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On Monday, a class action lawsuit accusing Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc. of failing to disclose the presence of dangerous substances in its pet food products was filed in California federal court.
Plaintiff Vladi Zakinov of California claims he purchased Blue Buffalo dog food as the primary food source for his 4-year-old dog named Coco. According to the Blue Buffalo class action lawsuit, Coco experienced kidney disease and eventual kidney failure from consuming the contaminated dog food.
Blue Buffalo products named in the contaminated dog food class action lawsuit include Blue Wilderness Chicken Recipe for Small Breed Adult Dogs, Blue Freedom Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Small Breed Adult Dogs, and Blue Basics Grain-Free Turkey & Potato Recipe for Adult Dogs.
According to the Blue Buffalo class action lawsuit, these dog food products contain significant levels of lead, a carcinogen that can cause serious health problems.
“Exposure to lead in food builds up over time,” the Blue Buffalo class action lawsuit says. “Buildup can and has been scientifically demonstrated to lead to the development of chronic poisoning, cancer, developmental, and reproductive disorders, as well as serious injuries to the nervous system, and other organs and body systems.”
Zakinov claims that Blue Buffalo advertised and sold dog food products without warning consumers that they contain lead, and that lead exposure over time can cause poisoning, injury and/or disease to occur.
On the contrary, Blue Buffalo advertises its products as healthy and safe, claiming the dog foods contain “a precise blend of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals selected by holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists,” according to the Blue Buffalo class action lawsuit. The bags of dog food also allegedly declare the products to be “healthy” and “holistic.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth, as the Contaminated Dog Foods’ inclusion of an unsafe amount of lead creates a health hazard for dogs” the Blue Buffalo class action lawsuit says. Zakinov claims he spent a significant amount of money on Blue Buffalo dog food and on treatments for his dog Coco.
Zakinov asserts that a reasonable customer would not have any reason to expect the products contain lead because Blue Buffalo pet food is labeled as healthy and holistic. Based on these representations, consumers reasonably expect the dog food to be healthy and safe for their pets to consume over time. The plaintiff says he would not have purchased Blue Buffalo dog food if he had known the products contained an excessive amount of lead.
Zakinov filed the Blue Buffalo class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased the allegedly contaminated Blue Buffalo dog food since July 1, 2013. He also seeks to represent a California subclass.
The Blue Buffalo class action lawsuit asserts claims for negligent misrepresentation, violations of California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, California’s False Advertising Law, California’s Unfair Competition Law, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty and negligence per se.
Zakinov is represented by Brian J. Robbins, Kevin A. Seely, Ashley R. Rifkin and Steven M. McKany of Robbins Arroyo LLP and by Rebecca A. Peterson and Robert K. Shelquist of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP.
The Blue Buffalo Contaminated Dog Food Class Action Lawsuit is Vladi Zakinov v. Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc., Case No. 3:17-cv-01301-AJB-WVG, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
UPDATE: The Blue Buffalo Contaminated Dog Food Class Action Lawsuit was dismissed on March 22, 2018.
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221 thoughts onBlue Buffalo Class Action Says Dog Food Is Contaminated with Lead
The class action lawsuit was dismissed.
People can’t blame every pet ailment on this as there is no proof. Pets and other animals get ailments all the time and there is no proof it’s caused by food or anything else.
Interbreeding is probably one of the main causes of ailments… Something most owners have no idea their pets heritage, or geneology even if it’s from a supposedly reputable breeder.
Accept it, pets get ailments just the same as humans…. Vets make a living on this!
I fed my sweet Charlie Blue Diamond for years. August of last year I found a lump on her neck. It was untreatable cancer. I had to put my Charlie to sleep in November 2017. My heart is still broken. I just learned of this problem with Blue Diamond today. If there is a way to make this company pay and go out of business I will do anything i can..
Since December 2016 we have been feeding both our dogs the Blue Wilderness Adult Chicken dog food. 3 weeks ago our 9 year old Lab/Greyhound mix was not feeling well so we took him in. X-Rays showed his Liver was 4 times the normal size and pushing into his stomach and intestines. His kidneys were failing and we had less than 24 hours to say good bye. We just read about this lead issue this week and took our other dog in today for a complete blood panel to make sure she was ok. Pet Club let me return the remaining dog food for a refund and said they have had a lot of people returning the Blue Wilderness brand over this issue. If the Blue Buffalo company was the cause of my boys death i hope they get crushed. If anyone has any other info on how to follow up with this Class Action suite i would appreciate some direction. We should get our other dogs blood tests back next week. Thanks
Yesterday the court granted a dismissal of this case stating “no evidence, or data to support the claim”, despite the rumors, No settlement was discussed.
