# Insects in Purina One



## diverdogsfl (Sep 28, 2009)

Does anyone have any experience with finding insects and larvae in bags of Purina One? We are seeing eggs, larvae and flying insects hatching in the bags (34 lbs) of the Lamb & Rice and the Weight Management formulas. 

We talked with Purina and they have simply sent coupons, but of course deny any responsibility. 

We store the bags in special Rubbermaid airtight containers with wheels and made for dog food, so we are pretty sure it's not entering after we get the bags home. 

The incidence of this for us is getting pretty high and each bag brings us new unwanted guests. Any thoughts on this?

Initially, we complained to Purina and they said "throw it out and we'll send coupons for new." 

We did that, We even switched retailers, from Petsmart to Petco and got the same bugs. Purina did NOT want to see the bugs or photos of them and the parting remark from customer service was "they're not toxic!"


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

How many different bags has this happened with?


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## diverdogsfl (Sep 28, 2009)

Over about a year, probably at least five or six bags (or more) and in some different sizes. For example, Sams sells this brand only in the Lamb & Rice formula, but in 44 lbs bags. I switched to Petsmart and got 34lb bags and had same problem. Then to Petco and same problem, so we think its factory or distributor level infestation.

Present solution, not wanting to throw out hundreds of pounds of food, is baking the chow slowing in the outdoor BBQ grill at about 400 degrees F on trays. This is slow, but apparently kills the bugs.

We have had the same bugs turn up in Milk Bone packages as well. Those too from Sams Club. Again, the manufacturer provided coupons to replace the products.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I would not use these food products again. I think you'll find there are many quality foods out there and considering that with most you will feed considerable less, they aren't too much more in price. If you want to stick with Purina, try Pro Plan. Many here have good results with the original formula chicken and rice. I really like the Fromm foods, Innova, Acana to just name a few. If they are really so lax and uncaring that their prodicts are contaminated, I wouldn't consider them interested in the welfare of my pet's nutrition.


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## diverdogsfl (Sep 28, 2009)

I agree with that strategy and we know others using Pro Plan. 

Until these bugs turned up in the Milk Bone as well, I was pretty much sure it was a Purina problem. Now, I'm not sure. Where we live, resources are somewhat limited and i think that perhaps the retailers and distributors are not moving product fast enoug.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

Where is the food stored? It just seems odd the same bugs would be found in both the kibble and the Milk Bones...


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## diverdogsfl (Sep 28, 2009)

As I said before, the food is stored in airtight storage bins es[ecially designed for dog food storage. They easily handle the 44 lb bags and smaller. These bins have been sanitized before each new bag is put in them.


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

When I buy a bag of kibble I very carefully inspect the bag all around the seal at the top and bottom. I cannot tell you how many bags I have come across that have holes in them or the seal has come apart. If a bag of food is sitting with a hole in it on a store shelf you can bet bugs are going to get in and the quality of the food is going to deteriorate. 

You mentioned BBQing the kibble. I really wouldn't do that. It would be very damaging to the nutrients in the food as well as BBQ has been implicated as a carcinogen. 

Personally I would find another brand of food to use. First of all its a big inconvenience and secondly the company doesn't seem to give a care that this is an issue with their product.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

That's disgusting. Bugs in dog food isn't ok. To me it says its not stored properly. 

That said....this is why I pop my pasta and flour in the freezer after I buy it. Bug eggs within the grain aren't killed by the heat, but freezing does kill them. I guess that would be the same with dog food.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Thanks for posting this. I told our daughter & her boyfriend. They feed this food to their GSD and golden.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

This can happen in grain products. Sometimes we find it in the horse's grain.

It sounds to me as though you are probably bringing them home from the store. They are probably storing large quantities. The contamination can happen anywhere, anytime after processing.

Try some smaller bags from a store that has a quicker turnover.

When we find the larvae in the horse feed, it's usually at the bottom of the barrel. We throw it out and hose out the feed container and leave it to dry in the sun.

Be sure to check your flours and cereals. It's the same bugs.

Generally pretty :yuck::yuck::yuck: and gross.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I've been told (don't know if it's true) that the bugs are actually in the packaging, especially the glue on the seams, not in the food. If the food doesn't turn over fast enough, then the bugs will hatch and get into the food.
So they claim.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

hotel4dogs said:


> I've been told (don't know if it's true) that the bugs are actually in the packaging, especially the glue on the seams, not in the food. If the food doesn't turn over fast enough, then the bugs will hatch and get into the food.
> So they claim.



