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Purina One Large Breed Puppy food warning

38K views 37 replies 28 participants last post by  N sta  
#1 ·
I saw this on another forum, it's not even a dog forum. I don't know if it was the food for sure or not, but if you feed this food be careful. It's a cut & paste, but I thought it was important.


"Just a warning for for any of you ladies that are feeding your puppies Purina One Large Breed Puppy food.
We just switched our 4 month old Husky to this brand and within less than 2 weeks from switching he died (this past Friday). Prior to the food switch he was in perfect condition without any health problems. We made the food transition as reccomended by slowly micing hte new food into his regular food. The vet saw him 3 days before he died and said he had a failing liver and this could be due to food contamination. Since the food change was the only thing that was the only change made to his enviroment I am worried this could be the case.
I have contacted Purina and am sending them a sample of the food for testing. I just wanted to warn anyone using this type of food or considering switching to this type of food just in case it has been contaminated. I would hate to see anyone else on this board loose a puppy."
 
#3 · (Edited)
I don't know for sure, it is the internet. But...if it is, I'd rather share what I read rather than reading about another tragedy because I didn't. This was posted on a bargain forum of all places.

She seems geniune, here's an email I just recieved from her with more details:

Hello Kristy.

We had been feeding our dog IAMs Puppy. My husband has been out of town for work for a few weeks and we were running out of dog food. I wasn't able to get to Sam's Club, where we had been buying
the IAMs, with the 3 kids. So I ran up to Target to get more IAMS and they didn't have any in the puppy formula. I asked the guy working over there if he had any kind he would reccommend and he
said the Purina One. I feel terrible even saying that because if it was the food that caused our puppy's death I will regret not going to Sam's to get the IAMs for the rest of my life. Everything
was just so hectic here with 3 small kids and no help that I thought as long as I mixed the new food with the old IAMs and gradually got him used to it he would be fine.

This whole thing has been terrible. Trying to take care of the dog. I took him to the vet when he started looking sick and they said he had liver failure. They did xrays and ran tests. Basically
said it could have been contaminated food as it was not a virus or an abstruction. They sent me home with 4 meds and IV's I had to administer as well as food I had to force feed him thru a syringe.
It was a bad few days trying to take care of him and with the kids seeing him getting sicker, plus with my husband out of town. I tried for 2 days with the meds, IV's and force feeding and on that
last night he passed away in his sleep.

My 4 year old is taking it really hard.

Thanks for your sympathy. I'll let you know what I find out from Purina after the food is tested.

Tara
 
#6 ·
I am a bit suspicious...if it were my puppy I would be screaming at the top of my lungs exactly which store I bought the food and when...so that the store would get the hint to pull the food off the shelf until the food (and their store) were cleared as a source of contamination.... yet the writer makes no mention of the state, nevermind the city or store location?

There is no mention of the name, breed, age of the puppy...if my beloved puppy were dead...I would want everyone to know at least his name....

Anyone on this board ever been sent home with a puppy in liver failure on an IV drip?

Apologies if offend anyone, but with the details presented so far, this sounds a bit hinky to me...Just my suspicous side coming through.....
 
#7 ·
My sister works at Purina here in St. Louis (HQ) and is usually quick to forward on to me any press releases of statements related to these situations. I haven't heard anything as of today. This may be an isolated incident that is being taken care of or it may be a hoax.
 
#8 ·
Some people are so zealous about deterring people from commercial non-holistic food they will start something like this to scare people off. I've seen this type of thing on dogfood review sites. With that happening its hard to believe this type of thing unless it comes from official sources and that is too bad....
 
#11 · (Edited)
The first post said that it was a 4 month old Husky puppy. People grieve differently. I don't know if she called Target, that's where the Purina came from & not where she normally bought dog food. This was Purina One Large Breed Puppy according to the original source.

Back to my question is there an additional place that someone suggests for testing the food in question? She doesn't trust Purina. Do you want a link to the original thread? It's still ongoing & she's not the only one with an issue. I have informed her of the cross-post & according to her public profile she is in Michigan.
 
#12 ·
While there isn't any proof, you did the right thing by posting it. Argos was on Purina Pro Plan for a short time and did well on it, but I switched because I didn't feel it was healthy enough for him. Plus, he was a bit itchy, but that's him. Thanks.
 
#13 ·
Does any one else find it odd that a vet sent someone home with a pup dying of liver faliure? I too could do all the things he suggested, but not more testing etc. Does anone know if Huskey's get the liver shunt problem, or if the vet tested for it? I'd ask for a autopsy on the dog by another vet if not too late. It would be sad to scare the whole canine population, and blame purina, for a congenital probelm.
 
#19 ·
Does any one else find it odd that a vet sent someone home with a pup dying of liver faliure? I too could do all the things he suggested, but not more testing etc. Does anone know if Huskey's get the liver shunt problem, or if the vet tested for it? I'd ask for a autopsy on the dog by another vet if not too late. It would be sad to scare the whole canine population, and blame purina, for a congenital probelm.
There are numerous breeds that can suffer from the congenital liver shunt issue. Afflicted puppies often appear normal up until nearly the end.
 
