Class Action Lawsuit Claims Euthanasia Drug Found in Big Heart Pet Brands Dog Foods

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Big Heart Pet Brands, Inc. is the defendant in a proposed class action lawsuit wherein the plaintiff alleges its Gravy Train brand of pet food contains pentobarbital, a barbiturate and sedative commonly used to euthanize animals. The lawsuit explains that pentobarbital is a Class II controlled substance that, when ingested in even trace amounts, can cause pets to experience stool changes, vomiting, hyporexia, lethargy, difficulty walking, neurological changes, and death.

The 37-page complaint filed in federal court in California mentions the following varieties of Big Heart Pet Brands foods:

 The lawsuit pegs the alleged inclusion of pentobarbital as stemming from the substance being used to euthanize animals that make their way into the defendant’s pet food:

Pentobarbital is routinely used to euthanize animals, and the most likely way it could get into dog food would be in rendered animal products. Rendered products come from a process that converts animal tissues to feed ingredients, including tissues from animals that were euthanized, decomposed or diseased. Pentobarbital from euthanized animals survives the rendering process and could be present in the rendered feed ingredients used in pet food.”

The complaint cites the results of an independent, seven-month investigation reported on by a Washington D.C. ABC network affiliate that determined the defendant’s dog foods contained pentobarbital. Shortly after news of the investigation went public, the defendant released a statement in which it admitted pentobarbital “could unintentionally be in raw materials provided by the supplier.” After, Big Heart Pet Brands issued a recall of 27 products, the lawsuit says, including 10 Gravy Train wet food products. According to the complaint, the defendant has not yet disclosed the results of its own testing or the name of the manufacturing plant or supplier it believes to be the source of the supposedly contaminated raw materials.

The complaint argues Big Heart Pet Brands knew a risk existed that pentobarbital could end up in its dog foods should it slip in monitoring its manufacturing and sourcing operations. To this end, the lawsuit claims the defendant falsely advertised the affected pet foods and failed to include proper labeling or warnings for consumers.

The complaint can be read below.