Silent withdrawal of Hill’s Science Diet canned dog foods; recall reason unknown
UPDATE: Hill’s is refusing to inform consumers what the reason was for the withdrawal (recall) of their Science Diet brand canned dog foods at PetSmart stores nationwide.
Calls to their customer service line have been leaving consumers scratching their heads in confusion.
So, I called Hill’s and although they were quick to assure me (at length) that the food in question is perfectly safe, yet, when I asked for the reason for the withdrawal, they told me they “don’t have that information.” And they wanted to make sure I understood the fine difference between a “withdrawal” and a “recall.” That is an absolutely unacceptable explanation for a product recall (withdrawal – whatever).
BTW, PetSmart posted the wrong phone number on the notice. The correct phone number to call for customer service at Hill’s Science Diet is: 1 (800) 445-5777. The number posted on the notice at PetSmart is for vet’s offices and retailers only, not for end consumers.
Thanks to a sharp-eyed shopper, and friend of Susan Thixton at Truth About Pet Food, who spotted an ominous note taped on PetSmart shelves, we now have important information regarding the “voluntary withdrawal of a select number of Hill’s Science Diet canned dog foods.” (see notice here)
Reason? Unknown.
So far, not a peep from Hill’s Pet Nutrition or PetSmart.
The recall involves eight Science Diet canned dog food diets, including all date codes and best before dates.
The recalled products
Science Diet Dog Adult Perfect Weight 12.8 oz
SKU 5210092
UPC 5274229750
All Date Codes/All Best Before Dates
Ideal Balance Slim & Healthy Chicken 12.8 oz
SKU 5210280
UPC 5274230770
All Date Codes/All Best Before Dates
Science Diet Dog Small & Toy Adult Beef Entrée 5.8 oz.
SKU 5092280
UPC 5274249660
All Date Codes/All Best Before Dates
Science Diet Dog Small & Toy Mature Beef Entrée 5.8 oz
SKU 5092282
UPC 5274249680
All Date Codes/All Best Before Dates
Science Diet Dog Adult Beef Entrée 13 oz.
SKU 5117274
UPC 5274270390
All Date Codes/All Best Before Dates
Science Diet Dog Adult Beef & Chicken Entrée 13 oz.
SKU 5117273
UPC 5274270400
All Date Codes/All Best Before Dates
Science Diet Dog Mature Beef Entrée 13 oz.
SKU 5117275
UPC 5274270560
All Date Codes/All Best Before Dates
What’s a silent recall?
It’s a sleazy trick the pet food industry uses to avoid the scrutiny and shame of an actual recall: The silent withdrawal.
They do it to avoid having to publicly admit there is a problem with their pet food, say, to the FDA for example, instead they quietly send a notice to the retailers to pull the product. It also helps them avoid the consequences of angry consumers with questions and concerns.
A dirty little secret
Simply put, it’s a dirty little secret to avoid warning the public of the danger associated with a faulty pet food if indeed that is the case. It’s commonly used to avoid lawsuits, avoid paying claims, loss of brand confidence and of course the accompanying loss of sales.
But, the most troubling aspect is, that there will be consumers who are unaware that they have a dog food sitting on their shelves at home that might be harmful to them or their dog. Or it could simply be a lebeling issue, we don’t know.
For questions, call Hill’s Customer Service Center at Hill’s Pet Nutrition at (800) 354-4557. An incorrect phone number was posted on the notices at Petsmart. The correct number is: (800) 445-5777.
Pet Food Safety News publishes reader-supported investigative reporting on commercial pet food, industry practices, and regulatory issues affecting consumers. It has no financial ties to pet food companies. Donations help fund the research, writing, and publishing costs behind this work and support continued reporting on transparency, accountability, and consumer protection in the pet food industry. If you value this reporting, please consider making a donation.
Discover more from Pet Food Safety News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
91 Comments
Tiffani R Hallan
They seem to be doing it again January 2021. I was feeding their dry/canned foods in fall fo 2020. Fought weeks and weeks of bloody diarrhea with several different meds. Nothing helped. Finally I gave up after 3 months of multiple bloody stools daily, and switched cold turkey to something else. Overnight one meal, fixed the issue! Hills denies anything is wrong. If you go to their facebook page, tons of complaints, weeks and weeks of missing products off shelves. Hills has a canned response to every inquiry. Feels like something is up! I will never feed it again.
Tania
is this from 2015?
