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An Arizona family says a swarm of moths invaded their home and they couldn’t figure out how – until they opened up a brand new bag of dog food…
When Joseph Bochenek brought home an adorable new puppy, he wanted to feed his new Akita the best food he could buy. When a PetSmart associate pointed him to Purina Pro Plan, the new dog dad bought two big bags.
Three weeks later, he began noticing some new critters moving into his home.
“When it was dark, they’d fly at you, fly around you. As soon as you turn the light on to see what they were, they disappeared,” Bochenek told CBS5.
A swarm of moths had begun invading Bochenek’s home, but he couldn’t figure out where the pests were coming from. And then he opened up one of those brand new bags of dog food.
What he found inside that bag shocked him.
“Webs and bugs and all kinds of icky stuff,” he explained.
In fact, the infestation was so bad that Bochenek had to hire a pest control company to fog the entire house. Hundreds of dollars and a lot of headache later, he wants answers. He also wants to warn other pet parents.
PetSmart and Purina both responded to CBS5’s calls with the following statements:
PetSmart sent a statement, saying:At PetSmart, we strive to provide the best quality products for our pets and pet parents, and we will work with this pet parent to provide appropriate pest control services for their house.Purina sent a statement, saying:At Purina, product quality is our top priority, and there are no quality issues with our products. We make our products with strict quality controls and at temperatures that would prevent pests such as meal moths. Food products containing grain (including pet foods, flour, cereal and cake mixes) can occasionally have pests gain entry after the products are manufactured. Pests such as meal moths would not be expected to cause any pet health problems. We have been in contact with this consumer and are working to understand their situation and resolve any concerns.We welcome consumer feedback and encourage anyone with a product question or comment to reach us directly at the toll-free number or email address on every package.
Meanwhile, Bochenek urges other pet parents to check their dog food for creepy crawlies.
“If they have flying bugs, they should check it out and make sure it’s not coming from their dog food because we had no idea,” he said.
patricia moran
says:I too have found moths and worms in my dog food. I threw it out. we bought a new baG AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION…….SOON AFTER , WENT TO FEED OUR DOG……AND MOTHS FLEW OUT OF OUR SEAL TIGHT CONTAINERS. MY SON TOOK TJHM OUTSIDE AND WE CAN SEE THEM FLYINGF AROUND IN THERE. I AM AT LOSS AS TO WHAT TO DO. AFTER READING OTHER COMMENTS , I KNOW WE ARENT THE ONLY ONE WITH PROBLEMS WITH PURINA DOG FOOD.
Had the same issue with Purina ProPlan infested with moths, a brand new large bag which I had to toss. this is a disgrace. I am advised that this is a Purina issue and not the store.
Vicki
says:Just threw out a bag of Purina Pro Plan. Had it two weeks And then noticed cobwebs forming. Today worms in the scoop. Thank goodness it’s in an airtight container. No more Purina! Yes, they have a problem.
Bellla Amigo
says:I just purchased a bag of Wellness Core Small Breed dry dog food from Petco in Pembroke Pines yesterday. I opened it last night to feed the dogs and it was full of flying bugs. Moths I believe. I have had to return dog food back to Petco in Pembroke Pines and Hallandale Florida several times due to the food smelling bad or looking bad. Just a couple of weeks ago I returned one that smelled rancid. Im done with PETCO! I have just ordered from Chewey. I hope they are better.
Juanito Gomez
says:Had to dispose almost $100 in dog food of Blue Wilderness dry food. It was certainly wild that’s for sure.
Laura Zink
says:I just opened a sealed bag of Purina One tender selects brand of cat food. It had webs and moths all threw it. I’m in such disgust. I’m pregnant and I have a 13 month old so seeing this in my pets food when the bags been in my house for weeks unopened is very unsettling. I’m beyond an apology and I’m bringing the bag back to get new safe food for my cat, not from Purina. How repulsing….
