Between November 22, 2023, and April 15, 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received approximately 1,300 adverse event reports for a variety of Purina pet foods.
Today (July 31, 2024) after more than half a year of follow-up work, including pet owner interviews, lab analyses, and a plant inspection, the agency released the results of its investigation.
Initial triage of complaints
Following an initial review of the ~1300 Adverse Event Reports (ie., complaints), agency veterinarians established a set of criteria to select complaints for more detailed follow-up. The criteria were:
- Owner’s willingness to be contacted for additional information
- Type of symptoms reported (primarily gastrointestinal, hepatic and neurologic cases were selected)
- Time between the illness and submission of report (prioritizing recent illness)
- Availability of veterinary medical records
- Availability of product with lot number and best-by date
Out of the 1300 complaints received, 107 met all of the established criteria.
The follow-up
The FDA pursued one or more of the following avenues for each of the 107 complaints flagged for follow-up.
- Review of veterinary medical records
- Interview of pet owners about their pets’ medical and diet histories and other potential exposures
- Lab testing of pet food samples still in the pet owners’ possession, including tests for
- Mycotoxins (aflatoxin, fumonisin, deoxynivalenol)
- Excess vitamin D
- Bacteria (including Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Staphylococcus aureus)
- Pesticides
- Phosphine (a fumigant used to control insects on grain and other commodities)
- Rancid fat
- Metals
In addition to tests carried out on samples obtained from pet owners, FDA collected 20 sealed product samples from retail settings, representing four brands of Purina pet food. These samples were subjected to the same battery of tests as listed above.
Finally, the FDA conducted a comprehensive Preventive Controls Surveillance Inspection at the Purina manufacturing facility in Clinton, Iowa, the manufacturing site of the most frequently mentioned products in the complaints.
The lab findings
Lab tests did not reveal the presence of mycotoxins, pesticides, phosphine, rancid fat, excess vitamin D, pathogenic bacteria, or excessive heavy metals in any of the samples obtained from pet owners or from retail settings.
Bacillus cereus was found in 17 samples obtained from open packages of pet food collected from pet owners’ homes. Bacillus cereus is a common environmental contaminant, and genetic analysis of the 17 strains showed that they were unrelated to each other. None of the sealed packages of pet food contained Bacillus cereus.
Lab tests were conducted for the following metals and micronutrients: arsenic, cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulfur, thallium and zinc. Findings for metals, including micronutrients, were not of clinical concern, meaning levels were likely too low to trigger animal illness in otherwise healthy pets, according to the FDA report.
The inspection
A team consisting of two FDA investigators and one inspector from the Iowa Department of Agriculture conducted a three-day inspection that began on April 30, 2024.
During the course of the inspection, the team reviewed the firm’s food safety plan, hazard analysis, GMPs, employee training, complaints, pest control, management interviews, and associated records.
The visit did not include a physical inspection of the production plant. No environmental, in-process, or finished product samples were collected during the inspection.
At the end of the inspection, the FDA issued a Form 483, citing the company for not conducting a reanalysis of its food safety plan after having been notified by a representative of the FDA regarding complaints associated with a new potential hazard in pet food.
The plant manager claimed to have been unaware of the complaints/new potential hazard in the pet food they were manufacturing. He explained that complaints were handled at the corporate level. The corporate Director of Quality Assurance acknowledged having been made aware of the complaints. He stated that they had been working on the potential issue at the corporate level with their microbiologists and currently did not see it as a hazard.
The FDA’s conclusion (quoted verbatim)
After thoroughly analyzing pet food adverse event reports, testing opened products from pet owners and sealed products from retail settings, and conducting a facility inspection, the FDA has determined the existing evidence does not identify a public health concern that could explain the symptoms detailed in these adverse event reports about Purina pet foods.
