California pet owners may not have known that according to records from the Food and Drug Administration, it has issued numerous warning regarding Milo's Kitchen dog treats since some time in 2008. Del Monte, which owns Milo's Kitchen, did not recall the dog treats in question until January of this year due to traces of antibiotics being found in the treats. Now, a judge had refused to dismiss some class action consumer litigation with regard to the death of dogs after ingesting the treats.
In February of this year, the number of dogs that had died from eating tainted dog treats was 360. Another 2,200 dogs reportedly became sick from eating so called "natural" chicken jerky. The chicken used in the treats came from China. It was not rated as edible by humans, but is said to be legal to feed animals.
One pet owner involved in the lawsuit claims that her seven-year-old dog that was otherwise healthy had to be put down after being diagnosed as having kidney failure. She attributes her pet's ultimate demise to the tainted dog treats and alleges that Del Monte failed to heed the FDA's warnings about the treats. She also alleges that Del Monte failed to put warnings on their packaging.
This isn't Del Monte's first litigation regarding tainted pet food. Back in 2011, the company was part of a settlement in the amount of $24 million regarding consumer litigation against several companies for wet dog food that turned out to be contaminated with cyanuric acid and melamine. There are also other lawsuits currently pending against the company filed by other pet owners. Pet owners in California may want to review the FDA's website to ensure the food they are feeding their pets is not under recall.
Source: Consumer Affairs, "Milo's Kitchen treats poisoned dogs, class action charges," James R. Hood, July 3, 2013
