Lots of batches from these brands have been recalled but many stores are slow to pull things from shelves and sometimes don't even bother at all so be diligent and check for yourselves. Gravy Train Kibbles ‘N Bits Skippy Ol’ Roy Apparently after someone's dog died the owner paid to test the canned food herself and found pentobarbital which is used to put down pets and horses and several other types of animals. After that a local news station decided to test random cans of dog food from the same big name brand that owns many smaller brands(smuckers)and 2/3rds of the tested products came back positive for the same deadly substance but in amounts too small to kill a pet with one meal. Smuckers recalled several of their food brands but refuses to answer questions about how it happened. A watchdog group said that many of the big brands actually use a process called rendering where they take dead pets and horses and roadkill and chicken/beef to full of cancerous lesions to use for human consumption then cook it all together in a way that removes the liquid and fat so they can add the "dry protein" to the pet foods they sell. Since their is no actual law that states a vet must label animals put down by pentobarbital differently from pets that die of natural causes it all ends up being treated the same. So in essence you can take your dog to the vet and it can die and end up in the dog food for your other pets. So check the recall list online and through out anything from the brands listed just to be safe. I think I am now a vegetarian. My stolen dog likes edamame more than anything else so he'll be fine with the change.
Just a little addon, if your dogfood is affected it's worth taking a look at dogfoodadvisor.com to find a more trustworthy brand. All foods are rated on their content, ingredient sources, and filler. Big name stores like Petsmart and Costco carry some 4-5 star rated foods that are surprisingly affordable.
Thanks for the heads-up folks! I used to work in the pet industry, so I can't say that I am surprised. That is still absolutely abhorrent to hear.
Thank you for the link. I have a dog who dry heaves in the middle of the night and I'm trying to figure out the trigger.
Get tests for heartworm immediately man, that is when heartworms are most active, and can cause dry heaves. All your out is the lab fees if false but if positive there may still be help for your animal.
I definitely second getting your dog tested for heartworm. My dog came from a rescue down in Tennessee and contracted heartworm during a very brief window of time when he wasn't being covered by a monthly preventative, just before being shipped up here. It took us almost two years and over $2,000 to get him better because it was the infamous treatment-resistant "Southern strain." Between getting better and being put on a better diet, he's like a new dog... as if someone shoved a battery pack up his ass. His coat is also just incredible. When we first got him, his coat was wiry and rough. Now it's smooth, shiny, and very vibrant. It's amazing what some good food can do.
Just as a rule of thumb it's best to avoid any dog food or treats made in China.. the quality is literal garbage and the rates of sickness and recalls in Chinese products are very high. Not to say that American made pet food is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's safer as a whole due to higher standards and regulations. @Waterbear I wouldn't recommend a vegetarian diet for your pooch though...dogs have evolutionarily evolved on a meat-based diet, and while inserting occasional and appropriate (read:non-toxic) fruits, veggies and occasional grains in the mix is certainly healthy for your dog, the absence of meat in their diet is not. Good quality dog food is expensive as hale but worth every cent to keep your pooches safe, folks! Do your homework and don't believe pseudo-science blogs. The vets and the corporate pet industry have their own money-making agenda to be sure, but so do the alternative medicine and health folks. Take it all with a grain of salt to figure out what's healthiest for your animal.
Thanks for the concern! I actually meant I was turned off by meat personally but McGruff still gets plenty of it. He was so sick and weak when I got him awhile back that his entire diet had to be fresh veggies cooked to mush and boiled chicken mashed into paste. A couple of months later and he was really healthy but super spoiled with food so he still gets mostly veggies and real meat. Now though it doesn't all have to be in the form of gruel. He gets pieces of plain baked chicken and fish and he loves steamed veggies and cubes of apples and pears. Yeah I know he's totally spoiled but his life was a literal hell before I stole him so I am just making up for it now. He still gets vitamins and supplements from the vet so he's not missing out on any of the stuff dogs need from actual dog food.
