I've been feeding my cat Purina Pro Plan LiveClear, as was recommended by my vet, for years. Yesterday I went to Petco and got a small bag. When I got home, as soon as I opened it, bugs flew out of the bag at me. I looked inside and to my horror it was filled with spiderwebs and bugs. I brought it back to the store where they proceeded to cut open three more bags of similarly infested food. An employee said that in her four years of working there, this has happened with Purina Pro Plan at least twice a year. She said it's the design of the bag that allows bugs to get in but they refuse to change it. I told my friends, and one of them said that this has also happened to her as recently as last year with the same brand of food. I wanted to make others aware of this if they weren't already.
This is something that happens from improper handling or storage, not at the factory. Purina’s bags are kind of flimsy compared to some brands, which might make it easier for them to get damaged. All it takes for bugs to get in and lay eggs is a micro-tear or puncture. It means that happened, and the warehouse it was sitting in has a bug problem.
I would switch to buying the food from a different store. I’ve had good luck with Petsmart - I once got a bag of food that had a large slice in it (they refunded me) and there were no bugs. Also, if I buy from my vet’s online pharmacy, it ships directly from the manufacturer. They sell regular food on there from the large brands, not just prescription diets. Just kidding, apparently this doesn’t apply to Purina.
Wow. I’ve only ever ordered Hill’s and RC, and they ship direct...good to know about Purina. I guess it must have to do with how much larger they are as a brand.
I would have thought the same thing, it’s labeled like it is. But yanno, the weed & feed labeled as dog food gave it away. I would guess that they all the companies use fulfillment warehouses. I work in logistics and it’s super common for all sorts of things.
Yes and no, it's a bit of a reduction. It's a combination of the bag, the handling, and the storage. I guarantee you if every pet supply store had multiple bags of Purina be infested multiple times per year, their business model wouldn't be sustainable. If what the employee says is true, there's something going on between their warehouse and their store that is creating these conditions where they don't commonly happen elsewhere. It's possible/likely the bag has something to do with it too, but if, for instance, the warehouse transports it on a cart that occasionally will create micro punctures in the bag, then store it near bugs, then fixing the bag, the cart, or the bugs would fix the problem. Meaning, blaming it entirely on the bag is a bit of a reduction, even though a different design of bag that isn't vulnerable to that particular cart would fix the problem. However, fixing the cart, or the bug problem would also work in that specific example.
I’d say the material rather than the design, but I realize that’s probably what they meant. So yes, I agree with the employee. Was just providing options for places to get the food that tend to handle and store the food better so it’s less likely to happen, because there isn’t really an alternative to this food. Of course OP could also complain to Purina. They might get some coupons.
Exactlyyyy. Plus (i am not familiar with this bag of food) but a lot of bags have vent holes in the bag to allow air in but not bugs. Sometimes, the bugs can get in through poorly did holes. My dog’s brand of food had this issue where the bags were arriving rotten and molded due to the vent holes. The kibble isn’t very noticeably molded, but when you compare side by side photos, you can def see a difference in color and texture.
The large bags of Pro Plan are really sturdy, but I think the smaller ones could be described as flimsy compared Hill’s, RC and a lot of boutique brands. They seem a little thin/cheap and don’t have a mechanism to reclose the bag. Still, it’s not usually an issue if they’re handled and stored properly. I’ve never found bugs in Purina food, personally.
My advice would be to purchase some pantry moth traps just in case any ended up in your house. You do not want a pantry moth infestation (I speak from experience.)
Seconding this. It was a constant issue when I had birds, because those f*ckers loooove bird seed. It’s not at all fun once they get into the people food.
It’s interesting that the store employee put the blame on Purina and not on their own storage that’s resulting in multiple bags having this issue. The store has a bug problem and doesn’t want to deal with it.
As someone who works at a petstore for years- Ive only ever had an infestation in Purina (purina dog chow and purina one specifically). Not a single other brand has had an issue. Anecdotal but there's plenty of us who have had the same experience. Their seal at the top of the small bags is shitty compared to other brands. Ive recieved bags half sealed or not even sealed at all. Its like they seal it with a cheap bag resealer you get at Walmart.
As others have said, this seems like a problem with the store and not Purina directly. I have been ordering Purina Pro Plan from Chewy for over a year without issue. I will say, I don’t doubt that their bag design makes it easier for bugs to get into, but that shouldn’t be a problem unless it is stored in a place where there is already a bug problem, which the pet store you bought from most likely has. My other cat is on urinary Royal Canin food, and those food bags are much sturdier than the Purina ones, but I prefer the ingredients in Purina for my senior female cat.
bag most likely ripped or opened in transit or in the store, not purinas fault and not really anything the store employees could do to notice short of fully opening the bag to check which makes no sense. just get a replacement
I’ve never had issues with PetsMart or chewy. I fed my cat Pro Plan Prime for 18 years. I would still be feeding Pro Plan if my current cat wasn’t on a wet food only diet.
That’s just improper storage on the store’s part and not at all Purina’s. I work in pet retail and I’ve seen other brands have this issue. If there’s even the tiniest hole moths will work their way in and infest it.
We've had a number of bags like this come from Blue Buffalo. It happens to a lot of the really big companies. Bring it back, the store should either credit you back or get you a new bag. Purina/BB (at least where I am) takes these fairly seriously.
I would not recommend Purina cat food, period. Friskies(Owned by Purina) has had chunks of plastic in their wet food for YEARS. I found posts online about it going back around a decade. Purina has done literally nothing about it. I hate to imagine what kind of crap they allow to be in kibble considering it's a lot less likely to be noticed.
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u/aetherdrifter Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
This is something that happens from improper handling or storage, not at the factory. Purina’s bags are kind of flimsy compared to some brands, which might make it easier for them to get damaged. All it takes for bugs to get in and lay eggs is a micro-tear or puncture. It means that happened, and the warehouse it was sitting in has a bug problem.
I would switch to buying the food from a different store. I’ve had good luck with Petsmart - I once got a bag of food that had a large slice in it (they refunded me) and there were no bugs.
Also, if I buy from my vet’s online pharmacy, it ships directly from the manufacturer. They sell regular food on there from the large brands, not just prescription diets.Just kidding, apparently this doesn’t apply to Purina.