Miami lawsuit against pet food companies - horrifying truth about pet food ingredients

Ok this story just broke on the local news here in South Florida. There is a 150-page lawsuit here in Miami that targets more than a dozen major pet food companies and retailers, and claims that the companies have used false and misleading advertising.

Photos found in the lawsuit filings are graphic. They show dead cats dumped into trash cans and bones of dead animals at a rendering plant.

The website article contains the video of the news story.

This is horrifying and reinforces what I've been telling people that no one should be feeding their pets commercial pet food products. If our own food isn't safe to consume, why would the pet food be safe to consume?

Special Report: What's In Your Pet Food?

(CBS4) MIAMI If you look at the ingredients on a package of pet food, you may wonder about the ingredients. Why does pet food have bone meal, or what is a byproduct. The CBS4 I-team wondered too, and what it found may have you questioning what you feed your pet.

Pet food advertisements make claims like "Good food, inspired by pet loving people", "Healthy food for happy dogs", and "Tasty, nutritious, almost like gourmet food for your pet."

But a lawsuit recently filed in Miami federal court is now questioning what unexpected ingredients may make it into your pet's food.

Attorney Catherine MacIvor, who is representing three people in the lawsuit, says not only is she concerned for her clients, she is concerned for her own cat's health.

Source: cbs4.com...

This is horribly shocking ! I have 3 cats.Down from 6 as 3 became ill and past away.(not at the same time). I find this deeply disturbing, as our dog was just put down 2 months ago by the vet due to inoperable cancer.He was in a sad state and declined very quickly.We had him cremated so we could spread the ashes in his favorite spot in the woods.It was very expensive but we didn't want to just leave him at the vet office as we had our suspicions,as to what the bodies were done with after.I am glad we did.I will definitely be looking into alternative food for my cats.Thank you for posting this.

What a lawsuit happy country we live in. >sigh<

My cat Rocki was affected by the recent pet food problem.

We called the company and explained that all we wanted was reimbursement for the vet bills. Rocki is doing quite well.

They sent us a packet to fill out, and send back for our reimbursement.

Not so difficult, is it ?

To those that had pets pass, my heart goes out to them.
But, I think a lawsuit is over the top.

If you speak to these companies as a level-headed person, explain
your complaint and propose a solution, they often listen, and comply.

If you jump on the lawsuit band-wagon, they call in their lawyers, and
more often than not, the suit is dismissed. Lost.

I see also, the suit includes retailers. It's my opinion, it will be thrown out
as frivilous, just for that.

Rocki is doing well, and we've a good repoire with the company.

I fear those jumping on this lost cause won't be so fortunate.

Regards,
Lex

I agree with you Lexion. But at least it brings the issue to people's attention and maybe these companies will be forced to clean up their act. If it's handled hush-hush under the covers, they will just keep doing the same thing and getting away with it.

g let me guess...that HUGE lawsuit isn't to clean up the companies ways or have them meet diffrent standards...its about pet owners getting MONEY from rich companies. If all this is about is money then the lawsuit in my mind proves nothing of wrongdoing by these companies. If these pet owners have facts that its UNSAFE pet food due to negligance and poor manufacturing..then sue to have that all changed, not sue to get rich like most pathetic people these days.

I love animals, had dogs and cats....so i understand the frustration and hurt you might be feeling, but I hope you see my point. When you sue for money (alot of money) it makes your original "unsafe food" complaint seem like it's all BS for you to just make easy money....

That is unbelievable. Here in the UK there are people who test pet food (yes eat it) for quality. I think that it does have to be fit for human consumption or there would be some hefty lawsuits filed. If anyone knows any more on this let me know please

Originally posted by Xeros
That is unbelievable. Here in the UK there are people who test pet food (yes eat it) for quality. I think that it does have to be fit for human consumption or there would be some hefty lawsuits filed. If anyone knows any more on this let me know please

It is a common practice to add dead animals to pet food. They call it 'protein'. Here is an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Lisa Newman that is on the NewsTarget website:

Mike: Okay, so just as a reality check to people listening, you're saying that when dogs and cats are put to sleep, some of those end up in the pet food supply?

Newman: That's right, because they are "protein." They are animal meat, and the way that they show up on the labels is as animal meat or animal meat byproducts.

Mike: Is this allowed by regulators?

