Purina says the ingredients to Beneful are FDA approved and are in foods people eat, according to sources (Gracie Zheng/Neon Tommy)

Nestle Purina DogCare Company is facing a class action lawsuit after a dog owner claimed certain ingredients in their dog food had caused 3000 dogs to become ill or die after eating a particular brand of dog food, according to the New York Post.

Pet owner Frank Lucido filed the claim in California federal court, stating that the Beneful brand contain propylene glycol and mycotoxins. Propylene glycol is a component of auto antifreeze, according to the New York Post.  

Lucido is the owner of three dogs: a four-year-old German Shepard, an eight-year-old English Bulldog and a 11-year-old Labrador. Due to renovations at Lucido’s home, the dogs were kept in three different locations, according to NBC.

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The owner began feeding the three dogs solely Beneful dog food either in late December or in early January, according to the New York Post. The German Shepard started losing large amounts of hair and putting off a strange smell. All three dogs then fell ill and the English Bulldog eventually died, according to NBC.

An autopsy showed that the bulldog had lesions on its liver and internal bleeding in its stomach. The German Shepard also had similar symptoms. The lawsuit stated that the internal bleeding was considered to be “consistant with poinsoning,” according to NBC.

The Labrador and the German Shepard are currently under veterinary care, according to the New York Post.

Purina says the the suit was “without merit,” according USA Today. NBC News reported a statement from Purina. It stated, “Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social media-driven misinformation. On-line postings often contain false, unsupported, and misleading allegations that cause undue concern and confusion for our baneful customers.”

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The law suit concerns the many of the Beneful dry food fleet, including “Purina Beneful Playful Life,” “Purina Beneful Healthy Radiance,” “Purina Healthy Growth for Puppies,” “Purina Beneful Health Fiesta,” Purina Beneful Health Weight,” “Purina Beneful Healthy Smile,” “Purina Beneful Incredibites,”and “Purina Beneful Original.”

The Los Angeles Animal Services do not use Purina brand dog food. They use Canidae, a natural pet food brand from Brownwood Texas, according to general manager Brenda Barnette.

“The pet food is choosen by our Shelter Director and Chief Veterinarian based on nutritional value, cost and availability from a City approved vendor,” she said. 

The Beneful brand remains of store shelves, according to ABC News Denver. Lucido claims that the 3000 complaints of illness and deaths in dogs spanned over four years. The complaints display the pets had “consistent symptoms” including seizures, dehydration, and kidney failure, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Other common symptoms comprise diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, internal bleeding, and liver failure. Lawyer Jeff Cereghino aspires to get access to researching the ingredients to the Beneful dry food “kibble,” according to USA Today. The Daily Beast stated that Cereghino is one of the attorneys representing Lucido.

Lucido desires compensation from the company for himself and dog owners who purchased Beneful. The brand of dog food has endured two class action lawsuits in recent years. The courts dismissed both cases, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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