Lawsuit Alleges Kibbles ‘n Bits Dog Food Contains Euthanasia Drug

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action has been filed in New York against the makers of Kibbles ‘n Bits pet food over allegations that the products were contaminated with pentobarbital – a drug commonly used to euthanize animals. According to the complaint, defendants Big Heart Pet Brands, Inc. and The J.M. Smucker Company neglected to disclose on labels that their pet food may contain the potentially dangerous chemical, allowing unsuspecting consumers such as the plaintiff to purchase dog food that didn’t live up to its labels’ claims.

The case points out that the defendants market their products as “safe, healthy, and high quality” assuring consumers that the food is made with the “purest ingredients.” It follows that reasonable consumers “would have no reason to expect and anticipate that the Contaminated Dog Food is made up of anything other than pure ingredients from reputable suppliers and that quality is the top priority as promised by Defendants,” the complaint argues.

Instead, the suit continues, independent lab studies showed that the defendants’ Kibbles ‘n Bits products contained pentobarbital, a controlled substance that, when present in food in any amount, causes the food to be considered adulterated. The lawsuit poses that the chemical entered the defendants’ products through the use of non-slaughtered animals in the manufacturing process. According to the complaint, euthanized animals may not be used in the manufacturing of pet foods due to the possibility that the harmful chemicals used to euthanize them may still be present.

Notably, the defendants are facing several other lawsuits, all filed in California, over the same potential issue.