Betty Guzzy
Just canceled my auto delivery of hills dry food for my two new rescues. Last year I lost my boy due to vomiting and kidney failure. He was on the gastrointestinal food aafter the grain free food. Will be home cooking from now on. Cheap ingredients from other countries are killing our pets.
Verna Brunet
Right now the USA is passing laws to prohibit the labeling of country of origin on meat. That means petfood manufacturers will not know what country the meat ingredients come from.
Canada is signed up to all the same free trade agreements as the USA, and therefore can be expected to pass similar labeling laws.
Also, chickens raised on this continent will be shipped live to Asian countries for slaughter, and shipped back here to human consumers as well as pet food manufacturers. The whole purpose of this insanity is to avoid the health regs in Canada & the USA.
So things are going to get worse for all brands of petfood, and for meat eating people, too.
Jeff Silver
Science Diet, Iams pet foods silent recalls, et al
Lack of Trust
My dog was on ID food and doing well. Then with the label change came a content change. Hill’s denied a content change however after feeding the same food to the same dog for a year it was obvious that the smell and consistency of the food was different. I did not appreciate the well-trained CRS telling me in the most polite way that I was stupid to think that I saw and smelled a change in the food. Recently my vet recommended I try the food again. The dog reels back from the food and walks away. I saw where Hill’s had a withdrawal of certain canned foods. I called and asked if ID was on withdrawal and I was given a very polite lecture on the difference between a withdrawal and recall. Then told that the food is perfectly fine to feed the dog. I also sent an email to have a written guarantee. I find it very interesting that Hill’s will never reply to an email except to say “call us”. That translates into Hill’s will never put anything in writing. I’ve come to completely distrust this company. An honest company would simply reply to an email and offer a written guarantee that their product is safe.
Chloe's mom
Mollie, Thank You so much for all the time and energy you spend on your research and writings, as well as the time and great expenses involved with being “our” consumer advocate- watch dog- attending the pet food industries conferences!! I hate that this is a thankless job so to speak, because you get ZERO compensation for the endless hours spent there and informing we the pet parents. It would be nice if owners had a way to join together and form a lobby to effect more change. (Not to take anything away from Susan, Jean or yourself accomplishments!)
I was able to make a donation to you for the previous conference, but am unable to do so again at this time. However, I recall your mention of artistic ability and have a couple suggestions. Possibly an original work of pet art you’ve created and make prints to sell or give to those who make donations. OR using some of the AWESOME photos you post to create a calendar(s) or collage art to sell.? I would think donations would come easier with something in return and I would love to buy a calendar year after year to help with your support. This could become a way to finance a new laptop for your work as well ! I realize this work takes up so much if your time, but I really feel my ideas could make the extra time spent well worth it and more donations coming in. Take Care, Janet.
Mary Dienhart
I think we all deserve more. Makes me mad every time I think about it. I was very glad to learn of your website, and thank you for being so kind and trying to help others. And have a wonderful holiday.
Laura Colins
I do know why they “recalled”. First, it is not a recall. There is typo on the labels on certain canned items, which reflects the wrong order of 2 items. Nothing nefarious, just a bad proofreader. (And no, I don’t work for Hills).
Shawna
I have no idea what is going on here, and I won’t make a snap judgement as I have fed this to my dog for a long time, and many dogs before her, but I fed my dog the beef that was recalled before knowing it was recalled and now she is sick- hasn’t eaten for three days now. Won’t even take treats. Makes me question what is going on as she is usually a fiend for treats. Threw up twice yesterday. Will be calling the vet soon if no improvement today. I think this bears further scrutiny.
Glenda Eppard
Dec. 2, 2015. I just got off the phone with Hill’s and had asked the lady what was wrong with the recalled Science Diet dog food I currently have in my possession (mature adult BEEF entree UPC 5274270390, and UPC 5274270560; and adult BEEF & chicken entree UPC 5274270400), and she stated that Hill’s does not have any product on recall, but that there is a shortage of the BEEF products which will not be available until later on in December. Something seems amiss here! The product on recall contains BEEF and just so happens they currently have a shortage of BEEF products until later on in December. Hmmmmmm?
Yamisell
For those who are complaining about getting your facts straight… It
Might seem like a simple error on the labeling of the ingredients, however if this was for human consumption you’d be livid! This is usually big corporate tactics to go under the radar to by pass fines and scrutiny. A miss labeling can lead to many other neglects on the company’s behalf. It’s an ongoing fight to make sure what we provide our animals are safe and healthy. When you loose a dog to someone else’s neglect then you can say “get the facts straight it’s only a miss labeling issue”, no it’s a bigger issue! Thanks for the heads up!
