Illinois dog owner blames pet's death on Hambone treat

BATAVIA, Ill. -- Nugget, a 4-year-old cockapoo, was so taken by her new Hambone treat that she refused to put it down.

But the next day, the dog was dead.

Now, Nugget's owner, Scott Kent, of suburban Batavia in Illinois, is considering joining a class-action lawsuit against the company that makes the treat, Dynamic Pet Products.

Dozens of complaints against the company have been filed with the Better Business Bureau. A Chicago woman has even started an online petition urging retailers to take the product off their shelves.

Nugget was so excited about her new treat that Kent had videotaped her playing with it. However, later that night, Nugget got sick and began vomiting.

"Every 20 minutes to half an hour she would throw up again," Kent said.

By the next day she was dead.

Kent said Nugget had been to the veterinarian a month earlier and gotten a clean bill of health. He said there seems to be no other explanation for the dog's death other than the treat.

"I'm looking at it as one plus one is two," he said. "A perfectly health dog ingests this bone, or part of it, dies within 24 hours."

During his research, Kent found numerous other complains about the product, including several other owners whose dogs died or got sick. Fred, a nine-year-old basset hound from the San Diego area died in the Spring.

The class-action suit against the company was filed in California.

Dynamic Pet Products puts a warning with its packaging urging owners to supervise pets with the treats, telling them to let them chew on it, but not eat it.

The company issued a statement: "The quality of our products and the safety of the pets that enjoy our products are our top priorities. that is why every package contains a label that provides detailed instructions to owners on how they can help their pets best enjoy our products. We strongly encourage owners to supervise their pets with any treats or snacks."

In an updated statement, the company said, in part, on Thursday: "We take the safety of the products we offer very seriously and go above and beyond what is required by the law. We also hold our supplies to strict standards and constantly review how we can continue to improve."

For his part, Kent said he just wants to warn other dog owners about the product.

"It's not dangerous to all pets, I know it's not," he said. "But it killed ours, in my opinion."