What dog food is killing dogs in 2024

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 warnedabout 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.

Dog Food Recall as Urgent Warning Issued to Pet Owners in 16 States

A company has expanded its recall because of Salmonella and Listeria being found in its products, which could be harmful to pets and their owners.

The Blue Ridge Beef pet food company said on January 3 that it was "expanding their recall to include additional lot numbers" thus encompassing additional states that said lotsof the 2lb Kitten Grind, 2lb log of Kitten Mix and 2lb log of Puppy Mixwere distributed to.

Products, the recall order says, were "packaged in clear plastic and sold primarily in retail stores" in Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Previously, the recalled products were listed as being in Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia.

The affected products are for all lot numbers and used-by dates between N24 1114 and N24 1224. This number can be found on the silver part on the end of the tubes the products come in. All of the products cited in the recall were distributed between November 14, 2023, and December 20.

According to a statement issued on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, there is a risk for pets that ate the product to become "lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting," if they are infected.

It continues: "Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans."

Pet owners have also been advised to make sure they washed their hands after handling the products. Salmonella can cause people "nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever" and further ailments in more serious cases such as arterial infections.

Customers that bought the products are advised to contact Blue Ridge Beef for a free refund, where the food will be destroyed.

"Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Do not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals," the recall advice said. " Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers. Always ensure you wash and sanitize your hands after handling recalled food or any utensils that come in contact with recalled food."

Newsweek has approached Blue Ridge Beef for comment.

The Blue Ridge Beef recall is not the same as the one made on October 27, 2023. The company's Breeders Choice 2lb distributed between August 9 and August 25 had tested positive for salmonella.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

FDA Issues Warning to Dog Food Manufacturer After 130+ Deaths and 220+ Illnesses

UPDATE: On August 17, 2021, the FDA issued a corporate-wide warning letter to Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc., the company that produces Sportmix pet food and other pet food brands. Per the FDA alert, as of August 9, the agency is aware aware of more than 130 pet deaths and more than 220 pet illnesses that may be linked to eating brands of pet food manufactured by Midwestern. Not all of these cases have been confirmed as aflatoxin poisoning through laboratory testing or veterinary record review. This count is approximate and may not reflect the total number of pets affected. The FDAs letter requested a written response from Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. within 15 working days outlining what the company will do to correct any violations described in the agencys letter. Read the letter in full on FDA.gov.

Certain lots of Sportmix pet food products are now on recall after the FDA was alerted about high levels of aflatoxins and multiple dog deaths.

On January 11, 2021, Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.expandedthis recall further. The recall now includes all pet foods containing corn and manufactured in the companys Oklahoma plant that have an expiration date on or before July 9, 2022. At this time, the FDA is aware of more than 70 dogs who have died and more than 80 who were sick after eating Sportmix pet food. The FDA was able to take immediate action thanks toresearch by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and theUniversity of Mizzou.

Dog owners who have been feeding their dog one of the affected Sportmix pet foods shouldtop feeding the food immediately and contact their veterinarian. Heres how to know if your dogs food was impacted and what steps to take.

What Are Aflatoxins?

Aflatoxins are toxins produced by the moldAspergillus flavus. At high levels, aflatoxins can cause death and serious illness in pets. Aflatoxin can be produced by mold in grains, especially drought-stressed corn.Even if there is no visible mold, these toxins can be present in dog food.

What Are the Symptoms of Aflatoxin Poisoning?

Unlike humans, pets generally eat the same diet continuously. Because of this, the toxins (if present) can accumulate in your pets system. Heres what to look for:

• Vomiting
• Sluggishness
• Loss of appetite
• Jaundice (yellow tint to eyes, gums, or skin)
• Diarrhea

In some cases, pets with aflatoxin poisoning will suffer long-term liver issues or death. If your dog has been eating the recalled product, contact your veterinarian immediately, and monitor your dog for symptoms.Even pets without symptoms may have suffered liver damage

Are Humans at Risk of Aflatoxin Poisoning?

There is no evidence that people who have handled Sportmix dog food are at risk of aflatoxin poisoning. As a general rule, always wash your hands after handling pet food.

What Sportmix Pet Food is Recalled?

The list of recalled dry pet food products announced by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. on December 30, 2020:

• Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
  • Exp 03/02/22/05/L2
  • Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
  • Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
• Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag
• Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
  • Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
  • Exp 03/03/22/05/L3

Lots of the following pet food products have been recalled if the date/lot code includes an expiration date on or before 07/09/22 and includes 05 in the date/lot code, which identifies products made in the Oklahoma plant:

• Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 40 lb. bag
• Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40 lb. bag
• Splash Fat Cat 32%, 50 lb. bag
• Nunn Better Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
• Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag
• Sportmix Maintenance, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix High Protein, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Stamina, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Stamina, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Bite Size, 40 lb. bag
• Sportmix Bite Size, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix High Energy, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix High Energy, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium Puppy, 16.5 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium Puppy, 33 lb. bag

Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM

Additional Midwestern Pet Foods brands were voluntarily recalled in March 2021 for the potential for Salmonella contamination. You can find the full list of those foods on FDA.gov.

What To Do if Your Dogs Food Is Recalled?

If your dogs food has been recalled, stop feeding the food immediately. The food should be returned to the store where it was purchased, and you may be able to obtain a refund. Or, you may properly dispose of the food in a manner that prevents other animals from gaining access to it.

If your dog has already been eating the recalled food, consult with your veterinarian to determine what actions, if any, you should take. Even if your dog is not showing any signs of illness, its best to consult with your veterinarian as quickly as possible. Depending upon the reason the food was recalled, your veterinarian will be able to determine what, if any, action should be taken.

If you believe your dog has become ill or has died because of eating a recalled food product, you should file a complaint with the FDA. You can file areport onlineor contact theFDA consumer complaint coordinatorin your state.

If you can no longer feed your dog his usual diet due to a recall, try to find a similar food to replace it or ask your veterinarian for suggestions. Keep in mind that sudden changes in diet can lead to dietary distress for dogs.

Tips to Keep Your Dogs Food Safe

• Clean your dogs food and water bowls daily with dish soap and hot water
• Use stainless steel bowls
• Keep opened canned food covered and refrigerated
• Keep dry food in an enclosed container to prevent exposure to rodents and pests
• Wash your hands with soap and water before, and especially after, handling pet food
• Feed your pet a healthy diet, as recommended by your veterinarian