Recently in Wisconsin, a high school staff member was accused of feeding a 15 year old autistic/non-verbal freshman a can of dog food.
The Madison Metropolitan School District said it is reviewing staff procedures and protocols and providing “additional training regarding snack protocol.”
What those investigating this horrible crime are probably unaware of, the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) allows pet food to utilize highly inferior ingredients (dangerous and illegal to consume for humans and animals). The former director of the CVM stated: “we do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion.”
“Enforcement discretion” means FDA will ‘look the other way’ (refusing to enforce federal laws) when decomposing dead animals are disposed of into pet food. The FDA looks the other way when condemned, diseased animal material is disposed of into pet food.
What those investigating this crime are probably unaware of, the FDA allows pet food to be a waste disposal system. Per USDA statistics, more than 174 thousand livestock (cattle, hogs) were condemned in 2025, more than 5 million poultry were condemned. All of those condemned animal carcasses are allowed to be disposed of in pet food – with no disclosure to the consumer.
And this total does not include diseased tissues cut away from a carcass and does not include millions of animals that die on-farm annually.
What those investigating this crime don’t know is that the FDA refuses to require disclosure on labels when illegal waste ingredients are included in a pet food. The FDA outright refuses to provide consumers with label information in order to avoid horrendous waste ingredients.
It is a horrible crime for a high school staff member to feed an autistic/non-verbal student dog food, that individual should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The young man’s family should be notified to alert doctors to potential poisons he could have been exposed to through this dog food.
It is another crime that the dog food fed to this young man is allowed by the FDA to contain diseased, condemned animal material. Personal opinion: The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine should face criminal charges.
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
The 2026 List
Our trusted ‘list’ of pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
The 2025/26 Treat List
Susan’s List of trusted pet treat manufacturers. Click Here to learn more.
Association for Truth in Pet Food is a stakeholder organization representing pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.
Carol Chakeropulos
March 6, 2026 at 11:02 am
Yes, agree! It makes me sick.
Bonnie S Morris
March 6, 2026 at 12:41 pm
You go Susan. This should never been allowed in the first place. I don’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to know the ingredients of what they are buying. This is being hidden on purpose. It’s absolutely wrong and extremely unfair to pet owners and to the pets themselves. Thank you. Susan.
Teresa Johnson
March 6, 2026 at 12:24 pm
This story needs to go nationwide. It shows the depths to which some have sunken as to concern, respect, reverence to life. AND it will bring mass awareness to the public in general of just what goes into pet foods (feeds).
I would hope the person responsible for feeding dog food to a student is charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. This is a problem that goes too far beyond a need for “snack training protocol.”
Susan
March 14, 2026 at 10:37 am
Yes, This case is much more sinister than a need for more “snack training protocol”. Good Lord. Obviously the school staff member is cruel and found it amusing to be abusive. I agree with other commenters that it would be good for pet owners to hear this story as it would help get the word out that most pet foods are toxic and the required labeling of “Not For Human Consumption” is serious. Interestingly, even without detailed knowledge of what types of garbage go into dog food, people will, at a visceral level find this story to be abhorrent. Why?– Because they actually do know that what they are feeding their poor dog is disgusting and toxic. People suppress the truth all the time for convenience but hopefully this story will slap some of these pet owners in the face and make them think.
Alicia Broussal
March 6, 2026 at 12:40 pm
This person should be in jail for feeding dog food to a disabled child. It’s just gross!
Betty Smawley
March 6, 2026 at 1:10 pm
Feeding our pets far too many of today’s versions of “food” is actually killing our pets. They are getting cancer etc. at ever younger ages. As to the FDA, the agency is virtually useless as they don’t keep careful watch over people medicines and foods either. One can buy a hamburger in Europe with 4 ingredients while that same hamburger here has 10-12 ingredients.BTW educating this woman will not help much but prosecuting her might get some helpful attention.. FDA, clean up our pet food!!!!!!
Sandy M
March 6, 2026 at 4:43 pm
For me, the main problem is the double standard. The government says Human food manufacturer’s have a to follow strict regulations. When it comes to pet food, the government regulation is tossed to the wind and we don’t know what’s in it. Now suddenly a child eats the pet food and it’s criminal. This double standard has to stop not only because our pets are family but also because any child or confused person could accidentally consume it.
Madeleine Innocent
March 6, 2026 at 6:38 pm
Good point!
Madeleine Innocent
March 6, 2026 at 6:37 pm
It is very easy for us to condemn someone based on a media comment. However, we all know that the media is based on sensational news because, we the people, respond to that more. We need to consider that there is more to the story than is being reported. There is a saying ‘walk a mile in my shoes before condemning me’. This is the time we need to practise that more.