December 4, 2023⚠ Important recall information appears below.
Twins Brett and Chelsea Sher started the company in 2003 to feature a grain-free pet food for dogs and cats. The company says it uses fresh ingredients and that the food is gluten- and grain-free. The pet food is manufactured in the United States at the Evanger’s plant.
Against the Grain Quick Facts
Brand line includes: Against the Grain Pulled Chicken With Gravy, Against the Grain Pulled Beef With Gravy, Against the Grain Chicken Mayflower With Turnip, Against the Grain Chicken Polyhauai’i
Cost: $$$
Company: Against the Grain Pet Foods
Headquarters: 221 South Wheeling Road, Wheeling, IL 60090
Contact info: 847-537-0102, email, website
Has Against the Grain Ever Been Recalled?
Yes. Against the Grain Pulled Beef was recalled in February 2017 because pentobarbital — a drug used for euthanasia — may have been in the food. This recall came in conjunction with one by Evanger’s, which manufactures Against the Grain’s pet food. No other Against the Grain products were part of the recall.
Against the Grain said in a statement on its website, “There have been ZERO reports of any illness to our company and the FDA, but this has been issued out of an overabundance of caution.”
List of Against the Grain Recalls
February 2017
Cause: Potential for pentobarbital. Announcement: Company announcement dated Feb. 3, 2017 (archived here) and subsequently updated March 6, 2017 (archived here); FDA report dated Feb. 3, 2017; FDA report dated Feb. 14, 2017; letter to retailers dated Feb. 28, 2017. What was recalled: 12 oz. cans of the following products:
- Evanger’s Hunk of Beef (Item #776155)
- Evanger’s Braised Beef (Item #776150)
- Against the Grain Pulled Beef (Item #776107)
Evanger’s first issued a limited recall, then eventually expanded it into a full recall of 3 separate varieties of pulled-beef canned pet foods from both Evanger’s and Against the Grain.
Dog food recalls are one thing, but what was so horrifying about this one was the nature of the possible contaminant: a barbiturate called pentobarbital, which doubles as a euthanasia drug.
According to the FDA, “Oral exposure to pentobarbital can cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, nausea nystagmus (eyes moving back and forth in a jerky manner), inability to stand and coma.”
Petful wrote a comprehensive, 3-part article breaking down exactly what happened: “Evanger’s Recalls 2017: How Did a Euthanasia Drug Get Into Dog Food?”
If you have not done so already, we urge you to sign up now for Petful’s FREE recall alerts by email. Our free alerts are saving pets’ lives.
Have You Had a Problem With Against the Grain?
- See our reporting page for contact info.
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