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Natura Pet Products Class Action Settlement Of Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Mother Nature & Karma Dog or Cat Food Product Class Action Lawsuit

If you purchased Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Mother Nature, or Karma dog or cat food products, you could get a payment from a class action settlement.

A federal judge has entered an order for preliminary approval of a class action settlement of a class action lawsuit against Natura Pet Products, Inc. (“Natura Pet Products” or “Natura” or “Defendant”) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (captioned Judy Ko v. Natura Pet Prodcuts, Inc., Civil Action Case No. C 09-02619 JF), alleging, among other things, that Natura violated California’s Business and Professions Code when advertising their dog and cat food products and allegedly made false and misleading statements about the human grade quality of its food in its advertisements, promotional materials and labeling.

For purposes of the Natura Pet Products settlement, Judge Fogel certified a class of persons defined as follows:

All persons residing in the United States who purchased any Natura Product for personal, family, or household purposes (the “Class”) during the time period from March 20, 2005 to July 8, 2011 (the “Class Period”).

All Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Mother Nature, and Karma dog and cat food products are reportedly included in the Natura Pet Products settlement.

A $2,150,000 settlement fund will be reportedly created by Natura under the class action settlement.  The settlement fund will be used to make payments to settlement Class Members, as well as cover attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses, a payment to the Class Representative and the costs associated with administering the settlement.  Natura will also reportedly stop promoting its pet food products as human grade, human quality, or as something that you would eat yourself.  To get a payment (of up to $200), settlement class members must submit a claim form by January 8, 2012.

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 17, 2012, at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 280 S. 1st Street, San Jose, California 95113 to consider whether the Natura Pet Products settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate.

For more information on the Natura Pet Products Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Mother Nature & Karma Dog or Cat Food Product class action settlement, visit the Ko v. Natura Pet Products, Inc. class action settlement website:

www.petproductssettlement.com

If You Have Thoughts On The Natura Pet Products Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Mother Nature & Karma Dog or Cat Food Product Class Action Settlement, Share Your Class Action Settlement Comments Below.

{ 73 comments… add one }
  • Dawn Barraco July 19, 2011, 12:03 pm

    I am glad that I only feed my dogs Canine Caviar. They don’t make claims they cannot stand up for. http://www.caninecaviar.com

    • Karen July 19, 2011, 3:03 pm

      Actually Canine Caviar does claim things…. Feeding their food apparently reduces the risk of cancer.

    • merrill July 20, 2011, 7:46 am

      @ Dawn: Shame on you!!! And best of luck in your new job… the undercover promotion of a pet food that may actually be harming our animals!! Please take responsibility for your own actions and desist from being nefarious and potentially contributing to the illness and death of companion animals. Do you have any scruples at all? Really. Shame on you!!!
      To cite your introduction previously: The following is on Canine Caviar’s blog at caninecaviar.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/get-to-know-canine-caviar/ “First let me introduce myself, I am Dawn Barraco and I am the newest member of the family here at Canine Caviar. I will be doing my best to get Canine Caviar and their message out to the American Public.” Shame on you Canine Caviar and Dawn Barraco.

      • cheryl July 25, 2011, 6:07 pm

        Good work! Thank you!

    • Annie's Mom July 26, 2011, 12:24 pm

      It is disingenuous of you to advocate for a pet food company who employs you without disclosing that information prominently. I have been reading extensively about this lawsuit as I have fed my animals Innova products for years thinking I was making an informed, healthy choice for them. I only stopped using Innova once the company was sold. It is disheartening enough that apparently the public was blatently misled about the quality of the food without finding out that fellow posters are making recommendations with a hidden agenda.

  • hidesertgirl July 19, 2011, 12:45 pm

    I’m glad there are people out there checking claims on packaging on pet food.
    This is an unregulated industry where everything goes into pet food.

  • loveyourpet July 19, 2011, 12:53 pm

    I switched to EVO a couple of years ago because my pup has allergies to grain. Since switching to EVO grain free my dog no longer scratches and itches like he use to. He also has improved muscle tone and his energy level has soared. I have no complaints and neither does my dog.

    • Lovedmypet July 19, 2011, 2:00 pm

      I’m happy that your dog is doing better, but please consider that perhaps what he was having trouble with may have been something else in his food – preservatives, additives, fillers, or other “junk”. I’ve done a lot of reading since loosing my dog too young, and I’ve read that grain-free can lead to kidney problems down the road. Please look further into it.

