# Big Class Action Suit, Purina, Science Diet more..



## Delta (Nov 3, 2005)

<span style='font-size: 11pt'>*There is currently a class action lawsuit being filed against several large pet food producers for the generally disgusting stuff often included in the food. If you haven't read other reports already you may be in for an upsetting surprise. Anyway, if you've fed one of these brands and feel you were cheated into thinking it was healthy, you may be interested in signing up. *</span>

<span style='font-size: 11pt'>* Class Action Suit *</span>


Sheba
Whiskas
Pedigree
Royal Canin
Eukanuba
Iams
Science Diet
Prescription Diet
Kibbles 'n Bits
Milkbone
Pupperoni
Meaty Bone
Snausages
Natures Recipe
Gravy Train
K9 Carry Outs
Meow Mix
9 Lives
Pounce
Alpo
Beneful
Purina Cat Chow
Purina Dog Chow
Fancy Feast
Felix
Friskies
Purina Gourmet
Purina One
Purina Pro Plan
Nutro Max
Nutro Ultra (Holistic)
Nutro Natural Choice
Greenies (treats)
Nutro Max Cat
Nutro Complete Care (cat)
Nutro Feline Greenies (treats)


<u>*Don't read this part if you have a weak stomach:*</u>

The approximate $58,000,000,000 spent by consumers on pet food over the last
four years has been without the knowledge that the “wholesome,” “quality,” “premium” or
“gourmet” food that they are feeding their companion animals was made wholly or partially of
inedible garbage unfit for human consumption, including, but not limited to, restaurant grease,
roadkill, hair, blood, pus, esophagi, chicken heads, feet and intestines, cow brains, excrement,
fetal tissue, moldy grains, hulls, styrofoam packaging from discarded supermarket meat,
euthanized animals, including cats and dogs, and/or diseased, dying, disabled and dead animals.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)




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## AnnaRiley (Feb 14, 2008)

No, this is just lawyers making sure they make money. So those of you that use these products and trust them - just another price increase for you and very little money for those that include themselves in the suit - you might get $5.00 in the end. Only one getting rich are the attorneys.

Hate it. Work for them tho.


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## acurajane (May 21, 2008)

wow. I didn't know all of that. Thank you


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## marksteven (Aug 2, 2008)

Royal canine is the only one that surprises me to be on the list.


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## Delta (Nov 3, 2005)

I absolutely don't agree about lawsuits. Unless the governement steps in and regulates, the only protection the public has against corporate fraud is lawsuits. Most, if not all, of the so called "frivilous" lawsuits you've heard about are total lies and have been spoon fed to the public to try to shame people into not filing suit, or to support tort reform.


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## Yvette (Jan 29, 2001)

News to me too.








I feed Pro Plan. Will all my dogs die?
It's the only one DaKota does well on & actually eats.


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## dearraine (Apr 6, 2007)

I see some stuff on there that I buy for my cat. Hmmmm.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I forwarded this, just because some people I know feed grocery store blends. It may scare them into researching kibble.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

OK, I am not good at reading legal mumbo jumbo, but I do not see where Royal Canin was listed as a defendant. If someone can point that out to me fine, other wise I am editing the list and removing it.

If there are others that should be on the list please say so and they will be removed also.

If this is going to be posted it should be accurate.

Wisc.Tiger - Admin


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

What's in your choice?

Find out here:
<span style="color: #3333FF">The Dog Food Project</span> 

A Handy site, bet ya bookmark it!


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## Delta (Nov 3, 2005)

I didn't assemble the list, someone else did, but I did a search in one of the documents, page 54 lists Canin in the document.

I haven't read all the documents yet so maybe the list should be removed as I didn't put it together.


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## DSudd (Sep 22, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: AnnaRileyNo, this is just lawyers making sure they make money. So those of you that use these products and trust them - just another price increase for you and very little money for those that include themselves in the suit - you might get $5.00 in the end. Only one getting rich are the attorneys.
> 
> Hate it. Work for them tho.


And people wonder why the court system is so back logged. Anna kind of thinking someone should get rich off the lawsuit. Unless I am interpreting the document wrong (what I did read of it) they are even suing the stores for selling products that the manufacturer advertised wrong. Wow, creative imaginations at work here.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Val, I searched one of the documents using the document search function and "Royal Canin" was listed.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Yep some one told me, it was for 4 cans of food that had too much Vit D that was produced in 2006.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

The company is not specifically listed in the opening part of the document but Menu Foods is and apparently Menu Foods made some RC products. So RC is probably involved indirectly through Menu as is the case with other foods.