Pat
I called the Consumer Affairs number at Hill’s because I saw the sign at my local Petsmart when I went to buy some more cans of Perfect Weight for my dog. The call taker said it was absolutely not an issue with the food; she did not know what was the issue but did say with certainty that the food was fine. My dog has finished the last two cans I had that were withdrawn from my Petsmart, all without issue. My experience with Science Diet over the years has been very positive. From time to time my cats and dog have been prescribed it when sick and now my dog eats canned and dry Perfect Weight on a regular basis without issue. There is way too much erroneous information on the internet about dog food that is not fact-based. I believe I almost killed one of my cats by feeding her one of the highly-regarded gluten-free, high protein etc. cat foods long ago and she actually eats grocery store food and is thriving.
Diana W Cumbo
If you don’t trust the company if you don’t like the food DON”T USE IT I have not seen any reports that you have to use Hill science diet…No fines no one coming to your home and holding a gun to your head …If it was a label then no harm no foul….At least it wasn’t made in China and is killing dogs……I may think your dog food is trash But I’m not on here running it down …MY VET said it was good and MY VET is great …I trust him over you all any day
Mary Dienhart
OMG, Diana Cumbo, that was a rude, naive, comment. It wasn’t called for at all. Further more, maybe you should change vets. I too fed my 12 year old Poodle the beef chicken combo and she started throwing up and flat out refused to eat it, and she has been eating it for at least 10 years. Like I told Mollie there had to be good cans and bad cans in that same #. Because a month later I offered her the same food, and has been eating it every since. I have one can left in that #, but not taking a chance and will return it and the Turkey and the Chicken that I bought yesterday. I will not support a company that can’t tell their customers what is going on. You are fortunate that you didn’t have problems with your pet, like some of us did. Be thankful instead of making tasteless comments like you did here.
Anna N
My vet also recommended my toy poodle to eat a hills science diet from their office since the very beginning. He went from overly energetic to lethargic, itchy and sickly. He has never been the same, I watched him wither away, while following the vets suggestions down to the T. He was at the vets every few weeks for bloodwork and medication adjustments which would never stablize, always refused to eat and always had stomach issues. We would try to coax him back to eat with boiled chicken and rice and that did wonders. Without fail, everytime we put him back on science diet food his health would decline in a more sever form than the last. Every time we went to the vets, I would voice his food issues and be assured that he is just “sick” and to continue feeding him science diet. His last meal of kibble was 4 days ago and he died 2 days ago if kidney failure. ….. AT Least it’s not killing dogs?! Are u kidding? U mean at hasn’t killed YOUR dog yet. Im glad you trust your vet, and hope you never have to learn what I have in this way. Please be more sensitive to others as I hope your pet never suffered the way mine did under the care of these veterinarian health professionals.
Randy W
My vet is my friend and sells all the major perscription brands in her very busy office. I love her. She is terrific and again my friend. I will never buy Science diet again. Too many odd changes, no transparancy, Vets are selling the stuff because this is whats available,and every other office in the whole united states sells the same…..animal suffer due to greed.
Susan Peck
I knew it!! I just knew something was fishy. The turkey missing from the shelves and I had to order on line. My dog all of a sudden spitting the dog food our. She has been on Science Diet for over ten years and now wont eat it. My local store has a few mature Science Diet on the shelf and plus, I found out that some of the dry dog food was recalled last summer. That was found by searching on line.
The dog was smarter than I am So out in the garbage it goes. We will give her some of the turkey we had for Thanksgiving and some Tyson’s chicken until we decide what to do.
Two months ago I had her at the vet because she seemed “out of it” but all of her tests came back normal.
My thanks to people like you to keep us informed.
