Recall Alert: United Pet Group Issues Expanded Recall of Rawhide Dog Chews After Discovery of Dangerous Chemical in Products

All good pet owners like to provide their dogs with quality toys, food, and treats, but sometimes even the most well-known and well-regarded brands can have issues with quality control.

For example, pet owners willing to spend the additional money for organic dog food would think that the products they are buying will be safe, if not exceptionally nutritious, for their pets. But just two months ago Party Animal’s Cocolicious Beef & Turkey and Cocolicious Chicken & Beef organic dog foods were recalled after a Texas customer sent the food off to a testing lab and discovered that it contained pentobarbital, a chemical commonly used by veterinarians during euthanization procedures.

And of course, many pet owners probably remember the massive, international dog and cat food recalls that occurred in 2007 due to a melamine contamination that was traced back to the Chinese production facilities were the foods were made. In the end, over 5300 foods were recalled from a number of big companies, including Purina and Blue Buffalo, and it’s been estimated that 3,600 deaths were ultimately linked to the contaminated foods.

So, it seems that no matter what the suggested quality of food is, or which brand it comes from, contamination can strike products with even the best reputation.

Well, fast-forward to today and there’s a new recall for dog owners to worry about. On June 10th, global pet food marketer and manufacturer United Pet Group issued a recall for rawhide chew products from multiple brands after concerns were raised about chemical contamination, and on June 16th the company voluntarily expanded that recall to include products from even more brands.

According to United Pet Group, it was discovered that some of the company’s rawhide chew manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Colombia, as well as a Brazilian supplier, had been adding a quaternary ammonium compound to the food during the processing phase of the foods’ manufacturing.

Quaternary ammonium compounds are typically used to clean the bacteria off of processing equipment. Customers had complained about a strange odor coming from what were likely affected rawhide products, and some reported that their dogs suffered bouts of vomiting and diarrhea after chewing on the rawhide products.

According to the official product recall, affected products will have expiration dates ranging from 06/01/2019 to 5/31/2020 on the packaging. Brands listed in the recall include Companion, Dentley’s, Enzadent, Dentahex, Essential Everyday, Exer-Hides, Good Lovin’, Petco, Hill Country Fare, and Priority Pet.

United Pet Group has urged customers to dispose of any products belonging to batches suspected of contamination, or to return them directly to the company or the retailer where the product was originally purchased for a refund.

Hopefully no other dogs will be exposed to the contaminated food after the recall. After all, the lives of our pets are completely irreplaceable, so pet food companies need to remain vigilant and live up to the trust that we place in them when we buy their products.