diff --git a/codecs/common.go b/codecs/common.go
index 41ff6f3..e44050d 100644
--- a/codecs/common.go
+++ b/codecs/common.go
@@ -38,3 +38,14 @@ func (d *videoDepacketizer) IsPartitionTail(marker bool, _ []byte) bool {
 func (d *videoDepacketizer) SetZeroAllocation(zeroAllocation bool) {
 	d.zeroAllocation = zeroAllocation
 }
+
+// resizeUint16Slice resizes the provided slice to the desired size, or
+// allocates a new slice if needed. The contents are unspecified; the
+// caller must overwrite every element.
+func resizeUint16Slice(s []uint16, desiredSize int) []uint16 {
+	if cap(s) >= desiredSize {
+		return s[:desiredSize]
+	}
+
+	return make([]uint16, desiredSize)
+}
diff --git a/codecs/vp9_packet.go b/codecs/vp9_packet.go
index 23c1e56..2eff473 100644
--- a/codecs/vp9_packet.go
+++ b/codecs/vp9_packet.go
@@ -452,8 +452,8 @@ func (p *VP9Packet) parseSSData(packet []byte, pos int) (int, error) { // nolint
 	p.NG = 0
 
 	if p.Y {
-		p.Width = make([]uint16, NS)
-		p.Height = make([]uint16, NS)
+		p.Width = resizeUint16Slice(p.Width, int(NS))
+		p.Height = resizeUint16Slice(p.Height, int(NS))
 		for i := 0; i < int(NS); i++ {
 			if len(packet) <= (pos + 3) {
 				return pos, errShortPacket
@@ -482,16 +482,21 @@ func (p *VP9Packet) parseSSData(packet []byte, pos int) (int, error) { // nolint
 
 		p.PGTID = append(p.PGTID, packet[pos]>>5)
 		p.PGU = append(p.PGU, packet[pos]&0x10 != 0)
-		R := (packet[pos] >> 2) & 0x3
+		reference := int((packet[pos] >> 2) & 0x3)
 		pos++
 
-		p.PGPDiff = append(p.PGPDiff, []uint8{})
+		if i >= cap(p.PGPDiff) {
+			p.PGPDiff = append(p.PGPDiff, []uint8{})
+		} else {
+			p.PGPDiff = p.PGPDiff[:i+1]
+			p.PGPDiff[i] = p.PGPDiff[i][:0]
+		}
 
-		if len(packet) <= (pos + int(R) - 1) {
+		if len(packet) <= (pos + reference - 1) {
 			return pos, errShortPacket
 		}
 
-		for j := 0; j < int(R); j++ {
+		for range reference {
 			p.PGPDiff[i] = append(p.PGPDiff[i], packet[pos])
 			pos++
 		}
diff --git a/codecs/vp9_packet_test.go b/codecs/vp9_packet_test.go
index 53ca92a..772edbf 100644
--- a/codecs/vp9_packet_test.go
+++ b/codecs/vp9_packet_test.go
@@ -221,6 +221,57 @@ func TestVP9Packet_Unmarshal(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Two descriptors that populate every slice field.
+// The first also carries layer info and uses 3 spatial layers; the
+// second omits layer info and shrinks to 2 layers, so a reused packet must
+// shed the first packet's extra layer and layer-info values.
+//
+//nolint:gochecknoglobals
+var (
+	vp9SS3Layers = []byte{0xFE, 0x11, 0x51, 0x02, 0x58, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 3, 0, 4, 0, 5, 0, 6, 0x01, 0x14, 0x03, 0xAA}
+	vp9SS2Layers = []byte{0xDE, 0x12, 0x04, 0x38, 0, 7, 0, 8, 0, 9, 0, 10, 0x01, 0x14, 0x05, 0xBB}
+)
+
+// vp9TrimForReuse zeroes a VP9Packet while keeping its slices' capacity, the
+// reset a reuse-oriented caller performs between Unmarshal calls.
+func vp9TrimForReuse(p *VP9Packet) {
+	*p = VP9Packet{
+		PDiff:   p.PDiff[:0],
+		Width:   p.Width[:0],
+		Height:  p.Height[:0],
+		PGTID:   p.PGTID[:0],
+		PGU:     p.PGU[:0],
+		PGPDiff: p.PGPDiff[:0],
+	}
+}
+
+// Unmarshalling into a reused VP9Packet must produce exactly the same packet
+// as a fresh parse.
+func TestVP9Packet_Unmarshal_ReusedPacket(t *testing.T) {
+	fresh := VP9Packet{}
+	_, err := fresh.Unmarshal(vp9SS2Layers)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// After a trim, every field must match a fresh parse.
+	reused := VP9Packet{}
+	_, err = reused.Unmarshal(vp9SS3Layers)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	vp9TrimForReuse(&reused)
+	_, err = reused.Unmarshal(vp9SS2Layers)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, fresh, reused)
+}
+
+func TestVP9Packet_Unmarshal_ReusedPacketDoesNotAllocate(t *testing.T) {
+	p := VP9Packet{}
+	allocs := testing.AllocsPerRun(100, func() {
+		vp9TrimForReuse(&p)
+		_, err := p.Unmarshal(vp9SS3Layers)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+	})
+	assert.Zero(t, allocs)
+}
+
 func TestVP9Payloader_Payload(t *testing.T) {
 	r0 := int(rand.New(rand.NewSource(0)).Int31n(0x7FFF)) //nolint:gosec
 	var rands [][2]byte