Popular Dog Food Recalled In Oklahoma, Possible Loose Metal Within

Pedigree dog food is being recalled due to the possibility of loose pieces of metal being found, risking the health of animals in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, specifically.

According to the Mars Petcare US, the only bags affected are:

• 44 lb. bag PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food
• Best By Date: March 4, 2025
• Lot Code found on seal on back and bottom of the bag 410B2TXT02
• Purchased from Walmart in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana

If you believe your bag is one of the affected, you should discontinue using the food and contact Mars Petcare US to "initiate a return or with any questions at 1-800-525-5273." An list of individual stores that the bags of food in question were sold to directly can be found here.

Although there are no current reports of animals being harmed by this product, owners should be hyper-aware of how your animal is behaving. If you notice abnormal behavior or reactions, you should contact your veterinarian.

An unsettling fact about recalls is that finding loose pieces of metal is not an uncommon reason. If this is a common issue, how have companies not found more effective processing procedures to prevent it from happening? How are loose pieces of metal finding their way into dog food to begin with?

According to Mars Petcare, they acknowledge that it happens from "equipment malfunctions or wear and tear in the manufacturing process." Although Mars Petcare does say that regular machinery checks and maintenance helps mitigate the risk, it can still happen from "faulty machinery or loose parts."

Since the recall is voluntary, and the fact that the bags listed are the only ones consumers should worry about, it seems the company does have control over the issue and will be taking measures to prevent another faulty batch.