URGENT! – Page 3 – Green Acres Kennel Shop Blog

PET FOOD RECALL- Barnsdale Farms® Pig Ears

Individually shrink-wrapped, 6-pack, 12-pack and 25-pack bags of Barnsdale Farms®, HoundsTooth® and Mac’s Choice® Pig Ears have been voluntarily recalled by EuroCan Manufacturing because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. No illnesses have been reported. The recall effects Lot Number 84.

Green Acres Kennel Shop does not sell this product; however, we feel it is important to pass on information on recalls whenever possible.

The FDA recall notice can be found at https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm547572.htm

PET FOOD RECALL- Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs

WellPet, is recalling cans of Wellness ninety-five percent Beef Topper for dogs. The product may contain elevated levels of naturally occurring beef thyroid hormone.

Cans in this recall have Best-By Dates of 02 FEB 19, 29AUG19, and 30AUG19, found on the bottom of the can.

Symptoms of ingesting a high level of beef thyroid hormone include increased thirst and urination, increased heart rate, restlessness and weight loss. More severe symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea and difficulty breathing. If you observe these symptoms in your dog, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The FDA recall notice can be found at https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm547333.htm

PET FOOD RECALL- Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner, canned

Blue Buffalo voluntarily recalls a single production lot of cans of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner Wet Food (canned) for adult dogs. The product may contain elevated levels of naturally occurring beef thyroid hormone.

Cans in this recall will have the UPC code 840243101153 and a Best-By Date of June 7, 2019, found on the bottom of the can.

The FDA recall notice can be found at – https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm547335.htm

PET FOOD RECALL – Update on Evanger’s Hunk of Beef and Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy

Food Safety News has reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed the presence of the euthanasia agent pentobarbital in certain lots of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef product and in certain lots of Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy. Both the Evanger’s and Against the Grain product were manufactured in the same facility using beef from the same supplier. FMI – http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/02/fda-confirms-euthanasia-agent-pentobarbital-in-dog-food/#.WKg6j28rI-U

PET FOOD RECALL- Why Have There Been So Many Pet Food Recalls In The Past Two Weeks?

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Green Acres Kennel Shop is concerned about the health of all pets, which is why we post information about pet food recalls on both my blog (www.words-woofs-meows.com) and our various Facebook pages. If a pet food we sell happens to be recalled, we do our best to contact purchasers directly, either via email or phone.

In the past two weeks I have posted information about five recalls of canned pet food products from; Against the Grain, Blue Buffalo, Evanger’s, Pet Smart, and Wellness. If you wish to read about a specific recall, click on the name of the company in the previous sentence.

These five recalls have affected both dog and cat food. In some cases, only one product has been recalled, and in some cases, it has been as many as seven. In all cases, the recalls have been voluntary. I thank the companies that own those brands for erring on the side of safety and issuing voluntary recalls.

There seem to be two underlying concerns in all five of these recalls; 1) potential contamination with pentobarbital, a drug used for euthanasia as well as other purposes, and 2) potential contamination with a foreign material, such as metal fragments.

Why have there been so many recalls, by so many companies, in such a short period? Most consumers are not aware of the fact that most pet food companies do not manufacture the canned pet food they sell, even if they do own plants that produce their dry food. Trying to track down the number of companies that actually produce canned pet food is not easy as most pet food companies are hesitant to admit they do not make the food they sell. However, it is my understanding that there are only four to five canning companies that make ALL of the canned pet food sold in the USA.

In some cases, the companies making canned pet food (Evanger’s and Merrick) manufacture it for themselves as well as others. Other companies do not sell canned pet food, but only manufacture it for others. Since we have two fundamental issues here; contamination with pentobarbital and a foreign material, I suspect that although these recalls span five pet food companies, they are probably directly related to two manufacturers.

So what can you do to avoid feeding your pet food that may be recalled? You have two choices; 1) become and remain knowledgeable about the food that you are feeding your pets, or 2) buy your food from a business that you know will keep up to date on the pet food industry and will do their part to keep you informed. The pet food industry, the companies that are part of it, and the individual foods are constantly changing. That is why Green Acres’ is constantly monitoring the manufacturers that make the foods we sell and the distributors that get them to us. We train our staff and provide information to clients and others through this blog, our FaceBook pages, our email newsletter, seminars at the store, and our radio show The Woof Meow Show.

Is there a company making pet food that will never have their products recalled? I doubt it. Just like with human food, companies that make and process food are dealing with a perishable product. Accidents will happen, honest mistakes will be made, and unscrupulous companies may intentionally use less than ideal ingredients because their bottom line is more important than the health of your pet. That is one reason I prefer to feed my pets food that is manufactured by the company that sells the food. I also prefer small family owned pet food companies that are focused solely on pet food. These companies are, in my experience, more likely to be committed to quality and the health of our pets.

PET FOOD RECALL- Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight

Blue Buffalo is voluntarily recalling specific lots of cans of Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight due to possible aluminum metal contamination. UPC: 8-40243-10017-0

Codes: Best By 08/03/2019, The “Best By” date is on the bottom of the can.

No other Blue Buffalo products are involved. The company has not received any reports of illness or injury as a result of the problems giving rise to this recall.

