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Dog food recall tied to 192 reports of canine eye issues
Years pulls nearly all fresh dog meals after 192 dry-eye reports. Buckwheat is the suspect; subscriptions pause for six weeks while recipes switch to quinoa.
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Years, a U.K.-based fresh dog food subscription service, is recalling nearly all of its fresh meals after 192 customers reported potential eye problems in their dogs. The condition, keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), is sudden bilateral dry eye that can lead to permanent vision loss if severe and untreated, the company said.
Years is investigating buckwheat as a possible contributor, including whether part of its buckwheat supply was contaminated. No causal link between the food, buckwheat and the reported eye problems has been established, and laboratory and toxicology testing is continuing.
KCS stops dogs' eyes from producing enough tears, which lubricate and protect the eye surface. If left untreated, the condition can cause corneal ulcers and scarring that may result in permanent vision loss.
The company said reports began in late July. "In late July, we began receiving multiple reports of dogs experiencing sudden, bilateral dry eye," Years said.
By Aug. 16, Years had identified 57 suspected cases, about 0.1% of the roughly 40,000 customers served year-to-date. As of Tuesday, that count reached 192.