CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Some Nevada pet owners who blame recalled pet food for the deaths of their animals said they're considering legal action against the food manufacturer.
Jan Chandler of Carson City, whose 14-year-old cat, Ollie, was euthanized Tuesday, said she's considering joining a lawsuit filed by a Chicago woman against Menu Foods of Canada. The suit seeks class-action status.
"(Ollie) was one of our kids. It was just heartbreaking to have to put her to sleep," Chandler told the Nevada Appeal.
Bonnie Grellman of Reno, whose 2-year-old white lab, Jingles, was euthanized last month, said she's undecided about joining the suit.
"I just want to see where the suit goes, but this company needs to be held accountable," she said.
Grellman's husband, Jack, a Reno lawyer and 25-year member of the Nevada Humane Society board, said he still can't believe the pain the dog went through after eating the food.
"I'm not mad or angry, it's just sad that this had to happen," he said.
The Grellmans usually give fresh foods to their animals but were a little short just over a month ago. They decided to give Jingles a can of Eukanuba food they had purchased for another dog that periodically stays with them.
The food was among the 95 brands included in the nationwide recall by Menu Foods. Suspected to be contaminated by rat poison, the "cuts and gravy" style food has been blamed for the deaths of at least 16 dogs and cats.
"(Jingles) became so ill so fast" after eating, Bonnie Grellman said, describing it as "four days of hell."
When the dog first arrived at the animal clinic, he was having extreme convulsions and registered a 109-degree temperature.
The dog's condition gradually improved over the next three days, and he was allowed to go home. At that point, the veterinarian had no idea what had caused the dog's system to shut down.
"He looked like he was coming out of it, so they said we could take him home if we gave him medication mixed with food," Jack Grellman said. "We had no idea, so we continued to use the bad dog food to administer the medication and he relapsed."
The dog was euthanized Feb. 22 after the Grellmans rang up more than $3,500 in vet bills.
Chandler said her cat was at Carson-Tahoe Veterinary Hospital for 26 hours before being put to sleep because of renal failure.
"We heard about the recall (on March 16), but there weren't any cat foods on the list," she said. "By Sunday, Ollie was really sick, so we called PETsMART and they said our brand was on the list."
Dr. Pamela Jahn of the Carson-Tahoe clinic said pet owners have been calling with concerns about the recall, but her hospital so far has had only one other animal suffering from symptoms.
"Cats, especially older cats, are going to be more affected than dogs are because they need more protein in their diets and it's harder on their kidneys," Jahn told the Appeal. "If you can get them through the first couple days they usually come through.'