What we currently know about a critical pet food contamination episode in Brazil

The affected products are from the Dental Care and Every Day lines, which are sold by the company itself, online and in pet stores. 

Many owners have reported that after eating the treat the dogs became very thirsty, followed by vomiting and prostration. The animals had a diagnosis of acute kidney injury after 48 hours, according to a statement released by the police.

The police, who are currently analyzing the samples, detected the presence of mono-ethylene glycol, a toxic substance that can cause organ failure, in at least one of them.

Closure and recall 

The Ministry of Agriculture ordered the immediate closure of Bassar Pet Food in the State of São Paulo, in addition to the national recall of products produced by the company.

“The products must be collected by the company and the products must be seized in the company’s own warehouses,” claimed the Ministry in a statement.

Brazilian retailer Petz sent a statement to its customers apologizing for the episode and stating that it had “voluntarily removed products from points of sale across the Petz chain.”

Contributing to the investigation

Bassar Pet Food, founded in 2018, specializes in natural food and snacks, which are sold in the main e-commerce platforms – such as Amazon – and pet retail chains in Brazil.

The company expressed that it is contributing to the investigation and added that it had hired a private laboratory to also carry out analyses of the suspected products.

“Bassar clarifies that it is collaborating with the investigations and all authorities to clarify the case. The company sent samples of its products and raw materials to national reference institutes to certify the safety and compliance of the products under investigation,” a statement published on its website highlights.

The company also deleted all of its social media and customer interaction platforms.