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In a warning letter issued to The Nestle Purina PetCare Company, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration found several “significant violations” in the manufacture and production of several brands of canned dog and cat food during an inspection last year.
Based on the FDA’s findings, the violations occurring at the pet food giant’s Allentown, Pennsylvania plant may result in cans of pet food that have been adulterated “in that they have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.”
Inspectors found a total of six significant violations that could result in product that is dangerous for pets, including:
- Failure to produce each can or pouch of pet food according to the process filed with the FDA.
- Failure to record and document deviations of cook time, temperature, pouch thickness, etc., which may result in adulterated product.
- Failure to chlorinate or sanitize recirculated cooling water.
- Failure to establish a system for product traffic control that adequately prevents any unprocessed cans from moving forward on the product line.
- Failure to install thermometers that can clearly be seen and accurately be read.
- Failure to have all processing and production records reviewed and signed or initialed by a qualified quality assurance representative or plant manager.
Nestle Purina PetCare canned food products potentially impacted by the violations include:
- Alpo Chop House Originals Roasted Chicken
- Friskies Indoor Chicken
- Mighty Dog Chicken Egg & Bacon Country Platter
- Mighty Dog Chicken & Smoked Bacon Combo
- Alpo Chop House Originals Filet Mignon
- Mighty Dog Lamb and Rice
- Friskies Mixed Grill
- ProPlan Senior Beef and Rice Entrée
- Friskies Salmon Dinner
- Alpo Chop House Rotisserie Chicken in Gravy
- Alpo Prime Cuts with Beef
- Alpo Chop House Originals Filet Mignon
- Gravy Sensations with Turkey and Giblets in Gravy
The FDA warning letter, dated January 2, 2015, gave Nestle Purina 15 days to provide adequate evidence of corrective action. Failure to correct violations, including methods and controls to prevent the violations from recurring, may result in injunction or seizure of product.
Sylvia
May 19, 2015 at 5:27 am
Ref above comment, I am in the UK
Sylvia
May 19, 2015 at 5:26 am
Two out of four of my cats became very ill after eating Purina chicken and wild rice pouches last year, they passed blood, had sores all over their head, they had identical illness, Purina UK said they tested the batch and found noting wrong! I have four cats, the other two didnt eat it. The soreness went on for months, and open, will never touch it again.
Pet Lover
Apr 13, 2015 at 10:11 pm
Two of my cats and one dog got very sick due to Purina foods. Vomiting was the primary symptom and even the vet couldn’t figure out what was going on. We tried changing foods but it turns out that the new food was also made by none other than Purina. One cat nearly died until we tried a new and very expensive food. Slowly, all of them got better until one of our cats tore a hole in the bag of Purina food, which made her sick within hours. Needless to say, I will NEVER buy anything made by Purina again!!!!!
Sue
Apr 12, 2015 at 2:42 pm
My little Pom Teddy just died , Wednesday, 8 April. I have been feeding him Alpo Prime Cuts Beef,, Chicken, Lamb and Rice for over a year my vet said he was in kidney failure, he had significant hair loss as well. I am devastated to think I may have caused his death by feeding him this food.
Nancy
Feb 27, 2015 at 1:29 am
I now suspect that the demise of my two beloved Shetland Sheepdogs was due to my feeding them Purina dog food. They did exhibit the symptoms others have noted. vomiting, loss of leg control, etc. My new puppy, a Pomeranian, has not been “stupid” enough to eat any kind of dog food offered. He will starve for the day, left with a bowl of store bought dog food, like Purina Chef’s Michael, rather than eat that stuff. Chewie, the cute, smart Pom, waits for his Human food. Be that bread, cheese, meat like chicken, loves peanut butter and nuts, milk. His last vet visit reported he was in excellent health. He knows the Purina dog food is bad. Just leaves it untouched all day. I am throwing out the remainder of the bag tonight as it’s even worse. Not just does the puppy not like it but it may kill him. Going to throw out the expensive bag of Purina Chef Michael right now.