But I am not a lawyer and I do not play one on TV.

ETA: Looks like we posted at the same time.







I don't think it is fair to target RC when it was Menu Foods at fault, but then again this lawsuit is questionable.


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## Delta (Nov 3, 2005)

Don't be quick to give up your rights to sue or to vote to protect corporate interests without doing a whole of of serious research. Think about who benefits and who loses if you do and how you came to believe there is really a problem with our courts.
You can start with this Google search:
http://www.google.com/search?q=myth+of+f...&rlz=1I7ADBS_en

Heres' a good site to start with:
http://www.tortdeform.com/archives/2006/09/the_myth_of_the_frivolous_laws.html


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## Delta (Nov 3, 2005)

I just watched a video from the lawsuit link, it contains a tv interview with the president of the AAFCO admiting pet foods may actually contain.....uh....pets. Maybe that's the truth in their advertising? 

Sorry for that, couldn't resist.


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## gslore (Dec 29, 2008)

I say it's about **** time.

I am not a litigious person, but I think this lawsuit is a good idea. Unfortunately, lawsuits are sometimes the only way change can be brought in this society.

Pet Food is an $11 Billion (per year) industry in this country. When that much money is involved, you can bet that there will be corporations who will cut corners in order to maximize profit. 

Remember the Ford Pinto?

Recycling animals (companion or otherwise) is absolutely unacceptable. Isn't that how Mad Cow disease came about? Animals were fed their ground up brethren and it created a health catastrophe. All in the name of profit.

To quote AAFCO President, Hersh Pendell, "...it may not be acceptable, but nutritionally, it's still protein." 

Oh, but my favorite part of that interview... When asked if one can tell what's in pet food by reading the label, he replied, "There's no way to really tell that, because the ingredient says meat and bone meal. You don't know if that's cattle or sheep or horse... or Fluffy."

Nice.

I'll stick with Wellness, Innova or Blue.
http://www.german-shepherd-lore.com/dog-food.html


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Remember the cost of REAL, USDA meat these days. If this impacts the industry, kibble may improve but may also end up quadrupling in price. 

Double-edged sword, be careful what you wish for, etc.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I just browsed the complaint. It looks like one of the main thrusts is the deceptive advertising that is used. A great example is the disconnect between what the adds for Beneful say versus the actual ingredient list. Based on this, I say "it's about time" for some truth in advertising.

So the suit isn't necessarily suing because dog food contains "bad stuff", it's claiming that they are misrepresenting what that "bad stuff" is, and I don't see that as a bad thing.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

I am for truth in Advertising, but how many people are going to buy products that say they have ground up cow hooves. I have to tell you that dogs will eat almost all parts of a calf or cow. When my inlaws were farming and the market price was really low on calves many times the calves were killed and cut up for the dogs. The dogs peeled back the hide and would munch for days on their part of the carcass. The cats got some also.

Just some fun FYI - is there Cow Hoof in the foods you eat?
By cow hoof, I'm assuming you mean gelatin, which can be made of cow hoof or any number of animal products. So the products that say contain Gelatin would you rather they cay contains cow hoof or other parts.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

I don't give a hoot about the entrails, but I do care about the animals that were diseased, the pets with their chemicals like flea treatment and whatnot (did they even remove the collars), and the non-edible objects. Fetal tissue is just another whole carcass, no big deal there. Styrofoam? Yeah that's a big deal.



> Quote:So the products that say contain Gelatin would you rather they cay contains cow hoof or other parts.


I thought it was pretty well known that gelatin was made from hooves. We use intestines for sausages. And chicken feet is a great dog treat. Moldy grains and poop, not such a great treat (though many dogs would argue about the poop part and probably request more be added....)


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

Mars, inc/Mars Petcare U.S. is the first named in the suit.

unless something has changed, they acquired Royal Canin some time ago, so YES, Royal Canin is part of this.

