NOTTINGHAM, England (WDNews)— Dog food company Years says an extensive investigation following its voluntary August recall found no evidence of contamination, toxins or other safety issues in its fresh meals.
According to Years, the investigation included 21,757 individual test results covering 1,129 substances. Testing included ingredients, retained production meals and meals returned by customers. The company said no link was identified between its food and reported cases of sudden bilateral dry eye in dogs.
Years voluntarily recalled its fresh meals on Aug. 17 after reports of sudden bilateral dry eye increased from 11 cases in July to 57 potential cases. The investigation was conducted with independent experts in food safety, microbiology, toxicology, veterinary clinical nutrition and veterinary ophthalmology.
According to the company, 273 meals across all six recipes and 101 ingredient samples involving 35 ingredients were tested. Buckwheat received additional scrutiny, with testing for 940 substances, including pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins and naturally occurring compounds.
Years said testing found no toxin, contamination or safety issue involving the buckwheat used in its food. The company also said two independent reviews found its manufacturing and food safety systems were operating as intended.
“When these reports emerged, we stopped the entire business and focused all our time and effort on understanding what was happening,” co-founders Darren Beale and Ivan Barashki said. “There was no scientific evidence that our food was responsible, but we were not prepared to take any chances with the dogs people trust us to feed.”
The company said data from the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmologists identified 155 cases involving dogs that had eaten Years food. However, another 96 cases involved dogs that had never been fed the company’s food, including 41 in the United Kingdom and 55 in international markets where Years products are not sold.
Years said the findings do not determine what is causing the unusual pattern of sudden bilateral dry eye cases.
“We know this conclusion may not feel like a resolution if you’re caring for a dog with sudden bilateral dry eye,” the co-founders said. “These findings don’t change that, nor do they answer the wider question of what is causing this unusual pattern of cases.”
The company plans to resume serving customers in October. Years said all of its recipes will be made without buckwheat as a precaution and because customers indicated they preferred a return to the company’s previous recipes.
Years also said it will continue sharing information with veterinary and regulatory groups and will fund additional research into the cause of sudden bilateral dry eye in dogs.
“On behalf of every dog that has suffered or is suffering from sudden bilateral dry eye, whether a Years customer or not, no matter what food has been fed, or what country they’re in, we are determined to try to understand what is causing the rise in cases,” Beale and Barashki said.