Tony DuPuis
May 2, 2015 at 6:12 pm
BOTH our Miniature poodles are very sick and had to be hospitalized from CHEF MICHAEL’S
Tony DuPuis
May 2, 2015 at 6:25 pm
BOTH our Miniature poodles are very sick and had to be hospitalized from what MAY be CHEF MICHAEL’S… They have both been terribly ill… throwing up, blood laced diarrhea, and acute pancreatitis… We have READ a lot since our last Dr’s visit at 4:00 TODAY…………..They have NEVER EVER been ill at the same time…AND magically, they both have the SAME SYMPTOMS… we threw out ALL that food after reading so many things on the web….
ShirleeNealy
Feb 7, 2015 at 1:20 am
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Sabine
Feb 5, 2015 at 2:45 pm
Why take risks?
I have been cooking our dogs’ food for several years now – rotating a protein (fish, chicken, beef, egg) with a grain (barley, rice, etc) or potatoes and mixed vegetables.
The dogs are healthy and happy and even our vet has to agree that they are in exceptional health for their ages.
It takes minutes a day and the cost is comparable to premium dog food.
The extra love is the main ingredient.
GloforHim
Jan 28, 2015 at 6:30 pm
I buy canned food when it is on sale. I buy from Petsmart. I usually get Pro Plan or Alpo. After a month or so in the cupboard, the Alpo cans started bursting and smelling. The Pro Plan never did this. Now, it makes more sense that the plant that processes Alpo lets it get full of bacteria.
Mashona
Jan 25, 2015 at 9:08 pm
I just bought a bag of Purina Adult dog food today (benefal / chicken) is this still happening and has it been updated
I’ve already given my dog his dinner and just came upon this post.
Scared for my dog
Watching for updates now!
Sylvia Williams
Jan 23, 2015 at 5:22 pm
I suspect that this kind (plus many others) of violation has been going on for a long long time. My cats like Friskies, but for certain lot with the same flavor, they (5 of them) don’t eat it. Cats’ scent of smell is much better than mine, of course. I found texture of the food in the can can be varied significantly. The weird thing is they don’t eat Pate from 13 oz can, but OK with 5.5 oz can of the same flavor. I think cook time has alter texture and flavor so much and cat know it. BTW, I recently found blue plastic piece in Friskies Salmon and also in Ocean White Fish. I wish my cats are not so addicted to Friskies. I have tried to change their canned food brand a few time without luck.
Janet
Jan 22, 2015 at 10:01 pm
in a recent horrifying post..a horse in down and dragged across the pavement still alive last shot from potographer was heartwrencing..it was at what they call symthe ..its a dog food plant killing horses so inhumanly its sick to give this to dogs. where are theee animal food slaughter houses in the usa. horribly sad and disgusting painful way to treat thrown away horses once loved by someone so much trust, then eyes that say why??? that one killed me. just awful what i had to see i did not know that tere were horse slaughterhouses for horses as dog food. no way. cant stand all of this madness
Amelia
Jan 19, 2015 at 11:37 pm
I lost faith in the big brands in 2002 and switched to buying all my products directly from a vet who formulates her products based on the impact nutrition has on the health of our pets. Her products have never been recalled but if they ever were, I would get an email immediately!
dogmama
Jan 18, 2015 at 10:25 pm
have any recalls been issued on these products yet? if not why not? I just gave some of my older dogs canned food (considered a treat by them) – & NOW I read this. Can I bring the remaining cans back to where I bought them along with a copy of this warning?
Suzanne
Jan 17, 2015 at 8:37 pm
These manufacturers have violated FDA policy in the production of there pet foods. My dog died two weeks ago and I have added these Alpo wet foods to their dry food. I am not saying that this was the cause, but I will tell you that I AM EXTREMEY UNHAPPY RIGHT NOW!!!!!! Please read this and be sure to stop using this product until they prove that they have complied with the FDA’s requirements. Nestle Purina has been given a 15 day notice to correct the violations!
Please share this post with every pet owner you know. This is an extremely popular brand, and is probably in many households. I AM APPALLED! I am now reliving all the feelings that I had the first day a his death, and questioning whether it was my fault for feeding him this food. NO PET PARENT SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT. PLEASE XLICK THE LINK AND READ THE VIOLATIONS! Pass this on.