Susan
KD Rocher
Susan, you should sign up here to get notifications. I did years ago and it helps me feel safer.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall-alerts/
Melissa Cozze
If you took the time to speak with the company before blasting unfounded information, you would realize that there was a misprint on the label, one of the ingredients was left out by mistake. There is nothing wrong with the food. Learn your facts before you post misinformation. It just makes you look like an idiot.
susangoodbear
I, for one, appreciate the heads-up. And I understood from the start that no news is no news. But, frankly, a silent, unexplained recall DOES look suspicious, and when the health and possibly lives of my pets could possibly be at stake, I am taking no chances. Plenty of toxic pet foods and treats have been sold in the USA in recent years (often made in China or made with ingredients from China), so now I read all text on every label for clues regarding the likely integrity of the product. If there’s a mistake on the label, I want to know that. I am entirely forgiving of benign human error, but I need to be told what’s going on. The Hills company could have saved themselves a lot of grief if they had simply SAID they were pulling these cans BECAUSE the labels were misprinted. My next question, of course, would have been the exact nature of the misprint, but at least the subject would have been open for discussion.
Kayla Joelle
it doesn’t matter if the label was wrong. This is one of the worst foods. I would feed Walmart O’Roy before Science Diet.
KD Rocher
Not at all! People who love their pets like family are very concerned about the pet food industry these days and for good reason.
Joyce
My 3 toy poodles absolutely refuse to eat any Hills Science Diet food! Smart pooches!
Rick Pearson
Why not wait until some real information is available before assuming the absolute worst and going on the attack? It’s like the anti-GMO crowd.
Rick Pearson
Never mind. I see your “donate” button.
na
It was a label error nothing more which is why no one knew
Jim
My english bully is on dry (Hills prescription diet). I add warm water to make it scrumptious! I have smelled her food, tasted it and every dish is clean before she eats. I just don’t believe in canned anything. Too much of a risk. I hope no pet has been harmed by Science brand canned food!
Christine
Well, there are way better products than Science Diet Jim, dogs nor cats should not be eating corn, wheat, soy, or gluten, or any combination of those ingredients. Why not check out 4 Health, Victors, or Young Again.
But to each their own, there are so many people who actually believe that MacDonalds is good quality food as well.
Kristine
My dog was on the Prescription Diet Weight management kibble from Hills. He started getting very sick after opening a new bag. I called my vet, they said to leave him on it for 2 to 3 months. He was crying, pacing every night and tripled his poop size. I took him off it and a new vet said to try a different variety of kibble and he started doing the same thing after 1/3 of a cup. He’s now off of all kibble and my brother gave me 2 cans of the ID. He’s using that to hide his pills. After the 2nd can is gone, I’m done with Hills. They tried to blame it on other things, but I know what I saw. This new “silent” recall is happening the same time he got sick. So, buyer beware…
Brianne Elizabeth
you should be done with it as soon as you read this. Ill pay you for your 2nd can if the money is the issue. I knew Hills was no good like 4 years ago, it provides zero nutrition to the dog and now is harmful.
Christine
People really need to start educating themselves with regard to feline and canine nutrition, and I suspect, people simply and sadly don’t bother to check the ingredients. There are much better quality foods, Victors, 4 Health (Tractor Supply), and Young Again. We are a strictly grain free organization, and appreciate the exposure Poisoned Pets offers via this portal, to hopefully expose and educate people on this topic.
Tara
I work for an animal clinic. It is a labeling issue. I know this because our Hills driver replaced the labels on the product. They did not take the product back, they just put new labels on it.
Brianne Elizabeth
thats what they want us to think. Hills is no good period. It was no good 4 years ago when I first got my dog, its no good now.
Steph
It was because of a mislabeling issue; There were signs up as usual, it wasn’t silent. Love, someone who’s been working at Petsmart for years.
Corinne
As a pet owner I do not trust any foods containing the toxins in factory farmed meats such as such as nitrates, steroids, antibiotics, GMO corn and soy, or arsenic to plump and pink meat of chickens. If it isn’t natural, organic and field raised I do not want to feed it to my pets. Isn’t the rise in pet cancers an indication of problems. Unfortunately our pets are not vegan.
Didi Culp
Although pet food companies surely fail in transparency, this column is a little unfair. Since pet food labeling is voluntary, USDA and AAFCO can’t force a company to recall a food when the label is wrong–such as when ingredients are in that are not on there. And when an ingredient might be dangerous to pets, the USDA has to find out which ingredient and how dangerous and prove it has affected pets before they can issue a recall. This is a reactive government oversight program. If it could arrest people or seize property before a crime is committed we would no longer be free. So in some cases, a voluntary recall shows a responsible company preferring to lose money rather than risk harm or inconvenience for customers. I do not use or recommend Hill’s products. In fact its a poor quality pet food based on cheap ingredients. But a voluntary recall shows good customer service in my book.
