diff --git a/comm.go b/comm.go
index 86380a74..b313943e 100644
--- a/comm.go
+++ b/comm.go
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/network"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/peer"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-msgio"
-	"github.com/libp2p/go-msgio/protoio"
 
 	pb "github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-pubsub/pb"
 )
@@ -126,7 +125,7 @@ func (p *PubSub) handleNewPeer(ctx context.Context, pid peer.ID, outgoing <-chan
 	}
 
 	go p.handleSendingMessages(ctx, s, outgoing)
-	go p.handlePeerEOF(ctx, s)
+	go p.handlePeerDead(s)
 	select {
 	case p.newPeerStream <- s:
 	case <-ctx.Done():
@@ -142,19 +141,16 @@ func (p *PubSub) handleNewPeerWithBackoff(ctx context.Context, pid peer.ID, back
 	}
 }
 
-func (p *PubSub) handlePeerEOF(ctx context.Context, s network.Stream) {
+func (p *PubSub) handlePeerDead(s network.Stream) {
 	pid := s.Conn().RemotePeer()
-	r := protoio.NewDelimitedReader(s, p.maxMessageSize)
-	rpc := new(RPC)
-	for {
-		err := r.ReadMsg(&rpc.RPC)
-		if err != nil {
-			p.notifyPeerDead(pid)
-			return
-		}
 
+	_, err := s.Read([]byte{0})
+	if err == nil {
 		log.Debugf("unexpected message from %s", pid)
 	}
+
+	s.Reset()
+	p.notifyPeerDead(pid)
 }
 
 func (p *PubSub) handleSendingMessages(ctx context.Context, s network.Stream, outgoing <-chan *RPC) {