The lawsuit against Purina claims that thousands of dogs have been sickened or died from eating Beneful dog food.
The heartbreak that accompanies the sudden loss of a pet can be overwhelming and for more than 4,000 pet parents in North America, it is doubly so as they struggle with the question of whether it could have been prevented. Pet food giant Purina has come under intense public scrutiny as their popular Beneful dry dog food product was named as the suspected culprit in a class action lawsuit filed by grieving owners. Initially at question was the use of a potentially toxic ingredient known as propylene glycol, commonly found in anti-freeze, yet believe it or not, FDA-approved as a food additive. However, research has shown that the variation used is considered “food-grade” and is not toxic, let alone capable of seriously harming and in some cases killing, this many pets. So back to square one for thousands of distressed dog owners? Not so fast. In this tragic saga, a new and ominous villain has surfaced in the form of “mycotoxins” – a toxic by-product of mold that is particularly difficult to detect and can be found in all types of grains including your breakfast cereal. The challenge is that grains used in food products are a blend that comes from multiple mills and granaries. Not all are as diligent at storing their product in a way that prevents mold growth – think weakest link here – and all it takes is one contributor to contaminate a batch. Adding to the dilemma is the difficulty in detecting the toxin – even if you were testing a load of grain rife with mycotoxins, they could still be missed. So what are next steps? If mycotoxins are the proven cause, and if humans not pets were similarly impacted, what would you expect? We want to hear what you have to think about this lawsuit – please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
