Pet food warning after 20 dogs die from severe liver disease in Victoria

At least 58 dogs in Victoria have suffered from a severe liver disease, and owners are being warned to be on high alert as pet meat is investigated.

At least 58 dogs have been affected by a toxin found in native plants. File picture: Zoe Phillips

At least 58 dogs in Victoria, including 20 who have died, have suffered from a severe liver disease, with authorities investigating possible links to pet meat.

The PrimeSafe and Agriculture Victoria investigation – labelled as “complex” – has identified indospicine as the cause of liver failure – a toxin found across Australia in native plants of the Indigofera species.

The affected dogs, in the Bairnsdale, Traralgon and Mornington Peninsula areas and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, were young, healthy and vaccinated.

Indospicine can build up in the tissue of some grazing animals when they continue to eat the plants. Indospicine toxicity has not previously been reported in Victoria but has been reported in northern Australia when dogs eating horse or camel meat were affected.

A toxin found in these Indigofera plants is the cause of 20 dogs’ deaths in Victoria, with the number affected continuing to rise.

The authorities are urging Victorians not to feed their pet fresh or frozen raw pet meat sourced from Gippsland between May 31 and July 3, and check with their retailer or supplier if they are unsure. A meat product sold during this time and distributed statewide is a common factor.

“This is a complex investigation with multiple lines of inquiry still being pursued,” an Agriculture Victoria spokeswoman said.

“As dog owners may still have potentially contaminated pet meat we encourage you to check any fresh or raw meat stored at home.”

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Graeme Cooke said dog owners should look out for a sudden loss of appetite, lethargy and jaundice in a dog that was previously healthy.

PrimeSafe – the state’s meat, poultry, seafood and pet meat regulator – does not have the power to issue a mandatory recall of pet food. However, it said pet meat processors and distributors had issued voluntary product recalls.

Agriculture Victoria was notified of the issue by a Bairnsdale veterinary clinic on June 29 and contacted PrimeSafe on July 2 when pet meat was identified as an area to probe.

There are currently no indications of any risk to human health or food safety.

It is unclear if PrimeSafe or Agriculture Victoria will have power to take disciplinary action if a responsible party is identified.

The regulation of pet food has been a talking point for years, with a senate inquiry into the issue in 2018. The Australian industry standard for pet food is voluntary.

PrimeSafe does not regulate pet food with less than 66 per cent meat or that is prepackaged for sale.

Agriculture Victoria said its enforcement powers depend on what, if any, legislation has been breached.

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