Lawsuit Alleges Major Pet Food Manufacturer Has Been Feeding Animals Lead

BY MATTHEW RUSSELL

Blue Buffalo has not been immune to errors in quality control over the past few years. The pet food manufacturer has issued three recalls in 2017 alone, and it now faces a lawsuit that alleges its products have been causing lead poisoning.

California resident Vladi Zakinov filed a class-action lawsuit against Blue Buffalo after his 4-year-old cocker spaniel-poodle mix, Coco, was stricken with an acute kidney disease and died after eating the food daily.

Healthy Pets reports that lead was discovered in the dog’s bodily tissues after death. Zakinov’s case blames Blue Buffalo for that death.

Source: Pexels

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets the permissible amount of lead in a food product at 5 parts per billion, but a third-party lab found excess amounts in the following Blue Buffalo foods:

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Blue Buffalo Product	Lead (parts per billion)
Blue Wilderness Chicken Recipe for Small Breed Adult Dogs	200 ppb
Blue Freedom Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Small Breed Adult Dogs	140 ppb
Blue Basics Grain-Free Turkey and Potato Recipe for Adult Dogs	840 ppb

Zakinov’s case asserts that Blue Buffalo did not protect its customers from lead poisoning by warning them of lead in their products or the health issues lead-tainted foods can cause. He wants to be paid back for the food he purchased from the company back when he believed its positioning as a healthy and holistic option.

Source: Vladi Zakinov v. Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc

He also wants compensation for Coco’s veterinary bills and the loss of his friend.

LEAD POISONING

When lead is ingested, it can take the place of zinc and calcium in cells, gradually building up and affecting the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system.

Source: Pxhere

PetMD maintains that young animals and dogs are the most common victims of lead poisoning, although cats are also vulnerable.

Lead poisoning symptoms include:

• Vomiting
• Poor appetite
• Loss of balance
• Diarrhea
• Seizures
• Blindness
• And eventually, death

If you notice your pet exhibiting any of these symptoms, call a veterinarian immediately. They will need to understand your pet’s health and environmental history, as well as run a number of tests to see if lead is an issue.

Source: Pexels

Pet food has long been a source of worry for pet owners and health officials. Reports of salmonella contamination are frequent and threaten not only animals eating the food but also the owners handling it. Nutritional deficiencies and toxins have been found in pet foods as well — including melamine, which has led to multiple pet deaths.

Click the button below to join those who are making a difference by demanding stricter regulations for pet food!

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Thanks for visiting my blog for the animals. It's always great to connect with another animal lover. If you and I don't speak up for them, who will? 

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Until next time….hug your animals. Tell them you love them. If you don’t have a pet, adopt one. Make adoption your first option when seeking a pet. Adopt. Don’t shop. Can’t adopt. Please consider fostering one. The animal will have the taste of home and the shelter will cover the expenses. Can’t foster? Make a donation or volunteer at your local shelter. Please, don’t hunt. Unless you’re starving down in a ditch somewhere, there is no logical reason to do so. Whatever you do, however you do it, please be a voice for the animals large and small. All it takes is one to make a difference, good or bad.
    FYI: To find an animal in need of a home; to find an animal shelter near you, check out www.petfinder.com
                                     

Together, you and I can make a difference in an animal's life.  I’m one for the animals. Are you? Thanks for visiting. Stay safe. Be strong. Be happy. Smile. Show compassion. Be nice to one another. Pass it onward. If you like what you see here, please consider signing up to become a follower. Please feel free to share this post with others.
                                                         

    Regards,

    S.J. Francis

    In Shattered Lies: "Good and bad, it's All About Family."  Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at on-line retailers and independent booksellers.

   “Some secrets should remain that way.” 

      My Black Opal Books Author Page:

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                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

FYI: To find an animal in need of a home; to find an animal shelter near you, check out www.petfinder.com

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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2017 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

                                                        

 FYI: To find an animal in need of a home; to find an animal shelter near you, check out www.petfinder.com

                                                                                                Remember: Animals have no voice. We must be their voice. Always. Forever. Anywhere and everywhere. See an animal being abused or abandoned. Call the police, Sheriff, FBI.

Is There a Puppy Mill in Your Neighborhood? This Report Can Tell You

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) recently released its latest “Horrible Hundred” report of puppy mills in the United States. The organization describes the report as “a list of known, problematic puppy breeding and/or puppy brokering facilities.” And they state that “it is not a list of all puppy mills, nor is it a list of the worst puppy mills in the country.”

The breeders and brokers on this list have a proven track record of mistreating animals and violating the laws — which often require only the minimum amount of care, to begin with, and don’t always take emotional well-being into consideration — that were created to help protect animals from abuse and neglect.

This 53-page report proves that the individuals operating these breeding facilities are cutting corners to maximize profits, completely disregarding the humane treatment of animals and neglecting to provide basics such as clean food and water, safe housing and veterinary care.

 

Missouri and Iowa are known for having a large number of puppy mills, and Minnesota is home to one of the largest puppy mills in the country. But puppy mills are also found in Texas, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and New York, showing that this problem isn’t exclusive to agricultural states of the Midwest.

Uncovering the Hidden Horrors

 

 In the 2017 report, Missouri has 19 puppy mills listed, with violations ranging from contaminated food to animals found suffering from open wounds infested with maggots. Pennsylvania has 12 breeders listed, many of which were repeatedly cited for failing to provide veterinary care to dogs. Ohio also has 12 breeders listed, with one of the breeders being noted for having a barn fire that resulted in the death of “an undisclosed number” dogs.

