Recall due to Elevated Naturally Occurring Beef Thyroid Hormones in Wellpet Dog Food 2017
3.17.2018 WellPet Wellness Dog Food Recall
The WellPet company has a legacy of being a small, family-owned company for more than 100 years. This company is committed to making the finest quality natural pet food for dogs and cats in all life stages. There are several brands under the WellPet umbrella, including Wellness, Holistic Select, Old Mother Hubbard, Eagle Pack, and Sojos. The Wellness brand is the subject of this most recent recall.
What Kind of Products Does Wellness Offer?
The Wellness brand promises, “unconditional love [and] uncompromising nutrition” for pets and pet parents. This brand features healthy, all-natural recipes made with the finest ingredients to ensure wholesome and balanced nutrition. All of Wellness’ products are formulated by veterinarians and animal nutritionists to ensure complete and balanced nutrition, not to mention natural flavor and nutritional integrity. Each of Wellness’ dog food recipes is made with lean meats, whole grains, and fresh fruits and veggies. Wellness makes all of their products without corn, wheat, and soy products and they don’t use any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. In terms of their dog food products, Wellness offers the Complete Health line of life stages formulas, the CORE line of grain-free recipes, and the Simple line of limited ingredient diets.
About the Recall
Product Affected: Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs
UPC Code: 076344894506
Date: March 17, 2017
On March 17, 2024, the WellPet company issued a voluntary recall for Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs in 13.2-ounce cans with best-by dates of 2/2/19, 8/29/29, and 8/30/19. This product was voluntarily recalled due to concerns of potentially elevated levels of naturally-occurring beef thyroid hormone. Though beef thyroid hormone is naturally occurring in beef products, high levels of this hormone can cause a negative reaction in dogs. Elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone have been shown to affect the dog’s metabolism and may cause symptoms including increased thirst, increased urination, restlessness, or unexplained weight loss. Continued consumption of this hormone can lead to an increase in the severity of symptoms or they may progress to include vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing.
The Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs product affected by this recall is a mixer or topper intended only for supplemental or intermittent feeding. This being the case, the likelihood of the product causing a serious problem is fairly low, but consumers are still cautioned against continued use of the product. WellPet has not directly received any reports of illness or injury related to the recalled product, but the FDA did receive complaints of three dogs that were affected. WellPet’s company CEO immediately took action to launch an investigation to identify and recall the offending product and all three dogs have recovered fully and are doing well.
WellPet CEO Camelle Kent has been quoted saying, “Safeguarding the health and wellbeing of pets is of the utmost importance to us,” which is why they issued the recall voluntarily at the first indication of a problem.
What Should You Do About It?
Although WellPet has not directly received any reports of illness or injury related to the recalled Wellness 95% Beef Topper for Dogs product, you should still get rid of any cans you may have around the house. Consumers can return the product in question to the original place of purchase for a full refund. No other WellPet products were affected by the recall.
If you have questions about the recall or concerns that your pet may have been affected, you can contact the WellPet company at 1-(877) 227-9587 or email them at wecare@wellpet.com. You can also log a complaint with the FDA by visiting their website.
