Years, a subscription service offering fresh dog food tailored to a pet's needs, has voluntarily recalled its fresh meals after receiving reports of suspected eye problems in dogs. The company identified a “potential” link between its buckwheat ingredient and a dry eye condition.
Recall Details and Customer Impact
In an email to customers, Years urged owners to stop feeding its products to their pets. The company said on its website: “As a precaution, we’re issuing a voluntary recall of all Years Fresh Meals (excluding Chef’s Collection). 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.”
Reformulation and Owner Guidance
Instead of buckwheat, the company will use quinoa in its recipes, and owners will receive a thank-you gift in their next subscription box. The company urged dog owners to stop feeding Years fresh meals “immediately”, whether their pet is experiencing symptoms or not. It also advised against feeding the meals to other animals or donating or selling them.
Years stated that it will offer a free collection of any unused meals and apply a full credit to pet owners' accounts for the order. Symptoms to look out for include excessive blinking or squinting, thick discharge, and continuous pawing at the eyes. Dogs may also show signs of general discomfort around the eyes.
Customer Reactions
If any of these signs are shown, owners are advised to contact their veterinarian and mention the recall. Anyone with questions can contact Years on their website via email, WhatsApp or SMS. Dog owners took to social media to share their thoughts, with one person writing on TikTok: “My cockapoo has been on Years since January. She was diagnosed with dry eye in May. I feel so guilty.”
Another said: “I’m appalled that they are only offering credit. I don’t want my dog to eat this food anymore.” A third commented: “I’m so upset for all the owners and dogs who have been affected. It’s breaking my heart reading the Facebook comments.”
