Bugs in Dog Treats

[elsiesmom]

I have purchased IAMS dog treats forever and until now had not noticed bugs in them. I am not sure what kind they are, they are small and dark brown. I thought maybe it may be something like the type you get in flour, etc. after storing in cabinet. Does anyone ever experience this, know what they are or how to get rid of them?

[RonE]

If they were there when you first opened the treats, I would take them back and ask for a refund. I'd probably use the refund to buy a different brand.

If they appeared after the package was open for a while, I'd throw them out and buy an air-tight container (RubberMaid, Tupperware or whatever) to store future treats in.

Welcome to dog forums.

[Shell&Jas]

I've never heard of anyone having that problem and i haven't myself. I'd say best to throw this batch out.

[lovemygreys]

What Ron said!

[amsey]

I have an air tight treat container & just found some kind of little brown bugs crawling around in it. There must be 50 bugs or so. The treats are very old, I don't ever give them to my dog since she's packed on a few extra pounds. Dogforums.com is the first page that popped up on a search, so after doing do some more searching, I found this...

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2087.html

They are flour beetles. The beetle eggs are in the treats and if they sit too long,they will hatch into those little brown beetles. They won't hurt the dog as they carry no diseases or other parasites. They can also be found in cereal and flour. You can prevent them by putting the treats in the freezer for a few days after you buy them. This kills the eggs so the bugs don't hatch out.

[melgrj7]

Iams dog treats often come with bugs in them. We sell Iams at the store and it is a very frequent problem. The treats come sealed, and go home sealed, so it is a problem at the packaging end.

[Criosphynx]

the bugs you guys are describing are Bran/flour beetles... they are harmless....but yeah, you can freeze 'em out.

[robbenv]

We found those bugs in our Fluffy's treats, and now we think we saw one of them crawling on her belly. Has anyone heard of anything like this?

[jenica]

Bugs found in things like dog foods are usually dermestid beetles. Packaged foods often have the insect eggs in them when they are shipped but it is usually all consumed before they hatched. Check all dried foods in you cupboard as you will have to find the source of contamination. Check under your carpets as dermestid beetles will also feed on cloth fibers. Once you find the source you can get rid of them.
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Jenica


Guaranteed ROI

[Pasofino]

IMO, bugs = trash

Take it back for a refund rather than feed it.

I know dogs eat everything from dead animals to rotten food, but why purposely feed them old or bad treats? It more than likely cannot hurt them, but if you have to ask , then trash 'em!!

[robbenv]

yeah, we definitely haven't fed them to her since we saw the beetles! we saw the beetles in her treats, threw them out, and didn't see the beetles again until last night one was running around in her fur on her stomach. i think it's too big to be lice, and it looks exactly like the treat-bugs. could she be their new host, or is this just a coincidence?

[Pasofino]

Blech!!

I am sure it is just coincidence, since they are looking for wheat to eat, so unless she is made of wheat, no worries.

[alphadoginthehouse]

I've never heard of anyone having that problem and i haven't myself. I'd say best to throw this batch out.

I have found them at radom times. I throw out the treats, clean the container and use it again. They look worse than they really are but I don't intentionally feed bug infested treats to the dogs. I never thought of freezing the treats tho...good idea!

[sandbar]

I know the info in this thread is several years old but I wanted to say "thank you" to everyone! I was completely grossed out when I opened my dog's treats and found little beetles in there. It happened once before in some other treats (both types from Trader Joe's) but I didn't put two & two together until I searched the internet and found this site. I will be freezing all my dog's treats from now on. I have to admit the ones that I found the bugs in were quite old, long enough for the eggs to hatch I guess!