The agency followed standard processes in evaluating the adverse event reports and identifying those most likely to yield additional information. However, this situation did present unique challenges in that there was a large volume of reports describing a wide array of reported symptoms, but relatively few met the criteria for follow up. The agency is aware of various media outlets and bloggers that have reported a high number of adverse events. Unfortunately, the FDA did not receive data to fully evaluate or substantiate most of these cases. As a science-based regulatory and public health agency, the FDA relies on data to be able to analyze adverse events and identify causes of illness.
Throughout its analysis, the FDA had a conscious commitment to notify the public if it uncovered information, such as laboratory results indicating contamination or a specific illness in pets that ate a particular lot, that could translate into actionable advice for veterinarians or pet owners. The agency has previously issued safety advisories in situations when there was a common link between the reports, such as findings of a pathogen, vitamin overdose, or disease agent that connected the food to the illnesses. In the recent situation regarding the adverse event reports mentioning Purina pet food, there was no direct or consistent connection between the wide range of adverse events submitted to the FDA, and evidence does not conclusively link the reported adverse events to Purina pet food.
The FDA continues to monitor and evaluate pet food adverse event reports to identify potential follow-up actions. The agency encourages consumers and veterinarians to submit reports about issues with pet food electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. For additional support with using the online Safety Reporting Portal, the FDA now offers the SmartHub – Safety Intake Portal, where an electronic assistant helps walk individuals through the process of submitting their report. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a report to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
“A complete and compelling account of the hidden and not-so-hidden ways the food we give our beloved pets can be contaminated.” – JoNel Aleccia, Health Reporter, Food & Nutrition, The Associated Press.
“An invaluable resource for busy pet owners” – Food Safety News
Available from all major on-line retailers, including:
eFoodAlert 
I was out of the dog food I usually buy and that store was closed. I went to a different store and bought a small bag of the same flavored food but a different brand that was Purina. I fed my dog the Purina One Lamb and Rice formula and she got diarea. I wondered about the food and thought it could be anything. I went back to the other food with no problems. I thought I would change up what she ate and tried the Purina again. She ate it with no hesitation but once again Diarea. She has had diarea twice in her life both times after eating this Purina food. I did see a prior blog that said it could happen if you change the diet of the dog. I very seldom look into something like this but did ask Alexa if there were any reported issues. I was suprised to see other people had the same issue. Because I am not sure about the cause “Purina dog food” and effect “dog with diarea” I am going to take the action of throwing the food away, not buying it again, feeding the dog the food she has never had a problem with and moving on.
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I have been feeding my multiple cats Purina Cat Chow Complete since the 1980’s and never had any problems with any cats. A year ago, 2 rescue kittens died and I reported to Purina about some CCComplete that I bought at Dollar General that had large clumps of the dry food and some powdery-like particles at the bottom of the bag. but they didn’t ask me to send in any samples. Recently, a family member found the samples I had put away and fed it to my cats. One kitten died last week and another is deathly ill with the same orange urine that the other 3 dead kittens had before their deaths. I am completely heart-broken. Is it possible there was something in that food that caused their deaths? Linda J. Burke
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It is possible, but without testing there is no way to know for sure. Were any of the kittens necropsied, or was their urine tested for any toxins? If you still have any of the food (especially if you have the original bag with its lot code information), please contact the FDA.
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Why would you EVER feed a cat or kitten something that is OVER 40 years old? Let alone something you suspected of killing previously? Sounds like maybe you should not own a cat or an animal for that matter…
Signed the owner of cats one 19yrs & one 21 yrs. Both healthy from beginning to end on Purina! That’s 40 years & still counting thanks to Purina!