That's why I like dogfoodadvisor.com, it's backed by science and nutritional needs of dogs... not pseudoscience bullshit. They also don't take bribes/sponsorships for cash. Nothing but unbiased ratings based on the ingredients and fat/protein/carb content.
Sounds like you are doing a fantastic job of taking care of your pooch (better than myself )....my message was thrown out there more as a general statement to pet owners not acutely aware of how piss-poor most store bought food is for their dogs. Thanks for starting this thread!
Once upon a time I ran out of dog food and forgot to pick some up. I thought I would just get a small bag of ol roy just to get them through the night/morning.. WORST MISTAKE EVER. I came home to poo EVERYWHERE! I had to get my carpet professionally cleaned.. never again will I make this mistake. They are currently on Blue Buffalo Grain free or Blue Buffalo Wilderness, both dry. I also stopped purchasing treats made anywhere else other than the USA a few years back. I can't afford for them to get sick, vet bills are no joke!
You're not the first person I've heard horrible poo stories from regarding Ol'Roy. Seems to be a pretty common issue for dogs to have liquishits after eating it.
Same here regarding food - same brand actually. I remember growing up and the family dog got kibbles n bits and just remembering how crap the quality was then (the food seemed like it was made partially of wax or something!!) I can't imagine what nutritional content, if any, are contained in brands like that now. Also I'm pretty sure dogs can survive on any diet based on my experiences. No I don't have any scientific data on that and dogs may be classified as carnivores but they are definitely omnivores. Of course a chicken thigh is going to get more attention than a head of lettuce.
Oh boy and damnit, like there ain't enough to be concerned about. My dog has exibited a huge increase in thirst and inability to retain his bladder over the past month. He is old, so I was thinking he was starting to have organ failure then today read that quite a few dog foods have toxic levels of vitamin D, which cause the exact symptoms my dog has presently. I suspect other products not mentioned in these articles also will be identified (at least I hope tests are being done) but if any of you folks feed your dogs these brands....... FYI: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna943281 This is a developing situation and this list may not be complete. The FDA will update this list as more information becomes available. The list of recalled dry dog food products provided to the FDA include: Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea Dry Dog Food UPC 8-84244-12495-7 – 4 lb. bag UPC 8-84244-12795-8 – 15 lb. bag UPC 8-84244-12895-5 – 28 lb. bag Best by date range: February 25, 2020 through September 13, 2020 Natural Life Pet Products Chicken & Potato Dry Dog Food UPC 0-12344-08175-1 – 17.5 lb. bag Best by dates range: December 4, 2019 through August 10, 2020 Sunshine Mills, Inc. Evolve Chicken & Rice Puppy Dry Dog Food UPC 0-73657-00862-0 – 14 lb. bag UPC 0-73657-00863-7 – 28 lb. bag Sportsman’s Pride Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food UPC 0-70155-10566-0 – 40 lb. bag UPC 0-70155-10564-0 – 40 lb. bag Triumph Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food UPC 0-73657-00873-6 – 3.5 lb. bag UPC 0-73657-00874-3 – 16 lb. bag UPC 0-73657-00875-0 – 30 lb. bag ANF, Inc. ANF Lamb and Rice Dry Dog Food UPC 9097231622 – 3 kg bag Best by Nov 23 2019 UPC 9097203300 – 7.5 kg bag Best by Nov 20 2019 Lidl (Orlando brand) Orlando Grain-Free Chicken & Chickpea Superfood Recipe Dog Food Lidl product number 215662 TI1 3 Mar 2019 TB2 21 Mar 2019 TB3 21 Mar 2019 TA2 19 Apr 2019 TB1 15 May 2019 TB2 15 May 2019 Kroger Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food UPC 11110-83556 – 4 lb. bag, all lots UPC 11110-83573 – 14 lb. bag All lot codes UPC 11110-89076 – 24 lb. bag All lot codes ELM Pet Foods, Inc. ELM Chicken and Chickpea Recipe UPC 0-70155-22507-8 – 3 lb. bag D2 26 FEB 2019 TE1 30 APR 2019 TD1 5 SEP 2019 