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Updated: 5/22 9:25 AM PDT (helpful links added)
PETCO was notified Thursday 5/21 that NUTRO was voluntarily recalling select varieties of NUTRO Natural Choice Complete Care dry cat foods and NUTRO Max cat dry food with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010, and August 22, 2010.
PETCO carries 19 of the SKUs affected by the recall and all PETCO stores have been notified.
In a news release, NUTRO said the recall was due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in the finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.
The company said it has not received any consumer complaints related to this issue and the problem was identified during a routine audit of their documentation from the supplier.
Visit the Nutro Recall page for more information including details about the affected products, pictures of where to find the date code, and a FAQ page.
Helpful Links:
When we brought our food to the Tallahassee PETCO, the store manager informed us that he had been informed by distribution that the NUTRO products sold by PETCO were not affected. Although they accepted our returned products, the product return was marked as “Infested/Contaminated” and not as “Product Recall.” All NUTRO MAX and Natural Choice cat food products were still on the shelves as of 6:30 PM today (5/22).
My cat actually started vomiting after every meal on one of the recalled bags. I usually have him on regular Max Cat Adult, but had switched him to Max Cat Indoor Adult, and I attributed his vomiting to the change in food. I went and bought another bag of the regular Max Cat Adult a few days ago and now he’s fine. I wonder whether the recall had anything to do with the vomiting or if it was just the change in food.
I switched my cats to a different food last week because one of them suddenly began vomiting every time he ate – swapping him to a different brand of food helped. It appears that this is why – thank you for letting us know about this. I was really worried when his Nutro Max Adult Chicken food was causing so many issues. (He was vomiting about 5 minutes after going to the food bowl – every single time he tried to eat)
When we bought the new batch of food, we asked the clerk at PETCO if there had been other reports (but this was about a week ago – before the recall was announced) – so at least one report was given verbally that the food appeared to be causing an issue.
Thank you for this notice. I just checked the bag I recently purchased, and it is a 2009 date, so my cats are not affected, but I certainly appreciate your notifying me, anyway.
It’s so great to have a company acknowledging and rectifying the problem immediately, rather than trying to cover it up.
Barbara Wells
Thank you for notifying me! This is a wonderful service you have done.
Thank you!
Doug thanks so much for letting us know about your experience in Tallahassee. We reached out to the Manager On Duty, Adam, this morning to confirm that the store had pulled all the product from their shelves and Adam reported that it was 100% complete. He is going to ensure that the manager who assisted you with your return is fully aware of how they should be handling returns of the product per our company guidelines. We truly appreciate you sharing your experience and allowing us the opportunity to respond. Please feel free to call our customer relations team at 1-888-824-7257 if we can be of any additional assistance.
Michele Shry, Customer Relations Supervisor, PETCO.
I have use Nutro Products for all my dogs and cats always.
But after this last recall, I will not buy Nutro Product for my loved animals any more. I will not take any more chances with the life or health of my beloved pets!
My cat food is one of the recall and fortunately my cats don’t show any signs of sickness. I will bring the bag back anyway, better be safe than sorry.
Thank you of the email.
“Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have more questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST”
That’s what is says on the Nutro Recall Page. I’d received an email from Petco, telling me that I may have been feeding my cats this recalled food. As instructed, I immediately tossed out the remainder of the food and went to Petco to receive my “full refund or exchange for another NUTRO dry cat food product”. I was told that I needed to come in with the bag or no exchange. Nowhere in any of the info I saw, did it say that I need to show a bag. I keep my pet food in an airtight tub THAT I BOUGHT FROM PETCO – when I get home with the new bag I usually dump the entire thing into the receptacle. I don’t keep the unnecessary bag – I recycle it. This is the second time I’ve run across the rather loose & disappointing version of Petco’s ‘customer service’.
The first time, I was looking for an item that I asked to order thru Petco’s distributors/vendors not typically shelved by Petco, and was told by the staffer that I’d have to go to a ’small mom & pop shop for that kind of thing’. I wondered whether the young fellow actually understood that he was telling me that I’d have to go elsewhere to receive customer service…..
