Toxic Pet Food Kills Cat and Gives Life to Lawsuit

A Chicago woman whose cat died after eating Special Kitty cat food is suing Menu Foods. Menu Foods processed batches of pet food that are now recognized as contaminated with a toxic material—likely a toxin concentrated in wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is added to moist pet foods to provide spongy, little chunks that soak up broth and resemble meat.

Recall of wet “meat and gravy” foods
Due to pet deaths, Menu Foods began a nationwide recall of their products last week. This may be the largest pet food recall ever because Menu Foods are sold under the names of more than 50 companies. (See previous blog for list of companies.) Suspect foods include all wet “meat and gravy” foods packaged in cans or pouches and containing wheat gluten. Food in cans or pouches that do not contain wheat gluten are not being recalled. Dry foods are not being recalled.

Lawsuit filed
The Chicago woman, whose cat became suddenly and severely ill, did not file a simple lawsuit, she filed a class action lawsuit. This suggests she expects to be joined by other pet owners. When pet owners provide their lawyers with clear-cut cases of toxic foods causing kidney failure, the lawyers will have an easy time of it.

Most toxins cause chronic poor health
With most pets exposed to toxins, though, disease progression is not as swift or as obvious as the death of the Chicago woman’s cat. Instead, most pets that consume toxins go through long periods of gradually fading health. This is especially true for those pets who are gloriously healthy when first exposed to the toxin. Healthy pets have robust organs and enough healthy cells remain after toxin exposure that the organs continue to function. There is no slam into the fifth gear toward decline. These pets simply slide downhill, making it very difficult for veterinarians to figure out why they are no longer vigorous. Then, when these pets are exposed to an infection, an anesthetic, or even the effects of a medication for arthritis, they suddenly collapse like a deck of cards and die within days. No one links the pet’s death to previous toxin exposure.

Many causes of kidney failure
Another difficulty proving a death caused by kidney failure is due to toxins in pet food is that many conditions cause kidney failure. Here are 30 examples of drugs, toxins, and conditions that can lead to sudden kidney failure and death: high blood pressure, heart failure, thromboembolism, vasculitis, heatstroke, NSAIDs, antifreeze, anesthesia, aminoglycosides, sulfonamides, cephalosporins, amphotericin B, cisplatin, doxorubicin, thiacetarsamide, lasix, mercury, arsenic, calcium, snake venom, leptospirosis, septicemia, bacterial endocarditis, lymphosarcoma, dehydration, advanced age, low blood sodium, low blood potassium, low blood pH, and trauma. If we included drugs, toxins, and conditions causing a slow progression to kidney failure, the list would be even longer.

Getting justice through improving your pet's nutrition
We pray for justice for every pet that has been harmed by toxins in food, but more than justice, we pray for attention to what ingredients are allowed in pet food. We allow chemicals, dyes, sugars, preservatives, and diseased meat, and these are toxic to many pets—slowly toxic. To decrease this exposure to unhealthy pet food ingredients, offer food formulated by nutritionists rather than by bean counters. Bean counters allow flour, cornmeal, chemicals, sugars, dyes, salts, preservatives, and glutens into food because these ingredients keep the price lower than when vegetables and meats make up the bulk of the food.

Offer real food
In addition, offer small amounts of real food. That’s right, real food. If it is healthy for you to eat, offer a small amount to your pet. Green beans and broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and bell peppers are all good for pets. Don’t serve these vegetables with butter or cream sauce, but do put them in the blender so they’re ground up. Pets evolved getting most of their green vegetable matter from the stomach of prey animals where it had already been chopped up and mixed with enzymes. They still digest most vegetables better with a little help from the blender.

Honor the spirit of the pets that died
We regret that a toxic event and massive pet food recall have caused pain, death and suffering. Let’s work to use this event for good. Examine everything your pet eats and make nutrition changes for the better. These changes will honor the spirit of the pets that died in a more profound and powerful way than will the money made winning lawsuits.