Suit by grieving pet owner claims Beneful can harm or kill dogs
A California dog owner has filed a lawsuit claiming that propylene glycol and mycotoxins in Beneful dog food can kill dogs or make them ill.
Frank Lucido claims in the suit that one of his three dogs died after eating Beneful dry kibble dog food while the two others became ill. The suit (PDF), filed on Feb. 5 in federal court in the Northern District of California, seeks class-action status. The St. Louis Business Journal, NBC News and Courthouse News Service have stories.
Lucido’s English Bulldog, Dozier, died on Jan. 23. A post-mortem veterinary exam found signs of internal bleeding in the dog’s stomach and lesions on his liver, according to the suit.
Lucido says his dogs were kept in three separate houses because of home renovations. “The one constant they had was they were all eating the same dog food,” Lucido’s lawyer, Jeffrey Cereghino, told NBC.
More than 3,000 online complaints allege that dogs were harmed or killed by Beneful, according to the suit.
Propylene glycol is an ingredient in antifreeze, and mycotoxins are produced by mold found in grains. The maker of the dog food, Nestle Purina PetCare Company, points out on its website that propylene glycol is an FDA-approved food additive used in foods consumed by people.
Nestle Purina PetCare Company maintains that the lawsuit is without merit and the company plans a vigorous defense, according to vice president of corporate public relations Keith Schopp, who spoke with the St. Louis Business Journal.
“Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social media-driven misinformation,” Schopp said. “The incredible power of the Internet is sometimes used to spread false information. Online postings often contain false, unsupported and misleading allegations that cause undue concern and confusion for Beneful consumers.”