      • Karen October 7, 2011, 6:42 pm

        It’s low quality protein that causes kidney problems. As long as the protein is high quality, your pet will be fine.

        Signed – someone who has managed kidney disease in a pet.

    • petluvr316 July 21, 2011, 1:03 pm

      It wasn’t EVO that made the difference. It was switching to a grain-free food that helped your dog. Grains are not only indigestable for dogs, they actually dry out the skin and coat. Companies use grains in their foods so they can lower the amount of meat content, making the food less expensive, but also making it less healthy.

  • Lovedmypet July 19, 2011, 1:33 pm

    My dog was on California Natural for years. I thought it was one of the best foods available – I was wrong. He died in February at the age of 6 – the cause, after many expensive tests in effort to help him, was suspected to be an auto-immune disorder. Poor diet = poor immune system!

    • Pat July 19, 2011, 9:44 pm

      It is important to rotate foods and not feed the same food for years and years. Whole Dog Journal recently had a good article about it. That way if the one food is deficient in something you will balance over time. A poor immune system can also be inherited. There folks breeding dogs purely for money and the dogs suffer for it.

      • Annie's Mom July 26, 2011, 12:36 pm

        Pat, I read the Whole Dog Journal also, and because of their recommendations, would rotate my Golden between Innova, Wellness, and Merrick dry foods. I trusted their research and am feeling very disappointed, though, I suppose they were duped as well.

  • Merrily July 19, 2011, 1:39 pm

    Recently while I was in the hospital a friend of mine fed my cats. Untll then I had not fed dry food, but I agreed to feeding my cats Evo dry food, to make sure the cats had enough food untill I could care for them.My friend had purchased a large bag of Evo, so I continued to feed the food untill the bag was empty. One of my cats began to show signs of labored breathing, almost gasping. The vet could not find a cause.This went on for weeks untill shortly after she was back on her raw diet. I am not comfortable with feeding dry food, and I am surprised that Natura, a company that I trusted would be less than honest in their advertising, however when I asked them if they used ingredients sourced from China, or if their food was manufactured at the Menu foods plant, they wouldn’t give a straight awnser, so I switched to another food for my pets, now I make my own.

    • bbjamfan August 3, 2011, 1:37 pm

      Evo is processed in Fremont, NE at a plant exclusive to Natura. They have the highest possible safety ratings from groups like AIB that certify plants that produce human food. None of their sources are from China. Don’t propagate lies online about a company you know nothing about. Not every ailment that strikes a pet is due to food.

      • kdub August 10, 2011, 10:25 pm

        “They have the highest possible safety ratings from groups like AIB that certify plants that produce human food.”
        This lawsuit is about that statement or the “human food” reference. This makes me ask the question if the food wasnt human quality as was claimed ( Natura says they have done nothing wrong) than what quality was it? I have purchased Evo almost exclusively for my two Bengals and I want to know more about this! I was upset when they sold out , but this makes me really question a company I have had faith in for three years.

        • js October 30, 2011, 5:41 pm

          I know this is late, but it was a California code. It could be something like “you cannot label as human food grade unless it carries the FDA label” or something. It could be something generic like that.

  • SeEtta Moss July 19, 2011, 1:55 pm

    I never trust a company that is deceptive in it’s practices. Dawn Barraco is a representative of Canine Caviar but posted above as though she were simply a consumer sharing her experience. The following is on Canine Caviar’s blog at caninecaviar.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/get-to-know-canine-caviar/ “First let me introduce myself, I am Dawn Barraco and I am the newest member of the family here at Canine Caviar. I will be doing my best to get Canine Caviar and their message out to the American Public.” Shame on you Canine Caviar and Dawn Barraco.

  • Angela July 19, 2011, 2:45 pm

    I must have just fallen off the turnup truck since I had NO idea about Natura and their false claims. I’ve been feeding California Natural for 4 years now based on a recommendation by my Vet. Will someone please point me in the direction or website that will enlighten me?

  • Michelle July 19, 2011, 3:25 pm

    Yep, Dawn Barraco works for the company. Pretty deceptive!
    Good consumer look out SeEtta Moss!!