All it takes is for a pet to have a compromised immune system for this to be a devastation to family. I don’t want it to be your family.
Suzanne Dean
TheDogTrainingLady.com/
Martti
Jan 16, 2015 at 10:03 pm
I’d be curious to know how Purina killed the dogs. Salmonella? Lead poisoning? Kidney failure, Cardiomyopathy? Vitamin toxicity? How did the person doing the autopsy determine cause of death?
mamameeka
Jan 16, 2015 at 6:32 pm
Why has it taken a year for this to be reported to the public? I cringe at the thought of how many animals suffered and or died during that time.
Matt
Jan 16, 2015 at 2:23 pm
Sensational claptrap.
Janet
Jan 22, 2015 at 10:02 pm
no it isnt its oh so true
Jeri Jo
Jan 16, 2015 at 12:42 pm
I agree these plants should be closed as an example. There are still to many dogs and cats suffering from unknown things the vets cannot seem to solve. Has anyone had a proble with bald spots and hair loss. The vet said flea allergy and give fungal baths weekly. We did that …there are no fleas it is six months and several hundred dollars spent. Baths, Steroid and antibiotic no help. A few people in my area with same problem….ANYONE ELSE??? Let me know please.
Jaime
Jan 17, 2015 at 9:57 am
Switch to a grain free brand of kibble, start adding one raw egg to it, and buy some brewers yeast tablets from your local feed/pet store. Coconut oil both topical and internally will help as well. This is a classic food allergy complaint.
doc
Jan 17, 2015 at 11:08 am
My cat is having hair loss and is tossing up his food–my vet gave him steroids and flea meds, but it has been 5 months and no improvement
ali
Jan 18, 2015 at 7:29 pm
My dog lost hair and had some balding spots, not bare. Then she got so ill and her body shut down and she died in one week. Tons of tests, tons of $$ to try to keep her alive. Necropsy showed she had adrenal gland failure. Hopefully that is a test your vet has run. Mine did not. I changed vets. Good luck!
preston
Jan 16, 2015 at 9:26 am
This does not surprise me in the least. Just over 1 year ago I had to bury our beloved Dunlah, who died from eating purina brand dogfood. THEY USE CRUDE CARBOLIC ACID to process rotting meat byproducts and offal that they then process into dogfood. Our 4 year old (perfectly healthy) rednose died of organ failure after eating purina for a week. I was injured and layed off of work so we accepted a bag of dogfood outside our norm because it was given to us. Never again. Google “beneful killed my dog” to fing 800 + reports just like mine. Dunlahs story can be found by searching youtube for #boycottbeneful . Please inform those close to you with animals!
BlackCat13
Jan 15, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Search on the web and see just how many dogs and cats are getting either very ill and/or dying from eating Purina. It was just recently that I did a search on the FDA website to see if Purina had any infractions or recalls going on. I didn’t find anything “recent,” but this article tells me that maybe all the other stories I’ve been reading about animals dying from eating Purina foods is due to something like this. Purina is GARBAGE.
preston
Jan 16, 2015 at 10:25 am
Mine is one of those animals
Luana
Jan 15, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Whenever FDA reviews a plant be it for Human or Pet consumption there are always some citations. If FDA felt they were serious they would have closed the facility. Sounds like most is record keeping (this is important but not necessarily dangerous).
Barbara Tomlinson
Jan 15, 2015 at 11:12 pm
Luana, would you give your pet filth! You should read the violations again! I have a sick dog from Purina puppy chow…it is toxic!
Bette
Jan 16, 2015 at 6:30 pm
Inspectors are required to find violations, As there is no place violation free not even your home, My pets have been Purina pets for more then 60 years most of my pets live into there teens and past their expected life span and YES they will continue to eat Purina
Anthonyanna
Jan 15, 2015 at 6:26 pm
This Violation should be posted in every newspaper in the country. This would make every dog food producer take notice of what will happen if they take the short route to profits. The negative news and loss if customers / profits will get their attention !
Caroline Snyder in West Virginia
Jan 15, 2015 at 12:56 pm
AND if they don’t comply in 15 days, the plant should be shut down until full compliance is reached!