Pet food recalls create a different kind of consumer anxiety.

For many households, dogs are part of the family, and feeding them is part of a daily routine that usually happens without much thought. 

When you open a can and pour the food into a bowl, as a pet parent, you expect the product to be safe.

But when a recall involves possible foreign material, related actions become urgent because the risk is not abstract. Hard or sharp pieces in food can create an immediate physical hazard for pets.

Mars Petcare US is now recalling two lots of Pedigree wet dog food after products that were supposed to be destroyed may have entered the marketplace.

Pedigree recalls two wet dog food lots

Mars Petcare said it is voluntarily recalling two lots of Pedigree Can High Protein Chopped Chicken & Duck Flavor Wet Dog Food because the products may contain foreign metal and plastic, according to a company announcement posted by the Food and Drug Administration.

The affected lot codes are:

• 613C3KKCFC
• 613C1KKCFC.

The recall applies only to those two lot codes of the 13.2-ounce canned product. 

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Mars said no other Pedigree or Mars Petcare products are affected by the recall.

The company said the products did not meet Mars and Pedigree safety and quality standards. 

As part of its quality-control process, the two lots had been sent to a third-party vendor for destruction, but Mars later learned that the product appears to have been fraudulently diverted and sold in the U.S. marketplace.

That detail makes the recall unusual. It is not framed as a standard production recall from store shelves, but rather as a case in which a product intended for disposal may have been improperly distributed.

Mars Petcare recalls 2 lots of Pedigree wet dog food.

Viktoria Korobova / Getty Images

Mars says no pet injuries reported so far

Mars Petcare said the recalled cans may contain hard, sharp metal mixed with plastic, which could harm a dog if consumed.

The potential risks include choking, lacerations, or blockages in the gastrointestinal tract. Dog owners who have already fed the recalled product to their pet and are concerned should contact a veterinarian.

Mars said it has not received any related reports of pet illness or injury to date.

The company is working with authorities to determine how the products entered the marketplace. It is also asking consumers who believe they purchased the recalled product not to feed it to animals.

Consumers can contact Pedigree for a replacement product. 

Meanwhile, for pet owners, the most important step is checking the lot code before using the product. If the can matches one of the recalled lots, it should be set aside and not fed to a dog, even if it looks normal.

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