The pet food recall may be too late for tens of thousands of cats and dogs as the tainted food may have poisoned almost 40,000 pets. The expanded recall of potentially contaminated pet food more than two weeks after the initial 90-brand report was released has many pet owners wondering if the food they're giving their dog or cat could be next on the list.

Pet Food Recall: Dog and Cat Food, Treats Poisoned Thousands Affected

"I don't know what to do," Toby Hatchett of Portsmouth told Seacoast Online, whose cat Horace suffered kidney failure after eating Nutro brand products that went on the recall list in mid-March. Horace survived and now Hatchett is seeking a safe pet food.

"Every single vet has been telling me a different answer," she said. "Four vets, four different answers." It is beyond frustrating for owners as they seek answer and many want legal action. At least six pet food companies have recalled products. All of them are believed to have been made with wheat gluten tainted with melamine. Yet it's still unclear what recourse they have.

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One release notes that Sacramento law firms Kershaw Cutter & Ratinoff, LLP and Wexler Toriseva Wallace, LLP, have filed the first Class Action lawsuit against Del Monte Foods and they will be set to represent pet owners nationwide. The suit will rise from the alleged sale of contaminated dog food and other pet foods to the public. The pet food class action lawsuit alleges that Del Monte’s Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks, and Pounce Meaty Morsels are contaminated with chemicals that can cause fatal kidney failure in animals that consume it.

All of these brands were the subject of a recent nationwide recall and are believed to be contaminated by tainted wheat gluten from China. The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for all veterinary bills that were paid by affected pet owners.

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The recent Del Monte recall follows directly on the heals of the Menu Foods Recall that resulted in more than 60 million cans of pet food being pulled from shelves. Sacramento attorney Stuart Talley commented: “This problem is massive. Since the recent wave of pet food recalls, more than 9,000 people have submitted complaints to the FDA. We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. At the end of the day we expect several thousands claimants to be part of this Class.”

Veterinarians recommend that all animals known to have ingested recalled pet foods be examined immediately. “Acute kidney failure can be reversible if caught early,” states Diane Roberts of Veterinary Medical Specialists in San Mateo, California, as reported by the San Mateo County Times.