Pet food recalls rarely make headlines until a brand a client is feeding shows up on the FDA list. By then, the conversation is reactive: the owner is scared, the clinic phone is ringing, and the veterinary team needs to answer two questions fast — is this product dangerous? and what do I switch to?

In 2025, the FDA recorded 13 pet food and treat recalls totaling 166,071 pounds of product. In the first half of 2026, recalls have already included multiple raw diet products contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, canine milk replacers with elevated vitamin D, and freeze-dried cat food with potentially dangerous thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency.

Here is what the recall data shows about patterns, causes, and what veterinary teams should be prepared to discuss.

2025 Pet Food Recalls by the Numbers

According to the Truth About Pet Food annual review, 13 pet food and treat recalls were recorded in 2025. The breakdown by cause:

By product type:

The data confirms what food safety experts have observed: raw and freeze-dried pet diets carry a disproportionately high risk of bacterial contamination. Raw products accounted for just over half the total recalled poundage in 2025, and Salmonella was responsible for nearly 95% of all recalled weight. A 2025 industry analysis of FDA data from 2018 through October 2025 found that raw pet foods were roughly 20 times more likely to be recalled than other pet food types, and 100% of raw pet food recalls during that period were caused by preventable pathogens (Salmonella, Listeria, or E. coli).

2026 Recalls Through June

The first half of 2026 has already produced several notable recalls and FDA advisories:

Raaw Energy Dog Food (ongoing, expanded multiple times). Originally recalled in January 2026 for harmful bacterial contamination across eight lots, the recall was expanded in May to include over 180 lots due to Listeria monocytogenes. The company announced on May 21, 2026 that it was temporarily halting all dog food production. Products were distributed in at least nine states (CT, DE, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, VA).

Albright's Raw Pet Food Chicken Recipe for Dogs (May 7, 2026). Voluntary recall for potential Salmonella contamination.

Elite Treats Chicken Chips (February 24, 2026). Single-lot voluntary recall for potential Salmonella contamination. FDA later marked this recall as terminated.

Revival Animal Health Canine Milk Replacers (April 17, 2026). Breeder's Edge Foster Care Canine and Shelter's Choice Canine milk replacers recalled for variable (elevated) vitamin D levels. Distributed nationwide.

Go Raw LLC / Quest Cat Food (February–June 2026). Multiple voluntary recalls for low thiamine (vitamin B1) levels. Initially affecting Quest Cat Food Chicken Recipe Freeze Dried Nuggets (10 oz bags) in February, the recall expanded in June to include one lot of Steve's Real Food Chicken Recipe Freeze Dried distributed across 20 states. Long-term consumption of thiamine-deficient food can cause appetite loss, vomiting, and serious neurological problems including seizures and impaired coordination.

Gold Star Distribution (December 2025, carried into 2026). All FDA-regulated products at a Minneapolis facility — including drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, dietary supplements, human food, and pet food — were recalled due to rodent and avian contamination and insanitary storage conditions.

What the Patterns Tell Us

Salmonella and Listeria dominate raw diets

Raw and freeze-dried pet foods consistently account for the majority of pathogen-related recalls. The Raaw Energy recall is a case study: a recall that started with eight lots in January ballooned to over 180 lots by May, and Listeria monocytogenes was added to the original bacterial concerns. This is not unusual. Raw meat-based diets are inherently more likely to harbor pathogenic bacteria because they skip the kill step (cooking or high-pressure processing) that conventional products use.

Veterinary teams in small-animal practice should be prepared to discuss raw diet risks with clients — not to prohibit them, but to ensure owners understand that raw feeding carries a measurable food safety tradeoff. The AVMA's raw pet diet policy and the FDA's animal food safety guidance provide language for these conversations.

Nutritional deficiencies are an emerging concern

The 2026 thiamine recalls are notable because they involve a nutrient deficiency rather than a pathogen. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is essential for carbohydrate metabolism and neurological function in cats. Deficiency causes a characteristic clinical progression: anorexia and vomiting, followed by neurological signs including ataxia, seizures, and potentially death.

