Zeca, an 8-year-old French bulldog, is one of the puppies who died after eating a treat produced by Bassar Pet Food. His guardian, Nayele Freitas Guidetti, says he ate the brand's biscuit Every Day, on July 31st and soon started feeling sick, vomiting and shaking. At the veterinary hospital, the animal underwent hemodialysis to prevent kidney failure, but there was no solution: the organs stopped working within two days and Zeca was gone.
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“After the explosion of similar cases, We created a WhatsApp group that already has more than 40 tutors from all over Brazil reporting deaths in identical situations“, says Nayele. “We are organizing ourselves to enter with thepublic civil action against the company, in addition to individual actions”, he adds.
Listen to Nayele’s report here:
Below, images of Zeca's farewell provided by his tutors
Case goes to court
Lawyer Fábio Balieiro, from the firm Theodoro & Balieiro Advogados, from São Paulo, is preparing a lawsuit against those responsible for selling the snacks. “We know that animals that suffered poisoning ate snacks from different brands, but manufactured by the same industry, Bassar Pet Food", Explain. (Read the positioning of the companies mentioned below.)
According to the lawyer, other victims who contacted the office reported that the animals consumed the snack from Every Day brands (which tastes like meat, bacon and liver), da Petz (Oral care snack) e Bassar Dental Care (sold under the Bassar brand).
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There are several alerts from internet users on social media:
“The owners tell similar stories: the animals They eat the snacks and 2 days later they start vomiting and feeling very sick. When they do a blood test, they discover that the creatinine and urea are well above normal for a healthy dog, which indicates kidney problems. Of the cases we investigated, 8 dogs died quickly with kidney problems and 3 remain hospitalized. Veterinarians point out poisoning by ethylene glycol, a substance banned in food. And all the dogs ate the treat produced by Bassar”, reaffirms the lawyer.
Below, photos of products consumed by dogs that died, provided by owners
“The company Bassar reported that only two lots (3554 and 3775) would supposedly be contaminated. But the packages kept by victims show that there are other batches, therefore contamination may be greater. Zeca, my client's dog, Nayele, ate a snack from lot 3552. There are other dogs that ate the dog's treat. lot 3540. And there are also reports of other victims who purchased the product on May 31, Therefore, the period in which the poisonings occurred could be quite long“, warns Fábio Balieiro.
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All victims who contacted the office are being advised to file a police report so that the civil police in each location can open an investigation, as is already happening in Minas Gerais, where, by the end of this report, six deaths were confirmed in Belo. Horizonte and one in the city of Piumhi (Center-West of Minas Gerais). Two other deaths were formally reported to the São Paulo police.
Factory closed
This Friday, after the airing of new complaints, the Ministry of Agriculture closed the Bassar Indústria e Comércio Ltda factory in Guarulhos, in Greater São Paulo, and ordered that all batches of the company's products intended for animal feed be removed from the shelves.
Positioning of the companies mentioned
Petz: “Immediately, when the fact was reported, involving the products manufactured and distributed by the Bassar brand, regarding cases of poisoning, the Petz Group voluntarily removed the products from the network's points of sale, notifying the Bassar company for awareness and action, as well as placing be readily available to collaborate with the investigation of the facts.
Contacted by the authorities, the Petz Group reiterates that it is monitoring and collaborating with the investigations of the competent bodies and awaiting clarifications from the manufacturer, who in turn awaits technical analyzes from regulatory bodies for the type of product.”
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Bassar Pet Food: “We, at Bassar Pet Food, are in solidarity with all pet owners, our consumers, partners and the reason our company exists. We are most interested in clarifying the case, which is why the company has been taking all measures to clarify the fact, which took us by surprise, since the day it received the first report of possible poisoning.
As soon as we learned of the situation, as a precaution, we began withdrawing lots 3554 and 3775 of the Bone Everyday product from the market.
We want to emphasize that we never use the substance ethylene glycol, which is being identified as a possible intoxicant, in the manufacture of any of our products. We only use propylene glycol, a food additive present in food for humans and animals around the world. We emphasize that the propylene glycol used by Bassar in its products is acquired from qualified and renowned suppliers, who do not only supply Bassar but also to numerous industries in the food sector for humans and animals.
We have never been through a similar situation before. We have more than 5 years of history that prove the trust in our manufacturing processes. We value the quality of our products and the well-being and satisfaction of our customers.” Click to read the full statement!
Understand the case
The Civil Police of Minas Gerais reported, this Thursday (1st), that the number of dogs killed had risen to nine after eating snacks with suspected contamination. The case began to appear on social media and covered the press this week, after the death of three animals in Belo Horizonte.
The delegate responsible for the case, Danúbia Quadros, from the Specialized Consumer Protection Police Station in the state of Minas Gerais, informed TV Cultura that So far there have been six deaths in Belo Horizonte and one in the city of Piumhi, in the Center-West. Other cases are being investigated.
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Lawyer Fábio Balieiro informs that there are already records of deaths due to poisoning in São Paulo and Porto Alegre. Of 11 cases investigated by the office Theodoro & Balieiro Advogados, 9 dogs died and 3 are hospitalized in serious condition.
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