier this year, at the height of the dog food recalls, we awoke one morning to find my 1 1/2 year old mixed breed dog lying on the floor. She was cold and unresponsive.
We wrapped her in a blanket with a hot water bottle and rushed her to the vet. The vet said she looked “stoned” and later stated that she had been poisoned. We looked in vain around the house and yard for a source of poisoning. Then I remembered that we had tried a new treat. It was the Waggin Train Pork twist with real liver in the middle. I recalled that the day before, she had eaten 3 or 4 of these since she stole the treats from our other dogs. The vet said it wasn’t likely and we threw the rest of the treats away. I searched the recall lists and this product was not on the lists.
I still strongly believe that this product was the culprit. Our dog survived thanks to quick treatment, but consumers need to know which products are dangerous. This is the first blog I’ve seen about this particular product. Just wanted to add my experience in case it helps anyone.

By: chknwrdj on November 8, 2007
at 9:26 am

Hi All…
Wanted to say thank you for having such a site as this to gather information and support. My daschund Zachary “Boo Boo” Aziz recovered completely. It was a few weeks before he was himself, and we were terrified. We have stopped giving him anything that came from China, making our own homemade food, and real beef jerky for treats….I am so grateful for people that band together and try to make a difference. This site was a real eye opener and gave me support in following my “instincts.” Your average citizen would just assume the product was safe if it was still being sold. I did. Thanks, again!
Berni

By: Berni Aziz on November 27, 2007
at 5:10 pm

Chknwrdj, I’m so happy to hear your pet survived. :)

And Berni it’s FANTASTIC to read about Boo Boo’s recovery, since I remember you posting about his illness shortly after it occurred. I’m very happy that the blog entries and the comments from others have been such a help to so many people!

As for going with our instincts and gut feelings, that’s something I’ve learned to follow over the years. The times I haven’t are the times I realized I most definitely should have. And it goes without saying that a “Made in China” label is something I’m staying away from for some time to come.

By: SoCalMuchacha on November 28, 2007
at 7:07 pm

Anyone having any troubles with the Berkley & Jensen (All-Natural Flavors, Assorted Dog Biscuits, 7 lb. box), or the Berkley & Jensen Natura Rawhide Dental Chips, 2 lb. bag) ? I purchased these once again at the B.J.’s Wholesale Retail Club, after the recalls. I noticed two years ago, my dog would vomit yellow after these products. Now, after the manager declares to me they are safe from the recall, my beloved dog is vomiting yellow again. Anyone have any of these effects from these products? How can I prove this?

By: Liz on February 25, 2008
at 7:57 am

“As for going with our instincts and gut feelings, that’s something I’ve learned to follow over the years. The times I haven’t are the times I realized I most definitely should have. And it goes without saying that a “Made in China” label is something I’m staying away from for some time to come.”

This may sound like a hasty generalization but I think it is safer to avoid commercial dog food (generally) as much as possible. Pet foods are virtually self-regulated. This is weird because anything involving food should comply with superstrict standards. Sadly, this does not apply to pet food yet. So I really suggest dog owners to make the food themselves if you have time. There are many sources for homemade dog food recipes in the Internet.
Thanks!
Jolie

By: Jolie Makes Homemade Dog Food on May 28, 2008
at 12:39 pm

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