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I fed my cat Purina pro plan for several years. Our Vet recommended it and gave us a sample. It was a shredded blend. Our cat really liked the food. Sadly, that product was discontinued so we switched to a different pro plan formula. That product was changed also, so we found another pro plan formula. We mixed two pro plan formulas together…an indoor cat chicken formula and a senior cat salmon formula. There were no issues with the food until abt. six months ago. Our cat was throwing up and his poo was really extra stinky…a different level of awful. The food seemed to have a more orange color than before. We feel that yet again these formulas have changed. We gradually began to change his food to eliminate the pro plan from his diet. Not an easy thing to do with a picky eater. He was not getting sick but didn’t like the new food as well as he liked the pro plan so we tried introducing some of the pro plan back into his diet and the vomiting began again. We no longer feed the pro plan. I believe that something in the formula of the food changed. The testing looked for the presence of heavy metals, excess vit D and known toxins and found no issues that would cause our pets to experience illness. There should have also been an inspection of manufacturing facilities. I believe that something in these pet food formulas made my cat sick. There was nothing else that it could have been. We will not be feeding Purina products to our cat ever again.
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has anyone experienced temporary partial paralysis in their dog?
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Three of our four dogs ate purina pro plan and became violently ill. Two had to be hospitalized. I reported it to both Purina and the FDA. I was promised a response by both. Purina said they would send a sample bag for me to send some of the food to be tested. I also sent our vets information. I have heard nothing from them. It has been almost 4 months. Thankfully our dogs recovered with intensive medical care and hospitalization. I will never buy any Purina product again. Our fourth dog who didn’t become ill is diabetic and only eats home cooked food. Now all four dogs eat home cooked food.
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After reading this article, I’m thinking that it sounds as if you were not considered as one of the 107 complaints out of 1300 that met the listed criteria even though you should have been.
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After months of feeding our one year old dog Hills, there was a sale on Purina ProPlan. The dog got diarrhea within a couple hours. Switched back to Hills and was fine. Tried a second can of ProPlan and same results. Took the Purina food back for a refund. Two months later started seeing that others pets were having problems.
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A dog can have that reaction whenever you switch up their regular food, not siding with the company but it is a fact
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I am seriously thinking about changing pet food because of this article on Purina Dog food. I lost my 10 yr old Lab in March. She had been sick with stomach issues for two months. Tried our best with her. I now have a 2 yr. old lab rescue and have her on Purina. Same thing sick again with stomach issues.
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What seems to be happening is people are just blaming Purina for their pets’ illnesses without any proof or follow up. They listen to unqualified internet “experts ” and blame Purina because it’s a big bad corporation. People don’t understand or refuse to understand that correlation does not imply causation.
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Perhaps you think these people -the pet owners don’t monitor their pets when they realize something is making their pets sick. ??? Perhaps u think they are too dumb to see OBVIOUS patterns. when your pet gets sick you try everything yourself first to figure it out. Taking your pet to the vet is stressful and expensive. Most people don’t even think about their pets food. That’s because we should be able to TRUST pet food manufacturers to make a safe products. but once they begin to suspect it’s the food , they switch foods. Then try giving them the food in question again. After you’ve done this a few times , it’s pretty EASY to see if there is pattern there. That every time they feed their pet the food in question , they get sick again. This is EXACTLY what happened with my cat. Fortunately we figured it out fairly fast, by doing exactly what I described above.
now that I’m not feeding that to him any more, he’s not puking nor does he get diarrhea blast anymore either. Pet owners are smart and they want their pets to be healthy and happy. Figuring out if a food is making your cat sick isn’t that complicated.
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True however I’ve seen multiple owners abruptly switch their dogs food which is something you should never do
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I’ve been feeding my dog Purina One Plus with Lamb
And my cat Purina Naturals and never have had any issues with either. Started both with the Kitten chow for kitten and the Purina one plus puppy with chicken.
Started
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.y chickens stopped laying. I stopped using Purina and they started laying again. True for many of my friends with chickens.
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Anecdotal evidence on its own isn’t science. I’d rather know the particular ingredient that may be causing that problem so that I could avoid it altogether versus waste my time with the ineffective finger pointing without anything to back it up.
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I was using Purina and both of my dogs, one which was under a year old, they both were throwing up their food a refusing to eat.