Plaintiffs/Class Representatives,
vs.
*MARS INC., MARS PETCARE US, INC., *PROCTER
AND GAMBLE CO., THE IAMS CO., COLGATE
PALMOLIVE COMPANY, HILL’S PET NUTRITION,
DEL MONTE FOODS, CO., NESTLÉ USA INC., NESTLÉ
PURINA PETCARE CO., NUTRO PRODUCTS INC.,
NATURA PET PRODUCTS, INC., MENU FOODS, INC.,
MENU FOODS INCOME FUND, PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS,
INC., NEW ALBERTSON’S INC., ALBERTSON’S LLC,
THE KROGER CO. OF OHIO, PETCO ANIMAL
SUPPLIES STORES, INC., PET SUPERMARKET,
INC., PET SUPPLIES PLUS/USA INC., PETSMART INC.,
TARGET CORP. AND WAL-MART STORES, INC.,

Im not at all surprised to see RC in that list. Royal Canin, imo, has become too big for their own good and Mars/RC are more interested in marketing than making good pet food.

candy bars, pedigree, whiskas, skittles.......Royal Canin, all under the Mars family name.


http://www.mars.com/global/Global+Brands/Petcare/Petcare.htm


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

DianaM, I was just trying to have a little fun. Sorry I guess I won't do that any more.


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## harlanr3 (Sep 10, 2008)

let's see pay 4x more or feed my best friend cancer infested pus filled golden retriever ??hmmmm.I say bankrupt the dirty sob's


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

A class action law suit I don't believe will bankrupt most of them. They prices we pay will just go up. 

I guess I am dumb, but how do the cats and dogs end up in the food? There are trucks that run around in WI and pick up barrels of stuff from butcher shops and barrels of grease from resturants, but they don't pick up cats or dogs.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Wisc.TigerDianaM, I was just trying to have a little fun. Sorry I guess I won't do that any more.


LOL, There is no humor in dog food matters!











> Originally Posted By: Wisc.TigerA class action law suit I don't believe will bankrupt most of them. They prices we pay will just go up.
> 
> I guess I am dumb, but how do the cats and dogs end up in the food? There are trucks that run around in WI and pick up barrels of stuff from butcher shops and barrels of grease from resturants, but they don't pick up cats or dogs.


You are probably right about the prices though....

I believe that there are places where rendered pets are "collected" -- I don't remember the process. These would be pets that were euthanized, so what about all the pets that get get euthanized at shelters? I seem to recall that being a potential source, though it was never confirmed, that I was awareof.


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## harlanr3 (Sep 10, 2008)

no the law suit may not but the customers can


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Sorry Val, guess I didn't have my joke-o-meter turned on.









I was also kidding around about how they make chicken feet, fetal tissue, and entrails sound like a bad thing. All those a fine sources so long as there are plenty of other good meat, organ, and bone sources. It's the styrofoam and mold we can do without. 

Yet another reason for homecooked/raw- you can tell when there's styrofoam in the dinner bowl!


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## larrydee33 (Feb 25, 2007)

It really is about time these hugh conglomerate frauds were exposed. It's always been about the almighty dollar to them

The whole dog journal in a subtle way said that all dry kibble was on the bottom of their list of foods even canned was above dry kibble. Now you know why.

The animal protection institute which is now Born Free has had for years an article on their web site entitled Whats really in pet food! It looks like the law suit copied that article word for word.

Looks like I'll stop complaining about the price of Orijen!! Anyway I have cut the kibble Orijen in my dog's diet down to 25%.
Looks like I'm going to be spending a lot more time in the BARF section of this forum


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: LisaTI just browsed the complaint. It looks like one of the main thrusts is the deceptive advertising that is used. A great example is the disconnect between what the adds for Beneful say versus the actual ingredient list. Based on this, I say "it's about time" for some truth in advertising.
> 
> So the suit isn't necessarily suing because dog food contains "bad stuff", it's claiming that they are misrepresenting what that "bad stuff" is, and I don't see that as a bad thing.


That makes more sense to me. Looking at the list, I can't say I've ever bought any of those products for my dogs. But yeah, the ads like Beneful have always pissed me off, claiming your dog will live longer and have a shiny coat...yeah right!


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## gslore (Dec 29, 2008)

I apologize if I created confusion above. When I stated that it was unacceptable to recycle animals for food, I was mainly referring to euthanized companion pets.

Their carcasses are added to the rendering pot complete with flea collars and the green bags they are transported in. And don't forget the phenobarbitol from the final shot. 

