Tainted Pet Food Firms Settle With Owners

Pet-food companies have agreed to a $24-million settlement with pet owners after their products were tied to the deaths of thousands of animals, the AP reports. Under the deal, pet owners can be reimbursed for financial losses, such as vet bills, burial costs, and the market value of their lost pets. Those who don’t have records of their expenses may get up to $900.

“The settlement attempts to reimburse pet owners for all of their economic damages,” said a lawyer for the plaintiffs, who sued after the largest pet-food recall in US history in 2007. The food contained wheat gluten from China contaminated with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics. Any money not claimed for expenses will go to animal welfare programs, say the companies involved. (More pet food recall stories.)