Household pet keeping is a growing trend on a daily basis. There has also been a change in the attitude of people towards pets. Animals are not only pets to people, but family members. Others even take them as their own children. Nevertheless, we are all aware that keeping pets is not a simple task. They have to be nurtured like a child. They need special food, as it keeps them in good health. They also need such regular medical checkups and vaccinations, just like children.
Thus, together with the growing popularity of pets, there is also the growth in the demand of pet food. People are currently purchasing their animals and feeding them special food. The pet food is manufactured using special ingredients that are healthy to animals. Nevertheless, the case of adulteration of pet food was recently reported in the US.
The animal food contained hazardous Salmonella bacteria which led to many dogs and cats becoming hazardous in the US, and a few pets died. Consequently, the owners of the pets competed against the company in court. The company was found guilty of the allegations in the court and it has currently admitted to a settlement of $5.5 million.
What is $50,000 Compensation for U.S. Pet Owners?
It is a case of an agreement between a pet company and pet owners. The issue here was that a company that dealt with pet food distributed contaminated animal food. The food was also discovered to have harmful Salmonella bacteria which triggered the illness of most pet dogs and cats in the US. Some pets even died.
The animal owners were forced to use thousands of dollars in treating their animals and even then, not all their animals would be saved. This caused them emotional and financial losses. After this, the US pet owners sued the company. The case was tried in the court as a part of the class-action proceedings as the case was filed by several owners of pets. The company failed to acknowledge all the culpability but it settled the case at 5.5 million to end the case.
What is this bacteria?
That bacterium in the present case is Salmonella. This is a highly dangerous bacterium which is usually present in contaminated water or infected foodstuff. This bacteria is harmful to both animals and human beings and its existence has been ascertained in different pet food in the United States.
This may result in diarrhea, vomiting, high fever, and weakness, lethargy and difficulty walking in animals. Dehydration slowly develops, immune system becomes weak and in worst cases, it may cause death.
What Triggered the Compensation Plan?
Various pet food companies that have been identified to contain Salmonella bacteria were sued as per this case and they included the Victory Super Premium, Wayne Feeds Eagle Mountain Pet Food and Members Mark Pet Food.
These are few of the most popular brands in the United States and their products are also exported to other countries and there had been reported cases of pet death caused by these products that have been reported not only in the United States but also in other countries.
U.S. Pet Owners Compensation Amount
The company has settled under this order to pay a total of 5.5 million dollars with a difference in amounts paid to various owners of pets. The compensation will be based on their assertion. It will imply that, when submitting claims, pet owners will be requested to give information on the amount of money spent on their pets such as receipts of pet food purchase, etc. and verification will then be carried out and the payment amount transferred.
It is reported that the highest amount of payment in this settlement is up to $100,000. In order to get this sum, pet owners will be required to provide receipts on the purchase of pet food, other documents that are required in reference to the pet, as well as veterinary reports. Once the verification has been done, up to 100,000 will be transferred.
Nevertheless, they will have to demonstrate that the death of the animal was a result of eating the pet food. There will also be other smaller payments that will be made like $100, $50 etc without documentation. In the specified case, pet owners will be entitled to a much lower value; namely, $50 in case the pet was ill and 100 in case the pet passed away.
Moreover, the company has also refunded the pet food. You are able to bring the pet food back to the store using a receipt and ask to get back your money. In case you do not have the receipt, you are refunded with 40 dollars per bag.
Compensation Payment Dates
The pet food companies will only leave this settlement to the pet owners in case they submit the claim process before the stipulated date. The final deadline to make a claim is February 5, 2026. Once the claims are gathered, the hearing in court will occur on February 6, 2026.
Once this is done, the companies will start sending the settlements. In case the individual prefers not to participate in the settlement since he has already submitted a claim, he has until January 6, 2026, to drop out. And even, in case one disagrees to this settlement and wishes to dispute it, they may still dispute the companies by giving a notice till January 6, 2026.
Claim Process
In order to make this claim, owners of pets are required to visit the site MidAmericaPetFoodsettlement.com first. They should go there and have a claim form which they can fill by clicking on the online claim option. Once the applicant completes the claim form, they will also be required to attach all their documents, including the receipt of buying pet food, doctor report, doctor bill, etc.
In the case of unavailability of documents, one should select No Receipt. Once this is done, the entire information about the pet food should be given in the claim form and the injuries inflicted on the animal should be narrated. By now, when all the information has been typed in, press on the submit option. After clicking submit option, a confirmation message will come up.