Zesty Paws, LLC makes a line of nutritional supplements for pets that claim to be high-quality and to provide pets with health-supporting substances such as chondroitin and probiotics. However, the complaint alleges that laboratory testing of the products show that the products contain nowhere near as much of these substances as they advertise but do contain high aerobic microbial counts.
Two classes have been defined for this action:
- The Illinois Class is all persons in Illinois who bought the products during the applicable statutes of limitations.
- The Consumer Fraud Multi-State Class is all persons in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, West Virginia, Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Utah who bought the product during the applicable statutes of limitations.
The products at issue are the following Zesty Paws nutritional supplements:
- Vet Strength Mobility Bites
- Hemp Elements Mobility Bites
- Ancient Elements Mobility Bites
- Core Elements Mobility Flavor Infusions
- Multifunctional 8-in-1 Bites
- Aller-Immune Bites
Chondroitin claims
The complaint shows the container for Vet Strength Mobility Bites, plus an enlargement of a part of the label promising “Chondroitin Sulfate: A compound that supports normal healthy cartilage, connective tissue, and joint function.” An enlargement of the ingredient panel shows that the product claims to contain 100 mg of this substance. However, the complaint alleges that independent laboratory analysis shows that the product contains only 2.5 mg, or 2.5% of what the product advertises.
The Hemp Elements Mobility Bites promises 125 mg of chondroitin sulfate, the complaint alleges, “yet laboratory testing was unable to detect the presence of this ingredient in these products.”
The Multifunctional 8-in-1 Bites promises 75 mg of chondroitin sulfate, the complaint alleges, while samples showed either no detectable amount or less than 2.5 mg, “less than 3.5% of the amount promised.”
Probiotic claims
The image of the Aller-Immune Bites product shows that it advertises five probiotics, four of which are Lactobacillus types, with 250 million colony-forming units (CFU) per 4 grams. But the complaint alleges that independent lab analysis showed only 72,000 CFU, “less than one thousandth of a percent of the promised amount.”
The Multifunctional 8-in-1 Bites promised 500 million CFU of Lactobacillus bacteria per 4 grams, but the complaint says that lab analysis found only 60,000 CFU.
Quality claims
According to the complaint, the labels show claims that suggest that the products are of high quality, such as “No Artificial Flavors or Preservatives,” “Human-grade ingredients,” and a gold “Quality Seal” from the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).
The complaint alleges that this expectation of quality leads consumers to expect that the supplements will not contain harmful contaminants. In reality, the complaint claims, lab analysis of the Vet Strength Mobility Bites found high aerobic microbial counts which were “14 times greater than the limit recommended by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention’s … recommended limit for nutritional supplements with botanicals.”
The complaint also claims that the counts for the Multifunctional 8-in-1 Bites was also high.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Zesty Paws Supplements Chondroitin and Probiotic Claims Complaint
October 9, 2022
Zesty Paws, LLC makes a line of nutritional supplements for pets that claim to be high-quality and to provide pets with health-supporting substances such as chondroitin and probiotics. However, the complaint alleges that laboratory testing of the products show that the products contain nowhere near as much of these substances as they advertise but do contain high aerobic microbial counts.
Zesty Paws Supplements Chondroitin and Probiotic Claims ComplaintCase Event History
Zesty Paws Supplements Chondroitin and Probiotic Claims Complaint
October 9, 2022
Zesty Paws, LLC makes a line of nutritional supplements for pets that claim to be high-quality and to provide pets with health-supporting substances such as chondroitin and probiotics. However, the complaint alleges that laboratory testing of the products show that the products contain nowhere near as much of these substances as they advertise but do contain high aerobic microbial counts.
Zesty Paws Supplements Chondroitin and Probiotic Claims Complaint