Countdown is defending its homebrand dog food - which has been subject to multiple complaints in Australia - following a complaint here.
An Auckland woman is calling on Countdown to pull the dog food from its shelves after she says her dog became sick from eating it.
The dog food is the budget Baxters brand, which is manufactured for Woolworths in Australia and Countdown in New Zealand.
Baxters dog food, which is made in Australia.
A spokeswoman for Countdown said there had been three other New Zealand complaints over Baxters since November last year, but none for it causing illness.
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Auckland's Cera Mulholland says she fed her German shepherd-husky cross dog Roxy on Baxters dog food bought from Countdown while waiting for her regular dog food order to arrive.
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"My husband and I just gave her a cup each time and a few hours each time after that she started vomiting. It was only three days before our normal food was back and each time she vomited then started looking really sick in the face and quite lethargic as well. She's usually quite an active dog and she just wanted to sit."
Countdown said it had asked Mulholland for batch details and a sample of the dog food to investigate further.
"Extra testing has been undertaken beyond the standard requirements to ensure our products are safe and fit for purpose for our customers' pets. If anyone has experienced any issues we urge them to get in touch. We will then send the product off for testing and are also happy to refund or replace the product if anyone isn't happy with it."
Mulholland said she threw the dog food away.
The spokeswoman said all Baxter's products complied with the applicable standards. The production sites were independently audited and the range had been quality tested multiple times.
The spokeswoman said Mulholland had confirmed it was a new product for her dog and dogs had sensitive stomachs.
"So a rapid change in diet may cause them to become suddenly ill, resulting in vomiting and/or diarrhoea. We recommend transitioning to a new diet over a 3 -10 day period."
Mulholland, who works at a vet clinic, said her dog had tried other new products in the past without this reaction and agreed a transition period would have been better if she hadn't run out of the original food. But she said new food usually caused diarrhoea and there was none with Roxy.
The dog food has faced a lot of criticism in Australia.
Pet Food Reviews website in Australia has a warning about Baxters on its home page.
It lists several hundred reports from people who claim their dogs have been sick or died from eating Baxters dog food.
Woolworths, which owns Countdown, told Pet Food Reviews it had tested the dog food and no faults were found.
Mulholland said she would be staying clear of the brand.
