A user on TikTok is calling out both Petco and Purina after a bag of dog food purchased at a Petco location allegedly made her dog sick—and, according to her, the store refused to remedy the situation.
In a video with over 889,000 views as of Saturday, TikTok user Dae Collins (@dae.collins) explains that she purchased a bag of Purina Pro Plan dog food. After feeding her dog a single bowl of the food, the dog reportedly became sick and defecated in her kennel. The feces also allegedly contained blood.
When Collins went to inspect the bag of food, she says she made a shocking discovery: the entire bag was infested with bugs.
“I put my flashlight in her food, and literally seen all these critters running around,” she says.
@dae.collins #dogkibble #petco ♬ On My Mama (Official Sound) – Victoria Monét
Noting this, she says she attempted to return the bag to her Grand Prairie, Texas, Petco location.
“The management, all they could tell me was, like, ‘Oh my god, it’s just beetles’—but no. They don’t understand that those ‘just beetles’ caused my dog to literally have blood coming out in her poop…They do not care,” she says.”
It’s unclear from the video what kind of beetle is seen in the kibble. However, there are several types of bugs that are typically found in dry products like dog food.
Most of these bugs are harmless. That said, if ingested in high enough quantities, or if one’s dog has a particularly sensitive stomach, consuming these bugs can cause gastrointestinal distress. Additionally, these bugs breed quickly—meaning that if one finds such bugs in their dry food, more are likely to follow.
While infestations like these are not isolated to Purina, this isn’t the first time that the brand has come under fire for bugs being found in its products.
In one case, a man from Jacksonville, Florida claimed to have found maggots in his Purina dog food. He claims he made this discovery after his dog had consumed half of a bag of the food. At the time, the brand responded to the incident in a statement.
“During production, all ingredients are subjected to high temperatures and pressures, which render them free of pathogens and insects,” the statement reads. “So in situations like this where infestation has occurred, it likely happened at some point after the products left the factory, possibly during distribution or storage. Unfortunately, insect infestation can occur in any food product in the marketplace.”
In the comments section of Collins’ TikTok, many users claimed to have had similar experiences purchasing dry dog food.
“I legit had this happen with Purina,” a user said. “Return it at the store they will give you the money back and call Purina they will cut you a check also!”
“I just returned my diamond naturals,” another claimed. “It had the same exact bugs.”
“I found a dead rat in mine. And it was my first time opening the bag,” alleged a third.
Others in the comments said that the possibility of these occurrences has pushed them away from pre-packaged pet food altogether.
“And this is the EXACT reason why I cook for my dog now. every so often I would get a bag of food and those same symptoms would happen,” stated a commenter.
“I stopped using pet food a long time ago now,” a second viewer shared. “I got a list from his vet of human grade meats, veggies and fruits that he can eat. Affordable & better!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Purina and Petco via email, and Collins via TikTok direct message.