  • brina July 19, 2011, 5:49 pm

    Came home today to read my email about this lawsuit.
    I fed my puppy Innova for her entire, brief life. I lost her at 13 months old to a seemingly unknown adrenal gland disorder. At least that’s what the autopsy reported- exceptionally small development of her glands.
    I am now alarmed that perhaps her food contributed to her untimely death. Upon further research of this I find reports that toxic green potatoes were used in the Natura line of foods- a direct affect on renal/adrenal function/development.
    I thought I did everything right and I researched this brand, but I did not know they were sold to P&G corporation last June.
    All that time I thought I was giving my sweet baby healthy food and now I may have poisoned her growing body.
    IF ANYONE has experienced a similar event PLEASE contact me.

    • Julie Comer August 20, 2011, 1:02 pm

      My dog just turned 4 in July. She is now very sick, not eating, and drinking lots of water (day 3). We started a new bag of Innova 5 days ago. We have only feed her Innova since birth! Please advise. Does anyone have a home-made dog food recipe? I fed her rice last night and she ate rice today (would not touch her dog food). I had a cat die of liver failure years ago (she was very young)- I do not want to go through this again!

    • Marie Holmes September 4, 2011, 5:22 pm

      I am reading these reports and getting sick at my stomach. I too did a lot of research and chose to feed my Shih Tzu Innova. I lost her at 6 years old. She became sick one evening, and was gone at 10:00 p.m. on June 13, 2011. On June 2nd, she had her 6 month check up and she was in good health. I did not know they had been sold to P & G Corporation. I am still grieving for Sweet Pea and I thought I was giving her one of the best out there. It is just awful….. Please don’t feed your babies this product.
      Marie Holmes

  • Amy Shojai, CABC July 19, 2011, 6:04 pm

    Here’s a good definition of what constitutes “human grade claim” and how most (if not all) such claims probably are misleading:

    petconnection.com/blog/2011/02/15/the-human-grade-claim-what-does-it-really-mean/

  • Scintilla July 19, 2011, 11:07 pm

    Natura foods are amongst the healthiest on the market. They don’t conatina nay fillers, additivies, or left-overs from processing as regular pet foods do.
    The ingredients probably are likely human grade quality (for those carnivores amonst us – not me), but may simply not have been processed in a human grade facility. What does it matter? The importance is the high quality for the animals.
    Auto-immune disorders are fare more likely caused by vaccinations and environmental toxines (including flea/tick medication), or by the junk that other pet foods contain, but really not by Natura foods.

    • petluvr316 July 21, 2011, 1:08 pm

      You said that they don’t contain fillers? Innova is a grained food. That counts as a filler!

      • beagles are my loves December 20, 2011, 2:21 pm

        petluvr316: I am sorry to inform you, but not all grains are horrible… it is a high content of corn to stear clear of, or soy. It is just part of the saying “too much of a good thing is a bad thing” – in all pet foods, you want a higher meat content, but not all grains are inappropriate – especially to certain breeds of dogs that actually need a little more fiber in their diet. Just because a food contains grain does not make it a horrible food, nor does it mean that a company is using the grain as just filler.

  • Eunice Swalinkavich July 20, 2011, 2:15 pm

    I started all three of my dachshunds on EVO dry and canned dog food . After my oldest was diagnosed with IBS. We almost lost her. I was feeding them California Natural. For quite awhile. Along with their canned and other brands of canned food for variety.
    The internest who took care of Tori. Told us it was the amount of protein in the foods. Dogs should only have one or two at the most
    proteins at a time in their food. So I found EVO venison. Which the dr.
    approved. So I fed them that until they started not being able to get enough venison.(It supposed to be from Australia, Was it?) I drove all over to get the last of the EVO that different stores still had on their shelves. I called ahead to see what they had left. I called the company after I couldn’t find any more. They said the canned cat food was exactly the same. So I fed them that. Then I had to change. I went to Canine Caviar venison. Got to expensive so back to EVO chicken. Until my pet store owner told me they were sold to P&G. And that they wouldn’t sell it any more.He recommended Dogswell Nutrisca grain and potato free. They like it. I also give them a little canned with the dry. I hope it’s a good food. The label reads good ingredients. And I trust my pet store owner. He stays on top of the food he sells.
    I do switch foods now every 4-6 months as Whole dog Journal suggests. My pets are very very important to me. I want only the best for them.

