LEMOYNE, Pa. (WHTM) – Bethany Lontz says animals deserve food, not feed.

“if we can’t eat it, why should they?” Lontz asked from her family’s pet supply store, Blue Dog, in Lemoyne.

Since news of a lawsuit against Purina Beneful became public, they have spent a lot more time fielding calls from people asking to be educated.

“I think a lot of people are shocked by what is byproduct,” she said. “It’s dead animals. It can be euthanized animals, cats and dogs.”

There a several common ingredients in most middle- to low-cost pet foods. “Meat and bone byproduct” and “animal digest” are among the most popular.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website, the “ingredients meat and bone meal (MBM), beef and bone meal (BBM), animal fat (AF), and animal digest (AD) are rendered or hydrolyzed from animal sources that could include euthanized animals.”

Lontz believes the drugs used to euthanize those animals could wind up in that food, too.

When it comes to toxins like the ones Beneful is being sued over, and the kinds used to make antifreeze, not all experts believe they are harmful.

The company had this to say:

“We would like to reassure you that there are no quality issues with Beneful. Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social media driven misinformation. Beneful is a high quality nutritious food enjoyed by millions of happy, healthy dogs each year. You can continue to feed Beneful with complete confidence.”