I was EXTREMELY upset after reading about the recall: I was concerned that I’d been poisoning my pets! I hurried to Petco, following the directions given by Nutro, and was turned away. I was NOT a happy camper.
Petco folks, you may want to better train your staffers: they need to truly understand the concept of customer service & not send paying customers to your competition – as small and inconsequential to your profit margin as they may be. Petco, you need to better communicate with your customers who respond to recall notices: the Nutro folks think you are giving exchanges for recalled foods and you didn’t.
I purchased a bag that falls just outside the recall (May 2,2010). I’ve seen companies expand recalls in the past and do not trust their limited range on the affected dates. I wish to return the remainder of this bag for credit toward another food.
Our 12 year old cat became ill last week. She vomited profusely and was in obvious pain. We rushed her to the emergency vet in the middle of the night. She seemed to improve and the vet couldn’t find an obvious problem. When we took her home, she began vomiting again. My daughter took her to our regular vet the next morning. He said that she was very ill and put her on IV fluid and pain medication. She was diagnosed with pancreatitis, spent two days in the clinic and is still wearing a morphine patch.
Our regular vet is off for the weekend. I called the emergency vet and asked for an opinion. He said that severe gastritis can cause test results that look very much like pancreatitis. He also agreed that the recalled food could be the cause of the problem.
The two vet bills total over $500.00. Our poor kitty was miserable – she definitely got an even worse end of the deal.
Will I have issues returning this food to the Lake Charles, Louisiana store??
Dear A Meijer, I’m so sorry that your return wasn’t handled gracefully. Obviously, that was not our intent. At your convenience, please contact customer relations 888-824-7257. We will look up your purchase using your PALS account and can then call the store to ensure they will accomodate you with an exchange or store credit, whichever you prefer. Again, I’m very, very sorry for the hastle and assure you that we will take great care of you this time around.
Holly, I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty. I hope she makes a speedy recovery. You will absolutely not have a problem taking the Nutro back to our store. If you still have the bag, please return it at your convenience, regardless of the date code.
If you do not, please contact customer relations 888-824-7257 so we can look up your purchase on your PALS account and call the store on your behalf. My thoughts are with your kitty and we’re here to help.
I also put our cats food in a bin and throw the bag away so I cannot check if it is affected nor can I retun it for a refund. I figured since I do not have the bag I couldn’t return it.
In reply to A Meijer
May 24th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
“Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have more questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST”
That’s what is says on the Nutro Recall Page. I’d received an email from Petco, telling me that I may have been feeding my cats this recalled food. As instructed, I immediately tossed out the remainder of the food and went to Petco to receive my “full refund or exchange for another NUTRO dry cat food product”. I was told that I needed to come in with the bag or no exchange. Nowhere in any of the info I saw, did it say that I need to show a bag.
Please see thae part where it says “Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product.
I went to the Petco in Petaluma California on Friday May 22,2009 to return my recalled Nutro Max Cat. The clerk said she never heard of the recall. I said you have Nutro Max cat food on your shelves now. She asked the Manager who said he pulled all the recalled product from the shelves. They give me a new bag and today I am home sick and check my e-mail then the new bag and find out IT IS STILL THE RECALLED PRODUCT!!!!THEY GAVE ME ANOTHER BAG OF RECALLED PRODUCT. VERY VERY ANGRY.
Kerry I am so sorry to hear that our Petaluma store gave you a bag that should have been pulled from the shelves. I spoke to our management team in Petaluma this afternoon and Rudy assured me that all of the recalled items have been pulled per our earlier direction to them. Rudy asked me to invite you back to the store to exchange the bag. Rudy wanted me to let you know that you can ask for him personally when you return so he can ensure that the next food you pick for your furry feline family member will meet his dietary needs. We are truly sorry for this mixup and want to ensure we make it right with you. Feel free to give our customer relations team a call at 888-824-7257 if we can be of any further assistance.
