Dassel woman says she found mouse in syrup bottle

A woman says she found a large mouse in the bottom of a bottle of Target-brand pancake syrup.

Rena Snyder, of Dassel, said she was at her mother's house having waffles Tuesday morning, when she noticed the syrup wasn't flowing very well.

"I lifted it up and looked at the bottom and there was a big fat dead mouse," Snyder said. "And I screamed. And I'm expecting. So, I'm eight months pregnant. And my mother come running. She thought my water broke."

Snyder said both she and her father became ill after eating the syrup. She said she was vomiting and had diarrhea that night and the next day. Snyder said a local hospital emergency room told her to call a poison control center. The center filed a report on the incident.

Snyder said Target has been very apologetic, but she and her husband are considering a lawsuit.

Target spokeswoman Erika Svingen said another company manufactured the syrup for Target.

"At Target, we are committed to providing high quality and safe products to our guests," Svingen said. "We are taking this incident very seriously and are investigating the claim."

Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who specializes in food safety cases, expected an autopsy would be done on the mouse to determine how it died. He is not involved in the case.

"They certainly will look to see whether or not a mouse could have gotten into the top and how that would have happened," Marler said. "And whether the mouse died by asphyxiation. They'll be able to tell that."

He said it's not unusual for people to find bugs and rodents in food. But to successfully sue for damages they have to prove they were harmed, not just grossed out.

Snyder said she still has the mouse and bottle of syrup.