Pet brand crisis communications is the work of telling owners what happened, which products are affected and what to do next, within hours of a recall, an illness report or a safety claim. Owners act on those facts for an animal that cannot speak for itself, so a vague or late notice does more damage than the first announcement. Two recalls show how it plays out: Hill's Pet Nutrition in 2019 and Midwestern Pet Foods in 2020 and 2021.
Last updated: October 29, 2026
- What counts as a pet brand crisis
- How a pet food recall works
- The Hill's recall, 2019
- The Midwestern Pet Foods recall, 2020 and 2021
- The first 24 hours
- Owner reports and social media
- Rebuilding trust
- Frequently asked questions
What counts as a crisis for a pet brand?
A pet brand crisis is any event that puts an animal's health, an owner's trust or a retailer's shelf at risk, and that the brand cannot answer with a routine customer service reply. The table lists the common triggers and who needs to hear first.
| Crisis type | Typical trigger | First audiences to notify |
|---|---|---|
| Recall or contamination | A lab result, a regulator's test or a supplier notice | Owners, veterinarians, retailers and the FDA |
| Illness or death reports | Owner posts on social media or a pattern of complaints | Customer care, veterinarians and the owners who reported |
| Label or claim dispute | A regulator inquiry or a challenge from a competitor | Retail partners and the regulator |
| Service incident | An injury or death of an animal in a groomer's, boarder's or clinic's care | The affected owner, then staff and local media |
How does a pet food recall work in the United States?
A pet food recall in the United States is usually started by the manufacturer, either on its own or at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the FDA overseeing each step. A peer-reviewed review of the process in the journal literature describes the recall rules in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 7, and notes that the 2007 melamine pet food recall led Congress to pass the FDA Amendments Act of 2007 to strengthen the system.
The FDA publishes the company's announcement. The agency's own recall pages state that when a company announces a recall, the FDA posts that announcement as a public service and does not endorse the product or the company. That means the brand's wording is the wording owners read first, so it has to be right the first time.
In March 2022 the FDA finalized guidance on voluntary recalls that covers recall policies, training, product coding and distribution records, according to Pet Food Processing. Records of lot codes and ship dates decide how quickly a brand can name the exact products affected.
What did the Hill's recall in 2019 show?
The Hill's recall showed that a first notice can understate the problem, and that a second announcement is a second crisis. According to the FDA, Hill's Pet Nutrition notified the agency on January 31, 2019 about a report of vitamin D toxicity in a dog that ate its canned food and recalled 25 products. On March 20, 2019, Hill's expanded the recall to 86 lots of 33 varieties after the FDA asked the company to test products that were not in the first recall.
Hill's said the cause was a vitamin premix from a U.S. supplier, according to the company announcement the FDA posted. The FDA listed the signs owners should watch for: vomiting, low appetite, increased thirst and urination, excessive drooling and weight loss, and it warned that very high vitamin D levels can cause kidney failure or death.
Owners did not wait for the brand. WINK News reported on February 6, 2019 that pet owners were posting on social media about dogs that became ill or died after eating the recalled food. In a Food Safety News report, one owner said Hill's offered her $10 in coupons after she contacted the company on February 6. That is one owner's account, but it shows how a small remedy reads next to a serious loss.
The FDA terminated the recall on December 21, 2021, nearly three years after it began.
| Date | What happened | Communications lesson |
|---|---|---|
| January 31, 2019 | Hill's notifies the FDA and recalls 25 products | Name the supplier error and the symptoms in the first notice |
| Early February 2019 | Owners post about sick and dead dogs on social media | Give owners a direct line before they post |
| March 20, 2019 | Recall expands to 86 lots of 33 varieties after an FDA request to test more products | Tell owners at the start that the scope may grow |
What did the Midwestern Pet Foods recall show?
The Midwestern Pet Foods recall showed that a narrow first recall invites a wider second one, and that the count of affected animals drives the news cycle. Midwestern announced a recall of certain Sportmix lots on December 30, 2020, after the FDA was alerted to reports of at least 28 dogs that died and eight that were ill. The Missouri Department of Agriculture had tested samples and found elevated levels of aflatoxin, a toxin produced by mold on corn and other grains.
