Mabel the Rescue Dog

5 min read (Articles narrated by Mabel)

Dog health is something that is very important to humans. What you feed your dog is actually a huge part of how healthy they are. So, if you feed your dog a popular dog food brand, you should know if it’s been recalled before.

Sometimes recalls are for very minor issues that the company catches. However, sometimes the FDA has to issue the recall due to a more serious issue. Therefore, the more times a food has been recalled, the less trustworthy that brand seems. Here is a list of the dog food brands that have been recalled the most.

#1 – Blue Buffalo

Blue Buffalo advertises themselves as a high quality dog food brand, but they have had at least 8 recalls in the past 10 years. Some reasons for recalls were salmonella, possible mold contamination, and elevated levels of beef thyroid hormones. There were also some claims about high levels of lead in their food, but there was no proof as to whether or not it was true.

#2 – Bravo!

Bravo! is a brand that specializes in simple food with only a few ingredients. They have had at least 8 recalls so far, 7 of which were for possible salmonella contamination, and 2 of the recalls were because of possible listeria contamination.

#3 – Evanger’s

Since 2010, Evanger’s has had at least 7 recalls. 6 were for potential salmonella contamination. Then, their most recent recall in 2017 was for potential of pentobarbital, which is a euthanasia drug! They claim to be one of the most nutritious brands, but who knows what other recalls might arise in the future?

#4 – Iams

Iams is one of the most well-known dog foods, but it has actually been recalled at least 7 times so far. Similar to Bravo!, there are at least 4 recalls for potential salmonella contamination. Other recalls involved potential mold growth and aflatoxin contamination.

#5 – Pedigree

Pedigree is another popular dog food that isn’t quite as great as many people think. They have had at least 5 recalls. 2 of them were for possible salmonella contamination and three were for possible metal or plastic fragments found in the food!

#6 – Nature’s Variety

Nature’s Variety had at least 5 recalls so far. Similar to many of these other brands, they have had at least 3 recalls for potential salmonella contamination. Also, there were recalls for potential plastic pieces in the food and even for an unusual odor in the food.

#7 – Purina

Purina has had at least 5 recalls so far. 3 of these recalls were possible salmonella contamination and the others were for inadequate levels of certain items such as thiamine or vitamins and minerals.

#8 – Wellness Pet Food

Wellness Pet Food has also had at least 5 recalls so far. 1 recall was for potential salmonella contamination, but some of the other recalls were for other contaminations such as moisture and foreign materials.

#9 – Hill’s Science Diet

While many vets recommend Hill’s Science Diet, it really isn’t one of the best choices for dogs. The ingredients are not the best quality and it has been recalled 4 times. Once for potential salmonella contamination, twice for melamine contamination, and once just because of some labeling problems.

#10 – Diamond Pet Food

Diamond Pet Food has had at least 4 recalls so far. 2 were for potential salmonella contamination, 1 was for possible aflatoxin contamination, and the other was for low levels of thiamine.

Do Recalls Mean That the Food is Bad?

No, it really depends on the recall. Just because a brand has been recalled a lot doesn’t automatically mean that it’s bad. Many recalls are voluntary, so if your brand of food is on the list, you can look into it more to find out the exact details of every recall.

The best way to judge the quality of the dog food is to look at the ingredients. The ingredients at the top of the list should be items that you recognize, and the first ingredient should be a healthy meat source. Recalls alone don’t determine whether a food is bad or not because there’s so many other factors that go into it.

However, certain recalls should raise a concern to dog parents. If a food has been recalled for possible salmonella contamination multiple times then this is likely an issue. This contamination is not only a health concern for dogs, but it can also be a risk to humans as well.

Which Dog Food Brands Have Never Been Recalled?

There are plenty of dog foods that have never been recalled. So, if recalls are a concern to you, then try switching to one of these brands.

Here is a list of some (but not all!) of the dog food brands that have never been recalled:

• Earthborn Holistic
• Fromm
• Holistic Select
• Life’s Abundance
• Nature’s Logic
• NomNomNow
• Now Fresh
• Nulo
• Precise Holistic
• Zignature
• ZiwiPeak

You might notice that many of these are brands with primarily grain-free options. So, if you have heard bad things about grain-free dog food, I strongly suggest you to check out my article: The Truth About the FDA Grain-Free Investigation.

Just because a food has never has been recalled doesn’t guarantee that it’s healthy, but it often means that the company is more careful with the quality of their food. Molly has always been careful to select a healthy food for me, and I think it’s important that all dog parents pay close attention to their dog’s food as well. Dogs are amazing, so of course, we deserve the best food possible!

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