Status: Resolved. On November 2, 1998, Doane Products Co. (Temple, TX) initiated a voluntary recall of approximately 1,362,516 bags of dry dog food produced between July 1 and August 31, 1998. The recall covered 17 private-label brands including Walmart’s Ol’ Roy, Country Acres, Dura Life, Exceed, Golden Boy, Hill Country Fare, Maxximum Performance, Retriever, Sportsman’s Choice, and Winchester. Aflatoxin B1 levels in finished product ranged 35–191 ppb — well above the FDA action level of 20 ppb for pet food. At least 25 dog deaths were attributed to the contamination, primarily in Texas and Louisiana. The FDA classified the action as a Class I recall — reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death.

What was recalled

The Doane Pet Care recall covered approximately 1.36 million bags of dry dog food manufactured at the company’s Temple, Texas plant between July 1 and August 31, 1998. The brands affected spanned 17 private-label SKUs sold primarily through Walmart and regional retailers in the south-central United States: Walmart’s Ol’ Roy (the largest distribution channel), Country Acres, Dura Life, Exceed, Golden Boy, Hill Country Fare, Maxximum Performance, Retriever, Sportsman’s Choice, Winchester, and others. Distribution concentrated in Texas and Louisiana, where consumer reports first surfaced.

The contamination root cause was aflatoxin B1 in incoming corn supplied to the Temple, TX plant. Finished product test results ranged 35 to 191 parts per billion (ppb) aflatoxin B1, with one corn load tested at 495.3 ppb — nearly 25 times the FDA action level of 20 ppb for pet food. The historical retrospective in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation’s 1996-2008 pet food recall review (PMC) documents the case as a precursor to the larger Diamond 2005-2006 aflatoxin event and the 2020 SportMix event. Doane incurred approximately $3 million in direct recall expenses.

Why it was recalled

The root cause was an inadequate incoming-ingredient testing protocol. The corn supplier used black-light screening to flag contaminated grain — a method that detects kojic acid, a fungal metabolite associated with corn fungi, but does not directly detect aflatoxins. Heavily aflatoxin-contaminated corn loads passed the black-light test and entered the finished pet food supply. The 1998 Doane event drove a major industry shift away from black-light screening toward direct aflatoxin assay methods including HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) — the testing standards now mandated under FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program and FSMA Preventive Controls rule.

Aflatoxin B1 is produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus fungi growing on stressed or improperly stored corn, peanuts, and tree nuts. The 1998 Texas growing season produced widespread drought stress that elevated A. flavus growth in corn fields across the south-central United States. Multiple major pet food aflatoxin events trace back to drought-stressed corn crops (1998 Doane, 2005-2006 Diamond, 2020 SportMix), establishing climate-related grain quality as a recurring root-cause pattern. The FDA’s contaminants-in-animal-food framework codifies the 20-ppb action level enforced since the 1998 event.

Health risks for your pet

Aflatoxin B1 is one of the most potent liver toxins and hepatocarcinogens known. Acute toxicity in dogs produces vomiting, lethargy, anorexia, jaundice, and acute liver failure within days of exposure to high-concentration contaminated food. The 1998 Doane event documented at least 25 dog deaths, with clinical presentations centered on hepatic injury. Chronic low-level exposure causes progressive hepatic lipidosis, hepatic carcinoma, and immunosuppression. Liver enzyme elevations (ALT, AST, ALP) typically precede clinical signs by days. Diagnostic workup includes serum biochemistry, abdominal ultrasound to evaluate hepatic architecture, and aflatoxin-M1 metabolite testing in urine if recent exposure is suspected.

What to do if you bought affected product

The 1998 Doane recall closed decades ago and no affected product remains in distribution. If you currently feed Walmart Ol’ Roy or any Doane-historical private-label brand, your product is not connected to the 1998 event. However, the structural pattern of private-label aflatoxin risk remains relevant: corn-forward, low-cost pet foods sourced from regional grain elevators have an elevated baseline aflatoxin exposure risk during drought years compared to brands sourcing from controlled corn supplies. If your dog develops jaundice, vomiting, or sudden lethargy on any corn-based pet food, contact your veterinarian for serum biochemistry; aflatoxin toxicity is treatable with aggressive supportive care if caught early. The FDA Reportable Food Registry consumer-complaint channel remains the official path for pet illness reports tied to specific products.

How this affects KibbleIQ’s grade

Ol’ Roy is in the KibbleIQ scored database; we score Ol’ Roy on its current ingredient list per our published methodology. The 1998 Doane aflatoxin event predates the current Walmart Ol’ Roy supply chain — Doane Pet Care was acquired by Mars Incorporated in 2006 and the brand has been manufactured under Mars Petcare with substantially upgraded incoming-ingredient testing since the late 2000s. Ol’ Roy’s current grade reflects its corn-forward filler stack and chicken by-product meal sourcing, not the historical aflatoxin event. Recall-history scoring under our planned methodology v2 will weight the 25-year-old event lightly given the manufacturer transition; modern Ol’ Roy is a different operational entity than 1998 Doane Pet Care. For now, our recommendation: read both our current Doane Pet Care / Ol’ Roy review AND this page when evaluating the brand.