Class Action Alleges 'Real Ham Bone For Dogs' Made of Waste and Unsafe

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A California pet owner claims in a proposed class action lawsuit that defendants Frick’s Meat Products, Inc., a meat producer, and Dynamic Pet Products, LLC sell ham bones made of waste “in an effort to profit from the waste produced by slaughterhouses and meat manufacturers.” The lawsuit alleges that despite the defendants’ advertisements boasting the product as an appropriate and safe chew toy for dogs, the Real Ham Bone For Dogs, when chewed, can splinter into shards. When swallowed, the case continues, these shards can slice through dogs’ digestive systems and cause internal injuries, including rectal bleeding, vomiting, seizures or, as the complaint reads, “gruesome, bloody deaths.”

The case claims that consumers have consistently filed complaints with the defendants since the product’s release in 2006, but even with the outcry (and a 2010 FDA notice proclaiming products like Real Ham Bone For Dogs were not safe), the companies have continued to sell and represent the bone as “safe for your pet” and “meant to be chewed.”

According to the complaint, the plaintiff’s (and her dogs’) experience with the ham bone is a common one:

“[The plaintiff] watched her dogs chew on the Real Ham Bone For Dogs for approximately an hour after which she took the bones away because she noticed they were starting to splinter,” the lawsuit says. “That evening, both of her dogs became ill. They were vomiting, had blood in their mouths and in the vomit, and in [one dog’s] vomit, [the plaintiff] also saw bone shards.”