I really don't want my pets eating "Fluffy" or any of that stuff. 

Years ago, my cat came down with asthma. And he always had itchy rashes. The first thing my holistic vet asked is what was I feeding him. At the time, I didn't know any better so I bought food from the grocery store. Once I switched his food to a higher quality, the rashes were gone and his asthma all but disappeared.

I am a big believer in good nutrition.

Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.
~Hippocrates


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

hey, i was a legal secretary for 15 years and i know the scams that lawyers use to obtain their money, but and this is the big BUT here........is it forcing people to look at what they are feeding their pets??? will alot more pets become healthier when people really find out the dirty little secrets that the pet food industry uses and does not tell on their labels? and cost aside, aren't we already paying way, way too much money for kibble that contains such ingredients as to potentially cause horrible health issues for your pets? what about the vet bills people are incurring from feeding these foods? 

i'm sorry, i work at a pet nutrition center and i counsel people all day long on the perils of feeding such low end supermarket foods, but they don't believe me when i tell them what this food "might" contain. ****, kibble and bits blatantly has on the ingredient panel propylene glycol, bha, bht.....all carcinogens......

i think it's absolutely horrendous that beneful can have corn with golden wheat around it falling from the heavens to show how great the food is when it is pure garbage. or how can purina say that if you feed their corn, oops, excuse me food, that your dog will live 2 years longer? what are they god now? they can predict longevity?

it's a shame that some people fall for this marketing and they really do not know what is in the food. i had a customer with tear filled eyes say to me quote, unquote "so you're telling me i'm slowly poisoning my dog"? what could i say to her? yes.......

so i just hope even though the lawyers will get rich, kibble will probably go up, that it does make a statement and gets people thinking about what is really in that bag of food!!!


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

I am pretty darn sure in WI that euthanized pets from Shelters or Vets go to the counties common burial site, unless from the vet you request your own private burial or cremation. I worked at a resturant and when you contract with a company to pick up the grease you sign a contract in that contract is what is allowed to be picked up and what isn't, pets is on the not accepted list. So if other states are set up like that then there is a legal way to get this stopped. The site, the hauler and the rendering plant could all be charged.

Unless you bury your large animal in WI, then the Fox/Mink Farm is the only choice to pickup large animals like horses, cows, etc. Those animals are processed for Fox/Mink food.

The practice of companion animals in pet food needs to be monitored by the government.

While I understand the truth in advertising, I am also a person that fears that $4 a pound dog food will force even more people to take their animals to shelters because they simply can't afford to feed them. You say fine I will make my own food or feed raw, if every pet owner did that the price of beef, chicken, etc would escalate also, law of supply and demand. I can tell you that the demand will out strip the supply, farms and ranchers have cut back on their herds because the price of feed was so high. Now you will have beef at double and triple the price, chicken-turkey will be what the price of beef is now. 

So I think the biggest winner will be the lawyers. 

The companion animals in food must be stopped, but this lawsuit isn't going to accomplish that IMHO.

Val


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

> Quote:While I understand the truth in advertising, I am also a person that fears that $4 a pound dog food will force even more people to take their animals to shelters because they simply can't afford to feed them. You say fine I will make my own food or feed raw, if every pet owner did that the price of beef, chicken, etc would escalate also, law of supply and demand. I can tell you that the demand will out strip the supply, farms and ranchers have cut back on their herds because the price of feed was so high. Now you will have beef at double and triple the price, chicken-turkey will be what the price of beef is now.


Yup. It's like outlawing all puppy mills and BYBers. We hate them, but if they didn't exist, reputable breeders would be selling their pups for thousands more. I hate to say it, but it's a good thing that there is cheap kibble out there even though I hate it; it keeps the costs down across the board. I both applaud the lawsuit and fear it as well as I'm sure this is going to come back to haunt us.


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## sleachy (Aug 10, 2001)

> Quote:I guess I am dumb, but how do the cats and dogs end up in the food?


