Elite Treats recalls one lot of Chicken Chips for Dogs

Elite Treats, LLC has issued a voluntary recall of a single lot of “Elite Treats Chicken Chips for Dogs” because of potential Salmonella contamination, adding another pathogen-related alert to the pet treat safety landscape. According to the FDA-posted company announcement dated February 24, 2026, the recall covers 6-ounce bags in black-and-gold packaging marked with lot number 24045 and an expiration date of April 2027. The product was distributed to feed stores in five Southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. (fda.gov)

What prompted the recall is notable. Elite Treats said the issue was identified not from illnesses in the field, but after third-party laboratory testing detected Salmonella in a related lot that had not yet been commercially released. That suggests the company moved before confirmed consumer or patient reports emerged, a pattern regulators generally want to see in pet food safety events. The FDA notice said no illnesses had been reported at the time of publication. (fda.gov)

The recall itself is narrow, but the exposure risk is broader than the product count might suggest. FDA said people can be exposed by handling the treats directly, contacting pets that ate them, or touching contaminated bowls, utensils, countertops, or other surfaces. In pets, Salmonella infection may present with lethargy, fever, vomiting, reduced appetite, abdominal pain, or diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea. However, some infected animals may appear clinically normal while still shedding the organism through feces or saliva into the household environment. (fda.gov)

That human-animal interface is why recalls like this tend to matter beyond primary care nutrition questions. AVMA’s safe-handling guidance notes that pet food and treats can carry pathogens including Salmonella and Listeria, and that infected animals may also pose a risk to people they live with. CDC similarly warns that pet food and treats can be contaminated with germs that make both pets and people sick. For clinicians, that means a recall conversation may need to include both patient assessment and household risk assessment, particularly when pet parents report gastrointestinal illness in either the animal or family members. (avma.org)

The practical details for case management are straightforward. FDA advised consumers to stop using the recalled treats, not sell or donate them, dispose of them so children, pets, and wildlife can’t access them, and wash and sanitize bowls, cups, and storage containers that may have contacted the product. The company said consumers can seek a refund or replacement. (fda.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, even a single-lot recall can generate a spike in client questions, mild GI case calls, and confusion about who is actually at risk. This recall is also a reminder that treats, not just complete diets or raw foods, belong in a diet history when evaluating vomiting, diarrhea, or possible zoonotic exposure. In households with young children, elderly adults, or immunocompromised people, counseling should extend beyond “stop feeding it” to include handwashing, environmental cleaning, and monitoring for compatible symptoms in both pets and people. That’s especially relevant because asymptomatic carriage in pets can complicate the picture. (fda.gov)

Expert reaction specific to Elite Treats was limited in public sources, but the broader veterinary and regulatory message is consistent: early recalls tied to pathogen testing are meant to interrupt transmission before illnesses accumulate. In that sense, this appears to be a contained event, based on the currently available information, rather than a confirmed outbreak. That is an inference from the FDA notice’s limited scope, the absence of reported illnesses, and the fact that the trigger was testing of a related unreleased lot. (fda.gov)

What to watch: The next signals will be whether FDA or the company expands the affected lots, whether additional retailers issue consumer notices, and whether any human or animal illness reports emerge after the February 24, 2026 announcement. Until then, veterinary teams may want to use the recall as a prompt to reinforce safe treat handling with pet parents and to document brand, lot, and treat exposure more consistently in GI and infectious disease workups. (fda.gov)