FDA claims no conclusive link between Purina food, sick pet reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says an investigation following thousands of reports of sick pets found no conclusive link to Purina food.

The federal agency only now revealed steps taken after concerns started to surface in December 2023 in viral TikTok videos and a public Facebook group with tens of thousands of members.

Pet owners alleged their animals got sick after eating Purina Pro Plan food. Reported symptoms ranged from vomiting to diarrhea and seizures — and in some cases, death.

Purina disputed the reports, telling VERIFY at the time they were “online rumors.”

Until now, the FDA refused to detail to VERIFY what it was doing to investigate the claims or if it would issue a recall of the food in question, only saying it was aware of the reports of pet illnesses.

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In a summary report just released, the FDA said it received roughly 1,300 reports of sick animals from pet owners for a variety of Purina pet foods between November 2023 and April 2024. 

But of those reports, the FDA said just 107 submissions “contained sufficient information for follow-up” – such as pet owner contact information, complete product information like the brand and formulation, specific symptom descriptions and veterinary medical records, according to the agency.

You can read the full FDA report here.

Editor's note: This report now includes additional statements from the FDA in response to questions from VERIFY about the number of investigated reports, testing and its inspection of the Purina facility. 

Open food samples collected from pet owners tested negative for bacteria such as salmonella, toxins like pesticides, and nutritional imbalances like excessive vitamin D, according to the FDA’s summary report. Sealed bags collected from various stores, representing four Purina brands, also tested negative. The agency did not specify which Purina brands it tested.

“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 said in its summary report.

The FDA says unlike previous instances when it has issued safety advisories, it found no direct or consistent connection between the wide range of adverse events in the submissions they examined and Purina pet food.

The newly released information is little comfort to local pet food consumer advocate Susan Thixton, who called it "smoke and mirrors." Thixton, who runs a website called Truth About Pet Food, said the report raises several new questions.

"The FDA report is a shameful representation of how pet food consumers are ignored by this regulatory agency," Thixton said in an email to VERIFY.

Included in its report the FDA released an inspection report of a Nestle facility in Iowa where Purina food is produced. While reports started to surface in December 2023, the inspection didn't take place until April 30, 2024. Additionally, the inspection was classified as a typical compliance inspection, Thixton points out, not one based on a large number of consumer complaints received. 

When a significant number of adverse event reports are received by the FDA, according to its website, it typically conducts what's known as a "for-cause" inspection. 

The agency defended its decision to forgo a "for-cause" inspection, citing the lack of a clear cause and effect between the food and adverse events reports.

"For-cause inspections are typically reserved for situations where a specific health or safety concern with the product has already been identified and confirmed with FDA regulatory testing of sealed products," the FDA said in an emailed statement to VERIFY on Aug. 18. The statement was in response to questions submitted when the report was initially released.

The inspection report also notes that "no samples were collected from the facility" and appears to suggest Purina was only investigating the potential issue at their "corporate offices," not at the manufacturing level.

The FDA said no samples were taken during the inspection because, "the FDA had already completed regulatory testing of sealed retail samples of product formulas most frequently mentioned in reports submitted to the agency."

"Whether to collect and test... during a facility inspection is a field decision made at the discretion of a trained FDA investigator," the agency said. "Part of the comprehensive animal food inspection conducted at the Clinton, Iowa facility included an evaluation of adverse event reports that were submitted to Purina directly, as well as a review of the firm’s preventive controls, to determine whether there were any failures."

Had the reports been "substantive and contained more information and evidence than those reports submitted to the FDA," then the investigators may have collected and tested samples during the inspection, the FDA told VERIFY.

In a statement emailed to VERIFY, Purina spokesperson Lorie Westhoff said:

"The FDA’s investigation confirmed that there are no quality or safety issues with Purina pet foods. The quality and safety of our products is our highest priority, and we respect that the FDA invested time and resources into investigating any potential concerns. We always encourage consumers to contact us directly if they have any questions about Purina products and to consult their veterinarian if they have questions about their pet’s health."

The FDA said it continues to monitor and evaluate submitted reports from pet owners and veterinarians. You can submit a report through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator.

Editor's note: The video below is from VERIFY's initial coverage in January 2024, before the FDA report was released.

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