TD2 5 SEP 2019 UPC 0-70155-22513-9 – 28 lb. bag TB3 6 APR 2019 TA1 2 JULY 2019 TI1 2 JULY 2019 ELM K9 Naturals Chicken Recipe UPC 0-70155-22522-9 – 40 lb. bag TB3 14 Sep 2019 TA2 22 Sep 2019 TB2 11 Oct 2019 Ahold Delhaize Nature’s Promise Chicken & Brown Rice Dog Food UPC 068826718472 – 14 lb. bag All lot codes UPC 068826718471 – 28 lb. bag All lot codes UPC 068826718473 – 4 lb. bag All lot codes Nature’s Place Real Country Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food UPC 72543998959 – 5 lb. bag All lot codes UPC 72543998960 – 15 lb. bag All lot codes The recalled products were sold nationwide @bryce_r I hope you got your dog tested after you said it was dry heaving at night. You have me on ignore but I offered to help you pay the lab fee via pm, which I suppose you never read nor received? Dogs mean more to me than people. You never replied here nor (to my knowledge) ever let anyone know if your dog was "OK" so I will just hope it is ok. If not... my condolences. My own dogs have been my best companions and best friends for over a decade now. At 15 (Coonhound) and 16 (Basenji Dingo)years old it's a daily blessings to just sit beside them. Anyways, folks please check dog food to see if it is possible you are feeding your animals the brands recalled on this recent list. Please if anyone reads or hears of other recalls in their areas of the country post that information in this thread. Best regards.
Fuck me. I do volunteer work twice a month and that chicken and potato dry food is pretty popular with the homeless population here because it doesn't taste awful and it's dirt cheap. I hope it's not killing people too.
@Waterbear I used to volunteer at a food bank up until last year and yeah my thoughts today drifted right to that. Most of the food bank non donation foods are manufactured in same plants as dogfood with similar process. Sadly the local Target store put recalled products on their cleanance shelves more than once in the past. You gotta really be careful in regard to food these days. Thinking of buying a dehydrator and making my own dog food once I get through this month. Just too many things going on to do that right now. I keep checking to see if Iams will make the list. That is what my dogs have been eating for a long time. Funny thing is the last few bags they didn't want to eat where usually they woof it down. I wonder if they could sense something or outright smell a difference. It gets me beyond pissed off that there are very little standards for pet foods in general. Then this kinda stuff....... "70 times the safe levels of vitamin D and could kill dogs who eat them." Bastards.
There are tons of local discount food stores here that never pulled recalled or expired things from their shelves. It's so dangerous. Targeting the people who can't afford help when they get sick is just brutal but at the same time I don't know anyone who would rather starve instead of eating expired food. I mentioned this before but I gave up on dog food awhile ago. I have time to cook my meals so I have time to cook my dogs food too. Luckily I was gifted an Instant Pot last year so it's extremely easy to fill it with wild rice and veggies and some meat and make a soft stew that keeps for a couple weeks in the fridge. I also share whatever I'm eating with him if I'm home but I don't do anything processed or with flour or with added sugars for myself so it's all dog-friendly too. Also I like to remind people that common healthy foods can still kill dogs. Grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, avocado, citrus, coconut, nuts in general, anything with caffeine just to name a few. Dogs aren't people, their bodies can't process some of the stuff that we can so it can shut down kidneys and the liver really easily.
Just updating this. I went to my local Target last night and they still had most of the recalled product on the shelves. Nothing had been pulled. Be extra vigilant. @Waterbear I am going to be preparing my dogs food from now on. Only been a few days of feeding "real" food and my Coonhound is no longer having issues.
