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Lawsuits On the Trail of Nutro, Canidae Pet Foods

Pet owners' complaints of death, illness headed for court

By Jon Hood
ConsumerAffairs.com

February 12, 2009

• NUTRO Updates Information on Puppy Food Recall • NUTRO Pulls Some Puppy Food from Shelves • FDA Agrees to Reconsider Request for NUTRO Records • Tests Find 'Sky High' Zinc Levels in NUTRO Cat Food • Cat Owners Bristle at NUTRO Denials • Consumers React to NUTRO Recalls; Zinc, Copper Levels Cited • NUTRO Recalls Dry Cat Food Sold in 11 Countries • Consumer Site Appeals FDA's Refusal to Release NUTRO Records • Feds Deny NUTRO Investigation; Witnesses Say Otherwise • NUTRO Bites Back; Denies Probe of Pet Deaths, Illnesses • FDA Confirms Probe of NUTRO Pet Food Deaths, Illnesses • Lawsuits On the Trail of Nutro, Canidae Pet Foods • Mars Extends Pet Food Recall; More Salmonella Found • Mars Recalls Cat Food Sold at Wal-Mart due to Salmonella • Mars Recalls More Pet Food; Possible Salmonella Contamination • Mars Petcare Recalls Some Pedigree Dog Food • Expert Finds Unexplained Pet Deaths 'Not Consistent' • Illness, Death Dog Nutro Pet Food • String of Illnesses Afflicts NUTRO-Fed Pets --- • Complaints about NUTRO • Consumer Complaints about Greenies --- • Nutro Recalls Dry Cat Food Products • More about Pet Food Recalls

Two separate law firms are gathering information for potential class action lawsuits against Canidae and Nutro, the pet food manufacturers whose products are alleged to have caused widespread pet illness.

Progressive Law Group, LLC, is currently gathering information from pet owners who say their dogs became sick as a result of eating Canidae products, or who have information that would be useful to the suit.

According to its website, the firm focuses mainly on environmental, energy, and consumer affairs issues. More information about the Canidae suit can be found online.

Meanwhile, the Alabama firm of McCallum, Hoaglund, Cook, and Irby is gathering information for a potential class action lawsuit against the company that manufactures Nutro.

In spite of widespread complaints of pet illness, Canidae has yet to issue a voluntary recall of its foods. Last year, the company issued a statement explaining that it had changed the food’s formulation and that pets needed to be transitioned gradually from the old to the new formula.

Specifically, the company cited the new food’s “increased levels of meat protein” and the “increased overall complex carbohydrate quality.”

However, angry consumers said Canidae was at best inconsistent in warning pet owners beforehand of the need for the gradual formula transition. Many claimed that neither the food nor the shelves on which it was stocked provided any warning that the formula had changed.

Some consumers have speculated that the new formula, which contains carbohydrates such as corn and barley, came as a shock to their dogs’ systems, which had become accustomed to the old formula’s more rice-centered composition. In September 2007, a lab report allegedly showed that a Canidae sample contained the painkiller acetaminophen, a charge which Canidae vehemently denied.

Menu Foods

Menu Foods, another large pet food manufacturer, was forced to issue a series of recalls in 2007, after scores of dogs became sick, some experiencing kidney failure. At least 10 deaths were reported. The Pet Food Products Safety Alliance (“PFPSA”) tested a batch of Nutro pet food in August 2008, and found alarming levels of copper and zinc.

Indeed, PFPSA noted that the copper levels were two to three times higher than recommended by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (“AAFCO”).

A multi-district class action lawsuit against Menu Foods recently settled for $24 million. The suit was brought on behalf of certain U.S. and Canadian residents who purchased recalled pet food after March 16, 2007.

Under the settlement, all class members are eligible to collect up to 100% of economic damages they suffered, as long as they can provide documentation. An explanation of the settlement and relevant court documents can be found at www.petfoodsettlement.com.

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