Diane
My dogs are on ID lowfat nuggets and soft? Should i be concerned?
Peter
yes, thank you for speaking plain truth: “What’s a silent recall?
It’s a sleazy trick the pet food industry uses to avoid the scrutiny and shame of an actual recall: The silent withdrawal.”
Melissa Cozze
Thats because its not a recall. If you speak with the company, there was a misprint on the label, one of the ingredients was left out. There is nothing wrong with the food.
Nahri
Lets make 2 plus 2 equal 4 if we can here. I saw the recall signs at my local mom and pop that state until further notice the cans are voluntarily recalled and due to a shortage of beef they had no estimated date of return. A typo is one thing but a typo does not cause a shortage and the only cans being pulled are the ones that would be a part of said shortage. Sounds more like to me that they have contaminated product and dont want to admit to it. While they clean out their supply and prepare new food its not on the shelves. They dont want to admit that about their already crappy food so they pass it off as a typo for the people who will just go oh ok thats all it was no big deal.
Mary Dienhart
If there is nothing wrong with their food, why did my dog get sick from eating it, at the time I didn’t know there was anything wrong with it, and then she wouldn’t even touch it. Believe what you want to believe, but my dog and others got sick from eating food with that particular # on the cans. Hills is trying to make all of us believe there is nothing wrong, when there is. And my dog has been eating this for over 10 years. Some of you people out there are so gullible. But if you have a pet that got sick from this food, you and others might tend to believe that Hills is trying to sweep this all under the rug. And shame on them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pat
The numbers posted at PetSmart are the SKU and UPC. These identify the product (SKU is internal to company; UPC is universal so that everyone across the supply/retail chain can recognize it. These numbers do not represent a specific can of a product. My dog ate the Science Diet Perfect Weight (chicken) before and after I saw this sign at PetSmart without issue after I checked with Hill’s Pet. The SKU and UPC on my cans matched the numbers listed at Petsmart for Perfect Weight. I was told by Hill’s that there was nothing wrong with the food itself and that Hill’s was not asking anyone to stop using their food or to return the food. My dog had no issue with their food so I finished off the remaining cans I had, again without issue. My dog gets sick now and then and can have a sensitive stomach but it is usually because she grabbed something off the ground at night while walking her.
So far I’ve been lucky and only once did I suspect the dog food I was feeding her made her sick; it was one of the Blue types. In that instance, I stopped/restarted feeding her a few times over several weeks and each time she became sick shortly after eating the food so I stopped it completely.
The FDA site does not list the Hill’s food as recalled so at this moment, I am not concerned about it since my dog had no issues with the withdrawn food.
Teresa
What happens if a dog eats a can of this food?
susangoodbear
Thank you VERY much for making this info public! I just checked our cans of Science Diet purchased earlier this week. Fortunately, none was on your list. But that could so easily have been not the case, then we might have had a terrible, mysterious problem on our hands. BTW, I notice the majority of these varieties contain beef, and I wonder if there was some big beef recall awhile back — a public health event that might have been connected circuitously through FDA channels with THIS stealthy recall?
J. R. Smith
Are these the only ones withdrawn? None of the canned prescription diets? Don’t want any nasty surprises especially with a dog that already has stomach and health issues.
Melissa Cozze
Not to worry. If you speak with the company, it was actually just a misprint on the label, one ingredient was left out. There is nothing wrong with the food.
Jim Davis
What I know is that for the last two weeks I have been unable to buy the Prescription Diet id low-fat. Vet is out of it and my online sources as well. Vets office told me they have been getting shorted on their orders and about two weeks ago they received a letter from Hill’s requesting the return of any existing stocks.(they had none) Hill’s has told me the “label” story, and that the food is perfectly safe. My dog with chronic pancreatitis likes it and seems to do well with it added to his low-fat dry food. I have been mixing what I had with some Royal Canin GI low-fat to get by. According to Hill’s the product should be back in stock later this week. Not a Hill’s fan, but am willing to feed this formula if it helps. I have been really frosted by this lack of competence on the part of Hill’s. As I told them, this is not a food that people buy because they like the commercial. It is a prescription diet recommended by vets for specific medical conditions. They have a responsibility, in my opinion, to make every effort to maintain adequate distribution of the product and to make a full explanation when that does not happen. Having spent 31 years in the human pharmaceutical industry, I take a very narrow view of these situations.
Ann*
I don’t know anything about this silent recall, but I do know that I LOVE the photo at the top!