I, too, have a recalled bag. I was on vacation this weekend and got the email while being away. Even though my 2 kitties seem fine, I will drive to PETCO to exchange for a new bag today. Remember, when you go to exchange your bag that PETCO only takes the AFFECTED product off the shelves. It seems as though some people are upset that NUTRO is still on the shelves, which it should be. They should pull all the recalled product off the shelf (Kerry, your situation is different- I would be angry, too). Thank you, PETCO, for the email and for keeping us informed. I hope I have no problems with my exchange today. Will post again if I have any issues.
Our adult cat Henri started vomiting & diarhhea after eating Indoor Salmon. We usually buy just regular so I attributed it to the change. After a $200. vet bill nothing seemed to be the matter. The vet said it could possibly be because of the change from reg. to indoor because of a increase in some nutrient in the indoor. Our other cat Ed, had nothing wrong. This happened about a month ago. I was just shocked when I read this. My husband is on the way to buy more so hopefully the bad stuff has been pulled.
In the past six months, we have spent about $70 on Nutro products in our local Petco store. But we have no intention of giving Petco any more of our business.
We have four cats, so we buy a lot of cat food. We have two older cats and two kittens newly adopted from a rescue organization. Over the past two months, we have spent about $350-400 in vet bills and medications because our newly-rescued kittens suddenly developed diarrhea that would not go away. Then we found out about the Nutro recall… from a Petsmart email. We had purchased some cat food from them, and when we brought them our receipts this past Saturday we were issued a store credit, no questions asked.
But we had also purchased Nutro products at our local Petco store in Mechanicsburg, PA, so we went there next. We were amazed at what happened next; the manager said we had to return the actual bags! We had our receipts, and we had even brought a baggie of the food with us, but she didn’t even want to look at them. We had no intention of getting into an argument with her, so we just left, aghast.
Attention Petco: Many pet owners do not keep the bag the cat food comes in. They pour the contents of the bag into a plastic canister to guard against insects, humidity and spoilage, and discard the bag.
To find that Petco, or at least the management of our local store, did not care to stand behind the products it sells, using a technicality to avoid any responsibility, was a real eye opener to us. Add to that the callous disregard for all the worry, inconvenience and expenses we had suffered for no other reason than wanting to give the best possible food to our pets. Not to mention the potential health consequences to our sick pets!
Needless to say, we have no intention of rewarding such callous indifference in the future. And we will tell all our friends about our experience too, starting with this post. As for Petco, our advice to them is that either their store policies need to be reviewed, or their management staff needs to be retrained.
I have a bag of the food that has been recalled, my cats do not seem to be affected but yet I still am worried. I am planning to switch over to Halo because I want to feed my cats only the best and especially natural foods and obviously Nutro is not… 2 recalls in the last few years? No thank you!
I’ve been buying Max Cat for years for my 7 indoor cats. About a week before I received a recall notice, one of my cats would just walk around the food and not eat and the others would take a few bites and walk away. I decided to take the bag back just thinking it was a bad batch. The expiration date was July 2010. Luckily I had another bag at home so I opened it & they began to eat again. So far none of my cats are sick, hopefully I caught it in time. Then on Sunday May 24 I received an email from Pet Supplies Plus announcing the recall. I normally shop at Petco and I am on their email list but I did not receive any notice from them and I always use my Pals card! Their records should have notified their customers just by the PALS card usage. I am returning all the Max Cat food, don’t know if I will switch to a different brand or not.
I also use a container for the food but from now on I will be cutting the bag open & placing the whole thing in the container!
Happy tails to all!!
deb
I fed this to my cat and she experienced vomitting too. But instead of thinking it was the food, I assumed it was my cat and switched her food. I thank my friend who sent me the recall link.
One QUESTION, though, I was just at Petco yesterday buying my dog food — why didn’t I get notified somehow by them? I know they keep a running tab on what foods that their customers buy. Also, I wasn’t told about any recalls nor did I see any recall postings anywhere.