  • Ask Me July 20, 2011, 5:02 pm

    That’s why I feed my own food. It is a little more expensive but you know what your dog is eating. My dogs were never healthier. They get meat, berries, all kinds of green veggies, liver, etc. They love it they never walked away ones from their food.

    • carolyn July 22, 2011, 9:52 pm

      Must agree! I fed my own food for several years and my dogs were never better !! Back then there were not the options availabe as there are today – had to actually study nutrition and develop balanced recipes using bones and raw food – which was work and the thing that finally made me switch to EVO was the watching my beautiful aussie lay on the floor chewing a shiney white clean bone as his mussle / white collar and white feet/legs turned red from the sticky blood that oozed from the fresh bone.but today there are frozen fresh already balanced food on the market !! but what about the bones ? do they still bleed? ha ha

  • gina fregosi July 22, 2011, 1:52 pm

    i lost my dog 2 years ago. i fed her a regular diet of California Naturals for over 2 years, until i found out they tainted the food.

    i will file for the claim but i cannot find the “password” that supposedly came with the notice. can anyone out there help me?

    sincerely,
    gina

  • carolyn July 22, 2011, 9:39 pm

    I’ve use EVO since it first became available in our area – many years ago and had no problems – great coats – energy – health – teeth etc. had been using BARF raw / but was getting tired of the prep /mess and etc .. I saw EVO as a dry hi protein near to raw but dry .. which of course i know is not possible – but still we did alright . This year w no other change several of my dogs had bad diarhrea and terrible stools… something has changed … why has no one mentioned that natura was sold to procter gamble ? That was my first red flag .. felt fairly certain that PG was not going to produce human standard dog food … I knew they couldn’t change the ingredients on the bag for a “time defined” legal period but they could change the quality of those same products .. which is what I think they did. Too bad our animals have paid the price. Three of my dogs had a few months of real digestive upsets until we figured this out.

    • bbjamfan August 3, 2011, 1:40 pm

      Nothing has changed in the processing since the P&G purchase. No one from P&G is even involved in the daily operation of the plant or its management. Natura has gone on as if nothing ever changed, other than the loss of the wonderful presence of John & Ann Rademacher who were long past retirement age which was the reason for selling the company.

      Don’t lie online about a company you know nothing about.

  • Sooz's Bichons July 23, 2011, 2:30 am

    There were a number of problems in 2008 with Innova and cyanuric acid and melamine plastic containant from China, finding broken piece of glass in the bag, and hair. See eye-opening source with photos: http://www.itchmo.com/innova-testing-results-posted-by-ceo-of-naturapet-1845

    EVO pet food—In April or May of this year, I found white and black hard spots of something in this dry dog food so I returned the food, along with the article I printed out from the above reference source, and decided to never buy anything from this company or it’s subsidiaries or sister-companies EVER again.

    These kinds of business practices are unconscionable!!!

    • Tina April 13, 2012, 4:16 am

      Itchmo is a blog or message board full of crap and horrible stories that even more horrible people claim. Natura had proven that the Innova was not contaminated and had posted the test results even on their website for a very long time. I used to work there and we received regular calls from Itchmo people and they would always start out on a major defense, talk mean to us and not let us get a word in edge wise. Not worth my time to attempt to discuss anything with someone who won’t even listen to answers to their questions. I spent a lot of time on their site and just think they are a bunch who is out to scare as many pet owners as they can. I would be ashamed to be associated with Itchmo.

      • PAUX May 8, 2012, 4:02 am

        You should be ashamed to be associated with Natura. It is about the pets, not the bottom line for the corporations. If they had a quality product that did not sicken or kill our animals there would not be a problem. Make your own food, know what they are eating, it is easier than one might think.

        • Tina September 14, 2012, 1:25 am

          I am never ashamed to say I worked for Natura. If I worked or was part of Ichmo I would be ashamed but not as an ex Natura employee.
          And guess what-I STILL feed California Natural and EVO to our 4 cats, my foster cat and my ex still feeds it to his dog and so on. All are healthy and just fine. I read labels. I try to check often on any other recalls. Natura never was involved in any of the China recalls. They also proved the Itchmo ‘s Donna wrong I believe. And they posted the results and actual copies of HER tests and also theirs from the same batch of food she sent in. Itchmo can suck it as far as I see it. And so many people jump on the wagon and blame anything but sometimes what is their own stupidity for what happens with their pet.
          I love my Tater more than anything and would feel so horrible if I fed him something he got ill from or worse, had to be put down. If I suspect something I will surely look into it but when Natura was run by the Radamakers (original owners) it was run by a very wonderful and pet loving couple who devoted their lives to providing top quality pet foods and also stocking their 4 pet stores in the bay area with only top foods.
          Don’t be so fast to jump off the cliff with all the other lemmings-if you recall, they are not suicidal. What am I talking about? Well the movie White Wilderness of course, the Disney movie. Check the Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.asp

