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In a new consumer class action lawsuit, a woman from California claims certain PetMatrix dog treats aren’t as digestible as the label says they are.
Plaintiff Charlotte Docken says PetMatrix LLC of New Jersey falsely represents its Dream Bone dog treats in an effort to get sales from consumers who wouldn’t have bought the treats otherwise.
Docken says the label for PetMatrix Dream Bone treats says the product is “99 percent digestible.” The packaging also features a picture of a small dog, implying that the product was safe for small dogs to digest, she argues.
In fact, Docken alleges, PetMatrix Dream Bone contains many indigestible ingredients. She says the third ingredient listed on the ingredient list is sorbitol, which according to her is not digestible. Docken claims sorbitol is widely used as a laxative, and she says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies it as an “indigestible sugar alcohol.”
Docken claims other ingredients in PetMatrix products were placed there to function as a laxative, to give pet owners the illusion that the overall product is more digestible than it really is. She believes PetMatrix has known since it first started making Dream Bone treats that the product contains a large proportion of indigestible ingredients.
Docken says she purchased PetMatrix Dream Bone dog treats at a Walmart in California. After giving a Dream Bone to her dog Maxie, she says, Maxie didn’t respond well to it. Docken says Maxie began showing symptoms of a digestive blockage, including vomiting, avoiding food, and bloody discharge.
X-rays at her veterinarian’s office revealed a large obstruction in Maxie’s abdomen. After surgically removing the object, the veterinarian discovered it was a large piece of a dog chew that matched the Dream Bone Docken had given the dog earlier.
Docken says that the Dream Bone was the only new food item she had introduced to Maxie shortly before the surgery. According to her veterinarian, had they not quickly performed the surgery, Maxie would have died.
Docken now argues that PetMatrix’s conduct violates several provisions of California consumer protection law. Her PetMatrix class action lawsuit raises claims for unlawful, unfair and fraudulent business acts and practices, misleading and deceptive advertising, and untrue advertising. She also includes one claim for violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
The plaintiff seeks to represent a nationwide Class of all persons who purchased PetMatrix Dream Bone dog treats since May 2012. She also proposes a subclass consisting of all Class Members who purchased Dream Bone treats in California. She anticipates both the Class and subclass will number in the thousands.
Docken is asking the court for certification of the proposed Class, damages, restitution, disgorgement of profits, attorneys’ fees and court costs. She also seeks a court order forbidding PetMatrix from continuing the conduct she complains of here.
Plaintiff’s counsel are Todd M. Friedman and Adrian R. Bacon of the Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman PC.
The PetMatrix Dream Bone False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Charlotte Docken v. Petmatrix LLC, Case No. 8:16-cv-00994, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
UPDATE: PetMatrix Dream Bone False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit was dismissed on February 23, 2017.
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101 thoughts onPetMatrix Class Action Says Dog Treats Are Dangerously Mislabeled
I had 2 yorkies that loved dream bones, I would give them 1 small dream bone a day. They both ended up with bloody stools, diarrhea, vomiting etc. I had to put my little girl to sleep October 2021 and I had to put my little boy to sleep May 2022. They were my world, my companions……I’m sure it was the dream bones!
I gave my dog dream bone treats and he ended up almost bleeding out. It caused him to have an auto-immune disease called
THROMBOCYTOPENIA, which causes his immune system to attack his blood platelets. NOW he is on prednisone and cyclosporin for the rest of his life. If there is a lawsuit against DREAMBONE, I’d like to sign up for it. I DO NOT buy any dreambone products now….NONE
I haven’t seen the recent lawsuit about these bones. I purchased these from Walmart and gave my dog 3 of these on different days and within 24 hours she started throwing up. I thought it was from something else until I started investigating.
I am going to have to have my small shipoo put to sleep as a direct violent illness caused by dream bones. She was very healthy and active but after giving her a dream bone she began showing terrible symptoms such as vomiting being unable to walk properly and diarrhea. This company needs to be held accountable for causing this to my pet!! What can be done if anything to hold them accountable ?
I got a bag of the Peanut butter dream bones And normally my dog does fine with them he loves them it’s like his crack crack he’ll sit there for hours and bag until I give him one! This morning when he woke up he went outside did his business came back in and expected his treat ,so I gave him one and A couple hours goes By and his whole demeanor changes you can instantly tell he doesn’t feel good tell between the legs when he walk’s head down would not eat or drink And then 30 minutes after I noticed it he started violently throwing up blood I was extremely concerned I thought my dog was going to die! These dream bones need to be taken off the market off the market and remade the correct way like the package says Easy to Digest! If anyone knows how to join this lawsuit please let me know! Thanks
We just gave our 7 month old Shih Tzu a chicken Dreambone. 5 minutes later she threw it up. They were just delivered and fresh, as we threw the older ones out because there were getting hard. Some say this product is safe. Many others have regrets. We’re not taking any chances.
I’m scared to death I have given this to my english bulldog puppy not knowing the dangers of this product. I researched the product but didn’t see any of the terrifying reviews. Now I’m worried I have given my beloved pet something dangerously toxic.
I found this site, after my 3 year old shih tzu started having random bouts of violent vomiting episodes today! At first, I was unsure as to “what” she was throwing up, but I knew (or at least thought) whatever she was throwing up couldn’t be anything I had given to her, due to the size (and unnatural look) of the particles. Only after searching my home, and realizing she had not consumed anything inedible of her own accord, did I become suspicious (and confirm) that it indeed was a Dream Bone that I had given her last night! The product’s claim of “highly digestibleness,” was the sole reason I was so “naive” to the fact that the large particles she had been struggling to expel up, were indeed, pieces of an undigested Dream Bone, as the resemblance of the two were uncanny! Only now is it, that I understand Dream Bone’s deceptive and misleading marketing tactics, in which they “use” rawhide, to at least partially validate the “high digestibility” of their product, via a compare and contrast method! At this point, I can only hope my beloved dog does not have any further (or more serious) complications, as a result from these overpriced “junk bones,” that had honest marketing tactics been employed, I would have never bought in the first place!
Who do I contact to put my name on this lawsuit
it was dismissed – no lawsuit exists