Are dogs getting sick from Purina Pro Plan
What We Know About Social Media Reports that Purina Dog Food Caused Pets' Deaths
Since December 2023, online posts (archived) have claimed that dozens of dogs became sick after consuming Purina dog foods, with at least 10 (archived post) dying as a result. Iterations of the claim appear to have originated in the Facebook group Saving Pets One Pet @ a Time (archived).
Below is a sample of some of the comments seen in the group as of Jan. 30, 2024. Snopes removed the names and photos of the original posters:
(Snopes compilation)
One website claimed that "in at least one instance, Purina has offered to cover the pet owners veterinary bills." Snopes is awaiting clarification from Purina as to whether the claim was true.
In response to our general inquiry, Purina spokesperson Lorie Westhoff told Snopes that, as of this publication, Purina does not have any current or pending recalls.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees pet food regulation, recalls may be conducted "on a firm's own initiative, by FDA request, or by FDA order under statutory authority.
When Snopes searched the FDA database (archived) for Purinarecalls, three turned up two from 2023 and one from 2022, which we have listed below:
- March 10, 2023: Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental (PPVD EL) prescription dry dog food for potential elevated ingredient level.
- Feb. 8, 2023: Veterinary Diets EL Elemental dry dog food for potentially elevated Vitamin D. [Note: This was a voluntary recall following two complaints of dog illness, according to Purina.]
- Dec. 2, 2022: Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric Low Fat (PPVD EN Low Fat) prescription wet dog food for mislabeling.
Purina confirmed that those recalls were completed and terminated by the FDA.
Westhoff referred Snopes to a Purina news release (archived) that addressed concerns related to the safety of Purina dog food, which was last updated on Jan. 15, 2024. In it, the company said it was investigating the claims made online despite believing that they weren't credible:
In light of this rumor, our Quality Assurance team has reviewed all incoming consumer contacts, manufacturing, and quality assurance data (this includes ingredient testing, analytical data throughout the production process, and quality assurance post-production testing) for the past year.
Additionally, our Office of Consumer Affairs, which takes calls and messages from pet parents and works closely with our quality assurance experts, veterinarians, nutritionists, a veterinary toxicologist and many others, to investigate product complaints, has reviewed its data from the past year. Thorough investigations by both teams have found no data or trend that would indicate a product issue that has not been previously addressed.
Just to reiterate, the group behind the rumor has not provided any evidence or facts to support this narrative. It currently is based on anecdotal stories from pet owners, Westhoff said. Nearly all calls we have received about this have been from scared pet owners who read about this false rumor online and are trying to understand if there is a problem with our food, which there is not. These rumors cause unnecessary stress and create a sense of understandable panic that they may be doing something wrong.
According to Purina's news release, several of the peopleperpetuating the claim are believed to market or sell products that compete with Purina, and some have served as paid social media influencers to promote products and brands that are not being actively targeted by this rumor.
Snopes posted in the Facebook group to solicit comments from members willing to provide a verified, confirmed report (i.e., necropsy from a veterinarian) that linked Purina dog food directly to their dog's illness or death. As of this publication, we have not received a response.
The FDA did not respond to specific questions about whether it was investigating claims related to the supposed illnesses and deaths associated with Purina dog food. Instead, the agency wrote in an email:
The FDA takes seriously its responsibility to help ensure that pet food ingredients are safe and nutritious. While the agency cannot comment on specifics of these particular illness reports at this time, generally speaking when the FDA becomes aware of pet illnesses, we will evaluate them and determine what if any FDA action may be warranted. The agency encourages pet owners or their veterinarians to submit reports of illness or other adverse events associated with pet food directly to the FDA by following the instructions on this page: How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
The agency also referred Snopes to an X post that it shared on Jan. 12, 2024, encouraging pet owners to report food-related medical issues to the FDA:
Snopes will continue to monitor the situation and update this article should new information arise.
Consumer Reports of Sick/Dying Pets Linked to Purina
We cannot confirm or deny that Purina pet foods are currently experiencing a problem, only Purina or the FDA has the knowledge and/or authority to do that.