Dear D. A. Darrow, when I read your posting I immediately contacted the management team in Mechanicsburg to speak with them as to why your return was denied. In speaking with the General Manager, Jackie, she informed me that she thought that she was the person you spoke with and did not realize that you had brought in food along with your receipts. It was a complete oversight on her part. I hope that you can accpet our apologies for not handling your return request properly. If you still have the food and your receipts, please return to the store and they will ensure that your return is handled. It is important to PETCO that you receive the exchange or refund you want for the recalled product. Please feel free to ask for Jackie when you return to the store. If you need any further assistance, please contact us at 888-824-7257.
Hi Deb C and Margie, I am surprised to hear that you did not recieve the email PETCO sent to our customers who had previously purchased recalled NUTRO products from our stores or at PETCO.com. Our email was sent last Friday the 22nd around 9 pm PST. If you like, you can contact our customer relations team to ensure that the email address we have on file for your PALS or PETCO.com account is correct. It is important to us that you receive communication from us in a timely manner. Thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention.
I did not receive the email… but I did get a card in the mail from Petco today. Our cats have been throwing up more than usual, too.
My 2 cats just totally refused to eat the Max Cat food, but they did eat the Nutro with no apparent problems, though the older one had intestinal distress and seems to need more anti-hairball supplements . My dog just had tumors removed and is not too eager to return to her Nutro diet.
Is the dog food OK?
Hi Leslie,
Nutro has not reported any issues with their dog food formulas at this time. The voluntary recall is on select formulas of the cat food only. It is quite possible that your dog has changed her tastes after her surgery. On your next visit to your local PETCO, speak with one of our sales associates about an alternate brand. I am confident that our team can help you select a food that will meet her selective tastebuds.
I live in Portland, Oregon, and I often purchase Max Cat chicken flavor. When I first gave it to them, so I continued feeding it to them. Suddenly, one day neither of my cats would eat it. I thought that was kind of strange that both of them stopped eating it at the same time. I fed them a bag of Fancy Feast, thinking they were just bored, but after they gobbled down the bag of the new stuff, I returned to the Max Cat, but they still refused to eat it. I am sorry for the cats who got sick. This bag I have says “best if used by 11/OCT/2009. Maybe the formula was wrong in more packages than they think.
Thank you; I will return the product. I feel better knowing this is a voluntary market withdrawal rather than an FDA mandated recall. My cats ate half the 16 lb. bag with no issues, but who knows if they’re just not showing symptoms. I’d rather be cautious. Appreciate the removal of the catfood from the market, and I will continue to purchase Nutro products.
My cats were vomiting on and of and one had the worst diarrhea for weeks, I just thought they were symptoms of getting old and they had some digestion problems. The cats were hardly eating and I have used Nutro max for twenty years. Well today I get the notice in the mail, but the bag that caused the problem was finshed last week. I bought the new bag of food and all the vomiting and diarrhea has stopped. I’m shocked at the amount of animal food problems in the country. I don’t know what to think anymore. Maybe organic is the way to go. I love my pets and hate to torture them with bad food.
Thank you for providing the information about the recall…it is very helpful and I will not use this as a platform to complain about nutro or store service:
“I had no shoes and complained,
until I met a man who had no feet.”
I just got the postcard telling of the recall today. I checked the bag of food that I have and just finished, and the expiration date is January 2010. However, my cat who never vomits has been vomiting after eating at least two to three times a week and has been in and out of the vet office with kidney problems since March (which is a couple of weeks after starting this bag of food). Unfortunately, I never thought to change his food. But I agree with Stephanie that I think Nutro will discover that the formula was wrong in more packages than they think.
My cat was eating the bag of Max Cat food without any problems for at least 3 weeks. But suddendly, half way through the bag, she started to vomit the food right after she ate it. It was like she didn’t have the time to move away from her bowl. After she vomit, she looks fine. She had been throwing up for almost 3 days. I didn’t know what happen to her. I thought she ate some plants, so I remove all plants to outdoor.
