Poisonous Pet Food

Canadian Company Poisons Thousands of Pets Through Negligence

A series of misfortune, combined with outright criminal negligence, has led to the recall of 95 brands of pet food found to be laced with aminopterin, a chemical used in rat poison. So far, according to Menu Foods, the company responsible, there have been 16 confirmed animal deaths, although vets estimate the actual number to be in the thousands. Sad and angry pet owners have filed a series of class action lawsuits against the Canadian contract manufacturer, but are likely to find that the law is against them.

The chemical in question was found in wet pet food called "cuts and gravy". Apparently, the wheat gluten used to thicken the gravy was responsible, being tainted with the rat poison. When fed to pets, the aminopterin caused kidney failure and often death. The contamination affected 95 brands of pet food, all of which were manufactured by Menu Foods.

Needless to say, this turn of events has generated quite a bit of anger. And rightly so. Menu Foods received reports of pets dying after eating the tainted food as early as a month before they announced the recall. Rather than doing anything about it, or even stopping producing food with the tainted wheat gluten, Menu Foods began a "taste testing" program, in which several animals were fed the tainted food, to see if it was, in fact, poison. It was, and the animals died. At that point, the company announced a recall, but not before the damage was done.

Obituaries were published and funeral services were held for the dead pets, and then the lawyers came. So far, several different class action suits have been filed against the Canadian company on the part of grieving pet owners. Unfortunately, the pet owners will likely soon discover that the law does not treat animals as humans, and does not see their accidental killing as anything to worry about.