Tainted Dog Food: FDA Nixes Illinois Company's Plan To Donate Recalled Food

WHEELING, IL — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday published a warning letter it sent to an Illinois pet food company nixing a proposal to donate recalled dog food — potentially tainted with the euthanasia drug pentobarbital — to animal shelters. The letter, addressed to Evanger's founders Holly and Joel Sher, the letter notes that the FDA found "serous violations" during an investigation of the Wheeling-based company. In response to the company's proposal to donate recalled food, the FDA said that even if individual units test negative for the euthanasia drug, that does not provide "sufficient assurance that the remaining units are not adulterated."

Evanger's first announced the recall of its Hunk of Beef Au Jus dog food in February after receiving reports that five dogs in the same household became ill and one died. Lab tests done on the stomach contents of the dead dog and the Evanger's Hunk of Beef Au Jus canned food fed to all five dogs revealed a "large quantity" of pentobarbital.

The food was sold in 15 states, including Illinois, last summer. Pentobarbital was found in one lot of the food, but Evanger's said it was recalling five lots "out of an abundance of caution."

A week later, another company owned by the Sher family, Against the Grain, recalled a lot of its Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs "due to "the potential presence of pentobarbital," the FDA said. The recall soon expanded to also include Evanger's Braised Beef and Against the Grain's Pulled Beef products due to contamination fears.

In addition to rejecting Evanger's proposal to donate dog food from the recalled lots, the FDA recommended destruction of all remaining recalled products.

Image via FDA