There have been dozens of recalls on pet foods. I remember one recall on Chinese made food that contained plastic dust as a filler and it resulted in liver failures similar to what you described. Many high fiber foods contain sawdust as a filler. The problem is so prevalent that numerous websites have been setup to list the recalled foods. One of the ones I use is:
Pet Food RecallsMy sisters are dog handlers/vet techs for a private kennel. They make their own dog food using 100% meat.
I can't afford to do that for my 5, so I only buy Limited Ingredient Diet (LID) food for my dogs. I spend about $130 every three weeks on food, but I save a lot on vet bills.
I foster for the animal rescue that my daughters started and we get a few dogs every year that the owners surrendered because of expensive skin problems and ear problems. A month of special food usually clears up those problems and the dogs are a lot happier and healthier.