We can report that numerous pet owner complaints of sick and dying pets have been publicly shared over recent weeks. TruthaboutPetFood.com has heard from one pet owner that had multiple sick pets linked to Purina pet foods (who is also having the food tested), and our local pet store shared today (1/4/24) that they have also heard from numerous pet owners reporting sick pets linked to Purina pet foods.
Today (1/4/24) we sent the FDA this message:
I would guess the FDA/CVM is aware, but social media is exploding with reports of sick and dead pets linked to Purina pet foods. One website is reporting they have received 82 dogs, and 14 cats reports of sick pets with 10 deaths.
Can you provide me with how many adverse event reports FDA/CVM has received on any Purina pet food since 12/1/23?
Can you tell me if FDA/CVM is currently or planning to investigate these issues?
Thanks Susan Thixton
Added after original posting: FDA responded to my questions providing the following information
FDA is aware of reports of pet illnesses and is in the process of evaluating those reports.
We encourage pet owners or their veterinarians to submit reports of illness or other adverse events associated with pet food directly to FDA by following the instructions on this page:How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
All pet illness and death reports need to be reported to FDA.
If your pet is sick or died you believe is linked to ANY pet food, a report should be submitted to FDA and/or your state feed official. For more information on who and how to report the incident, Click Here.
Unfortunately, Purina does not have the best record at cooperating with FDA investigations (which can make an FDA investigation much more difficult). Back in 2012 there were numerous consumer complaints regarding Purina Beneful pet food. In a FDA disclosure post, the agency stated During 2012, CVM received approximately three consumer complaints per month associated with Nestle Purina Beneful dry dog food. In January 2013, CVM received a surge of consumer complaints that occurred after a media report implicated Beneful dry dog food as a potentially harmful dog food product.
Linked to these consumer complaints the FDA investigated three Purina plants, however Purina was less than cooperative with the agency investigation. The FDA investigation of an Arizona Purina plant, Purina allowed FDA to view records, but not obtain copies of records unless approved by the firms legal counsel.
During the same inspection, Purina told FDA they perform routine contamination analysis of ingredients, but would not describe this analysis since the method is classified at the firm as proprietary information.
As well, Per a refusal from Nestle Purina, the manufacturing facility was unable to provide the actual content or weights of individual ingredients that went into the implicated lots
During another FDA inspection of Purina Pet Food at this time, the FDA reported:
The firm was in direct and constant contact with the Purina corporate Regulatory Affairs office in St. Louis, MO during this inspection.
To Purina: Consumer reports are indicating there is some issue with some of your foods. We encourage Purina to be fully transparent with any FDA investigation and not repeat the lack of transparency issues of the past.
Resource for concerned pet owners: The Facebook group Saving One Pet @ A Time is documenting all complaints they receive. This is a members only group, but any concerned pet owner can join and follow the reports posted.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan ThixtonPet Food Safety AdvocateAuthor Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsibleTruthaboutPetFood.comAssociation for Truth in Pet Food
Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.
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Purina says its pet food is safe as allegations about sick animals multiply on social media
Complaints that Purina pet food has sickened pets have been circulating on social media in recent weeks, sparking fear for dog and cat owners.
But Purina adamantly denies there are any issues with its products.
Pet parents continue to be understandably scared by an online rumor that there is an issue with Purina pet foods. This rumor is false, and we are saddened to see the confusion and fear that it has caused, the company said in an online statement Monday.
The claims got amplified in a Facebook group for pet owners, called Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time, in early December. Group administrator Kelly Bone wrote in a post that she had received multiple reports of dogs or cats becoming suddenly ill or dying after eating Purina Pro Plan, a pet food formula for dogs and cats that comes in wet and dry varieties.
I started noticing in my group that we started having quite a few pets getting sick, Bone said. When I would follow up with [owners] to say, Well, what are they eating? When were their most recent vaccinations, flea, tick medications, all that other stuff?, the common denominator was Purina.
Bone said she has received 969 reports of dogs or cats getting ill after eating Purina food, including 234 deaths. The symptoms have included lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness, seizures, rapid weight loss and rectal bleeding, she said.
The theory has also proliferated on TikTok, where users warned about Purina products, citing the Facebook conversations.
