‘I see it every day in my practice’: Pet nutritionist calls out No. 1-recommended dog food brand. Here’s the problem

People really, really do not play about their pets. As such, pet owners take pet food quality extremely seriously. Grain-free food versus grain-inclusive; “human-grade” versus “feed-grade”; raw diets versus kibble; the battles rage on.

One woman is currently going viral for calling out one particularly well-known pet food brand: Purina.

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Pet nutritionist Nicole McGrath (@nikkithepetnutritionist) shared a video criticizing “commonly recommended foods that may be wreaking havoc on your pets.” Her video has since accumulated more than 884,000 views.

“All right, everybody, let's talk about some commonly vet-recommended foods that I see are causing a lot of GI disorders, chronic inflammation, and quote, allergy symptoms in pets,” McGrath said. “Do you guys notice how a lot of the formulas on the market that are quote, ‘sensitive skin and stomach' do not contain corn, wheat, and soy in byproducts? Do you want to know why that is? Because these ingredients do trigger chronic inflammation long-term.”

McGrath filmed herself looking at Purina Pro Plan's ingredient list in the pet food aisle of a grocery store. She called whole grain wheat, corn, and soy “the most genetically modified crops on the market, heavily sprayed with glyphosate, aka Roundup weed killer.”

“Long-term exposure to this can lead to cancer,” McGrath said. “So tell me again how this food is science-backed. Who's funding the science? Oh yeah, the big corporations. They don't want your pets healthy.”

McGrath also alleged that “Purina tests some of the highest for mycotoxins, aka mold, and heavy metals.” She criticized veterinarians for “refusing to see” the harm of such pet foods, claiming that “they're heavily sponsored and trained by these big corporations.”

“It's not science, it's money,” McGrath said. “Over the past 13 years, I've taken thousands of dogs off these foods.”

Do McGrath's claims about grains hold up to scrutiny?

McGrath's central claim—namely, that corn, wheat and soy are common drivers of allergies and chronic inflammation in dogs—does not appear to align with the general consensus among board-certified veterinary nutritionists.

In 2012, Veterinary Practice News (VPN) rounded up four diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. All four said grains are rarely responsible for food allergies in dogs. One board-certified veterinary nutritionist, Tufts University's Dr. Cailin Heinze, said the idea is “not based on any data.”

“Corn, wheat, and soy are usually innocent when accused of causing food allergies,” VPN wrote. “Clients, not veterinarians, often diagnose food allergies. There's a big difference between a true food allergy, which is rare, and a food intolerance.”

Pet health site Vetified echoes this, noting that “veterinary dermatologists and nutritionists have been pushing back against grain-free marketing claims for years.” Vetified published its article “in consultation with licensed veterinary professionals.”

“Decades of research [show] that true grain allergies in dogs are exceedingly uncommon,” Vetified writes. “The real culprits behind food-related skin problems are almost always specific proteins, most commonly beef, dairy, and chicken.”

@nikkithepetnutritionist Commonly recommended foods that may be wreaking havoc on your pets #dogfood #petnutrition #fyp ♬ original sound – nikkithepetnutritionist

What about the rest of the Purina allegations?

McGrath's claim about Purina's contamination levels also does not align with recent data. After receiving roughly 1,300 adverse event reports about Purina products between late 2023 and early 2024, the FDA tested both opened consumer samples and sealed retail packages. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the FDA confirmed Purina's products test negative for mycotoxins, pesticides, excess vitamin D, and pathogenic bacteria. The FDA also said they did not find metal levels “of clinical concern” either.

Glyphosate, however, is potentially carcinogenic—just as McGrath said. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen” in 2015. A peer-reviewed study published in ScienceDirect also documented “glyphosate residues in companion animal feeds.”

However, pet-health resource Four Leaf Rover reported in 2015 that grain-filled diets may actually protect dogs on this front.

“According to Health Research Institute Laboratories, a survey showed the amount of glyphosate/Roundup found in the urine of dogs on a kibble diet was 32 times the human average,” Four Leaf Rover wrote. “Those eating grain-free kibble had the highest levels, while those on raw diets had no detectable glyphosate. Researchers have tested oats and legumes and found they contribute higher glyphosate levels to humans, and are a predominant ingredient in grain-free pet food.”

Buzz News reached out to Purina via email and McGrath via contact form.