# Is Beneful killing dogs?



## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Someone asked that a post be made up in regards to the issues that are being reported with beneful dog food. I am a member of a group on facebook that is trying to dig up as much information as possible on this.

This is the facebook group I am a member of:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/533765719991738/

The beneful page is currently full of postings on the issue: 
https://www.facebook.com/beneful?fref=ts

consumer affairs:
382 Complaints and Reviews about Beneful Pet Foods

articles:
Purina Beneful blamed for dog deaths, illnesses
Purina's Beneful dog food killing dogs nationwide; No recall issued by FDA - San Diego Top News | Examiner.com


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Feel free to post more information and do remember Beneful is a product of Purina.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

My aunt fed her precious baby Beneful...thinking it was good. He suffered kidney failure and died. We can't say that the food caused his demise, and I cannot present the possibility to my aunt, because it would only make her pain greater. But the food may have contributed to, exacerbated, or even caused his kidney failure.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

These are the ingredients:

Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, water, meat and bone meal, propylene glycol, sugar, tricalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, salt, animal digest, potassium chloride, sorbic acid (a preservative), dried peas, dried carrots, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, Red 40, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Vitamin A supplement, Blue 2, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, brewers dried yeast, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
​Corn is largely undigestible and highly susceptible to aflatoxins, especially after last year's drought damaged the corn crop. Some aflatoxins are known carcinogens in humans and animals. 

The highest protein source is chicken by-product meal which is made from grinding the poultry carcasses. It contains essentially everything we would through in the garbage. 

Then you get to the chemicals . . . well, you get my drift. It would not be difficult for any one of the ingredients listed to cause a problem with a pet. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultry_by-product_meal#cite_note-1


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

We had to put our 13 year old Jack Russell too sleep a year ago December after she developed a mass in her stomach and on her lungs. I didn't know anything back then and we fed her Iams kibble and Beneful wet food. I've wondered since then if her illness could have been prevented if I knew as much then as I do now. This makes me even more sure that maybe I could have prevented her illness if I had done research on foods back then. I feel horrible!


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

My husband's nephew's large dog (not sure what breed) got very sick a few months ago. Really serious and in animal hospital. Almost had to surgically explore what was going on but had him on lots of IV's etc and he finally got better. Had been feeding Beneful and stopped. He's been fine since but they and vet were sure it was from the Beneful and in fact they sent a complaint at that time I believe to no avail. I feel like it might not be what's in it as much as what might contaminate it. Too many sick dogs from this.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

maggieh said:


> These are the ingredients:Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, water, meat and bone meal, propylene glycol, sugar, tricalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, salt, animal digest, potassium chloride, sorbic acid (a preservative), dried peas, dried carrots, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, Red 40, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Vitamin A supplement, Blue 2, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, brewers dried yeast, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
> ​Corn is largely undigestible and highly susceptible to aflatoxins, especially after last year's drought damaged the corn crop. Some aflatoxins are known carcinogens in humans and animals.
> 
> The highest protein source is chicken by-product meal which is made from grinding the poultry carcasses. It contains essentially everything we would through in the garbage.
> ...


It's not just the ingredients but where they come from ....CHINA!
I hate to sound mean, but don't buy grocery store dog food....

We only feed our dogs a couple little meals per day, why not feed them the healthiest available... Even if you spent $60 on a 18 pound bag of vet perscribed dogfood, it will last 4 dogs for a month! 

We get our dental formal dog food at the vet, one 18 pound bag is $60, it lasts 4 of my fluffs a month, I feed Rylee a smaller version of the same dental forumula, his 18 pound bag lasts over 6 months... You figure that, even expensive dog food is about $2.35 per day for 5 dogs...... I don't know people who can be well fed on that...
Beneful is what $30 for a 31 pound bag? Sure you can feed 5 dogs for 6 weeks on that... about 90 cents per day...is it really that much cheaper?

It's really not that expensive when you think about what you will spend on your sick dog and what you will loose... possibly your dog's life, in comparison...

I'm not trying to be mean , it's not about "I spend this or that" or "buying designer dog food"...It's about making sure the only thing your dog eats won't kill him...shouldn't it be the best, healthiest and safest? If you can't afford to feed your dog the best food for him,then you can't afford a dog and the dog pays the price in the end...

I'm not trying to be mean or uppity,it's just that we are the ones who control the quality of life of our fluffs, our best friends, our babies...we should make sure we provide the best, safest, healthiest food we can find... 
We literally hold the the power of life and death over our fluffs and that's a real heavy responsibilty, as much as if they were a human child..to us they are fur children...


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## bonsmom (Feb 22, 2010)

At this time in my life, I do not have time to cook for my dogs. What is a good commercial product I can get at a Pet Supply or grocery store?


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

bonsmom said:


> At this time in my life, I do not have time to cook for my dogs. What is a good commercial product I can get at a Pet Supply or grocery store?


The only thing I would feed from a grocery store is freshpet-if they have it. Do you have any pet stores close to you like Petco or Petsmart, or are they smaller mom and pop type shops? That will help give a better idea of what might be available to you.


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

snopes.com: Beneful Dog Food


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## bonsmom (Feb 22, 2010)

Thanks for the reply, Shelly. I am near a Petco.


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

bonsmom said:


> Thanks for the reply, Shelly. I am near a Petco.


Petco has the following foods that are decent  

Wellness
Blue Buffalo
Natural Balance
Merrick
Nature's Variety

They also have freshpet, if you are interested in feeding that instead of a kibble  

Those are decent brands-they all have things we could pick apart and complain about (I don't think there is a brand that exists that doesn't) but there are many people who have had great results. 

I do think Wellness is my favorite of the list, followed by Blue and the rest are just sort of thrown in there. You will want to watch the protein level-I would try to stay under 30%. Hope that helps out some.


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