Newman: It is not only allowed by regulators, it is actually encouraged by regulators. If we were to look at the AFCO handbook, which is the Association of American Feed Control Officials, and we were to take a look under protein, for instance, we would also see recycled shoe leather. Now Mike, I'm going to ask you, would you sit down and feed your family recycled shoe leather for dinner? It's a protein Mike, come on. Do you think you want to try and assimilate that as a protein? Not only that but feathers, hooves, hides and horns? These are all sources of protein -- 100 percent protein. My fingernails are 100 percent protein, but my doctor sure wouldn't want me to eat my fingernails and try to survive on that, would he?

Mike: So, without naming brand names, how prevalent are these kinds of ingredients in the popular supply of pet food?

Newman: I would say approximately 60 percent of the pet food that you can get at the grocery store has some sort of animal meat by-product in it.

Mike: Wow.

Newman: Now, that's not necessarily a euthanized dog or cat. It could be road kill, or it could be swamp rats. Nutria is a swamp rat that grows in Louisiana. It is all around and can be easily hunted, or gathered, if you will. They go right into the pet food ingredients as protein.

Source: Must-read for pet owners: Exclusive, shocking interview with Dr. Lisa Newman on the horrors of pet food ingredients (part 1 of 4)

Well, the lawsuit is about false advertising and not getting money back from manufacturers. Have you been to some of the retailers mentioned in the lawsuit. They advertise as well all for their own profit and gain and at the expense of pets. It is right in AAFCO publications and their website that pet food is made from matter not fit for human consumption.

Was it suit happy when they had to sue Ford for building a car that blew up when it was hit? Was it sue happy when Erin Brockovitch went after the energy company that tried to cover up its toxic waste dump? Was it sue happy when Silkwood tried to expose the dangers of the nuclear power industry?

The fact is that these companies are making a fortune by poisoning pets with the crap that they call pet food. Read the FDA website. If you want to feed your dog or cat heads, hair hooves, roadkill, circus animals, ethoxyquin with a side of toxic aflotaxin or mycotoxin, go ahead. However, I doubt a refund will make you feel better when your pet is sick and dying from consuming that garbage.

The FDA has studies prooving that there is pentobarbital in pet food! That is euthanized animals people. How can a poison intended to kill be ok for animal or human consumption? Would you want to eat that? How much would you want to eat?

Read about "rendering"on the web, it is all there. That industry is out of control so it really does not matter if you call them and deal with them nicely, they will refund your money knowing they still have your business all while they laugh on the way to the bank with their nice sack of billions in profits. Who is the voice of the cats and dogs suffering from these companies' corporate greed? The lawsuit is because apparently no one else cares.

Originally posted by shadow_soldier1975
g let me guess...that HUGE lawsuit isn't to clean up the companies ways or have them meet diffrent standards...its about pet owners getting MONEY from rich companies.

So it's OK for companies to get rich from bad practices, and cutting corners to make more money, that risk the health of pets and people. But when the pet owner wants to make money off the bad company it's not OK?

I say give the company, and all it's profits, to the people that have kept that company in profit by buying it's tainted products!

I love your twisted logic...

Who's side you on?

Originally posted by AccessDenied
This is horribly shocking ! I have 3 cats.Down from 6 as 3 became ill and past away.(not at the same time). I find this deeply disturbing, as our dog was just put down 2 months ago by the vet due to inoperable cancer.He was in a sad state and declined very quickly.We had him cremated so we could spread the ashes in his favorite spot in the woods.It was very expensive but we didn't want to just leave him at the vet office as we had our suspicions,as to what the bodies were done with after.I am glad we did.I will definitely be looking into alternative food for my cats.Thank you for posting this.

I don't know why but this post teared my eyes. Thank you for reinforcing my idea that humanity is not all lost.

It may be because I have a 13 year old collie/shepard mix, I don't know.

Originally posted by Lexion
We called the company and explained that all we wanted was reimbursement for the vet bills. Rocki is doing quite well.
Lex

Maybe, just maybe, that's why you yourself is OK with it? Would you feel different if Rockie had not made it?

Originally posted by shadow_soldier1975
I love animals, had dogs and cats....so i understand the frustration and hurt you might be feeling, but I hope you see my point. When you sue for money (alot of money) it makes your original "unsafe food" complaint seem like it's all BS for you to just make easy money....

Agreed with your entire post. One sentance, sorry.

