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r/dogtoksnark

▲ 7 r/dogtoksnark

Maddie and Rudder & Looking for help getting attention on the Darwin’s Natural Pet Products situation

I am posting this because I am increasingly concerned about the lack of attention being given to the ongoing issues surrounding Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, particularly by Maddie and Rudder who has repeatedly promoted the company to her audience.

I am not looking for anyone to harass this creator. I am trying to get accurate information in front of people who may be feeding Darwin’s to their dogs and may not be aware of the recent developments.

What has happened with Darwin’s?

This is not based on a single internet rumor.

The FDA has issued multiple advisories involving Darwin’s products over the years.

In September 2024, the FDA reported that samples from five Darwin’s raw pet food products tested positive for Salmonella, while a sixth sample tested positive for both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA recommended that the company recall all six affected lots.

In July 2025, the FDA reported an even more serious incident involving Darwin’s beef dog food. A sample from a household freezer tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, and the FDA reported that the strain was a genetic match to E. coli O157:H7 found in a stool sample from a child who became ill in 2024 and subsequently developed hemolytic uremic syndrome requiring hospitalization. The FDA also reported Salmonella in samples from two other Darwin’s lots and recommended recalls.

And this month, on August 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil complaint seeking a permanent injunction against Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products. The complaint alleges violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including failure to comply with preventive-control requirements and causing pet food to become adulterated. Again, these are allegations in a pending federal case, but the fact that the DOJ has filed this action is significant.

There is also a much longer history of FDA actions involving Darwin’s, including previous Salmonella and other pathogen findings.

Why am I bringing up this particular creator?

This creator has been one of the most vocal proponents of Darwin’s and has promoted the company to her audience.

I have been looking for a public acknowledgment from her regarding these developments, and I have not been able to find one.

That is what concerns me.

I understand that creators have personal lives and that they may be dealing with difficult circumstances. I also understand that someone can change their opinion about a company or need time to investigate allegations before making a statement.

But if you have repeatedly promoted a product to your audience, I believe your audience deserves transparency when serious safety concerns arise involving that product.

If she has investigated the situation and believes Darwin’s is still safe, I would genuinely like to know why.

If she no longer supports Darwin’s, I would like her to tell her followers.

If she believes the FDA and DOJ allegations are inaccurate, I think her audience deserves to hear her explanation.

What I don't think is acceptable is simply saying nothing.

Especially when this creator regularly uses her platform to hold other people and companies accountable for their actions.

What I'm asking

I'm asking for help determining whether I am missing something.

Has anyone seen this creator publicly address:

  • The 2024 FDA findings?
  • The 2025 FDA E. coli/Salmonella advisory?
  • The September 2025 FDA advisory involving Salmonella and Listeria?
  • The DOJ's August 7, 2026 complaint?
  • Whether she still recommends Darwin's to her audience?

If she has addressed these issues somewhere I haven't seen, please link it. I genuinely want to know.

If she hasn't, I think people who have purchased Darwin's because of her recommendations deserve to know about these developments.

I'm not asking anyone to contact her aggressively, threaten her, or harass her. I'm asking people to look at the primary sources, share accurate information, and ask reasonable questions.

I believe transparency matters—especially when you're making recommendations that involve the health and safety of people's pets. Lets get this in front of people and possibly save dogs lives.

Notes: I have commented on her latest videos to call her out. I have even contacted her directly to no avail.

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u/_annamals007_ — 4 days ago
▲ 18 r/dogtoksnark

Maddie and Rudder: Rudder’s Breeder (OCOEE), His Aunt-Nephew Parents, and Three Litters Before His Sire’s Final OFA Hip Certification (@myboyrudder)

I already made a post yesterday examining Rudder’s breeder, OCOEE, and whether the breeding practices behind him actually support the repeated claim by Maddie (@myboyrudder) that Rudder is well bred and ethically bred. One of the issues I discussed was that his sire had not completed all of his OFA health testing when Rudder was born. In fact, OCOEE bred his sire THREE TIMES before he turned 2, the minimum age for final OFA hip certification.