Until today I receive the notice from Petco. I wish they let us know earlier. I will return this food and WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MAX CAT. I will go back to Science Diet.
I am yet another customer who empties my cat food into a feeding bin, so I don’t have the packaging or receipt. Is there any way Petco can determine if the bag I bought was part of the recall? I received the recall post card today from Petco. I assume that when the computer registers that you bought a product, it must also register the serial number or other identifying information as well. I care less about getting my money back than about knowing whether my cats are in danger.
I used to feed my dogs and cats NUTRO products. Earlier this year I found a website in which hundreds and hundreds of people had commented on. There were all these horror stories of people having found “foreign objects” in their bags of NUTRO food and their pets getting mysteriously sick and even dying. Most of the critters vomited a ton and some (who survived) had long term liver problems. I freaked out and switched dog food brands to a company who had no issues. After reading this column, I am extremely happy that I switched pet food brands – because this isn’t an isolated case. While I never questioned my decision to take them off NUTRO, this only reaffirms it more. Sorry NUTRO I really wanted to give you my business.
Thanks PETCO for proactively handling this issue.
Hi Elizabeth, Our PALS program can record what formulas you are buying but we don’t record any Best Buy or production information for the formulas purchased. I wish that we could record that information to help you determine if the food you previously purchased was part of the voluntary recall. If you have any doubts about the product that you are feeding, I would encourage you to stop feeding it. I am sorry that we can’t help with the best buy information from your bags. I sincerely hope that your cats are well. Please feel free to contact us at 888-824-7257 if we can be of any further assistance.
I send a big thank you to Petco for mailing me a card about this recall. I did not know about it. This was an excellent use of your product sales information. You have provided a great service for many people like myself. I easily returned the cat food to our local Petco in Prince Frederick, MD. Thank you from my two cats too.
I am about to leave to return the bad bag to the store. I actually received an email from my vet alerting me to the recall. My cat has eaten about half of a 4 lb bag with no symptoms. It seems that people with visibly ill pets probably have a bag with too much zinc. From Nutro’s website: “In some instances, high zinc levels have been shown to cause lack of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting.” I think people without visible signs of illness probably have a bag with too much potassium. Again from Nutro’s website: “Over the long term, a low potassium diet may cause depressed growth rates, anorexia and neurological problems in kittens and to a lesser degree in full grown cats.” I’m worried about my cat because it says that the affected products were on shelves since Dec 2008, so my cat has been eating bad food for 6 months and she’s only a year and a half old. I’m watching her closely for neurological damage. She has also been having dry skin and losing some hair, which can result from low zinc levels.
My cat started refusing to eat his Adult Oceanfish about 1 week ago. I’ve had to resort to hiding the dog food from him when previously he wouldnt ever go near the dog food, which also happens to be Nutro brand. I was thinking of buying a different brand and have most certainly made up my mind now.
I received the recall notice last night and immediately went to the Petco location (Oswego, IL) where I purchased the food. I picked up a bag of food and took it along with the recall notice to the register and was told I would have to pay full price -10% if I didn’t have the original bag. We store our cats food in a plastic container and dispose of the bags. I asked her if she could look up the original purchase through my PALS card (you track sales). She did and confirmed the purchase of the recalled food. She rang up the food and again quoted me full price -10%. Even though the purchase had been confirmed through your own computer system, she would still not honor the exchange. I will never shop at PetCo again and will encourage others to do the same. Last summer I purchased 2 bags of dog food from this same store that was infested with tiny ants. I brought the ant infested food back and the store still charged for replacement! I have 3 dogs and 1 cat so you have really lost the equivalent of 4 customers. Thank god there is a Pet Smart opening two blocks away from your store!
My cat, who normally eats all her Nutro food has been leaving a lot in her dish after eating. I noticed this when I purchased a bag of the recalled Nutro Complete product on 5/9.