Originally posted by Xeros
That is unbelievable. Here in the UK there are people who test pet food (yes eat it) for quality. I think that it does have to be fit for human consumption or there would be some hefty lawsuits filed. If anyone knows any more on this let me know please

Indeed...

Here be the regulations for England on ALL animal feed, including pet food

Any animal produce must come from freshly slaughtered and preserved animals, same as for human consumption.

No roadkill in our Whiskers.....

Originally posted by stumason
No roadkill in our Whiskers.....

I always knew the UK wasn't as controlled by big business as the US. This just reinforces it big time.

Cheers

It's EU wide regulations as well, the UK implemented EU statutes with the 2005 Act.

One could argue that you could put fresh rat in, but the term slaughtered implies going through an abattoir, as it is a legal definition, so it is the same animals used for human consumption, although probably the less desirable parts. If you compare the ingredients of Hot Dogs to cat food though, I would say I would much prefer cat food....

There are regulations prohibiting using animal produce in feed for certain animals as well, such as feeding cows..er...cows.. after the mad cow fiasco.

This issue recently raised its head here in South Africa and everyone was so shocked. I pointed out to them that they should join ATS as they then would have known about this months and months ago.

Anyway, there is as yet no mention of problems with the human food but I don't think it will be long before that hits us here too.

Originally posted by LovingSoul
Anyway, there is as yet no mention of problems with the human food but I don't think it will be long before that hits us here too.

Here in the U.S., people have been poisoned by the food supply for the last 100 years but most don't even realize it. Pretty much every processed food that is purchased in a supermarket has dangerous chemicals in it. Dairy products contain antibiotics and growth hormones. Fruits and vegetables contain pesticides and the water contains fluoride, arsenic, industrial pollutants, and residual pharmaceutical drugs. Plus, almost every personal care product contains toxic chemicals (soaps, shampoo, lotions, deodorant, toothpaste, fragrances, etc.).

What happens when you mix all these toxic chemicals together in your body every single day? All the illness and disease we have today that didn't exist 100 years ago. And then western doctors are taught to simply feed the sick people more pharmaceutical drugs (at huge price markups) that do nothing but cover up the symptoms and poison people even further.

Read the book "The Hundred Year Lie" by Randall Fitzgerald. Or just go to his website and read up on the "Slippery Slope Index" that details how health problems and diseases have progressed since the invention of synthetic chemicals.

It's a very scary thing and when you realize how we're being poisoned with this stuff while being told it's healthy for us... you will change what you eat, which requires shopping for organic food or growing it yourself.

www.hundredyearlie.com...

Originally posted by annestacey
What happens when you mix all these toxic chemicals together in your body every single day? All the illness and disease we have today that didn't exist 100 years ago. And then western doctors are taught to simply feed the sick people more pharmaceutical drugs (at huge price markups) that do nothing but cover up the symptoms and poison people even further.

Read the book "The Hundred Year Lie" by Randall Fitzgerald. Or just go to his website and read up on the "Slippery Slope Index" that details how health problems and diseases have progressed since the invention of synthetic chemicals.
www.hundredyearlie.com...

I agree 100% annestacey. I know of this book and have spent some time on the website...shocking! My father is a herbalist and has always taught us that "nature knows best". Eat natural foods, exercise and treat Mother Nature with respect and you will live a long and healthy life.

Interesting thread.

Seems to me that someone could start up an 'Ethical Pet Food Company' that does NOT have this 'road kill' protein, and shoe leather and other garbage, make a killing in the marketplace (no pun intended).

Does anyone know of a company which is proven to use no bad constituents in their pet food?

Mike Adams did a 4-part interview with Dr. Lisa Newman who discusses the pet food industry and she has created her own brand of holistic pet food products. You can find information about retailers and websites where you can purchase it here:

www.azmira.com...

I have personally purchased these products and have been happy with them.

Also, you can read the 4 part interview with her here:


Must-read for pet owners: Exclusive, shocking interview with Dr. Lisa Newman on the horrors of pet food ingredients (part 1 of 4)


Healthy food for pets: Dr. Lisa Newman reveals the pet health-enhancing ingredients in Azmira Holistic Animal Care products (part 2 of 4)

Pet nutrition revealed: the Health Ranger interviews Dr. Lisa Newman on pet nutrition and pet food ingredients (part 3 of 4)

Pet health supplements, disease prevention and miracle pet cures: an exclusive interview with Dr. Lisa Newman, formulator of the Azmira Holistic Pet Care products (part 4 of 4)