RECALL: Rawhide Chews: Multiple Brands
Still feeding your dog rawhide chews? Then this recall is for you.
United Pet Group, a division of Spectrum Brands, Inc., is voluntarily recalling multiple brands of packages of rawhide dog chew products (distributed to retail outlets and sold online in the U.S. from their Edwardsville, IL distribution center ) for potential chemical contamination.
All of the recalled dog rawhide chew products have an expiration date ranging from 06/01/2019 through 05/31/2020.
Why the Recall
United Pet Group identified manufacturing facilities (in Mexico and Colombia, as well as a Brazilian supplier), were using a processing aid during manufacturing (a quaternary ammonium compound). While this anti-microbial chemical compound is approved for cleaning food processing equipment, it has not been approved in the U.S. as a processing aid in the manufacturing of rawhide chews for dogs.
There have been very limited reports of pet illness and the primary consumer complaint was the unpleasant smell of affected products. Diarrhea and vomiting were also reported.
Exposure to quaternary ammonium compounds (through direct ingestion) may cause the following symptoms in dogs (depending on the severity, veterinarian treatment may be necesssary):
- Reduced appetite, and
- Gastric irritation (including diarrhea and vomiting).
What to do Next
Consumers are urged to properly dispose of any affected product or return it directly to United Pet Group or the retail store for a full refund.
Consumers may also contact the United Pet Group Consumer Affairs Team directly at 855-215-4962 between the hours of 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time with questions or for a refund.
To learn more about the specific brand and product names and associated UPCs involved in this recall, go to: