Why we’ve decided to discontinue our Italian buffalo recipe 🦬
- picklespetpantry
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
At Pickles Pet Pantry, we believe pet nutrition should be transparent, evidence-led and uncompromising in quality.
Which is why we’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue our Italian Buffalo DOGGOD recipe following ongoing outbreaks of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) across parts of Europe.
This was not a popularity issue — in fact, it was one of our most loved recipes. Instead, this decision has been made entirely around responsible sourcing, ingredient reliability and maintaining the standards we expect for every bowl we sell.
Importantly:
Current stock remains safe to feed.
This decision only affects future production and long-term sourcing confidence.
What Is Lumpy Skin Disease?
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is a viral disease affecting cattle and water buffalo, caused by the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV), a member of the Capripoxvirus genus.
Clinical signs in affected livestock can include:
fever
enlarged lymph nodes
skin nodules and lesions
reduced milk yield
weight loss
secondary infections
The disease is primarily spread through biting insects such as flies, mosquitoes and ticks, rather than through direct food consumption.
Scientific literature consistently describes LSD as a significant veterinary and agricultural concern due to its impact on animal welfare, farming economics and international livestock trade.
Scientific References
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH): Lumpy Skin Disease Factsheet
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Journal — Scientific opinion on lumpy skin disease
Tuppurainen et al. (2017), Capripoxvirus Diseases: Current Status and Opportunities for Control
Does Lumpy Skin Disease Affect Dogs?
Current scientific evidence indicates:
Lumpy Skin Disease is not considered a disease risk to dogs.
There is also:
No evidence of transmission to humans through commercial pet food products.
This is extremely important to clarify because outbreaks affecting livestock can understandably sound alarming to pet owners.
The issue here is not that existing food is “unsafe.”
The challenge is the wider effect outbreaks have on:
international trade
ingredient movement
veterinary controls
sourcing continuity
traceability systems
Why Does This Affect Our Recipe?
Due to outbreaks of LSD across parts of Europe including Italy, France and Spain, the UK government introduced restrictions and safeguard measures surrounding the import and movement of certain bovine-derived products and ingredients.
Defra guidance confirms Great Britain suspended imports of multiple bovine commodities from affected regions, including certain animal by-products and raw bovine-derived materials.
These controls exist to protect:
livestock populations
UK agricultural biosecurity
disease containment measures
traceability standards
While these restrictions are not aimed at finished pet food safety, they significantly impact:
ingredient availability
long-term sourcing reliability
supply chain consistency
formulation stability
In simple terms:
we can no longer reliably guarantee future sourcing consistency for the recipe to the standards we expect.
And for dogs with sensitivities or dietary intolerances, consistency matters enormously.
Why We Chose To Discontinue Instead Of “Push Through”
At Pickles, we will never continue a food if we cannot confidently guarantee:
✔️ ingredient traceability
✔️ sourcing transparency
✔️ long-term consistency
✔️ stable formulation standards
Could we potentially have tried to continue production through alternative sourcing routes?
Possibly.
But changing ingredient origins within a novel or sensitive protein recipe introduces concerns surrounding:
digestibility consistency
allergen exposure
nutritional predictability
batch-to-batch reliability
Rather than continuously changing sourcing routes reactively, we made the decision to discontinue the recipe responsibly and transparently.
Because ultimately:
maintaining the integrity of the recipe matters more to us than simply keeping the product on shelves.
So Is Existing Stock Safe?
Yes — absolutely.
To be completely clear:
there are no safety concerns surrounding current bags already produced and in circulation.
This decision is precautionary and standards-led, based on:
future sourcing confidence
veterinary import restrictions
ingredient consistency
supply chain reliability
Not because the food itself is unsafe.
This mirrors wider disruption already seen across the food industry, where import controls linked to LSD outbreaks have impacted products including Italian buffalo mozzarella and other bovine-derived foods entering the UK.
Supporting Dogs Moving Forward
We know many dogs absolutely thrived on this recipe, and we genuinely understand this news may be disappointing.
As always, our team are happy to help customers transition onto suitable alternatives based on:
sensitivities
protein preferences
digestive requirements
nutritional goals
Because no two dogs are the same — and nutrition should never be one-size-fits-all.
Transparency Matters
One thing we will always promise as a business is honesty.
Sometimes doing right by dogs means making difficult commercial decisions before problems arise — not after.
And while we’re genuinely sad to say goodbye to this recipe, we know this is the right and responsible choice.
Further Reading & Scientific References
DEFRA: Imports, exports and EU trade of animals and animal products – topical issues
DEFRA: Lumpy Skin Disease in Europe outbreak assessments
RCVS Knowledge: Lumpy Skin Disease overview
DEFRA: Outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease in Italy
DEFRA: Outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease in France
DEFRA: Outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease in Spain
Tuppurainen ESM et al. Capripoxvirus Diseases: Current Status and Opportunities for Control
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Journal publications on Lumpy Skin Disease management and transmission
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