Steven
says:My Purina is infested. Our house suddenly has hundreds of moths and I could not figure out where they were coming from. Then I found the larvae in the dog food. I had no idea this could happen. Disgusting. I contacted Purina and was completely dismissed with a statement saying that "it isn't possible." Well, that a big lie. We all have proof.
Marya
says:I opened a bag of Purina One two weeks ago and saw the webs and several moths. I called Purina right away. The representative was very nice and within a few days I received a check in the mail to reimburse me. I was certainly not dismissed or told it was not possible.
Elizabeth McQuaid
says:If I was a lawyer, I would bring a class action lawsuit against Purina, Petsmart & Target. I went into my kitchen this morning and found larvae that look like giant maggots slithering over the top of the covered rubbermaid trash can I keep my dry dog food in. As I looked more closely, I discovered that these creepy slithering things were coming from the Beneful dry dog food inside the barrel. Talk about being furious! As we inspected the barrel more closely, I realized that the moths I've been seeing in my kitchen came from this dog food. I'm so angry I can't stand it. Purina is a huge, extremely profitable corporation, the fact that it would sell dog food it knows to be infested with moths and moth larvae is absolutely outrageous! Telling me that feeding my dogs food tainted with moths and larvae won't harm them is disgusting and makes me sick. I'd like the President and CEO of Purina to eat some infested food then tell me how harmless it is. So, where do I go from here? I have to destroy more than $100 worth of dry dog food. I need to call a pest control company to come into my home and kill these moths and their larvae before they infest the human food. No doubt that will cost me hundreds of dollars. As far as I'm concerned, Purina, Petsmart, and Target are all guilty of selling products it knows to be infested with moths. BE WARNED!
peggy a dragatis
says:This is bs purina needs a lawsuit to teach them to take pride in their product not thier pocket.
K. Wilson
says:Moths in our bags of Purina one smart blend.
It's not just Purina dog food. I just was infested with maggots now moths from grain free high dollar Nutro from Petco. It may have come contaminated from other dog foods but none the less a lot of people are having issues. When I called about the issues they said the worms would not harm the dogs but failed to tell me my house would be infested. I asked they take back the big container I had just filled that was infested and they wanted the packaging. I told them look up my petco account it will show my purchase. I don't keep the bags. I put a couple large bags in a plastic container for storage. They Petco was not helpful. Said all they could do was give me a discount on a new bag. I told them I pay 54.99 for this dog food why would I take a loss and have my house infested. The mgr argued with me so I took the container to a different location and that mgr gave store credit on 2-bags. Problem I have now is my house is infested with moths and I'm going to have to throw everything away in my pantry….who's going to cover the loss of my food??! I don't want to buy dog food again from petsmart or Petco. What are people to do if they are selling infested pet food!? Anyone have a suggestion to resolve our losses ?
Rene Lauer
says:Just happened to us. And now I see a pattern of Purina leaving its customers hanging and refusing to take responsibility. Purina Pro Plan puppy food bought at a Petco. It’s almost 2 weeks, we emptied and cleaned my pantry the minute we found them inside of the dog food bin and also in the original bag that we had sealed shut. The moths keep emerging which blows my mind since we have been so thorough. I asked Purina repeatedly where I could find a safe and reliable supplier (store, direct or mail order) that I could be assured would not have this problem. Purina refused to answer that question and claimed they sterilize their food, what happens afterwards is not their problem and implied we had them in our house. This is an unacceptable answer! #purinaPRfail. Man up, take responsibility, follow up on your suppliers and distributors. Petco said this happens ALL THE TIME!