When I did Animal Control, we had a guy who was contracted with the state to pick up deer roadkill. He also would come and empty our freezer at the pound (as well as most of the local shelters). That freezer was full of dead rabid raccoons/skunks and euthanized dogs/cats...bullets, euthanasia solution, diseases, collars, and all. One day, I asked him what he does with all the bodies and roadkill. He told me that he packs it all in 50 gallon drums and sends it off for pet food. He was the one who explained pet food labeling to me! (ie "meat by-products" "animal protien" etc etc) This guy had quite the business! He would get paid to pick up the roadkill and empty the freezers and then sell it all by the pound!
What should I do? ...my 23 yr old cat has been eating Fancy Feast for his entire life.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

The more I think about this the more my business brain kicks into gear, most companies will have insurance to cover the lawsuit. The insurance coverage is called "Errors and Omissions", covers things like advertising errors, bidding and quoting errors and things like that.

So I guess my feeling is that we need laws and persons to inspect and report problems with penalties that have some teeth. The problem is that we don't have enough inspectors for human food processing plants, how are we going to get inspectors in pet food plants. So what is the answer, I don't think this lawsuit is the answer, the lawyers will get rich and nothing will change.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

FYI, I filled out the online thing because I had fed Nature's Recipe at one time...this is what I got back:

_Thank you for the interest you have expressed by calling us, sending us an e-mail or filling out the contact form on our website.

For all those impacted by the Menu Foods poisoning, please go to the following website for details as to how to participate in the settlement http://www.petfoodsettlement.com

*As for this case, we have recently narrowed the case due to legal technicalities to include only pet food marketed by Natura Pet Products, Inc. Accordingly, anyone who fed their pets any food other than food marketed by Natura Pet Products, Inc. are no longer eligible to participate in our lawsuit.* 

I thank you for your interest and encouragement._

From what I see, Natura makes EVO, Innova, California Natural?


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

> Quote:As for this case, we have recently narrowed the case due to legal technicalities to include only pet food marketed by Natura Pet Products, Inc. Accordingly, anyone who fed their pets any food other than food marketed by Natura Pet Products, Inc. are no longer eligible to participate in our lawsuit.


So the initial lawsuit is just "hit the panic button to increase attention and website page counts" but the REAL lawsuit is targeted to Natura?


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

I know...it's confusing...

This came in one of the nine PDF "updates" they sent in the email:

_December 21, 2007

Dear all,
I realize it has been a while since I last contacted you, but much has been happening. On November 29, 2007 we filed our Second Amended Complaint.

We decided to amend the complaint because we wanted to add an additional Defendant, Natura, and some additional Plaintiffs who were not added at the time that we amended in July. We
added Natura because there have been a number of complaints regarding this company, including glycoalkaloids in the pet food. _

I'm trying to read through all of this and make sense of it...hold on..


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## Delta (Nov 3, 2005)

**&*%!*(*&*@$!*&^ AND *&^(*!*%(*

I am so angry I could scream. I received that email and immediately called and was lucky enough to speak to the attorney. I wanted real info. According to him, he said that Natura, despite all their assurances that they use human grade, uses the same "crap" that all the other makers use. Since I've been using Innova exclusively (besides human foods) I was horrified. I asked if he could suggest anything, he said, and I quote, "the only food that we've found to be what they claim is Newman's Own". 

I'm going to cry now and figure out what to do. From what I can see it has oatmeal and my dog is allergic to oatmeal.

After I get over the shock, I believe I'm going to have a serious discussion with Natura.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Nevermind, that's all I could find in the 10 PDF updates they sent...


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## K9Drover (Oct 2, 2008)

*Re: Big Class Action Suit, Purina, Science Diet mo*

So if it not what is in their food but how they are advertising it would anyone ever buy their food if they didn't try to make it sound good. Just about any item you buy these days will try to tout the product as being the best on the market, from a gallon of milk to an SUV.


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## K9Drover (Oct 2, 2008)

*Re: *&*%!*(*&*@$!*&^ AND *&^(*!*%(*

I really have to wonder at any pet food such as Natura and Canidae that says its human grade because there is no way that food that is made with meals can be considered human grade just because the meats were from USDA inspected slaughterhouses. So this lawsuit needs to be expanded to any food companies that say they are human grade, talk about pulling the wool over our eyes.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

*Re: *&*%!*(*&*@$!*&^ AND *&^(*!*%(*



> Originally Posted By: DeltaI am so angry I could scream. I received that email and immediately called and was lucky enough to speak to the attorney. I wanted real info. According to him, he said that Natura, despite all their assurances that they use human grade, uses the same "crap" that all the other makers use. Since I've been using Innova exclusively (besides human foods) I was horrified. I asked if he could suggest anything, he said, and I quote, "the only food that we've found to be what they claim is Newman's Own". .....