On January 11, 2021, Midwestern expanded the recall to all pet food containing corn that was made at its Oklahoma plant and that expired on or before July 9, 2022. The brands included Sportmix, Pro Pac Originals, Splash, Sportstrail and Nunn Better. As of that date the FDA said it knew of more than 70 pets that had died and more than 80 that were sick.
The FDA also stated that reports sent only to the manufacturer are not shared with the agency and are not part of its count. For a brand, that is a reminder to tell owners and veterinarians to report to the FDA as well as to the company, so the public record reflects the real number.
What should a pet brand do in the first 24 hours of a crisis?
A pet brand should confirm the facts, stop distribution of the affected product and publish one dated notice that names the products, the symptoms and the next step for owners. The recommended operational order follows the lessons of both recalls above.
- Stop sales and shipments of the affected products, and ask retailers to pull them.
- Identify the affected lots by code, date and size, since the FDA advises owners to photograph the label and lot number.
- Notify the FDA and the relevant state agency, and tell owners how to submit their own reports to the FDA.
- Publish one notice on the brand's website with the products, the symptoms to watch for and the instruction to call a veterinarian if a pet shows them.
- Send the same notice to veterinarians and retail partners directly, not only through the press.
- Open a dedicated phone line and email address, and staff it with people who can say what the refund or reimbursement path is.
- Name one senior spokesperson, and agree in advance what that person will and will not say about cause.
- Set update times, such as every 24 hours, and date every change to the notice.
How should a pet brand answer owners on social media?
A pet brand should answer owner reports on social media with one consistent message, a direct contact and a pointer to the FDA reporting route. Owners in the Hill's recall posted publicly within days, so silence leaves their accounts as the only public record.
Respond to each report with the same core facts: which products are affected, what to do now and how to reach the company. Do not argue cause in the comments. When an owner reports a death, move the conversation to a direct channel and avoid coupons or promotional offers as a first response, as the $10 coupon account above shows.
How does a pet brand rebuild trust after a recall?
A pet brand rebuilds trust by changing the process that failed and publishing the change with a date. After the Hill's recall, a company veterinary officer told JAVMA News that Hill's was adding independent testing of incoming ingredients on top of its existing safety processes.
Specific process changes give owners and veterinarians something to check. Vague promises to do better do not. Publish what was tested, how often and by whom, and report back when the regulator closes the recall.
Search results keep the story alive after the news fades, so plan for what owners see when they search the brand name. See pet brand visibility in AI search for how consistent facts across veterinarians, retailers and reviews shape those answers.
Frequently asked questions
Are pet food recalls voluntary or ordered?
Most pet food recalls are voluntary, meaning the manufacturer starts them on its own or at the FDA's request. The FDA oversees each step, according to a published review of the recall process.
Who should a pet brand notify first in a recall?
A pet brand should notify the FDA, its retail partners and veterinarians, and publish an owner notice at the same time. Owners should not learn about a recall from a retailer's shelf tag or a social post.
What should a recall notice include?
A recall notice should list the products by name, lot code and date, describe the symptoms owners should watch for, tell owners to call a veterinarian, and give a contact for refunds. Hill's and Midwestern both posted lot lists through the FDA.
Why do recalls get expanded?
Recalls expand when testing or new reports show more products are affected. Hill's expanded after an FDA request to test more products, and Midwestern expanded after the reported death toll rose from 28 to more than 70.
How much does crisis PR cost?
Crisis work is billed through emergency rates or a standing retainer. See the guide to how much crisis PR costs for the standard pricing models.
What should a pet brand do before a crisis happens?
A pet brand should write the recall notice template, the lot-tracking process and the spokesperson list before an incident, then test them once. The steps in what a crisis communications plan should include apply to any consumer brand, and best crisis PR campaigns shows how other industries handled recalls.
Brands that need outside support can consult a crisis PR practice and an experienced pet products marketing team. For the wider market picture, read pet industry trends for 2027.
