Lot Arrival
We track the incoming shipment so testing records can be connected to the lot sampled.
Safety & Quality at EverChew
Testing Matters—Because Safety Cannot Be Judged by Appearance Alone
A dog chew may look, smell, and feel completely normal while still carrying harmful microorganisms. The same can be true of many human foods. That is why appearance alone is not enough to evaluate a chew.
At EverChew, our commitment to a safer chew time for dogs extends beyond the design of our SafetyChew holders. It also includes how we inspect, screen, and test the dog chews we sell.
Our Safety and Quality Process
New lots of chews generally arrive every one to two months. Each incoming lot moves through a series of checks before the chews are offered for sale.
Box Inspection
We inspect every box to confirm that the protective packaging is intact and look for anything unusual.
Independent Lot Testing
Representative samples of each lot are submitted to an outside microbiology analytical lab for Salmonella and E. coli testing.
Supplemental Lot Screening
EverChew performs an additional in-house bacterial screening on each lot and photographs the process as a quality-control record.
Individual Inspection of Every Chew
Each chew is manually handled and visually inspected during processing and packaging. Sharp points are trimmed and any chews with unusual coloring or features are removed.
Results and Records
The applicable lot results are added to this testing archive, and records are retained so the report can be traced to the samples tested.
What We Look for on Every Chew
Each chew is individually handled and inspected by our team in Washington state. Because the ranches that supply our chews also focus heavily on quality, we see very few problem chews. Even so, we look closely for three main issues:
- Sharp points: Occasionally, part of a chew dries into a small point that projects from the side. We use nippers to trim the point so it won’t to nick the inside of your dog’s mouth.
- Unusual discoloration or spotting: A change in color can have more than one cause, but we do not try to guess. If a chew looks questionable, we remove and discard it. For example, over more than five years, we have found approximately six chews with unusual coloring and one chew with a small piece of nitrile glove dried to the surface. They were all discarded.
Bacterial Testing
Our dog chews are animal-derived products, specifically cattle. Heat processing during the drying stages will eliminate harmful bacteria, but contamination can still be accidentally introduced later during handling, packaging, transportation, or storage. That is why EverChew tests finished chews from incoming lots.
Salmonella can affect dogs and people.
Dogs exposed to a contaminated product may develop vomiting, diarrhea, fever, lethargy, reduced appetite, or abdominal discomfort. Some dogs may carry or shed Salmonella without appearing visibly ill.
People can be exposed while handling a contaminated chew, touching a contaminated surface, cleaning up after a pet, or having close contact with an animal that is shedding the organism.
Generic E. coli can help evaluate process control.
E. coli, short for Escherichia coli, is a large group of bacteria. Many types normally live in the intestinal tracts of people and animals and do not cause illness. Certain pathogenic types can cause serious disease.
Our current outside-laboratory analysis is a generic E. coli plate count. Generic E. coli is commonly used as an indicator that provides information about how well the sanitation and process controls for the dog chews were.
Independent Laboratory Testing
Our external testing is performed by an independent analytical laboratory accredited through the ANSI National Accreditation Board to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. This accreditation means the laboratory has been independently evaluated for technical competence and a quality-management system within its defined testing scope.
Looking for a genetic signature
PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction. The method looks for a genetic signature associated with Salmonella by making many copies of a targeted section of DNA so that a small amount can be detected.
A negative result means Salmonella was not detected in the submitted sample under the laboratory’s method and detection conditions.
Counting colonies grown from the sample
The sample is placed on a growth surface where living bacteria can form visible colonies. “CFU/g” means colony-forming units per gram.
A result of <10 CFU/g means the laboratory did not measure E. coli at or above 10 colony-forming units per gram, which is the reportable threshold shown on the laboratory report. This result is the comparable to the 10-per-mL coliform limit used for Grade A pasteurized milk.
How Samples Are Submitted
- Representative pieces are collected from chews in the identified incoming lot.
- While wearing nitrile gloves, sample chews are placed into clean plastic bags labeled with the lot or box number.
- The samples are shipped to the outside laboratory for testing.
- The laboratory prepares the samples and performs the specified Salmonella and generic E. coli analyses.
- When the report is received, EverChew adds the applicable results to the lot archive on this page.
Supplemental Screening Performed by EverChew
In addition to independent laboratory testing, EverChew performs supplemental in-house screening. This gives us another opportunity to examine samples from an incoming lot and document the process as an added quality-control measure.
LFA stands for lateral flow assay. The test case is similar in format to many familiar at-home rapid tests. Liquid moves across a membrane and interacts with antibodies designed to capture a particular target. A test line appears when the device detects its target at or above its detection level.
Salmonella and E. coli/coliform screening
The Salmonella and the E. coli LFAs are both used after an enrichment growth step intended to make a small amount of a target organism easier to detect. The enrichment holds the samples in a warm broth overnight allowing any bacteria to reproduce to increase the sensitivity of the tests.
Our Current Internal Screening Process
- Prepare the enrichment broth.
- Collect representative chews from the identified incoming lot.
- Place two chews from each selected box into a clean, labeled plastic bag.
- Add 5 mL of water to the bag and shake it for approximately 10 seconds to create rinsate.
- Transfer 1 mL of rinsate into a labeled vial.
- Add 9 mL of enrichment broth to the vial.
- Place the prepared vial in a 37°C incubator for approximately 24 hours.
- Remove the incubated vial and cool to room temperature.
- Open the Salmonella and E. coli test cards.
- Add 3 drops of incubate to each card.
- Read and photograph the results after 2 minutes.
Enrichment broth is used to support or selectively favor growth of a target organism, when present, so it can be more readily detected by a screening assay.
Photos of the Internal Screening Process
Lot Testing Results
Below you can review the published bacterial results for EverChew dog chews. The most recent lot appears first.
July 2026 Bully Stick Lot
Independent Laboratory Results
Two bully stick samples from the incoming lot were submitted for generic E. coli plate count and Salmonella testing by PCR. Both samples returned the same results.
On small screens, this laboratory results table can be scrolled horizontally.
| Sample ID | Generic E. coli Plate Count | Salmonella by PCR |
|---|---|---|
| P3-B5540 | <10 CFU/g | Negative |
| P3-B5491 | <10 CFU/g | Negative |
These results apply only to the samples received and tested by the laboratory. “Negative” and “<10 CFU/g” do not mean that every individual chew in the lot was separately tested.
EverChew uses an independent laboratory for bacterial testing. The laboratory’s name, contact information, personnel names, and traceable identifying details have been removed to protect our proprietary vendor relationship. The sample descriptions, testing dates, test methods, results, reporting limits, and accreditation information shown in this report have not been altered. EverChew retains the complete original report.
Photos of the July 2026 Internal Test Results
