Pet food producer Purina has said online claims that its products have caused dogs and cats to become ill or die are nothing but false rumors.
“Pet parents continue to be understandably scared by an online rumor that there is an issue with Purina pet foods. This rumor is false, and we are saddened to see the confusion and fear that it has caused,” the company said on Monday.
“There are no health or safety issues with our products, and they can continue to be fed with confidence.”
In their statement, Purina said the online rumors were manufactured while suggesting reputation destruction for profit.
“Several individuals are working together to spread the rumor that there are issues with Purina products,” the company said.
“Many of them market and/or sell products that compete with Purina, and some have served as paid social media influencers to promote products and brands that are not being actively targeted by this rumor.”
Purina recommended “researching the source of these posts.”
The claims that the Purina Pro Plan assortment induced vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, seizures, rapid weight loss, and rectal bleeding in pets were amplified on social media in December by a Facebook group called “Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time”.
On Jan. 8, group administrator Kelly Bone wrote in a post that she had received almost 969 reports of dogs or cats becoming suddenly ill and 234 dying after being fed Purina products.
The claims soon found their way to TikTok, where they were widely circulated.
Lorie Westhoff, a Purina spokesperson, told Today that the “Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time” Facebook group has not been collaborative when it came to sharing information.
She gave the example of how the company contacted a person from this group who had shared her story, who then “was unwilling to provide us with vet records or food samples and would not allow us to contact her veterinarian.”
“Without more information, we simply cannot investigate despite being more than willing to do so,” she said.
The lack of communication did not stop Purina from starting its own internal research. The company said its quality assurance team reviewed all incoming consumer complaints and quality verification for the past year, which includes ingredient testing, production process analytics, and quality tests of the finished products.
Purina’s Office of Consumer Affairs, which investigates product complaints in collaboration with veterinarians, nutritionists, and a toxicologist, did the same.
“Both teams have found no data or trend that would indicate a product issue that has not been previously addressed,” Purina said.
“As a company that feeds more than 100 million cats and dogs each year, we don’t take risks with pet health ever,” the company stressed.
Purina’s statement also dispelled rumors that it was doing a “silent recall” of its products, stating that recalls are always immediately communicated to the FDA, consumers, retailers, and veterinarians.
Social Media Influencers
Ms. Westhoff named two people who she said helped spread the allegations online, the first being Rachel Fusaro, who has a quarter of a million followers on Tiktok. Her Instagram and Amazon accounts feature paid partnerships with a couple of dog food brands. She’s since taken down the videos that accused Purina.
Ms. Westoff also mentioned Dr. Judy Morgan, a veterinarian who is a moderator for the “Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time” Facebook group and who also has a partnership with a few dog food brands.
Dr. Morgan told NBC News she has not profited from her warnings to pet owners. She recommends multiple dog food brands on her social media accounts and e-commerce site, she said, adding that she is paying to get Purina food tested in an independent laboratory.
“I am not trying to make money off of this. I am actually spending my own money to get this problem solved,” Dr. Morgan said.