At the time, I had only looked at Rudder’s direct lineage and hadn’t examined how those dogs were related to one another.

Well, I missed a pretty major detail: Rudder’s parents are aunt and nephew. His maternal uncle is also his paternal grandfather. Rudder’s sire was fathered by the full brother of Rudder’s dam. (Not a littermate, they simply have the same parents.)

Given how Maddie (@myboyrudder) has insisted that Rudder is well bred and ethically bred, finding an aunt-nephew mating in his immediate pedigree is pretty remarkable, especially on top of the incomplete OFA testing. Breeding close relatives before completing basic health testing is very difficult to reconcile with the claim that Rudder is ethically bred and well bred.

u/GlitteringRutabaga61 — 4 days ago
▲ 28 r/dogtoksnark

Rudder is Not Well-Bred (@myboyrudder)

The other day I was looking through the OFA database and pedigrees for my childhood dogs. I was a kid when we got them, so this was information I’d never thought to look into before. (We did, in fact, have very well bred dogs.)

That led me to look up the health testing and pedigrees of some pet creators’ dogs as well, including Rudder. I was able to find his littermate, since there is mention of Rudder’s birthdate sprinkled around the internet, and what I found had me floored.

As it turns out, Rudder is NOT WELL-BRED NOR ETHICALLY BRED for a number of reasons, despite @myboyrudder’s repeated claims that he is.

I’ve also included a screenshot of the OFA recommended tests for English Springer Spaniels so there is some context to go off of. 

First, Rudder’s dad had already sired three litters, including Rudder’s, before completing his OFA hip testing. Even though the results were good, those breedings took place before the breeder had those results to inform their breeding decisions. Maddie has made more than one tiktok saying that she wants a puppy with parents that had all the necessary OFA testing (screenshot included).

Second, both of Rudder’s parents are PRA (progressive retinal atrophy) DNA carriers. Not the end of the world, but not ideal either. (The PRA DNA information was not available on his mom’s OFA profile but was on the Ocoee website.)

Lastly, Rudder’s pedigree contains direct inbreeding around a dog with elbow dysplasia. The same dog appears as his maternal grandmother and paternal great-grandmother, and that dog has an abnormal OFA elbow result.

It’s also worth noting that elbow results are omitted from the publicly presented health information for both of Rudder’s parents. That’s particularly relevant not only because elbow screening is recommended for the breed, but because there is documented elbow dysplasia in this family line on both sides. 

The breeding of the sire THREE TIMES before OFA hip tests, the inbreeding of a dog with abnormal elbows, the omission of OFA elbow results for both parents, and both parents also being PRA DNA carriers is not indicative of a well-bred dog nor a responsible breeder. 

This is not evidence of the careful, health-conscious breeding that the terms ethical breeding and well-bred are supposed to describe.

(Note: I did include @goldenagoutis dog Monty’s pedigree to show the comparison because it is spotless. Both parents and grandparents have all the necessary testing and good results for all 6 dogs.)

u/GlitteringRutabaga61 — 5 days ago
▲ 6 r/dogtoksnark

I’m actually speechless @yuto_thedoberman

This is actually why I hate the PPD community

u/thetwogsds — 7 days ago
▲ 14 r/dogtoksnark

How tf mal_rasedbyateen (it_stormed) get so popular

Like im genuinely shocked as to how she blew up so quick, her content isn't much different from everyone else's and she handles her dog very questionable. Most of her posts are now clout chasing about her new found medical problem she has been milking to justify making storm a "service dog" im not saying she is faking or anything but like come on lol its a bit strange. But my point is its the exact same as everyone else. Kinda crazy lol not to mention teaching storm bite work while she is gone but also making her a service dog is wild and dangerous. When she has so many holes in her handling skills (not necessarily storms training) i can forsee an accident in the future 😬

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u/Own-Emphasis-4366 — 10 days ago
▲ 5 r/dogtoksnark

Milkshake and Holly (Taylor Brooke) crash out

Anyone been following Taylor talk about “her house” being sold from underneath her? I get that she doesn’t want to leave Holly, but this whole house situation from the very beginning has been very odd

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u/thetwogsds — 12 days ago