Purina said its quality assurance team investigated the rumor and found no data or trend that would indicate an issue.
There are no health or safety issues with our products, and they can continue to be fed with confidence, the company said in its statement.
This back-and-forth has left some pet owners searching for answers including James Diehl, a resident of Long Island, New York.
One of his dogs, Carly, suddenly lost her appetite in September, Diehl said. By the following month, the 14-year-old rottweiler was lethargic and had diarrhea, he added. Diehl said doctors discovered a blood clot in her heart but didnt think it had caused the gastrointestinal symptoms. Carly died in November.
The next month, Diehls dog Petri lost his appetite and was lethargic, he said. The 17-year-old dachshund died two days before Christmas.
Diehl still has two dogs, an 8-year-old dachshund named Bear and a 6-year-old rottweiler named Graham. Bear developed similar symptoms in December, Diehl said, and was in critical care. He is still struggling to eat back at home, Diehl added.
Diehls wife, Irene Nunes-Diehl, said the three older dogs consumed Purina products all their lives. Carly and Petri had been eating Purina Pro Plan wet food when they developed symptoms, she said, and Bear had been eating Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NeuroCare. Graham, however, was adopted from a shelter last month and has not gotten Purina food, Diehl said, nor has he had health issues.
Diehl said his veterinarian couldnt explain why the other dogs got sick. But a friend told the couple about the Purina rumors, and the two now attribute the illnesses to the food.
This is the only explanation I can come up with, Diehl said. I mean, God, to lose two dogs in a month and almost lose a third, theres got to be some correlation. But proving it? I dont know. I dont know if Im ever going to be able to prove it.
Lorie Westhoff, a Purina spokesperson, said Nunes-Diehl filed a complaint with the company on Monday, and it has reached out. Purina plans to request more information, including veterinary records, Westhoff added.
She said the Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time group has not given the company details about the complaints it received.
For example, Westhoff said, Purina spoke with one person from this group who had shared her story and was unwilling to provide us with vet records or food samples and would not allow us to contact her veterinarian.
Without more information, we simply cannot investigate despite being more than willing to do so, she said.
Westhoff further suggested that two people who helped spread the allegations have promoted brands that compete with Purina in the past. One is TikTok creator Rachel Fusaro, who has more than 276,000 followers on the platform and posted videos about Purina that have since been taken down. Fusaros Instagram has featured several paid partnerships, and according to her Amazon page, she may earn commissions on purchases of certain dog food brands. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Westoff also named Dr. Judy Morgan, a veterinarian who partners with a particular dog food brand and is a moderator for the Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time group. Morgan warned about Purina products on YouTube and Instagram earlier this month.
There seem to be clear benefits to them promoting this rumor, Westhoff said.
But Morgan told NBC News she has not profited from her warnings to pet owners. She recommends multiple dog food brands on her social media accounts and e-commerce site, she said, adding that she is paying to get Purina food tested in an independent laboratory.
I am not trying to make money off of this. I am actually spending my own money to get this problem solved, Morgan said.
She said she grew concerned about Purina pet food after reading reports in the Facebook group, as well as customer reviews on sites like Chewy and Amazon.
Purina has not recalled any product on the market, and the Food and Drug Administration has not requested or mandated that it do so. The FDA said pet owners and veterinarians can report illnesses via a form online.
While the agency cannot comment on specifics of these particular illness reports at this time, generally speaking when the FDA becomes aware of pet illnesses, we will evaluate them and determine what if any FDA action may be warranted, an FDA spokesperson said.
Kenneth Simpson, a professor of small animal medicine at Cornell University, said he had not heard from colleagues or pet owners about problems related to Purina products.
In my experience the vast majority of commercial pet food producers are ethical and rank diet safety as their top priority, Simpson, who serves on Purinas scientific advisory board, said, adding: If a pet food manufacturer becomes aware of an issue after manufacture when a food is in the marketplace, they will issue a recall.
Purina voluntarily recalled a prescription dog food, Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental, early last year due to potentially elevated levels of vitamin D. The nutrient is essential to dogs, but excess amounts can be toxic.
That recall has no known link to the illnesses recently reported on social media.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
