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Big Heart Pet Brands Inc. has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging it fails to disclose that its Gravy Train dog food products contain pentobarbital and can be toxic to dogs.
According to plaintiff Nancy Sturm, the following Big Heart Pet Brands products contain pentobarbital, a barbiturate drug that is used as a sedative and anesthetic for animals:
- Gravy Train Chunks in Gravy with Beef Chunks
- Gravy Train Chunks in Gravy with T-Bone Flavor Chunks
- Gravy Train Chunks in Gravy with Chicken Chunks
- Gravy Train Strips in Gravy Beef Strips
- Gravy Train with Lamb & Rice Chunks
The Gravy Train class action lawsuit notes that pentobarbital is most commonly used in the euthanization of cats and dogs.
“Pentobarbital is a Class II controlled substance, and there is no safe or set level for pentobarbital in pet food,” the Gravy Train class action lawsuit says. “If it is present, the food is adulterated.”
A pet that ingests pentobarbital may experience adverse health effects such as salivation, vomiting, stool changes, decreased appetite, lethargy, neurologic abnormalities, difficulty walking, collapse, coma and/or death.
Sturm suggests that the pentobarbital contained in Gravy Train dog food may have gotten into the product because the food is made from rendered animal products.
“Rendered products come from a process that converts animal tissues into feed ingredients, including tissues from animals that were euthanized, decomposed or diseased,” the Gravy Train class action lawsuit says. “Pentobarbital from euthanized animals survives the rendering process and could be present in the rendered feed ingredients used in pet food.”
According to Sturm, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not taken aggressive action against pet food companies that use non-slaughtered animals. Therefore, pet food manufacturers have continued to use animals that have not been slaughtered and which may include poisonous substances like pentobarbital, which end up in their pet foods.
On Feb. 8, ABC network affiliate WJLA in Washington, D.C., reported that an independent investigation determined that Gravy Train dog food products contained pentobarbital. According to the Gravy Train class action lawsuit, Gravy Train was the only brand of pet food that tested positive for pentobarbital.
The WJLA report noted that pentobarbital is not used on farm animals; it is only used to euthanize dogs, cats, and horses.
Days after the report was released, Big Heart Pet Brands reportedly voluntarily withdrew more than two dozen products from the market. The FDA subsequently issued an alert about the voluntary withdrawal of these products, stating: “The FDA’s preliminary evaluation of the testing results of Gravy Train samples indicates that the low level of pentobarbital present in the withdrawn products is unlikely to pose a health risk to pets.”
“However,” the FDA said, “pentobarbital should never be present in pet food and products containing any amount of pentobarbital are considered to be adulterated.”
Sturm filed the Gravy Train class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and a proposed Class of U.S. consumers who purchased the contaminated Gravy Train products for household or business use since Feb. 1, 2008. She also seeks to certify a Class of Illinois consumers.
A similar Gravy Train class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court earlier this month.
Sturm is represented by Rebecca A. Peterson and Robert K. Shelquist of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP.
The Gravy Train Poisonous Dog Food Class Action Lawsuit is Nancy Sturm v. Big Heart Pet Brands Inc., Case No. 3:18-cv-01099-GSC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.
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94 thoughts onGravy Train Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Dog Food Is Poisonous
Add me please.
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!
Add me please
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!
Pls add me
This makes me so sad and sick
P.O. box 374
Fortuna ca 95540
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 have been using gravy train since my dog was a puppy when I first got her she’s 3 years old now and now she refuses to eat it
My name is Brandon Hayes and I’ve been feeding my dog Ol Roy and Gravy Train dog food exclusively for years and he’s been fine up until a couple of weeks ago and I had to beg and Barrow to get him to to veterinarian, only to find out it was his food all along. I did some research and was disgusted, my dog is suffering from every symptom on the list. This company is basically murdering my best friend and I see I’m not the only person going through this. I feel like first they should be put out of business and should have to refund every bag of this pet poison for Every customer and even that cant bring our pets back. But this is wrong and they need to be stopped
I fed my dog gray train about once a week and only one can because i feed him dry food all week was wondering why he was throwing it up and getting sick i thought it was because he was used to eatinh dry dog food but reading this article it all makes sense now as to why he was getting sick when id feed him the can of gravy train
I fed my dog Lucky canned Gravy Train dog food and he started vomiting, got lethargic, stopped walking and got very sick! I switched his dog food, and thank God he survived and is better now. Please add me to this lawsuit. I’m really upset about this and feel so sorry for all the people who list their dog!
Nitta Maria Joy McNeill
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 fed my sweet rescue Maya this for quite a while until she became sick and I switched dog food. Please sign me up for this..
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!
Please add me to this. I lost my dog February 3 ,2018. I feed my God Heavy train and he began to become lathargic, vomiting , he stop eating then he died over a 6 month period. I had him for 7 years. I loved him so such and I miss him so much.
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!
Add me to this lawsuit I brought this for my dog for over three years and stopped about four months ago because it made him sick.
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!