A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco alleges that a man's three dogs were sickened and died after two months of eating Purina's Beneful dog food — and the firm handling the case says they have received “hundreds upon hundreds” of calls and emails from pet owners with similar stories, as the SF Examiner reports.

Frank Lucido of Discovery Bay, California, says he "fed his three dogs Beneful dry food in late December and early January and within a month two were sick and one was dead." His beloved English bulldog is the one who did not make it. He's now seeking damages for the value of his lost pet, as well as vet bills and ongoing costs for medicine for his two surviving dogs.

The lawsuit points to an ingredient that Purina contends is an FDA-approved food additive which the plaintiffs contend is an animal toxin used in automobile antifreeze that has sickened or killed at least 3,000 dogs. Says plaintiff's attorney Jeffrey Cereghino, "We’re seeing a lot of complaints where vets [are] asking if dogs were given antifreeze."

The attorneys are publicizing the case, obviously, in the hope of finding more affected parties to join in the class action. And here are the indications, in case you're familiar with a dog or dog owner to whom this might have happened:

The sickened dogs allegedly showed “consistent symptoms,” including stomach and related internal bleeding, liver malfunction or failure, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, seizures and kidney failure.

Anyone looking to join in the class action should call SF-based law firm Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski at 1-877-667-4265.