For dog owners

[bright.ton42]

A recent lawsuit filed against Nestle Purina PetCare Company is claiming that one of the company's most popular dog food brands contains toxins that are poisoning and even killing people's pets.

The lawsuit, filed in California federal court earlier this month by pet owner Frank Lucido, alleges that thousands of dogs have become ill or died as a result of eating Beneful dry kibble dog food.

Lucido and his family owned three dogs — a four-year-old German Shepherd, an eight-year-old English Bulldog and an 11-year-old Labrador — and began feeding the pets Beneful exclusively beginning in late December or early January,

By the end of January all three of the dogs became ill and the English Bulldog eventually died, according to the suit. A post-mortem examination revealed signs of internal bleeding in the dog's stomach and lesions on his liver. Similar symptoms were found in Lucido's German Shepherd, who became violently ill before the bulldog's death. A veterinary exam of the dog also showed signs of internal bleeding and liver malfunction "consistent with poisoning," the lawsuit said. Lucido's two remaining dogs remain in veterinary care, his lawyer said.......

Lucido's story is similar to more than 3,000 complaints consumers have made online of dogs becoming ill and in some cases dying after eating Beneful kibble style dog foods, according to the complaint. The consistent symptoms reported include stomach internal bleeding, malfunction or failure of the liver, vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss.

The lawsuit claims toxins in Beneful are to blame, listing propylene glycol and mycotoxins as possibly harmful substances in the dog food.

More ......

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawsuit-claims-purinas-beneful-poisoning-killing-dogs-n312176

I'll be watching this with interest. 

[bushies.girl]

Mine also get sardines, tuna, cheese, yoghurt, chicken frames and a hard biscuit at night for their teeth.

DEB I wonder if that mean they we only fed dry food and nothing else or that was the only dry food they were given?

[vicr3000]

Lloyd

Yes, i noticed that as well. Not a good idea in humans or animals.

[opmania]

I googled  Toxic Food from China several years ago and found

an article where around 4,000 pet dogs in the USA had died from a contaminated

shipment of dog food from China

cant remember what it was but I think that one was cans

[lloydslights]

Bushie, there may be omissions in the reporting of the story.  But I read it as  feeding with only kibble immediately after stopping other food.

Reporting appears to be so vague these days and letting people make their own assumptions, rightly or wrongly.

DEB

[bushies.girl]

Fair enough DEB, not the way to introduce a new dry food, I agree

[bright.ton42]

I know Hugh Wirth the Hon President of the RSPCA and whose opinions I value always said he only fed his pets

dry food, but I don't know which one.  My dogs have always had a variety but two of them in the past did get a couple of serious life-threatening gut infections in the past and I believe I was feeding them Beneful/Purina at the time.,   dry and canned.  

[lyndal1838]

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@bushies.girl wrote:

My 4 dogs are all fed Supercoat, it's one of the few dry foods which doesnt cause them any allergies, which German Shepherds are often prone to suffer, I have used it for years and they are all very fit and healthy. 

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Bushie, that is the food used by the Army for the bomb dogs and they are nothing if not healthy.

[bushies.girl]

Thats good to know Lyndal, my dogs all seem to thrive on it

[bluecat*dancing]

I feed my dog Supercoat, too, and she is in great condition for a dog of her years. She has fresh meat once or twice a week as well as fresh bones.