Rene Lauer
says:Just happened to us. And now I see a pattern of Purina leaving its customers hanging and refusing to take responsibility. Purina Pro Plan puppy food bought at a Petco. It’s almost 2 weeks, we emptied and cleaned my pantry 3 times the minute we found them inside of the dog food bin and also in the original bag that we had sealed shut. The moths keep emerging which blows my mind since we have been so thorough. I asked Purina repeatedly where I could find a safe and reliable supplier (store, direct or via Amazon) that I could be assured would not have this problem. Purina refused to answer that question and claimed they sterilize their food, what happens afterwards is not their problem and implied we had them in our house. This is an unacceptable answer! #purinaPRfail. Man up, take responsibility, follow up on your suppliers and distributors. Petco said this happens ALL THE TIME!
Angela HatesPurinaOne
says:Happened to us too. Threw out over $1200.00 worth of food in our 120 sq ft pantry from an infestation that spread from Purina One Dog food in 36 hours. Filed a claim with Purina One and the super market (Vons) and was ignored. Switched to Blue Buffalo. We have 2 Rescue labs and will forever keep dogs- we willl never buy another Purina One product and will continue to spread the word of their negligence and dishonor.
Sue Whitman
says:Bag of Purina Pro Plan and Purina One — both infested with larvae, webs, and moths. Have never had this happen before–have fed my Goldens Purina Pro and One for years. Looking for other options now.
Molly Swipas
says:Purchased a bag of Purina One cat food and it was infested with black slimy bugs. It also infested another bag of food. I took them back and they were rude about it. Acted like it never happened, yeah right. I looked under the shelf where they keep the Purina One and there were years of cobwebs and filth. No wonder their food is bug infested. Done with Purina, and done with PetSmart.
A
says:Had the same issue with Petsmart in NE Florida. Opened a bag of food. BOOM moths flew out. I managed to cover the bag with another and zip it back up. We had bought 3 bags, one was fine, the other two were infested. The one that hadn’t been opened was held up to the light and we were able to see that there were moths fluttering around inside. (Yes, I got a video of the disgusting display). We took the food back for a refund and I’m definitely going to be calling PetSmart corporate about this. There’s no reason for this to be happening. They let us get an exchange and even opened up the bag of food that we left sealed. They definitely believe us now! 🙂 In case you were wondering, the food we gave them was the PetSmart brand of Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet. Whilst getting a replacement, we noticed that another one of the bags on the shelf had the strange web and insect carcass signs on the outside of the bag and we made sure to check them against light before we purchased… If this happens again, we’re definitely not going back and finding a new type of food. For any pet owner, you know that once you find the food your dogs can all agree on and not turn their nose up at, you really don’t want to change again…!
Lisa
says:I have not had the moths, but I have got these black bugs and larva and wormy things in Purina Smart blend Instinct which I bought from Petco. This has happened twice. Its disgusting and I no longer buy dog food from Petco. I don’t know if they are selling old food or if Purina has a quality control issue in their production lines, but I am not jeopardizing my dog’s health with bug infested food. So dog owners beware.
Bonnie Wall
says:We are having the same issue only it is with both our dog and cat dry foods. We store these in an air conditioned house and in air tight containers but when we open them up they are full of webs and these little moths. I don’t care if they are not harmful to my animals, I do not want them in the house or in my dogs and cats food. Is there a solution to keeping them out? I hate to change foods as it’s hard on a dog but I can’t live with these moths. They have invaded my dry panty also!
[…] of food with bugs in there, and do not care when customers complain. There are written articles (Family’s Bug Infestation Was Caused by Dog Food – The Dogington Post) about this exact same issue and still no action. All I am asking is for them to cease selling that […]
Ted Logan
says:Same thing happened to me last night. Disgusting. Hopefully I find all of the bugs before they infest the entire house.
Monkeytine
says:I have bought 2 bags of Purina Beneful, and both were infested with these pantry moths. Absolute NIGHTMARE. I hate bugs, and now I fear just opening a cupboard or a box of food. The last bag I bought, I put in an airtight dog food canister and left it in the back of my cupboard for about a month while I finished the previous bag of another brand of food. When I pulled out the Purina, there were at least 100 cocoons, larvae, and countless more eggs in the container all covered in a white silky substance. There were also about 10 full grown winged moths that flew out. Absolutely disgusting. Horror film quality.