A Tennessee breeder on the list was selling puppies online through puppyfind.com, even after being convicted of 47 counts of animal cruelty. A breeder from Georgia was also listed for selling puppies online after being convicted of 20 counts of animal cruelty. In Massachusetts, a breeder was forcing dogs to live in stacked cages in a basement, and an Arkansas breeder received a violation for a dog suffering from an untreated broken jaw.

Dogs in puppy mills are treated as nothing but a commodity, never knowing a soft bed, toys or a life filled with love.

 

This is a mere sampling of what the report contains, and it’s important to remember that this information only reflects what has been documented through official inspections or complaints. (Information that is now harder to get due to the removal of animal welfare documents from the USDA’s website in February.) It’s been estimated that there are thousands of puppy mills of all sizes operating in the U.S. If we see this much suffering in documented incidents covering 100 facilities, imagine everything that is going undetected and unreported.

The dogs in puppy mills are suffering every day. They’re forced to live in pain, endure extreme heat and cold in outdoor enclosures, and live in stuffy barns and buildings. The magnitude of the problem is overwhelming to think about, but through the power of people dedicated to education and changing laws, we can help put an end to the suffering.

Putting Puppy Mills Out of Business

 

As the report show...s, even breeders with a history of Animal Welfare Act violations can still be allowed to operate, which is why it is so difficult “shut down” commercial breeding operations. That’s why it’s so important to educate consumers about puppy mills and how they’re connected to pet stores online sales.

It might be tempting to “save” a sad-looking puppy from a pet store, but for each puppy purchased, two adult dogs are condemned to a life of pain and misery in a puppy mill.

 

With the vast majority of pet store puppies coming from puppy mills, over 200 jurisdictions across the U.S. and Canada have enacted ordinances banning the retail sale of commercially bred dogs and cats. It’s an effective way to help stop puppy mills at the consumer level by encouraging people to adopt one of the over six million animals that enter shelters every year. By choosing adoption you not only save a life, you help make puppy mills a thing of the past.

Learn more about puppy mills and pet adoption by checking out these other One Green Planet articles:

• 12 Alarming Facts About Pet Homelessness: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/12-alarming-facts-about-pet-homelessness/

        How Buying ‘Teacup’ and Hypoallergenic Dogs Contributes to Puppy Mills: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/how-buying-teacup-and-hypoallergenic-dogs-contributes-to-puppy-mills/

• 5 Ridiculous Myths About Shelter Pets: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/ridiculous-myths-about-shelter-pets/
• An Inside Look Into the Dark Walls of Puppy Mills: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/an-inside-look-into-puppy-mills/

All image source: Humane Society of the United States/Facebook  

Thanks for visiting my blog for the animals. It's always great to connect with another animal lover. If you and I don't speak up for them, who will? 

Want to help out shelter animals without spending a dime?

Go to  www.freekibble.com

Answer a question daily for dogs and cats and kibble is donated to feed them. Right or wrong, the answer doesn't matter. 

Click on   www.freekibble.com/litter    and help give litter for cats.

Another way to help feed shelter animals without spending a dime is to visit and click the big purple box at  http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/home

Coins That Count: 

Is your coin jar overflowing? Turn that loose change into cash that helps animals by donating to The HSUS at participating Coinstar machines nationwide. Where to go» Find a Kiosk near you...

     https://www.coinstar.com/kioskfinder?element=Charity&parmName=HumaneSocietyofUS

                                             

Until next time….hug your animals. Tell them you love them. If you don’t have a pet, adopt one. Make adoption your first option when seeking a pet. Adopt. Don’t shop. Can’t adopt. Please consider fostering one. The animal will have the taste of home and the shelter will cover the expenses. Can’t foster? Make a donation or volunteer at your local shelter. Please, don’t hunt. Unless you’re starving down in a ditch somewhere, there is no logical reason to do so. Whatever you do, however you do it, please be a voice for the animals large and small. All it takes is one to make a difference, good or bad.

    FYI: To find an animal in need of a home; to find an animal shelter near you, check out  https://www.petfinder.com

0r   www.savearescue.org

Remember, all types, ages, breeds, even purebreds are waiting to be adopted.

                                     

Together, you and I can make a difference in an animal's life.  I’m one for the animals. Are you? Thanks for visiting. Stay safe. Be strong. Be happy. Smile. Show compassion. Be nice to one another. Pass it onward. If you like what you see here, please consider signing up to become a follower. Please feel free to share this post with others.

    Regards,
    S.J. Francis

    In Shattered Lies: "Good and bad, it's All About Family."  Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at on-line retailers and independent booksellers.     “Some secrets should remain that way.” 

 

      My Black Opal Books Author Page:

            http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis
                 My web page: http://www.sjfranciswriter.com
                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

FYI: To find an animal in need of a home; to find an animal shelter near you, check out www.petfinder.com

                                     0r   www.savearescue.org

Remember, all types, ages, breeds, even purebreds are waiting to be adopted.

 My Facebook fan page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325

                  My writing Blog: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com

                                                     

          A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com
                  A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com

Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419/

                 Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about

Good Reads:       https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2017 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

                                                        

 FYI: To find an animal in need of a home; to find an animal shelter near you, check out  https://www.petfinder.com

0r   www.savearescue.org

Remember, all types, ages, breeds, even purebreds are waiting to be adopted.

                                                            

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