          I am not sure if there are any future changes to come now P&G owns Natura brand foods. I am not sure I trust them and would be sad to see the brand ruined as I fear it will be eventually. But prior to the sale of the company, it was an honest and true good company with people who REALLY cared for their pets and all creatures. I am one of them and proud.

  • cheryl July 24, 2011, 4:34 pm

    After the pet food tragedy I home cooked for 3 years and adding Balance It. When the veterinary nutritionist at Balance It could no longer guarantee me that all ingredients were not sourced from China I stopped using the product. She recommended Natura to me having consulted for them and certain that they did not source anything from China (at least at that time). Recently (after using Innova Feline Low Fat for approximately year) I noticed that a group of bags smelled unusual when I opened them. My cats did not want to eat the food and when they did they vomited. To make a long story short, I sent the bags back to the distributor via my sales representative with his promise that they would sent back to Natura for testing (luckily I kept some for myself). After a couple of weeks the sales representative stopped returning my calls, and I found out from the regional manager that the open bags were disposed of, and the unopened bags were likely put back into stock. Natura asked for a sample to test, I sent one but I don’t trust them. Can anyone recommend an independent lab, or an attorney?

  • Esther July 26, 2011, 5:58 pm

    I am angered by what I have learned about Natura. I have been feeding my cats and dog Evo food for two years and have been wondering why my dog in the last seven months has been experienced numerous bouts of diarrhea. I now have reason to believe that it was his food. In speaking with my veterinarian, she advised me that it could be due to the lack of quality control and consistent ingredients. I switched my cats back to another good quality brand cat food (Natural Balance) a year ago and my dog to a prescription adult food (Royal Canin Weight and Stone) so I can be assured he is getting quality controlled food made consistently of the same ingredients. Evo is a high price pet food lacking quality controlled ingredients. I purchased Royal Canin Prescription Adult Dog Food for the same price as Evo. SHAME ON NATURA!

    • Della Monroe July 28, 2011, 5:38 pm

      Check out Lifes Abundance! It’s a pretty clean slate

    • Christine Hanna August 2, 2011, 3:08 pm

      I just posted below and had the same experience. Since switching to Royal Canin, our problems have dissapeared and for me, it is actually cheaper than EVO!!!

    • js October 30, 2011, 6:15 pm

      Royal Canin?

      Yeah… that’s not premium food at all.

  • Melanie LaRocca July 27, 2011, 5:23 pm

    My two Corgis get home-prepared food. It is the only way to really know what your pets are eating and if it is human-grade. (However, I’m not so sure how pure the human food supply really is.)

  • Della Monroe July 28, 2011, 5:36 pm

    I am very concious of what i feed my dogs. I tried mixing a 1 ratio of the grain free EVO to 2 ratio of Natures Variety. As soon as the EVO was added, i had terrible digestive problems on my dogs. NOT GOOD. BACTERIA!!!

    • Tina September 14, 2012, 1:28 am

      EVO is a very high caloric food and anytime you over feed your dogs (cats too) and also introduce a different food you are at risk for upset or digestive problems. Just because you fed 1/3 of the amount of Nature’s Variety you were feeding does not mean you fed the correct amount. EVERY FOOD HAS A DIFFERENT CALORIE COUNT so do your math correctly!