Cats are particularly vulnerable to thiamine deficiency because they cannot synthesize it endogenously and require dietary intake. The fact that multiple products from the same manufacturer (Go Raw LLC) were flagged for the same deficiency suggests a formulation or quality-control gap rather than a one-time manufacturing error.

Vitamin D toxicity in supplements

Elevated vitamin D levels in the Revival Animal Health canine milk replacers highlight a different risk: over-supplementation. Vitamin D toxicity in dogs causes hypercalcemia, which can lead to renal failure, soft tissue mineralization, and death. Puppies fed milk replacer are especially vulnerable because they consume the product as their sole nutrition source, so any excess is amplified.

Veterinarians recommending or dispensing milk replacers should check the lot number against the FDA recall page before dispensing, and should counsel breeders to do the same.

What to Tell Clients

When a recall is announced

1. Identify the specific product, lot number, and best-by date. Not every product from a brand is affected. The FDA recall page lists exact SKUs, lot codes, and distribution dates. A client feeding a different variety from the same brand may not need to change anything.

2. Stop feeding the recalled product immediately. Return it to the retailer for a refund or dispose of it securely where pets and wildlife cannot access it.

3. Watch for clinical signs. For Salmonella and Listeria: vomiting, diarrhea (potentially bloody), lethargy, decreased appetite, and fever. For thiamine deficiency in cats: decreased appetite, vomiting, progressive neurological signs. For vitamin D toxicity: increased thirst and urination, vomiting, lethargy, and muscle weakness.

4. Contact your veterinarian if signs appear. Do not wait for symptoms to resolve on their own. For flea and tick medication concerns, the same urgency applies — any adverse event after ingesting a recalled product warrants a veterinary visit.

When clients ask about raw diets

The recall data supports a risk-based conversation:

• Raw diets have a higher rate of bacterial contamination than cooked or extruded products. This is not a disputed claim — it is consistent across FDA recall data, peer-reviewed studies, and the CDC's guidance.
• Households with young children, elderly individuals, or immunocompromised family members face additional risk from cross-contamination in the kitchen.
• The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and FDA have both issued statements discouraging raw pet diets, though neither prohibits them.

Veterinary teams do not need to be prescriptive. A factual conversation about recall rates and the pathogen profile of raw products is more effective than a blanket prohibition that some clients will ignore.

Where to Check for Recalls

• FDA Recalls & Withdrawals – Veterinary Medicine: fda.gov/animal-veterinary/safety-health/recalls-withdrawals
• FDA Outbreaks and Advisories: fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/outbreaks-and-advisories
• AVMA Recalls & Safety Alerts: avma.org/news/recalls-alerts
• VIN Drug and Food Recall Center: vin.com/recallcenter

Veterinary clinics should bookmark these resources and check them at least monthly. When a high-profile recall breaks, clients will call — and the team that can immediately confirm or rule out a specific lot number builds trust that lasts beyond the recall cycle.

Sources

• Truth About Pet Food. "2025 Pet Food Review." December 31, 2025. truthaboutpetfood.com/2025-pet-food-review
• FDA. "Recalls & Withdrawals – Veterinary Medicine." Updated June 2026. fda.gov/animal-veterinary/safety-health/recalls-withdrawals
• FDA. "Outbreaks and Advisories." Updated May 22, 2026. fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/outbreaks-and-advisories
• FDA. "Raaw Energy Expands Recall of Dog Food Because of Listeria Monocytogenes Health Risk." May 22, 2026. fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/raaw-energy-expands-recall-dog-food-because-listeria-monocytogenes-health-risk
• FDA. "Gold Star Distribution Inc. Issues Recall of Certain FDA-Regulated Products." December 26, 2025. fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/gold-star-distribution-inc-issues-recall-certain-fda-regulated-products-three-states-including-drugs
• VetStreet. "Dog Food Recalls 2026: FDA + AVMA List and Safety Tracker." Updated May 2026. vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/dog-food-recalls-2026
• AVMA. "Recalls/Safety Alerts." avma.org/news/recalls-alerts
• LiveNOW from FOX. "FDA: Pet food recalled over nutritional deficiency." June 2026. livenowfox.com/news/fda-pet-food-recalled-nutritional-deficiency