United States

Multiple Brands of Dog Chew Toys Shipped Nationwide Recalled Over Chemical Concerns

The recall only applies to rawhide products made by United Pet Group

What to Know

  • United Pet Group initiated the recall after learning some international manufacturers used a chemical not approved for use in the U.S.
  • All products affected by the recall have an expiration date ranging from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2010
  • Limited complaints of dog illness we reported, including vomiting and diarrhea

Multiple brands of rawhide dog chew products distributed nationwide are being recalled over concerns they could contain a compound chemical that has not been approved for use in the United States. 

The United Pet Group, based in Illinois, announced the recall Friday. It is restricted to dog chews that contain rawhide and applies to some American Beefhide, Digest-eeze and Healthy Hide products. United later announced an expansion of the recall to include its retail partners' private labels. 

The company initiated the voluntary recall after learning some of its rawhide chew manufacturing facilities in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil were using an anti-microbial chemical approved for cleaning food processing equipment in those countries but not in America. 

Exposure to the compound, quaternary ammonium, through direct ingestion can lead to reduced appetite and gastric irritation in dogs. The company said it received "very limited" reports of pet illness based on the volume of products distributed. The primary complaint was a smell. Diarrhea and vomiting were also reported. 

The affected items were shipped nationwide from United Pet Group's Illinois distribution facility and delivered to customers through various retail establishments and online outlets, United Pet Group says. All products affected by the recall have an expiration date ranging from June 1, 2019, to May 31, 2020. It wasn't clear how many total products were affected by the recall. 

For full details on the items affected, click here

"We take our responsibility to pets and their owners seriously and we are continuing to investigate the cause of this problem," the company said in a statement. "We are implementing changes across the affected manufacturing facilities in order to prevent this problem from reoccurring in the future. United Pet Group is also working with retailers to ensure that the affected products are no longer sold and removed from inventory."

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