Video of maggot-filled dog food goes viral

MURCHISON, Tex. (FOX 13) - A Texas woman has opened a can of worms – literally. The video she posted on Facebook of a dog food can apparently crawling with maggots has gone viral.

Cynthia Chapman of Murchison, Texas, says the first thing she does every morning is feed her dogs. But on Friday, the usual morning feeding did not go as planned. When she opened the can of wet dog food, which she usually mixes with dry kibble, she noticed something odd – it was moving.

That movement was maggots. Hundreds of them. Wiggling and writhing inside the can of 4Health brand salmon and potatoes dog food. 

Chapman said she has always used 4Health brand food, and never had an issue with the highly rated brand until this incident. She also said she just purchased the can of food a few days ago, and that it was not damaged or expired.

Chapman says she reached out to Tractor Supply Company, where she purchased the food. TSC told Chapman that they are conducting an investigation and tracking down any cans that may have been in the same batch.

A source familiar with the matter told FOX 13: "During production, cans are filled and sealed, then processed under pressure at high temperatures in accordance with science-based standards and practices to ensure product safety. The food is cooked inside the sealed can to a temperature that guarantees food safety."

The source also said, "This situation is highly unusual and would be virtually impossible given the manufacturing and packing processes."

The company said the health and well-being of animals is top priority and issued a statement saying, " An isolated and highly unusual situation was recently brought to our attention with respect to one can of 4health dog food.  After working with the manufacturer to investigate the matter, we’re confident the issue was caused by the individual can being compromised. We have rigorous product safety standards and take every step to protect our clients’ pets and sincerely apologize to the customer who was impacted by this isolated situation."

The company reached out to Chapman to try to resolve the situation.