  • Paw some July 28, 2011, 8:28 pm

    I used to cook for the dogs, but was concerned over time about the proper balance of nutrients since I was not using any supplements. That’s when I found Innova and have been feeding it for about 9 years switching up the variety, but sticking to the Natura brand. I’m so disappointed, but that’s how business is done. Time to shop around for another Mom & Pop operation, or go back to making my own…

  • Christine Hanna August 2, 2011, 3:05 pm

    About 4 years ago we purchased our first pure-bred cat, a Bengal. It was adorable and upon the advice of the breeder we started him on an EVO “anscestral diet” food. He began his life with us with terrible diarreah and putrid smelling bowel movements. Soon after, he got out and dissapeared (we think a coyote got him). We never connected his digestive problems with the food, but RATHER considered the food superior as it was so expensive and highly recommended. Fast forward a year and we adopted two kittens from the pound (male and female) and continued the EVO “ancestral diet” with them. Shortly after, our male cat began having urinary tract infections – MAJOR ones. I even had to, at one point, administer IVs and medicine injections. After several months and about $6,000 of vet bills, we decided to put him out of his misery. Lucky for him, our vet was closed that Saturday and we took him to be euthanized at a new vet. We were all crying and the staff were all so sweet and the Dr. said that before she put him to sleep, she’d like to try a new food. This cat was so far gone that we were extremely skeptical that a different food would make a bit of difference, but clinging to hope, we tried it and three days later, he was urinating normally and not howling. He has completely returned to the playful sweet cat he once was – it has been a solid 6 months with no problems AT ALL! The new food is Royal Canin Uninary SO…I am happy to share.

  • Toni Little September 19, 2011, 2:31 pm

    I have a 21 month old English Bulldog, at 6 weeks old, we started him on Innova puppy dry food mixed with California Natural Lamb&Rice canned. After a year, our vet suggested he was allergic to something in the food due to excessive vomiting and constantly scratching and rubbing his face. So we switched to InnovaEvo red meat, grain free. He did good but developed bad acid reflux, where everytime he’d move he’d vomit in his mouth. Our vet suggested pepcidAC. After 4-6 months, again, the scratching and rubbing of the face and he started getting scabby sores all over his body. Again our vet thought there was an allergy to his food. We’ve recently switched to GO!Naturals, a brand my husband researched online, but everyone I’ve talked to has never heard of this brand. For the last couple months, the scabby sores has multiplied and he has bald spots all over his body, very red dry scabby skin, and has had digestive issues. Could all of this be linked to the Innova? In my dogs short life, he’s had 3 surgeries, 2 major, and we’ve been constants at our vet, with an appt at NC State veterinary at the end of this month. Even though prone to health issues, we’ve done everything to give our Bulldog the best life he could dream of, atleast we thought so! If anyone has suggestions, comments, or answers, PLEASE let me know!!

    • js October 30, 2011, 6:19 pm

      cCheck for cataneous lymphoma. Sounds like what my dog experienced (but not liked to food). Lymphoma is one of the more common cancers in all breeds.

  • Karen October 7, 2011, 6:53 pm
  • Kerril October 10, 2011, 4:42 pm

    We fed California Natural to both my Beagle and my Shar-Pei and they seemed to have no bowel problem on this food, but they both died of brain cancer within 6 months of each other this year. Coincidence? I have no idea. I have wracked my brain to figure out why they both died of the same thing, being different breeds, and the only common denominator was their food and environment. We live in a clean environment in central Oregon. It’s been a heartbreaking year.

    • js October 30, 2011, 6:21 pm

      Cancer doesn’t come from “unclean” things. It could be a LOT of things… anything they are consistently exposed to.

      • PAUX May 8, 2012, 4:08 am

        Yes, like contaminated /toxic food.

        • Shannon December 27, 2012, 2:15 pm

          @Kerril – I am so sorry that you lost both of your dogs in such a horrible manner. My father died of a brain tumor and several extensive research projects have indicated that exposure to carcinogens is the leading cause/theory for brain cancers. They have not found it to be genetically linked as other cancers are (such as breast cancer). I am a biologist and it seems too coincedental that both your dogs died of the same disease. Have you had your water tested? I would worry about my environment for my own health after losing two dogs to the same type cancer in such a small period of time. Good luck and I would have everything tested for carcinogens.

  • Stacy W October 27, 2011, 8:18 am

    I have been using Innova dog food for my dogs exclusively, for 10 years. While it is great with helping dogs with skin problems ( I switched to Innova for my lhasa with debilitating skin and joint problems, and the dog was completely healed, true story) by illiminating corn from the diet, it is unfortunately high in fat, and causes my dachshunds to become over weight, even with a very small amount fed. It’s a great food I highly reccomend for dogs with corn sensitivity, however, my new 18 month old dog recently tore into a sealed bag with out my knowing and ate about 4 pounds…. he is a 16 pound dog…. and now he has food bloat and what seems to be pancreatitis. I don’t blame the food, I blame me for not sealing the bag better…. why a class action law suit? Do you really think humans were going to eat this food?