So....is it a coincidence that after feeding no dog food for years (nearly a decade in Indy's case), and I start feeding EVO canned, that both my dogs now have elevated BUN and their creatinine is inching up? It's the only thing that I can find in common. I guess we'll see if they recover after I pull them off of the food.

Truthfully, I"m surprised that this suit is against Natura, and disappointed -- I can't think of Natura being singled out when there are so many problems industry wide.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

*Re: *&*%!*(*&*@$!*&^ AND *&^(*!*%(*



> Originally Posted By: K9DroverI really have to wonder at any pet food such as Natura and Canidae that says its human grade because there is no way that food that is made with meals can be considered human grade just because the meats were from USDA inspected slaughterhouses. So this lawsuit needs to be expanded to any food companies that say they are human grade, talk about pulling the wool over our eyes.


Can you explain this?
I thought say Chicken Meal was simply chicken with the moisture removed.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

> Quote:So the initial lawsuit is just "hit the panic button to increase attention and website page counts" but the REAL lawsuit is targeted to Natura?


Now is that brilliantly disingenuous or just typically slimy???

Original quote from below linked here... 

Additional article here... 


> Quote:The fact is, according to Tim Phillips, DVM, by-products such as the spleens, intestinal tracts (without the contents), lungs, hearts and stomachs of most meat animals have a greater nutritional value to dogs and cats than muscle meat and connective tissue, because they contain a greater proportion of essential amino acids. However, pet owners tend to be squeamish about such ingredients. The question is, is this kind of pickiness, and the resulting waste of good ingredients, wrong? Many underfed people worldwide would love to feast on poultry by-products. Many people in developed countries have the luxury of being picky and imagine that pickiness is true for their pets. But when petfood companies make sure that poultry by-products are handled properly, they are excellent ingredients for petfoods.


I'm among those pet owners who simply wants high quality, palatable, affordable dog & cat food. This doesn't need to be sirloin. Or even the equivalent of hamburg patties. I'm a picky, somewhat fastidious eater who's constantly amazed that MyWickedTribe will tear blissfully at skin, munch on bone & gristle, devour fat<even raw*shudder*>, or graze the litter boxes. Clearly their notion of scrump-dilli-icious is far more expansive than mine.

Pet food companies should use what has been proven safe, ethical & nutricious even if the human reaction is Eeewwww&Yuck. Unfortunately, pet foods, & especially premium pet foods, are marketed towards the owner rather than the animals. To a large extent this is unavoidable, but pet food companies should start a serious campaign to educate their customers. Pet food prices are sky rocketing in part b/c of the momentum towards 'human grade' foods. High quality 'canine & feline grade' would be fine with me.


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

so is this lawsuit on or off? except for natura, right?


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## gmcenroe (Oct 23, 2007)

The only reference I saw in the complaint regarding Royal Canin was the following:

In the most deadly recall of 2006, 4 prescription canned dog and cat foods were recalled by Royal Canin. The culprit was a serious overdose of Vitamin D that caused calcium deficiency and kidney disease.

So I am not sure that we should consider all Royal Canin foods as dangerous. Also just because Mars owns Royal Canin does not say anything. Mars owns a lot of companies just as Johnson and Johnson owns over 200 health care related companies. It doesn't mean anything.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Everything but natura.

Just for fun, I put my name on the list, said I only fed EVO, and I got the same email response from above, whatever that means.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

Its the whole blue pill, red pill thing - do you really want to know - once you know you can't go back ....


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

Someone mentioned Royal Canin...as an FYI

Mars owns Royal Canin now...Mars the owner of Pedigree and other brands - 

EDIT: Just saw on a prior page this fact was mentioned. I am not saying here that Royal Canin is bad now because it is owned by Mars, nor am I saying Mars is overall a bad company. In fact they are trying to make some of their wet healthier with a new brand without all the junk in it.

