Gravy Train Dog Food Contaminated, Class Action Claims

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A new class action lawsuit alleges that Big Heart Pet Brands Gravy Train dog food is contaminated with pentobarbital, a barbiturate drug.

Lead plaintiff, Maclain Mullins, alleges in his class action lawsuit that several varieties of Gravy Train dog food produced by Big Heart Pet Brands contains the drug.

Pentobarbital, alleges the plaintiff, is a sedative and anesthetic for animals and commonly used to euthanize cats and dogs.

Mullins says the chemical makes its way into the dog food because Big Heart likely uses animals that were euthanized to make the product.

The Gravy Train dog food class action lawsuit alleges that Big Heart hid this from consumers and advertised their dog food as high quality and safe to feed to pets multiple times each day.

“Pentobarbital from euthanized animals survives the rendering process and could be present in the rendered feed ingredients used in pet food,” alleges the Gravy Train class action lawsuit.

Mullins alleges that the Food and Drug Administration has prohibited the use of animals that have been euthanized because pentobarbital remains in the final product.

“The FDA’s testing of dry dog food confirmed some samples contained pentobarbital,” alleges the Gravy Train class action lawsuit. “The FDA concluded that pentobarbital was entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or horses because of the lack of dog and cat DNA.”

According to the Gravy Train dog food class action lawsuit, the FDA fails to enforce laws restricting the use of animals euthanized with pentobarbital in pet food products. The plaintiff says that Big Heart depends on that failure to use euthanized animals in its products.

Mullins also alleges that Big Heart falsely advertises its Gravy Train products as subject to a strict oversight and approval process.

“Defendant’s advertising campaign is deceptive…because there was no label or warning indicating to consumers that these products contained any level of Pentobarbital or that Defendant utilized animals that have been euthanized as a protein or meat by-product source,” argues the plaintiff.

The pet food class action lawsuit alleges that reasonable consumers, like the plaintiff, would not suspect that a euthanizing drug would be contained in Big Heart Gravy Train dog foods.

“Nondisclosure and concealment of any level of Pentobarbital or utilization of animals that have been euthanized as a protein or meat by-product source in the Contaminated Dog Foods coupled with the partial disclosures and/or misrepresentations that the food is pure, quality, healthy and safe by Defendant is intended to and does, in fact, cause consumers to purchase a product Plaintiff and Class members would not have bought if the true quality and ingredients were disclosed, including that the fact the Contaminated Dog Foods are adulterated,” alleges the Gravy Train class action.

According to the class action lawsuit, the contaminated dog food allegedly includes Big Heart Brand 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 and Gravy Train With Lamb & Rice Chunks.

The plaintiff seeks to represent a Class of consumers who purchased Big Heart Gravy Train dog food that allegedly contains pentobarbital. He is seeking damages as well as an order stopping Big Heart from advertising their products as “healthy, pure, quality and safe for consumption.”

Mullins is represented by attorneys from Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP, Robbins Arroyo LLP, Gustafson Gluek PLLC, Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP, and Lite DePalma Greenberg LLC.

The Gravy Train Contaminated Dog Food Class Action Lawsuit is Mullins v. Big Heart Pet Brands Inc., Case No. 3:18-cv-00861-LB, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.