Lawsuit alleges tainted dog food caused death of
LA-area purebred
The Associated
Press
LOS
ANGELES
A woman who claims her
purebred dog died of kidney failure after eating tainted pet food
has sued the product manufacturer and the store where she bought
it.
Kelly Finestone alleges
negligence and strict liability in the death of Sammy, her
8-year-old Samoyed, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Los
Angeles Superior Court.
The suit names Ontario,
Canada-based Menu Foods Inc., maker of IAMS Chunks With Beef in
Gravy Weight Control Dog Food, and Petco Animal Supply Stores Inc.
of San Diego.
Finestone, a Los Angeles
County resident, claims she suffered emotional distress and a loss
of companionship when her pet was put to sleep March 14, two days
before Menu Foods announced the recall of several brands of dog and
cat food products nationwide.
The lawsuit seeks an
unspecified amount of damages.
A phone message left for
Menu Foods was not immediately returned Tuesday. However, the
company issued a statement on its Web site last week that expressed
confidence that its cuts and gravy-style pet food made outside the
recall period of Dec. 3 to March 6 was safe for pets to
eat.
Finestone's attorney
Thomas Ferlauto said the pet lost 35 pounds in three weeks and
suffered kidney failure.
"That's the common thread
between the dogs that are dying from tainted food across the
country. This is the type of food on the recall list," Ferlauto
said, adding he plans to seek class action status for the
lawsuit.
Nearly 100 store and
major-brand pet foods were recalled by Menu Foods on March 16.
Three other companies have recalled some foods since
then.
Food and Drug
Administration testing found that wheat gluten imported from China
was contaminated with a chemical used in the manufacture of
plastics. The FDA has confirmed 15 pet deaths, and anecdotal
reports suggest hundreds of cats and dogs may have
died.
Published: Tuesday, April
3, 2007 17:53 PDT