Bonnie Yarnell
says:I bought Pro Plan and Purina One. 5 bags. All had webs and larvae and moths. This has been happening for months. I have had 4 dogs get cancer and die. Don’t know if the dog food had anything to do with it. I’m going to finally take this one back to Petsmart. The other bags I threw out.
Maria
says:My dog is not well after eating Purina dog food. She has pnumonia and is lethargic also had diarrhea and vomiting. Going back to vet tmrw
Victoria
says:I’ve been feeding this to my dog for years, never had a problem untill around 5 months ago when I noticed moths flying at me when I opened my dog’s food container bin. Next time we bought a bag we saw the problem, the bag was riddled with larvae and webs! Absolutely disgusting. Don’t feed this crap to your dog! I say it is Purina’s fault, I buy my dog food from Wal-Mart or Petco and the first time I noticed moths in the bin was a bag from Wal-Mart the next bag was from Petco. Own up to your bull Purina…
Cheryl Elenback
says:Had moths flying all over house. Moths in food purina one dog food. Gross when your watching TV and a moth flies by.
Tom
says:Just bought a large bag of Purina loaded with
Beetles and Larvae. I am returning it tomorrow. Some of the food has whitish gray areas that when opened reveal an insect larvae. There are also some small brown beetles crawling around in it. This is not the first time either. My last bag apparently also had bugs but I thought they had gotten in there after it was opened. Not good.
OMG! I have been trying to figure out why I have so many moths in my house. I asked all my neighbors and noone else has them. I was baffled. I have been feeding my dogs Purina Pro Plan lamb and rice dog food for about 8 years. My dogs love it. Today, as I opened and poured the large bin full of dog food in, a bunch of moths flew into my face and felt attacked by them. I am still creeped out! It was horrible. Later in the evening, I was just gonna throw the whole large bin away. As I looked under the lid of the bin, I noticed it was full of white webbing, larvae and moths! I am still freaked out and traumatized. I have 2 more of the largest bags left because I buy them in bulk. I took the bags outside. My only option now is to swat as many moths as possible. After making phone calls about getting someone in to exterminate my house, I was afraid to do it. They said there are dangers of inhalation for myself and my precious dogs. So, it’s been awful because I have to avoid having strong chemicals in the house. This has got to be from this dog food, because my house is immaculate!!! I cannot believe this has happened!!!
joan
says:I recently noticed moths everywhere inside my house and didnt know where it was coming from until i noticed that the purina pro plan savor healthy weight managenent was full of live bugs, i am dissappointed in the quality of the food, 50$ for a bag of dog food highly recommended by my vet. I will never recommend this brand to other people.
Larry
says:I bought 2 bags of Purina One for my dogs. The first was opened and used while I was on vacation. I opened the seconfg and found webs and moths. I returned the bag to PetsMart this morning. They didn’t even look in the bag. Said it has been happening a lot lately in their warehouse. The cashier even rattled off 4 or 5 brands it was most common in. (I think they are all ones with stitched closure instead of glued or taped.)
I got a replacement bag and it too had evidence of webs on the outside. I got my money back and an waiting for a call from PetsMart corporate. They know there is a problem and continue selling these products. PetsMart has lost a 15 year customer. I guess you have to cut corners to have the lowest prices.
Valerie
says:Of course Purina says it’s not their fault. Nothing is ever their fault. Except it generally always is.
I have seen moths in dog food many times. I used to work at a store similar to what Target is now and would see them flying around the pet dept. I finally figured out it was the dog food.
Frances
says:Got dog bones from PetSmart years ago and they were infested with bugs. I don’t buy any food from them any more.
Nancy Klein
says:Please Sir, I hope you are bring your puppy to the Vet to get tested for parasites, it could be deadly.