The Nutro Sales Rep was there at the store and told me it was a better formulation than the Max cat product I had been buying – more improvements.
My cat also had a little diarrehea 2 weeks ago. Normally she’s very healthy and enjoys her food. We have not had any more episodes and i had attributed the diarrehea to giving her a little bit of canned Nutro food for a treat. She’s had the canned food before and never experienced this problem, so it may have been due to the contaminated food.
I did not receive an e-mail from Petco – just a postcard today (5/29). An e-mail notice would have been nicer than my not knowing until I got a postcard in the mail. I plan to return 2 bags of recalled cat food to Petco later today.
my cats have been getting sick on and off, too. I was thinking it might be the food, but it was random and I couldn’t pinpoint the problem. I’m taking this food back tonight!
I have a bag of the oceanfish that falls earlier than the date of the recalls but, I have a cat who I have noticed has been vomiting the last at least 2 days. Can I return the product, or are they very firm that this is the olny days affected?
Our cats eat Nutro Max exclusively. They have been vomiting fairly frequently for about a month…but we just moved, and attributed it to that.
I wonder how seriously their health has been affected? Anyone know about long term consequences? If this stuff is so toxic that it’s making the cats vomit immediately after eating it, it must be pretty bad. I also notice that one cat has been losing weight. Now I know it’s not just adjustment to their new home! What should I ask the vet to look for?
I have bought this cat food on an off for the last 6 months, if memory serves me. One cat has been throwing up a lot and the other just started throwing up recently. I have an effected bag of cat food and will be returning, however, I am afraid to use this brand again. My one cat has been sick for a while, I hope that it doesn’t have a lasting affect on her.
Hi Lois, I hope that you can accept our apologies that our Oswego store did not handle your exchange gracefully. I would like to personally speak with you regarding your expereinces in our stores. I can be reached at 888-824-7257. If I am unavailable when you call, please have a member of my team transfer you to my voicemail and I will return your call as quickly as possible. I look forward to speaking with you.
Look at this news item from last year:
At the request of the US Food and Drug Administration US Marshals today seized pet food products from the Petco Animals Supplies Distribution Center in Joliet, IL. This comes after a warrant was issued by the US District Court in Chicago.
The pet food storage facility violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act because it allegedly had been storing pet food under “unsanitary conditions” during an FDA inspection of the Petco distribution center in April of this year.
During the April inspection FDA inspectors reported “widespread and active rodent and bird infestations“. After a follow-up visit last month FDA officials found “continuing active and widespread infestation”.
Hi Samantha, You are welcome to return the food you have to any of our stores. We want you to be 100% comfortable with the product. Just let the store know that the food has been making your cat sick and I am confident that they will provide you with an exchange. If you no longer have your receipt, have the store contact our Customer Relations team at 888-824-7257 and we will be happy to look up the transaction on your PALS account to ensure that your exchange goes smoothly. I sincerely hope that your cat feels better soon!
I just got back from our local Petco store, in Lakewood, CA. One employee told me that “it was just zinc” and not to worry. Another had never heard of the recall. When I finally talked to the manager, Nicole K, she refused to give me a refund despite the fact that I was holding the half-empty bag of food and the notice I received in the mail from Petco. She said I needed a receipt.
When I insisted, she called customer service and told me that I could get a “gift card” if I gave them all my personal information. Amazing. Talk about bad customer service! So much for the claims of a refund mentioned on this website.
Thank you Petco for sending me the postcard regarding the recall. I just exchanged my recalled product for a Science Diet catfood with no problem. I just hope my cats also suffer no problems!! So far so good.
I just wanted to thank you for the postcard about the recall. Neither of our cats have been vomiting, but they haven’t been eating quite as much wet food as they normally do. Could be coincidental. They love the Nutro Adult Cat Roasted Chicken cat food. I am thankful that Nutro “owned up” to their faulty product and will definitely buy their products again. Things happen and I think that they handled it as well as can be expected.