Dog food used by thousands of Brits recalled after reports of pets developing serious eye condition

Many pet owners are worried

Customers have now been contacted via email by Years, a subscription service providing fresh dog food tailored to individual pets' needs.

It revealed to customers that it had identified a “potential” link between its buckwheat ingredient and a dry eye condition that, if left untreated, can lead to sight loss.

Following reports of suspected dry eye cases, owners have now been used by the company that claims its fresh meals are prepared by chefs, to immediately stop feeding Years products to their pets.

The company has issued a clear statement to pet owners

“As a precaution, we're issuing a voluntary recall of all Years Fresh Meals (excluding Chef's Collection)”, the company said on its website.

“This follows a small number of reports of dogs having a potential adverse eye reaction to buckwheat, a common and approved ingredient, which we include in our meals. As of August 16, this has affected 0.1% of our customers.”

“We know for some, this will strike as overly cautious, but at Years, we will always put every dog's health and wellbeing first.”

“Your subscription is paused for six weeks, and we will be reformulating our recipes without buckwheat.”

The brand will now switch to quinoa in place of buckwheat, while with their next delivery, subscribers are set to receive a thank-you gift.

Regardless of whether their pet is showing symptoms, dog owners were strongly advised to stop feeding Years fresh meals “immediately”.

In the meantime, the company also warned British customers against feeding the meals to other animals, or donating and selling them.

Furthermore, the company confirmed it will arrange a free collection of any unused meals and issue a full credit to the pet owners' accounts for the order.

Symptoms to watch out for if you’ve fed your pet the products

Some symptoms to watch out for include excessive blinking or squinting, thick discharge, and persistent pawing at the eyes.

Also, dogs may also display signs of general discomfort around the eyes.

You should contact your vet and mention this recall if any of these symptoms appear.

As stated by the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals), dry eye is a lack of tear production.

“It’s an extremely painful condition that, left untreated, can lead to conjunctivitis, eye ulcers and in severe cases, permanent scarring, or even loss of an eye. In most cases, dry eye in dogs is immune-mediated, meaning that the body accidentally destroys its own tear glands”, their website states.

“The damage tends to be gradual over a period of months to years, so if the condition is diagnosed and treated early enough, it can usually be well-controlled with medication.”