The poisoned dog and cat food crisis with pet food producers has alarmed many cat and dog. Now, they are fighting back via legal claims and class action lawsuits.
Pets in both the United States and Canada have experienced serious problems, such as kidney failure, loss of appetite, seizures, death, and other symptoms resulting from eating poisoned petfood. As a result, there has been a recall of millions of food items.
Despite uncertainty as to the exact cause of the problem, the contaminants in the pet foods were identified, and one manufacturer, Menu Foods, has voluntarily recalled the products.
Class action suits are now being prepared in this case for this company and others. In one lawsuit, two Manitoba, Canada plaintiffs are suing over the death of a cat and several dogs, after eating the recalled products.
And while Menu Foods seems to be experiencing the majority of the legalities, other companies are affected. Royal Canin, based in is being sued for around 50 million dollars over contaminated food. In this case however, the contamination is excessive Vitamin D, which can be dangerous to dogs and cats in large enough does. And so although the symptoms appear to be the same as the other products, the underlying reason is very different.
A quick search of the Internet provdes many companies wanting your claim, with class action lawsuits all throughout North America. Importantly, these lawsuits require your participation, but don’t require any payment, as all fees will be paid out of the judgment.
A difficulty for any class action is evaluating what are the damages, if any. By law, animals are considered property, so damages are based on the actual value of the animal. But dogs and cats are much more than just property, and the law may be unable to set a proper price on the loss of a loved pet friend. Under the current legal system, ‘pain and suffering’ does not apply to dog or cat loss.
Should these issues affect your pet, you may wish to become part of a lawsuit easily. Searching the Internet will provide you various options. But no matter which lawyer you use, you must keep track of all related items: veterinarian bills and other care invoices, food and food containers, store invoices, plus anything else likely to be needed to prove a case. Gathering your paperwork, you improve your chances of both being included with and winning a judgment.
Time will tell if these claims provide any compensation for the pet owners. But by putting a price tag on pet care, there is the possibility that more attention will be shown for pet food and pet food preparation from now on.
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