For more information on the recall of these products, please check the Blue Buffalo website at (http://bluebuffalo.com/about-us/whats-new-at-blue/bb-homestyle-recipe-letter/)

PET FOOD RECALL- Wellness Pet Food Voluntarily Recalls Various Canned Cat Food Products

According to the Wellness website (http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/update/) Wellness is voluntarily recalling the following 12.5oz cans of Wellness canned cat food in the following recipes with the following Best by Dates;

Beef & Chicken, 8/5/19
Beef & Salmon, 8/5/19
Chicken, 8/3/19 & 8/4/19
Chicken & Herring, 8/4/19
Chicken & Lobster, 8/4/19
Turkey, 8/4/19 & 8/5/19
Turkey & Salmon, 8/4/19 & 8/5/19

No problems have been reported or noticed in the foods listed above. However, the quality department at Wellness has become aware that a foreign material has been discovered in a non-Wellness product that is manufactured in the same plant. As a result, they have taken this proactive steps to ensure the well-being of cats who are fed this food.

We sell Wellness and the above formulas at Green Acres Kennel Shop and have found no product that matches the recipe and best by dates that are being recalled. We appreciate that Wellness is being proactive. We are in the process of contacting clients who have recently purchased this food.

For more information on the recall of these products, please check the Wellness website at (http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/update/)

PET FOOD RECALL- Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner

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According to the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm541692.htm) Against the Grain is voluntarily recalling one lot of Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs that was manufactured and distributed in 2015.

The 12 oz. Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs that is being voluntarily recalled, due to the potential presence of pentobarbital, has an expiration date of December 2019, a lot number of Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner f2415E01ATB12, and the second half of the UPC code is 80001 (which can be found on the back of the product label).

Oral exposure to pentobarbital can cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, nausea nystagmus (eyes moving back and forth in a jerky manner), inability to stand and coma.

Note: To-date, no complaints have been reported to Against the Grain for this single lot number nor any of Against the Grain’s pet foods, since the company was founded.

In 2015, this one lot of product was distributed to independent pet retail stores in Washington and Maryland, though it has been verified that this lot is no longer on any store shelves. This voluntary recall only affects one specific lot of food.

Consumers may return any can with the aforementioned lot number, to their place of purchase and receive a full case of Against the Grain food for the inconvenience. For any questions, customers may contact the company at 708-566-4410 between 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM Central Time, Monday – Friday.

PET FOOD RECALL- PetSmart Grreat Choice® Canned Dog Food

According to the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm541182.htm) PetSmart has issued a voluntary recall 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.

This recall was initiated after receiving notification from the manufacturer of
consumer complaints. PetSmart has not received any consumer complaints at this time.

The recalled products include the following Grreat Choice dog food sold between Oct. 10, 2016 and Feb. 7, 2017:

Product Name UPC Best By Date or Lot Code
Grreat Choice Adult Dog Food with Chicken & Rice Classic Ground, 13.2 oz. cans
7-3725726116-7
Best By
8/5/19
Lot 1759338
The Best By date is found on the bottom of the can.

No other Grreat Choice products are impacted by this issue, and PetSmart is not aware of any reported cases of illness or injury related to this product to date.

Customers who purchased the recalled food should stop feeding it to their pets and bring any remaining cans to their local PetSmart store for a full refund or exchange. For more information about the voluntary recall or if customers have any questions, contact PetSmart Customer Service at 1-888-839-9638 between 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. CST.

PET FOOD RECALL- Evanger’s Hunk of Beef

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According to the US Food and Drug Administration website Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Company of Wheeling, Illinois, is voluntarily recalling specific lots of its canned “Hunk of Beef” product due to the detection of pentobarbital in one batch of food. Although pentobarbital was detected in a single lot, the company is recalling all related Hunk of Beef products manufactured the week of June 6 through June 13, 2016.

The affected lots numbers that start with 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB, and 1816E13HB, and have an expiration date of June 2020. You can find the lot number on the bottom of the can.

The second half of the barcode reads 20109, which can be found on the back of the product label.

NOTE: The recall notice does not list this product as having been distributed in Maine. We had the product on our shelves, it is in Maine.

Green Acres Kennel Shop has removed all cans of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef from
our stocks and we are in the process of contacting all clients that have purchased this product since June 1 of 2016.

You can read the entire FDA statement at (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm539900.htm) or below.

The FDA Recall Statement

Out of an abundance of caution, Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food of Wheeling, IL is voluntarily recalling specific lots of its Hunk of Beef product because of a potential contaminant Pentobarbital, which was detected in one lot of Hunk of Beef Au Jus. Pentobarbital can affect animals that ingest it, and possibly cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, or nausea, or in extreme cases, possibly death.

The specifically-identified lot numbers (as detailed below) of cans of 12-oz Hunk of Beef being voluntarily recalled were distributed to retail locations and sold online in the following States: Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and were manufactured the week of June 6 – June 13, 2016.

Although pentobarbital was detected in a single lot, Evangers is voluntarily recalling Hunk of Beef products that were manufactured the same week, with lot numbers that start with 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB, and 1816E13HB, and have an expiration date of June 2020. The second half of the barcode reads 20109, which can be found on the back of the product label.

The subject recall affects 5 lots of food that were produced from its supplier’s lot of beef, which is specifically used for the Hunk of Beef product and no other products. To date, it has been reported that five dogs became ill and 1 of the five dogs passed away after consuming the product with lot number 1816E06HB13. Evanger’s is proactively issuing a recall voluntarily so as not to risk potential exposure to pentobarbital in the product.

All Evanger’s suppliers of meat products are USDA approved. This beef supplier provides us with beef chunks from cows that are slaughtered in a USDA facility. We continue to investigate how this substance entered our raw material supply.

Because we source from suppliers of meat products that are USDA approved, and no other products have had any reported problems, we are not extending the recall to other supplier lots. This is the first recall for Evanger’s in its 82 years of manufacturing. Although it has been verified that little or no product remains on store shelves, if consumers still have cans with the aforementioned lot numbers, he or she should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-847-537-0102 between 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central Time, Monday – Friday.