    • PAUX May 8, 2012, 4:12 am

      Sounds like your little dog was not getting the nutrition that he needed for optimal health, otherwise he wouldn’t have eaten four pounds of it. It is a food problem. When an animal is fed good nutricious food, they need less and will eat less.

      • PAUX May 8, 2012, 4:15 am

        Sorry that is nutritious, it hits the spot.

  • CJ January 6, 2012, 3:52 pm

    I have tried many foods on the market, as well as cooking for one of my dogs for a large portion of her life because of food allergies and intolerances. I have tried some of the Natura lines and have had problems with them all.

    I tired an Innova puppy food for one dog and it was infested with bugs! (New bag, kept indoors in a container) More recently, I started getting the California Natural Grain Free Venison for my most problematic dogs. It’s the only kibble with a combination of ingredients that seem to be “safe” for her. I bought a bag about a week ago and found hairs sticking out of the kibble. We’re talking at least 5 mm long hairs coming out of many pieces of kibble. I called my vet who advised me NOT to give her any of it. I called Natura and I was given the obvious party line (repeated over & over by a blase woman) that it’s from subcutaneous hair follicles and “normal” because of the way it is processed. I wasn’t buying it. She kept repeating it and that it’s possible with venison or lamb because of the way it is processed. I told her she needed a better process and hung up. I exchanged the bag and the very first scoop out of the new bag has the same problem. And my vet assured me that there’s no way it’s subcutaneous hair follicles – it’s poor quality control and bad processing. I have saved and labelled samples. I will be trying to find some agency that will pursue this for the sake of the animals.

    I did not want to use this company after previous problems, but to home cook for my dog is at least $5/day and lots of time that I just don’t have. I am very frustrated that I found one kibble that she didn’t seem to have bad IBD and/or allergies on only to find that the company just can’t be trusted and I’m back to square one.

  • Cynthia M. February 1, 2012, 1:00 pm

    After reading dogs need variety in their food, I switched to Evo dry and wet food. Our very active 7 yr. old dog who has walked 2 to 3 miles every day her whole life could hardly walk without having to lie down. She had little appetite, lethargy and began having urine accidents in the house. The vet took her off of the food saying it was too high in protein for her kidneys, but now I wonder about the quality of ingredients. I do not trust any product to eat from China. After months of testing her urine and a vet prescribed dog food, she is back on commercial food (Natural Balance) and her old self.

  • Cynthia M. February 1, 2012, 1:01 pm

    I would have joined in the class action suit if I had known about it by the deadline.

  • joel February 5, 2012, 11:40 pm

    Kind a Funny the lawyers want to keep ther gravy for themselves ,
    we have bought exclusively California natural for our 2 westies and scotties since at least 1992 , just got a mailer saying that we were ineligible …….
    Can we prove it , yes bought the pet food at pet vet in Oakland CA . Now I am curious why our healthy one develloped diabetes , and passed away .
    By the way I was unaware that California natural was part of the law suit , we still feed our dogs with it .
    The mailer fron the lawyer illustrate their greed .

  • ben January 30, 2013, 8:07 am

    why are some web sites still advertising it as human grade….. when i called she said it was human grade but we can’t call it that anymore …..whats going on with these guys??? getting false info again….

  • nancyhodges November 21, 2013, 1:48 pm

    can you send settlement paper to nancy hodges 6220 s eberhart ave apt 2e Chicago ill 60637 773 952 4695

    • nancyhodges November 21, 2013, 1:49 pm

      to the mailing address

  • Anne Bailey July 12, 2014, 7:34 pm

    I thought that I knew how to read labels & have been feeding Innova dog food for 20yrs. I had no clue they were bought out!! But I lost 2 of my dogs in the most painfull way. My 3 lbs. toy Xolo/mexican hairless was found dead in his create. At 6yrs!!!! my dogs have been living about 16yrs. I was told heart attack. But my life favorite red merle blue eyes Chihuachua went down hill, recovered, & repeated & died at 4 lbs. she was 6.2 when healthy This dog was to last the rest of my life. I’m 72yrs. I was so attached to her I wanted her buried with me. About when my time up. Anne devastated!!!!!

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