Someone also mentioned about the $4.00 bag of food and how that helps people afford food for their dog or cat. While I appreciate people are taking care of animals - these are living beings. If they can only afford a $4.00 bag of food, will they take their dog or cat to the vet when they are sick? I say feed healthy food and you have a better chance at reduced vet visits other than annual check ups. I'd rather error on the side of feeding better than feeding "fast food" every day. Some of the same people that can only afford the $4.00 bags also by the $4.00 a day pack of cigarettes (not everyone)...but just making a point....we buy what we choose to buy/ invest in.


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## bmass01 (Apr 7, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: AngelesVonLobos Someone also mentioned about the $4.00 bag of food and how that helps people afford food for their dog or cat. While I appreciate people are taking care of animals - these are living beings. If they can only afford a $4.00 bag of food, will they take their dog or cat to the vet when they are sick? I say feed healthy food and you have a better chance at reduced vet visits other than annual check ups. I'd rather error on the side of feeding better than feeding "fast food" every day. Some of the same people that can only afford the $4.00 bags also by the $4.00 a day pack of cigarettes (not everyone)...but just making a point....we buy what we choose to buy/ invest in.





> Quote: While I understand the truth in advertising, I am also a person that fears that $4 a *pound *dog food will force even more people to take their animals to shelters because they simply can't afford to feed them.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: bmass01
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: AngelesVonLobos Someone also mentioned about the $4.00 bag of food and how that helps people afford food for their dog or cat. While I appreciate people are taking care of animals - these are living beings. If they can only afford a $4.00 bag of food, will they take their dog or cat to the vet when they are sick? I say feed healthy food and you have a better chance at reduced vet visits other than annual check ups. I'd rather error on the side of feeding better than feeding "fast food" every day. Some of the same people that can only afford the $4.00 bags also by the $4.00 a day pack of cigarettes (not everyone)...but just making a point....we buy what we choose to buy/ invest in.
> ...


Looks like I misread! Thank you for correcting me


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## Ocean (May 3, 2004)

The largest pet food manufacturers in America are:
1. Mars Petcare (or Mars)
2. Nestlé Purina PetCare
3. P&G Pet Care (also see Iams): Since the pet food recalls, Procter & Gamble's shares in the pet segment have been down, running 1 to 1.5 share points lower since the four weeks ended February 24, 2006, the last period before the crisis.
4. Colgate-Palmolive - Hill's Pet Nutrition: Science Diet
5. Del Monte Pet Products: . Del Monte is hoping competitors in the industry push through a price hike early this year to offset the rising costs of grains used in brands such as their Meow Mix and Kibbles n Bits brands.
6. Nutro Products Inc.: Nutro Products Inc. was purchased in May 2007 by Mars Inc.

These companies sell pet food under different brand names, not necessarily under their mother company's name. Its up to you to check if your favorite brand is owned by one of these companies.

Colgate and Procter & Gamble are 2 of the largest diversified consumer goods multinationals in the world. Nestle and Del Monte are two of the largest food companies in the world. All are traded on the stock market and all their business decisions are made on the basis of their stock price. Mars is one of the largest privately owned companies in the world, owned by the billionaire Mars family, one of the wealthiest in the world.

I would avoid any pet food from these companies because their main concern is to make as much money as possible, often as quickly as possible, as stock prices are tracked on quarterly results. They are huge companies with thousands of employees, with a manager making a decision that affects your pet food, many, many levels down in the chain of command. Especially in this economic crisis there is a lot of pressure to cut costs, and managers will make decisions to keep their jobs, not necessarily for the best health of your animal. They have the marketing and advertising muscle, and retail chain presence to dominate the market not necessarily because of good product.

I've been in the business world for 30 years, been a company president and teach MBA students. I would not buy pet food from many of my students not necessarily because they're bad people but I'm aware of the corporate context that shapes their decisions.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

Well said Ocean.... that is why I buy from Evy Serpa - she isn't corporate America and although any company must look at costs, she hasn't changed the ingredients due to cost concerns. And in 10 years of business, she has never had a recall. So I trust what she is doing. And my dogs and cats thank her too


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Applause to Ocean.


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## bethandglen (Jan 5, 2009)

Yay! Mine is not on there, thank goodness! We feed Lexi Chicken Soup. On a side note, we were feeding Bella Purina One Kitten food and Whiskas and she ended up getting really sick, was having bloody poops! I wanted to put her on Chicken Soup for kittens but around here they only sell it for adult cats, so the vet told me to put her on Iams. She is doing better, so far no blood! 

Beth


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