Multiple brands of rawhide dog chews recalled for possible chemical contamination
DEERFIELD BEACH (FOX 13) - United Pet Group is recalling multiple brands of rawhide dog chew products nationwide due to possible chemical contamination.
The company says it has received reports of pet illness, primarily involving diarrhea and vomiting.
The brands being recalled include American Beefhide, Digest-eeze, and Healthy Hide.
United Pet Group says it has identified the source of the contamination. Certain of its rawhide chew manufacturing facilities in Mexico, Columbia and Brazil were using a quaternary ammonium compound mixture as a processing aid in the manufacturing of rawhide chews.
According to the company’s press release, “The compound is an anti-microbial chemical that is approved for cleaning food processing equipment, but it has not been approved in the U.S. as a processing aid in the production of rawhide chews for dogs.”
Exposure to quaternary ammonium compounds through direct ingestion may cause the following symptoms in dogs: reduced appetite, and gastric irritation including diarrhea and vomiting. These symptoms may require treatment by a veterinarian depending on severity.
The affected products were distributed nationwide from United Pet Group’s Edwardsville, Illinois distribution facility and were delivered to consumers through both brick-and-mortar retail and online outlets.
All of the dog chew products included recall have an expiration date ranging from 06/01/2019 through 05/31/2020 located on the back of the package.
Consumers who have purchased the products described above are urged to dispose of the product or return it directly to United Pet Group or to the retail establishment where they initially purchased the product for full refund.
United Pet Group says they are investigating the issue. They said, “We are implementing changes across the affected manufacturing facilities in order to prevent this problem from reoccurring in the future.”
See below for the detailed list of products affected by the recall:
American Beefhide:
- Products with lot codes listed on the back of the package that start with AH and which list expiration dates from 06/01/2019 through 05/31/2020 are affected by this recall. This includes all package sizes and/or weights.
- The following contact information appears on the back of the package of the affected products: Manufactured by: Salix Animal Health, LLC Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
Digest-eeze:
- Products with lot codes listed on the back of the package that start with AH, AV, A, AI, AO, or AB, and which list expiration dates from 06/01/2019 through 05/31/2020 are affected by this recall. This includes all package sizes and/or weights.
- The following contact information appears on the back of the package of the affected products: Manufactured by: Salix Animal Health, LLC Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
Healthy Hide, including:
- Healthy Hide Good-n-Fit
- Healthy Hide Good-n-Fun