Evanger's recalls dog food after it was contaminated with drug used to euthanize pets 

  • Evanger’s Dog Food voluntarily recalled lots of their Hunk of Beef cans
  • Traces of Pentobarbital were discovered in one batch of the dog food
  • But the company said they were removing five 'lots' as a precaution  
  • Five dogs fell ill from the contamination and a pug named Talula died 
  • The drug is usually used to euthanize dogs, cats and horses  

By Kaileen Gaul For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:32 EST, 7 February 2017 | Updated: 10:29 EST, 7 February 2017

Evanger’s issued a recall when a drug used to euthanize dogs, cats and horses was found in Hunk of Beef cans

Evanger’s issued a recall when a drug used to euthanize dogs, cats and horses was found in Hunk of Beef cans

Evanger’s has voluntarily recalled some of its dog food after it was contaminated with a drug used to euthanize pets.

The company announced they would be taking batches of their Hunk of Beef tins off the shelves after the deadly chemical Pentobarbital was detected.

The tainted food has already killed one dog and left five others sick - but many more could have been affected. 

The Food and Drug Administration said the substance can cause 'drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, or nausea, or in extreme cases, possibly death.'

The company said they were removing five 'lots' of the product as a result, but it's not known exactly how many cans contained the chemical.

Pugs Tito, Talula, Tinkerbell and Tank from Washougal, Washington, all fell victim to the contamination on New Year's Eve.

Owner Nikki Mael told KATU: 'I fed them one can and within 15 minutes, they were acting drunk, walking around, they couldn’t … they were falling over.'

'So I grabbed them all and I took them to the emergency vet and when I got them there when they were limp. They weren’t moving or anything.'  

Five dogs fell ill from the contaminated food and a pug named Talula died
vanger's is only offering a recall for some batches of their Hunk of Beer Au Jus line

Five dogs fell ill from the contaminated food and a pug named Talula died (stock photos)

Talula died after eating the contaminated food.  

Evanger’s Dog Food paid for the dogs' medical bills and donated to an animal shelter in Talula's honor. 

Mael took Talula's remains to Oregon State for a necropsy to understand what exactly happened. 

Evanger's is only offering a recall for some batches of their Hunk of Beer Au Jus line. 

The company said the deadly drug was only found in one lot but they are offering to take back the product made the entire week. 

On the Food and Drug Administration's website, it says the product was distributed in Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The company said they would take back products: 'with lot numbers that start with 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB, and 1816E13HB, and have an expiration date of June 2020. The second half of the barcode reads 20109, which can be found on the back of the product label.'

The food appears to have been contaminated in June and purchased online.   

Comments (42)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now