Consumers are being alerted about a certain brand that is allegedly killing pets. It reached to the point of a lawsuit being filed accusing Beneful dog food of containing animal toxin.
According to foxsanantonio.com, a multi-state case is being filed against Nestle Purina by the Morgan and Morgan law firm out of Tampa in Florida saying "Purina Beneful dog food is making pets sick and even causing death. The firm says more than 3,000 people have complained, saying they incurred extensive veterinary bills to have their dogs tested and treated for illnesses."
"It's all Beneful dog food. That's the common denominator," James Young, a lawyer in Tampa, Florida, said according to wjbf.com.
"Statistically speaking, the fact that this many dogs were affected by the same brand of dog food is pretty compelling," Young added.
Foxsanantonio.com noted that the lawsuit claimed one of the dog food's ingredients propylene glycol contained in Purina Beneful Health Weight, Purina Beneful Original, Purina Beneful Incredibites, Purina Beneful Healthy Growth for Puppies, Purina Beneful Healthy Smile, Purina Beneful Healthy Fiesta, Purina Beneful Healthy Radiance, and Purina Beneful Playful Life makes the pet sick and claims that this component is a "known animal toxin."
However, Dr. Brett Boatsman, a veterinarian at Neel Veterinary Hospital on N. MacArthur, said that the specified ingredient is not dangerous at all.
"It's one of the safest drugs, preservatives that's been proven by the FDA. So I think it's going to be difficult for them to prove that that did that," Dr. Boatsman said.
Reportedly, the vet said that "propylene glycol is found in many human and animal products as a preservative. He says the compound is a known toxin to cats, but it has not been proven dangerous for dogs. He's all for holding pet food companies accountable for mistakes, but in this case, he does not see a mistake by Purina."
According to Independent, Purina asserted that there is no quality issues in the Beneful dog food products.
"We are aware that a class action lawsuit was recently filed against Beneful in the United States. We believe this lawsuit to be baseless and intend to vigorously defend our high quality, nutritious food which is backed by Purina's strict quality controls and comprehensive food safety programme. Beneful is enjoyed by millions of dogs every day and pet owners can continue to feed Beneful with total confidence," the company said in a statement to Independent.
