A Pet Food Bag Arrived Damaged. What Should You Do?

Check the food package before serving from a new delivery. If the sealed inner bag or sachet is torn, punctured, leaking or otherwise compromised, set it aside and contact the seller or manufacturer. Do not serve it first to see whether your pet likes it.

The FDA's pet-food handling advice says not to buy pet food or treats with visibly damaged packaging. Receiving a delivery is a useful moment to make the same inspection before the food enters your normal routine.

Distinguish the shipping carton from the food barrier

A scuffed cardboard shipping box and a hole in a sealed food bag are different observations. Look at the actual bag, seal and individual sachets. Photograph both the carton and the inner package if the condition of the delivery may explain what happened.

You do not need to identify the failure mechanism yourself. “The carton has a crushed corner; this inner sachet has a visible tear” is useful information. “It must have been contaminated at the factory” is a conclusion the photograph cannot establish.

If you cannot tell whether a mark penetrates the food package, ask the seller for guidance before using it. Do not repair the seal and assume the original shelf-life conditions have been restored.

A date or normal smell does not resolve the question

A best-by date belongs with the package's intended storage and integrity conditions. It does not make a torn bag acceptable. Likewise, a normal smell is not a test proving that food is free of harmful organisms.

If food looks unexpectedly damp, moldy or otherwise abnormal, do not offer a “test bite.” Keep it away from pets and children while asking what to do next. Do not pick out the visibly affected pieces and assume the remainder is safe, or try to dry or cook an unknown problem away at home.

Send a message someone can act on

Include the exact product, order or purchase details, a brief description of what you found, and clear photographs. Keep the original package and identifying codes. The FDA's pet-food complaint guidance describes useful identifying information when reporting a concern.

For example: “I opened the delivery carton today. One unopened sachet has a tear beside its lower seam. I have not fed from it. Here are the carton, sachet, lot printing and order details. Please advise how to retain or return the affected item.”

For a PARTNER order, use the contact page and current store policy for assistance. Do not mail food to an address copied from an unrelated page; obtain the instructions for the specific case.

If some food has already been eaten

Contact your veterinarian promptly if the pet seems unwell, describing the signs, timing, food and packaging concern. A suspected association is worth reporting without declaring that the food caused the illness. Ask what remaining material should be retained and how to store it pending assessment.

Once the immediate question is resolved, return to the ordinary storage routine in our serving guide. For reading the package codes, use our lot-code article. The extra step at delivery is to inspect the actual food barrier before the first meal.

Published by PARTNER Editorial Team for general education. Your veterinary team can advise on your pet’s individual health and feeding needs.