KNOXVILLE (WATE) – A Knoxville dog is recovering at The Butler Animal Clinic after a doctor told its owner the dog had internal poisoning, which the owner thinks was caused by a dog food she gave her dog for Christmas.
Three-year-old Lacey Mae fell sick last week after her owner Jennifer Beeler gave her Purina Moist and Meaty for the first time.
“Within in an hour of that she started having an active seizure so we immediately contacted the vet, said Beeler. “Within in the time that we could get her to the vet, she had about five seizures with very little recovery time in between.”
Beeler says when they got to veterinarian last week, Lacey Mae’s temperature was 106 degrees. However on Wednesday she says her dog went limp so she rushed her to the clinic where she’s being housed.
Gallery: Lacey Mae
“We did some blood work and come to find out her liver levels were extremely abnormal,” said Beeler. “They were very high and elevated to the danger that the vet said she had some sort of a poison toxin.”
“After I googled the name of the food and the word seizure, I saw stories from people feeding the food to their dog and within hours they had seizures that went into comas and died,” said Beeler.
Lacey Mae’s doctor says the poisoning could’ve been caused from the dog eating something on the ground and the only way to know if it was the Purina food is to have it tested.
“It was very scary. Your pet is your child and I was just very scared and worried for her,” said Beeler.
Beeler says she plans to have the food tested and hopes this will convince people to research before buying new food or treats for their pets. Beeler says Lacey Mae is doing much better and should be home on Friday.
Purina issued the following statement when asked if they’ve had other complaints about Moist and Meaty: “We take all consumer concerns seriously. Pets get sick for a variety of reasons. If your pet is sick, it’s important to consult and trust your veterinarian.”