#14 ·
This is cut/pasted from the FDA (United States Food and Drug Adminsitration Center for Veterinary Medicine)...
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/MenuFoodRecallFAQ.htm#PetFood

Although I didnt verify, I suspect they would tell you exactly what labratories to send any food samples...



Q: How do I report a reaction to a pet food?

Please call the FDA consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area. To find your coordinator, visit www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html. Try to have the following information available before calling:

Brand name, lot numbers, and Universal Product Code (UPC) for the pet food fed to your pet when it was ill. A lot number is typically stamped on the bag/pouch or on the can lid. Lot numbers usually consist of a series of letters and numbers.

If your pet received treatment by a veterinarian, his/her name, address, and telephone number

Date illness first noticed

Signs displayed by the pet

Any veterinary reports available
 
#15 ·
I dump my food into an airtight storage bin...never keeping the UPC and Lot Numbers - Looks like I should, just in case....
 
#17 ·
My sister still has not heard anything from Purina or her Managers. She is a telephone operator at Purina HQ's so she is the front line of recieving phone calls/complaints, but not emails. She said if there is a problem with any of their products, her department is notified first so they can direct the phone calls to the appropriate departments for resolution.

Just thought I'd pass this info on.....
 
#20 ·
#23 ·
As a veterinary technician I have never heard of vet sending a patient home with intravenous anything to be adminsitered by the owners. Just sounds ify...............
Same here on the iffiness. Also find it odd the vet would so readily conclude the food as the cause, especially as pups can get into all sorts of things they shouldn't, the chances of which only increase with young kids in the house and a busy mom with divided attention. And then there's the already mentioned acute/congenital liver conditions that can develop. Not saying the owner is deliberately being untruthful or that it's impossible food could have contributed/caution in feeding should be taken, yet something doesn't quite add up here and it seems premature to fault the food at this point.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I'm another one that questions not the issue of the death, or the grieving - or the food, but the statements about the veterinary care.

We spent a little over $15k on Chloe, from the day I brought her home, to the day she died, and never, not once, was I sent home with any sort of IV drugs to administer, and the only time she was sent home critically ill, was when she was last diagnosed with Lymphoma.

If this is all true, then my heart goes out to the poor woman, but those statements are definitely odd.
 
#26 ·
Please don't let this thread, which was originated in 2008, scare you. No one knows why this puppy got sick and died, but it was more likely an underlying health issue than the food.
 
#27 ·
There needs to be a way to indicate on this forum the age of threads. Maybe after a certain amount of time it could turn a different color? A thread that is 5 years old (and probably meaningless in the first place) got someone upset for no reason.
 
#28 ·
I saw this on another forum, it's not even a dog forum. I don't know if it was the food for sure or not, but if you feed this food be careful. It's a cut & paste, but I thought it was important.


"Just a warning for for any of you ladies that are feeding your puppies Purina One Large Breed Puppy food.
We just switched our 4 month old Husky to this brand and within less than 2 weeks from switching he died (this past Friday). Prior to the food switch he was in perfect condition without any health problems. We made the food transition as reccomended by slowly micing hte new food into his regular food. The vet saw him 3 days before he died and said he had a failing liver and this could be due to food contamination. Since the food change was the only thing that was the only change made to his enviroment I am worried this could be the case.
I have contacted Purina and am sending them a sample of the food for testing. I just wanted to warn anyone using this type of food or considering switching to this type of food just in case it has been contaminated. I would hate to see anyone else on this board loose a puppy."
I just emailed Purina of pics. I found moldy food clumped together on a bag of Purina pro large breed puppy chow. It also had black carbon substance on it that came off on my hands. Will not give anymore to my pup.
Image
 
#29 ·
I just emailed Purina of pics. I found moldy food clumped together on a bag of Purina pro large breed puppy chow. It also had black carbon substance on it that came off on my hands. Will not give anymore to my pup.
Can you tell how old that bag of food was? All dog food have an expected shelf life. Food in stores should be rotated to avoid food that is old. Obviously, something wasn't right about this bag of food. I am sure the company will completely check out this for themselves and follow up with you. Let us know of any updates...Purina is a major supplier, so many will want to know your outcome.....Good Luck
 
#30 ·
That can happen with Pro Plan with the shredded blend as 1/3 of the bag is those soft pieces they like to say are like shredded chicken. They are the exact same thing as the kibble, just died to the 10% moisture, they are about 25% moisture. The moisture level must higher there is greater chance for mold to grow if the level of preservatives is lower then it should.

It's a quality control issue Purina had has ever since they came out with the shredded blends. Also the reason you should feed the regular formulas and not the gimmick sheered blends. The regular and shredded formulas are different and the shredded they added soy, which isn't good for dogs overall.