I saw somewhere to soak the food in water before giving it to them to help their stomach digest easier. I started doing so and one day noticed a film on the water, I stuck my hand in the water and it came out like I had stuck my hand in a vat of oil. I looked on the bag and saw one of the ingredients was pil, I dont remember the type exactly, but the amount of oil that was coating that food would make anyone sick. Imagine drinking a half cup of straight oil, it would give you a severe tummy ache. We switched foods and I soaked the new food and no film came off, it was only purina.
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Purina Mills was long ago separated from Purina PetCare. They are not the same company nor owned by the same corporations. Beyond their name they are not related.
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At the end in the FDA conclusions they plainly stated they did a facility inspection. Go back and read the paragraph in the article and it states there that the visit did not include a physical inspection of the production plant…hhmmmm… so who is lying?
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I caught that too! What they did was an inspection of their paperwork, employee files, etc. What the heck good is that without a physical inspection of the production plant?!!
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Or the finished product from the plant! WHY is my question??
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I caught that, too! How in the world can they do an investigation without visiting the plant & taking swabs & samples of the equipment, while actually seeing the processes?
I can write anything down, like a strict daily schedule – where it shows – at 9:30 am / wipe down counters, 9:45 am / clean bathroom, 10:15 am / vacuum living room, etcetera. But pop by at 10:00 am & I may just be lying on the couch, watching “Buffy”.
Without an on-site visit & thorough investigation, the findings cannot be trusted. I literally almost laughed out loud when I read they didn’t even visit a plant. SMH.
SO sorry about all the sick babies!
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My dog was diagnosed with kidney disease.Due to the chemicals in purina food
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Or due to genetics, environmental factors, heat, lack of hydration, infection, crap that the dog stuck in its mouth besides food, etc. While their cheapest Dog Chow is junk, the higher end stuff is good, and there is no actual evidence of contamination from harmful chemicals.
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I put my cat on the senior formula thinking it would help him feel less creaky and be more energetic in his advanced years. After one day, he was lethargic and had extremely labored breathing. Since the only change was this food, I took him back off of it… took a couple of days but he was right back to normal. Purina used to be the name to trust for pet food but something has changed in the worst way.
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I use Hills Science Diet on my black lab, Duke. He has arthritis and he is now able to jump around and play. He seems like a puppy again ☺️ He loves the taste and it smells way better then the other stuff. You have to have a prescription from a vet for it but they do have certain ones you can buy in a pet store without a prescription.
Sorry about your fur baby.
Hope this helped.
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Yes, I bought some Purina dog food (my dogs normally eat a different brand) that was supposed to have more of the vegetables in it. The food was “orange” in the bag. Within 4 hrs every dog I has started to vomit(I have six dogs). We listened to vomiting and cleaned vomit up for the next 24 hrs. One of my dogs quite eating & I took her 2 the vet 2 days later. They gave her fluids & gave us some easy to digest food in a can. They said she was probably still queasy from what ever was in that bag of food. We do not do any Purina products. I called Purina the day after my dogs started throwing up. The Purina person on the phone took down the lot #s & bag identifiers & said “quit feeding them that bag of food & to throw that food away”. Purina sent me a check for a new bag of food but did nothing for the vet bill on the dog that could not get over the sickness brought on by the bad “orange” food. We don’t touch Purina pet food. Not even the cat foods.
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I agree, we had been feeding our 2 unrelated dogs both Purina One their entire life. Both came down with severe liver disease at about age 10 and died before their time. I completely refuse to buy that brand. It is so sad that Corporate greed is killing us all one way or another. Recalls EVERYDAY on the news!!!
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From as far back as I can remember purina was cheap crap food. So when my vet kept pushing proplan I started using it. Dogs didn’t like any but after trying the one with shredded chicken they ate it but not enthusiastically. They still had tummy upset and formed but smushy poop.
Problem is most of the foods are made by purina. Nestlé is another premium food that costs alot but ingredients are still not great. The manufacturers need to realize that cooking the foods at such high temps and using parts of animals that shouldn’t be there it’s not good for them. Why can’t they slow it down and stop using the parts like beaks and by products? It’s the bottom line! Greedy money grubbing companies! It’s a shame it’s all about that for them!!!
