Please Read - I Never Thought I'd Be Writing This
I debated…read morefor a long time about posting this, but if sharing our experience prevents even one family from going through what we did, then it's worth it.
On June 24, 2026, I purchased a bag of dog food from K9 Central.
Just three days later, on June 27, my happy, energetic puppy suddenly became extremely sick. She was completely lethargic, couldn't even lift her head, her legs were incredibly weak, she could barely stand, and it looked like there was no life left in her eyes. She wasn't herself anymore.
Seeing my puppy without life in her eyes left our entire family heartbroken. We honestly believed we were going to lose her.
We rushed her to the emergency veterinarian that same day. They treated her for dehydration but couldn't determine what was wrong and sent us home.
Because she continued to get worse, I brought her to my regular veterinarian on Monday. They immediately knew something was seriously wrong. They performed blood work, fecal testing, Lyme disease testing, and a complete examination. When they still couldn't find the cause, we returned the following day for X-rays. After reviewing everything, they referred us to a specialist and even discussed the possibility of long-term neurological effects if she didn't improve.
Because of the Canada Day holiday, we were told to monitor her around the clock. We barely slept. We watched her every minute, wondering if she was going to survive.
Even while she was on vacation, my veterinarian, Bridget, stayed in contact with me because of how serious my puppy's condition was.
Trying to figure out what was causing this, we removed absolutely everything from her diet except the new food. To see if there was a connection, I gave some of the same food to my two older dogs. They have eaten treats for years without ever getting sick. Shortly after eating this food, both of them became ill and vomited. This only increased my concern that the food might be connected to what was happening.
When I contacted K9 Central, the receptionist was kind and compassionate. Unfortunately, the person who later returned my call was, in my experience, dismissive and unprofessional.
I was crying on the phone because I genuinely believed my puppy was dying. Instead of asking my puppy's name, asking how she was doing, or showing any concern, I felt that my concerns were dismissed. I was repeatedly told that mold could not cause neurological symptoms in dogs, despite everything we were experiencing and investigating with our veterinarians.
About ten minutes after our conversation ended, I received a Facebook friend request from the same employee. Given everything that was happening, I found this extremely inappropriate. When I called to ask why I had been added, the request was initially denied. Only after I mentioned that I had taken a screenshot did I receive an explanation that the employee wanted to see "who I knew in the dog world." This interaction left me feeling extremely uncomfortable and was, in my opinion, very unprofessional.
One of the most frustrating parts of this experience has been the conflicting information I received afterward.
I was told that K9 Central had contacted my veterinarian. However, when I spoke with my veterinary clinic, I learned that the call had been placed after business hours, despite the fact that I had spoken with K9 Central several times that same morning while my veterinarian's office was open.
I was also told that K9 Central had contacted Freshpet regarding my complaint. Wanting to ensure the matter was being investigated, I contacted Freshpet myself. At that time, I was told this was the first they had heard about my situation. Hearing this left me extremely frustrated because it did not match what I had previously been told. Throughout this entire ordeal, I felt like I was constantly trying to uncover the truth instead of receiving clear, honest communication.
The company also required me to return the remaining food as evidence. Before doing so, I recorded a video documenting the condition of the product and the return process to ensure there was proof of what had been provided. The company kept the food but never reimbursed me for it.
This experience has cost us:
Multiple veterinary visits, including an emergency hospital.
Blood work, fecal testing, Lyme testing, X-rays, medication, and follow-up care.
The cost of the dog food that was returned.
The cost of treats and other food that had to be discarded while we tried to determine what was making our puppy sick.
Countless sleepless nights, tears, stress, and emotional heartbreak.
Watching your puppy lie there without the sparkle in her eyes, wondering if she is going to die in your arms, is something I hope no pet owner ever has to experience.
I am sharing our story because I believe other pet owners deserve to know what happened to us. I sincerely hope this matter is thoroughly investigated so that no other family has to experience this.