So if there was no evidence does that mean that the food is safe? or why else was it dismisses? I’m worried…
My 8 1/2 year old terrier mix was in good health. I had him on Fromm Family grain free food until Chewy was out and showed Blue grain free chicken recipe as an similar alternative. He started eating the Blue on September 3, 2017 and suddenly lost his appetite and vomited on September 30 and passed away in the early morning hours of October 1st. I had left at noon on the 30th and he was fine. I had a neighbor coming over to let him out and feed him since I was going to be gone a couple days and discounted his nausea that night to stress since he did have anxiety. I am so angry that a company that has poisoned so many dogs is still in business!
let me add to my previous post now that i’ve read some others….my shepherd has been in and out of er with chronic diahrea….iv fluids for days on end and constant anti diarehea meds for the last year….never ever did they do a lead test….i have her schedule for one next week….the er diagnosis was “chronic anorexia”!!!!! wtf???? she would not eat for days – nothing – no treats, nothing….i guess she was allowing her body to detoxify but once she started eating again, within 3 weeks, same thing….
omg, i’m fuming! at the advice of my vet back in 2016 i switched my shepherd and puggle’s food from Natural Balance to Blue Buffalo adult turkey & potato…..so it’s been two years of hell!!! my shepherd has multiple mast cell tumors and my puggle has one so large his paw might have to be amputated…..these just “appeared” last year – after being on this food for 1 year. My shepherd is 11 and my puggle is 10 – never had issues – i realize they are old, but this makes me wonder……i’ve had enough with these dog food companies not be regulated by any federal agency for quality and testing…..i’d rather spend the money and make them their food for the few years i have left with them…..i’m done with corporate greed in the pet industry…..
I’ve been feeding my two boxers Blue Buffalo basics limited ingredient turkey and potato, freedom grain free, and the life protection for about 2 years. My one boxer recently stopped eating and after some extensive blood work, urine tests and fecal tests they found crystals in his urine and elevated kidney levels. I am so disappointed and saddened by this news. Had to place him on prescription food and will be switching to another brand for my other one as well.
don’t put him on any dog food – make it! it’s worth it – 1 lb. ground turkey – boiled and drained. add 1/2 cup chopped cooked sweet potato (fresh not canned), 1/2 cup frozen peas or peas and carrots, i add about 1/2 cup quinoa and brown rice – cooked. feed 2x a day – mine are 35 pounds and they get 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup at night. seem so much happier and comfortable and they only poop once a day!!!
I want to join the lawsuit. How?
The case is still moving through the courts and has not yet reached a settlement. Claim forms are usually not made available to consumers until after a court approved settlement is reached. We recommend you sign up for a free account at TopClassActions.com and follow the case. We will update the article with any major case developments or settlement news! Setting up a free account with Top Class Actions will allow you to receive instant updates on ANY article that you ‘Follow’ on our website. A link to creating an account may be found here: https://topclassactions.com/signup/. You can then ‘Follow’ the article above, and get notified immediately when we post updates!
I’d like to get involved also. My dog has been diagnosed with kidney failure in January of 2017. She was acting abnormal end of nov. beginning of dec. 2016. The Vet said they didn’t think she’d make it through the weekend. He asked if she could’ve ingested something toxic. The answer was no she’s always by my side. She was eating Blue Buffalo for awhile after my mother convinced me it was best. The vet calls her their miracle dog. We are now over a year later she needs to be given fluids daily. She can’t hold her bladder long water just goes right through her. She’s still acting ok but very sick. She’s our fighter. But I did stop her from Blue Buffalo a few months ago before I knew about this and I’m surprised at the difference.
I lost my Kayla on Jan 9, 2018…I started feeding her Blue Buffalo Turkey and potato on the 6th of Jan. and she died on the 9th of Jan. She was vomiting and could not stand up and her heart was beating so fast I thought it would explode, I took her to the vet and they told me she had crystals in her blood and her heart was beating but not pumping enough blood for her heart, they said it look like she was trying to die……10 minutes later she was dead..I had Kayla from 6 weeks and she was 11 years…she was fine and running and chasing and playing and walking and I loved her with all my heart she was my companion and my friend and I loved her very much and suddenly she is gone. I am 71 years old and I miss her so much, I still cry over her…Please add me to your list for information for the class action law suite…Thank you for your time
So is this case still open to claim on? I saw another article “Blue Buffalo Pet Food Ingredients Class Action Settlement Checks Mailed” written 1/12/18 stating the deadline for claim was 2016.
I think it is certain that my dog’s tumors are a result of feeding her Blue Buffalo. What can I do? I have some veterinary test results .
We fed our first Rhodesian Ridgeback Blue Buffalo. He was 9 years old and in great health, until one day he suddenly wasn’t. He died less than a week later. This was in December 2013. We are fairly certain it was the Blue Buffalo aka poison.
I have feed my Dog Blue Buffalo for his entire 10 years, Grain free Turkey, Potato, I just last week found out he was anemic, had nodgels on his liver, and biopsy was inconclusive. We give him steroids, antibiotics, and a bland diet, his anemia has improved. But I put him back on the Blue Buffalo not knowing about this, yikes. Getting him checked Weds.