Ewwwww! I'm gonna be paranoidly (word?) checking all my food now!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

That rings a bell now that you mention it. In fact I don't remember ever getting bugs in the grain in the burlap bags which have much greater exposure. Just in the bags that are glued and sewn.



hotel4dogs said:


> I've been told (don't know if it's true) that the bugs are actually in the packaging, especially the glue on the seams, not in the food. If the food doesn't turn over fast enough, then the bugs will hatch and get into the food.
> So they claim.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I remember finding that and worms in the Canidae that I was buying for Beau so I switched him to something else. It just grossed me out too much.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

or open things like flour, sugar, rice, etc. when you buy them (if you don't use it up quickly) and dump it into airtight tupperware type containers.
I even store stuff like that in the freezer in tupperware if I'm not going to use it up pretty quickly (like the cornmeal I use for hushpuppies, which I don't make very often!)




missmarstar said:


> Ewwwww! I'm gonna be paranoidly (word?) checking all my food now!


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## redhare (Mar 12, 2008)

Did they look like this?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianmeal_moth

We got them in birdseed and they are terribly hard to eradicate. It's taken us over a year to fully get them out of the house (traps, scrub out cupboards and behind appliances, etc.); they travel everywhere and breed like crazy! They even eat through plastic bags! Yuk!:yuck:

The birdseed is no longer being kept in the garage.....


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

Wow, maybe this is why my Gravy was lumpy this week. Bugs!

Just kidding 



hotel4dogs said:


> or open things like flour, sugar, rice, etc. when you buy them (if you don't use it up quickly) and dump it into airtight tupperware type containers.
> I even store stuff like that in the freezer in tupperware if I'm not going to use it up pretty quickly (like the cornmeal I use for hushpuppies, which I don't make very often!)


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

Eewwwwww!!!!

Are these the type of bugs that give dogs roundworms or the like? Have you had your pup(s) stool checked at the vet recently?

I will be thoroughly inspecting Molson's food when I get home!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Now that one should have come with a "spew alert".
I spit my coffee all over the screen laughing when I read it!




NuttinButGoldens said:


> Wow, maybe this is why my Gravy was lumpy this week. Bugs!
> 
> Just kidding


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

nope, they are perfectly harmless.
Gross, but harmless.



esSJay said:


> Eewwwwww!!!!
> 
> Are these the type of bugs that give dogs roundworms or the like? Have you had your pup(s) stool checked at the vet recently?
> 
> I will be thoroughly inspecting Molson's food when I get home!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

spew alert....

One evening many many years ago my husband and I were sharing a nice romantic late evening snack in front of the TV set. We were having some rye krisp crackers with butter, salami, herring, a real nice snack tray, just the light from the TV, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, etc (we probably weren't married yet, LOL).
We ran out of crackers, so I told him I'd go to the kitchen and get some more out of the box. 
Everything was all jumbled on the kitchen counter, so I put the light on to get the crackers. I grabbed some out of the box, went to put them on a dish, and saw they were CRAWLING with those little mealybugs. I mean just loaded with them.
I let out a SHRIEK, he came to see what was wrong, we both about vomited. Talk about ruining a romantic mood!


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Dude. Bugs freak me out.

Bugs in FOOD would put me over the edge. 

I remember in 8th grade science we learned about what "could" be in your food. I can't tell you how many different foods I refused to eat that year.

UGSHgdkjshdklsds. I'm totally checking any and all food. Oh, and my normally empty freezer ('sept frozen Kongies) will be loaded with stuff.

Ew.


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## diverdogsfl (Sep 28, 2009)

No worries about baking this food in the outdoor grill. Not carcenogenic..no charcoal and no contact with the grill itself, just very hot oven for fifteen minutes. Most manufacturers of kibble also use high heat to "sanitize" food before they package it.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

hotel4dogs said:


> spew alert....
> 
> One evening many many years ago my husband and I were sharing a nice romantic late evening snack in front of the TV set. We were having some rye krisp crackers with butter, salami, herring, a real nice snack tray, just the light from the TV, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, etc (we probably weren't married yet, LOL).
> We ran out of crackers, so I told him I'd go to the kitchen and get some more out of the box.
> ...


This happened to me when I was a teen. I was happily eating Rice Krispys and then happened to look down to see little worms all over...the exact same size as the Rice Krispys.

To this day I have never eaten a bowl of that cereal and I never will.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Since it was in two separate products and from multiple stores, it sounds like an issue with your storage. I know you're using high quality bins and such, but it really is the simplest and most likely explanation.


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