If you feed your dog canned food, tonight is a good night to go read the bottom of the cans in your pantry.
On August 21, 2026, Fromm Family Foods of Mequon, Wisconsin voluntarily recalled 5,825 cases of wet canned dog food after customers complained about finding metal in the product. The recall covers 3,852 cases of Fromm Turkey Pâté Wet Dog Food and 1,973 cases of Fromm Diner Classics Milo's Meatloaf Pâté Wet Dog Food, distributed to independent pet stores and online retailers across the United States and Canada.
The good news: Fromm says there have been no reports of illness or injury so far, and no other Fromm products are affected. The less-good news: a lot of these cans are already sitting in kitchen cabinets, and metal in food is not a "wait and see" kind of contaminant.
Here is exactly what was recalled, what vets say to watch for, and the short checklist worth running tonight.
The recalled lot codes, in plain English
Only two products with a single shared production code are involved. Per the company announcement posted by the FDA:
- Fromm Turkey Pâté Wet Dog Food — 12.2 oz can · UPC 072705118700 · Lot code EP2A3306 551006 · Best By 03/2029
- Fromm Diner Classics Milo's Meatloaf Pâté Wet Dog Food — 12.5 oz can · UPC 072705132324 · Lot code EP2A3306 551029 · Best By 03/2029
Both codes are printed on the can, not the case. The "Best By 032029" date is the fastest thing to scan for — if your cans carry a different best-by date, they are not part of this recall.
Fromm is asking consumers to return the product to the retailer where they bought it. The company's consumer line is 1-800-325-6331, Monday through Friday. Fromm says it identified the source of the error and has added corrective steps to its existing safety process.
Why "potential metal contamination" is worth taking seriously
Recall language tends to be bloodless, so it is worth translating. In its own announcement, Fromm notes that dogs ingesting metal may show choking, vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, or stomach discomfort, and that metal of any size — especially sharp pieces — can cause lacerations in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract, partial blockage, and a risk of intestinal obstruction.
That last phrase is the one veterinarians pay attention to. According to the Cornell University Riney Canine Health Center, a gastrointestinal foreign body obstruction happens when a swallowed, non-digestible object lodges in the stomach or small intestine and stops the normal passage of food and waste. Cornell describes these obstructions as emergencies that often require surgical removal, where prompt intervention drives the outcome.
The American College of Veterinary Surgeons adds the complication owners rarely see coming: a foreign body can perforate the GI tract, spilling intestinal contents into the abdomen. That leads to peritonitis and potentially sepsis — conditions that move from "my dog seems off" to critical care quickly.
Diagnosis usually starts with history and a physical exam, then abdominal X-rays or ultrasound, plus bloodwork to check hydration, electrolytes, and signs of infection. Metal has one small advantage here: it is highly radiopaque, meaning it shows up clearly on an X-ray in a way that a swallowed sock or piece of fabric does not.
Signs that mean call your vet
Cornell and ACVS list the same core cluster of warning signs. Call your veterinarian if, after eating a recalled can, your dog shows:
- Repeated vomiting, especially vomiting that returns after eating or drinking
- Refusing food, or eating noticeably less than normal
- Abdominal pain — a tense belly, a hunched posture, yelping when picked up
- Lethargy or hiding
- Diarrhea, or straining with little or no stool
- Drooling, pawing at the mouth, or dropping food — possible mouth lacerations
- Blood in vomit or stool
One important note: signs of a partial obstruction can come and go for days before turning serious. Intermittent vomiting with a normal-seeming dog in between is not reassuring — it is one of the classic presentations.
What to do tonight: a five-minute check
1. Stop feeding anything that matches. Do not finish the can, do not "use it up," do not donate it. A recalled case should not move to another dog's bowl.
2. Photograph the label before you return it. Newsweek's July 2026 explainer on recalled pet food quoted veterinarian Dr. RuthAnn Lobos advising owners to keep food in its original bag or can — or at minimum save the barcode and lot number — so you can tell instantly whether the food you're feeding is involved. Snap a photo of the brand name, lot code, and best-by date. Your vet will want it, and so will the manufacturer.
3. Check the rest of the pantry while you're down there. The FDA's Animal & Veterinary Recalls & Withdrawals database and the AVMA recalls and alerts page are both searchable by brand. Bookmark one and check it monthly — it takes about 30 seconds.
4. Call your vet if your dog ate a recalled can, even if they seem fine. As Dr. Lobos put it, the reason behind a recall shapes whether your pet needs an exam or diagnostics like bloodwork — and that's a conversation for your own veterinarian, who knows your dog's size and history. A 90-pound Lab and an 8-pound Chihuahua do not face the same risk from the same fragment.
5. Report it. If your dog got sick, or if you found metal in a can yourself, file a report through the FDA Safety Reporting Portal. Consumer complaints are what triggered this recall in the first place. Also tell the manufacturer and your state feed control official — the FDA recommends all three.
Foreign material is quietly becoming the story of 2026
This is not an isolated event. On July 2, 2026, Pedigree wet dog food was recalled over possible metal and plastic foreign material. Now Fromm, seven weeks later, over metal. Across the year, the FDA's animal and veterinary recall database has logged roughly 10 pet-food-related entries in 2026 to date, compared with about 20 for all of 2025 — and the 2026 causes have skewed toward two buckets: pathogen contamination (mostly Salmonella in raw and freeze-dried products) and foreign material in canned and pouch foods.
It's worth keeping perspective. Nearly 6,000 cases sounds enormous, but it is a small slice of a single production run from one manufacturer, caught by customer complaints and pulled voluntarily before anyone reported an injury. That is roughly how the system is supposed to work. The FDA classifies recalls by health hazard after an internal scientific evaluation, which is why a classification often lands publicly days or weeks after a company's initial announcement.
What the pattern should change is your habits, not your brand loyalty. Three that cost nothing:
- Keep the packaging until the food is gone. Lot codes on a can you already recycled are lot codes you cannot check.
- Don't decant into a bin immediately. If you pour kibble into a storage container, drop the empty bag in on top so the code rides along.
- Rotate, don't stockpile. A 12-month supply bought on sale is a 12-month exposure window to any single production run.
Should you switch foods?
Probably not on the basis of one recall — and definitely not abruptly. Sudden diet changes are a reliable way to cause the exact GI symptoms you'd then be worried about. If you do want to change, most veterinarians recommend transitioning over 7 to 10 days, mixing an increasing proportion of the new food into the old.
A more useful lens: a company that finds a problem, announces it, names the exact lot codes, and publishes a consumer phone number is behaving the way you want a manufacturer to behave. The brands worth worrying about are the ones you never hear from at all.
In the meantime — go check those cans. It takes less time than filling the bowl.
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This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for veterinary advice. If you believe your dog has ingested a foreign object, contact your veterinarian or an emergency animal hospital immediately.