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My cat had serious itching where she was taking the hair off her legs and belly. Vet couldn’t find anything wrong and put her on meds for the itching. I changed food to Hills Science Diet and her hair started growing back. I don’t know if it was the meds that helped or the change in food but I will never go back to Purina cat food again!
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I have a cat that was losing fur and was bald in a few areas. I took her to my vet who said she was probably allergic to something in the food (not Purina). Our vet also stated that the most common food allergies for cats and dogs are the proteins, the most common of which is chicken. We switched to a different food without chicken and her fur was growing back within a couple of weeks.
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I use purina cat food the indoor and gentle. What do I need to be watching for exactly?
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SHYTE ! MAKE THEM MAKE CHANGES NOW ACTUALLY LAST YEAR !!!! THIS IS NOT AN UNFOUNDED BUNCH OF PPL WITHOUT LOSS AND CONCERNS OVER PURINA PRODUCTS !!!! KITTEN CHOW IS FULL OF FOOD GRADE SAWDUST 🙏😇 WHEN DID YOU / ASK ANIMALS PARENTS IS IT OK TO MAKE THESE CHANGES AND EXPERIMENT ON OUR ANIMALS AND FAMILIES ???? JESUS KNOWS OUR TRUTHS HOLD PURINA ACCOUNTABLE AMEN 🚀🚀🚀🚀 I’VE SEEN BUGS / BIRDS / ROOSTERS / CHICKENS / SQUIRRELS FIGHT OVER THIS NASTY KITTEN CHOW AND ITS SAWDUST !!!! IT DISENTIGRATES AND LEAVES FINE POWDER DUSTS BEHIND ⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️ I ADD WATER AND STILL IM DISAPPOINTED !!!! AT LEAST TWICE IN THE PAST ONE AND A HALF YEARS KITTEN CHOW DISAPPEARED AND WAS REPACKAGED 14 POUND BAGS OF SAWDUST FOR TWENTY ONE TO TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS A BAG ???? FAMILIES OF BELOVED PETS : IVE STARTED COOKING MY OWN TOPPERS FOR THIS KITTEN CHOW SO I CAN USE LESS : FDA IT MAKES ME WONDER WHY YOU DONT PROTECT OUR FAMILIES AND ANIMALS BETTER AFTER ALL WE PAY FOR SAWDUST FOR PUR ANIMALS TO EAT AND THRIVE ON SHYTE !!!!! IM SOO PISSED 🙏😇🚀🚀🚀🚀
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I had a German Shepard puppy that passed with these symptoms and she ate Purina puppy chow.
Sharon Key
walkersharon3310@gmail.com
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Out of 1300 complaints only 107 met the criteria to investigate? Only 1300 complaints when millions of pets are fed these products? The FDA didn’t find anything, but people still want to blame the manufacturer anyway? If there was a manufacturing issue causing illness, don’t you think the complaint counts would be way higher?!
Look, some pets can have food sensitivities or allergies. My cat can’t have products with wheat gluten, for example, or she tries to scratch her fur off. My other cat has no reaction to it. Also, sometimes pets can just get sick! Sometimes they may have gotten into something in your household and sometimes it’s genetic. Conspiracy theories don’t help. They just make it less likely that pet parents will be taken seriously in the future.
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I agree I was freaking out but then I calmly thought about it I volunteer at a shelter. We feed puppy chow cat chow and pro plan 2-3 x a day. Everyday. No one has died no one sick. Ive been there 2 yrs. I highly doubt it’s the food also the problem fda ran across was the wide variety of symptoms . That’s a problem when trying to say it’s the food
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when you have money you can buy anything
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Purina comment : In the famous words of “Kernal” Klink “I know nuth- ing, I see nuth-ing!”
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What is the recall and what has been recalled I use Purina indoor cat food
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There have not been any recalls associated with this investigation.
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Sargeant Schultz……
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then don’t choose purina no one’s going to be offended
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