Funny story; borderline embarassing

I kind of agree with you there. It's like a doggy burger and fries night out. You may not eat that way all the time, but once isn't going to kill you.
 

So I went over to my friends house today (who free feeds their dog Beneful). Wolfie ate his normal wet food breakfast and had his dry food out offered this morning (munches throughout the day) at my place. When I took him over there, he went over to the bowl of Beneful and GORGED himself like he was starving....

Could it be in part because it's somebody else's food? Ginger will do that - one time she ate upwards of 5 cups of Pedigree at my Mom's house. There was a dog she didn't know there, and she kept eating the food, so my Mom kept putting more down. It was not a pretty sight later that night though.

Could it be in part because it's somebody else's food

You would think, but he's been over to other houses with food out (Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree) and wouldn't even touch them, lol.

Just a suggestion:  Have you tried putting the premium food in the micro for 3-5 seconds before serving it?  Even better add a teaspoon of water to it prior.  This kind of "wakes up" the flavors and makes it a big deal, for my guy at least.

Have you tried putting the premium food in the micro for 3-5 seconds before serving it? Even better add a teaspoon of water to it prior.

Tried that...I can't remember who suggested it before, but I tried it and he would sniff it, back up, and walk away.  [&:]

I agree with Luv'n'tzus... this sounds sort of like the picky 2-year-old child who will eat nothing but Fruity Pebbles or Doritos or something like that - you're happy they're eating but it's not doing to work to their advantage long term.

I am not necessarily a Beneful fan, but that said, my opinion is that part of eating is for nutrition, and part of it is for enjoyment, there are very few things that a dog or people for that matter, enjoy more than eating.  If she likes it, try it and see what results you get.  I have 2 neighbors who have fed Beneful for years, both dogs are around 14 and they are healthy, happy, proper weight,nice coats, good energy, I am impressed by how they look for there age.

I used to work at a kennel and if a dog wasn't eating we would add regular baby food (beef or chicken)..a spoonful or two. It's usually did the trick!

Have you tried putting the premium food in the micro for 3-5 seconds before serving it? 
Do not microwave, soak or use hot or very warm water on your kibble. It will destroy the integrity of the friendly yogurt type cultures and the fragile vitamins/minerals and amino acids on the food.
This came off Linda Arndt website,,,she is a canine nutritional consultant, otherwise known as The Great Dane Lady.
When you guys say that our dogs might get cancer, or some other disease from eating Beneful or some other less then premium food, I'm sorry,,, but there have been a lot of dogs on this forum that gotten these illnesses and they DID eat premium food.  I'm not pushing Beneful,,,I feed Eagle,,,so I'm with you guys in our opinion of food...but we're talking a dog thats owner is having a tough time feeding and keeping weight on.  Way too many people have come to this board (including me with my two dogs of a few years back, to be honest) have reported how well their dog is doing on some of these less then premium foods....or know of dogs that have lived a long long time on them. Such as Abbysdad!
I agree with Abbysdad,,,(and I am ALSO not a Beneful fan) if she eats likes it and eats it,,, you see for yourself the results.

might get cancer, or some other disease from eating Beneful or some other less then premium food, I'm sorry,,, but there have been a lot of dogs on this forum that gotten these illnesses and they DID eat premium food.

Yes but i think you're giving cancer/disease a big fat head start by filling the body with "poison",by poison i mean every single ingredient in Beneful is to the detriment,or the opposite of what dogs need to thrive.
By feeding super premium foods you are giving your dog the very best available diet,as far as commercial food goes,you're doing the best literally that you can,and if the dog still gets cancer,you cant turn around and say "what if i'de fed a better food" which would be easy to say if feeding beneful,a little harder if feeding something like natures variety,evo etc.

Sure dogs can get cancer/disease eating whatever food,by why give it a foothold by feeding a food with the ingredients of beneful?

dyan--was it you that used to feed Bil Jac frozen? The kennel that is by the vet I work at feeds Bil-Jac and they gave me a bag of frozen to try.  Of course he likes it and eats it all up, and I know it's a step above Beneful, what were your results? 

So far I "came back to reality" and took away the Beneful (but am still keeping it on hand just in case).  I fed him Bil-Jac frozen for dinner, so hopefully that will satisfy him.  I am a bit hesitant to feed it because of the meat by products and "cereal mill fines" as two ingredients.  Protein, meat content and fiber are all in great ranges, but we'll see.  My friend also gave me a little bit of her dog's food (Purina Pro Plan small breed adult) and he actually ate a bite or two of it, so that may be a possibility.  Gee this is sooo frustrating!

Bil Jac dry is also a kibble most dogs really like, they use a special vacuuming process instead of extruding, that is why they use BHA/BHT to preserve it, you can go to there website and get a 1 lbs free sample. 

What digestive enzyme did you use for Emma?

I've been using Prozyme, but... I'm going to try an animal-based enzyme, next. Prozyme is plant based. I'm going to see if animal based makes a difference.

Even if he's not sick, it'll help him make the most of what he eats. They say to reduce your dog's rations by 20% when you add Prozyme to their meals. They absorb it that much better! Emma has no problem with eating (and eating, and eating, and eating.... 3+ cups a day), but she just doesn't absorb it well. Enzymes make a big difference, for her. I'm guessing they'd make a difference for a pup that didn't eat enough, too.

Do not microwave, soak or use hot or very warm water on your kibble. It will destroy the integrity of the friendly yogurt type cultures and the fragile vitamins/minerals and amino acids on the food.

How can friendly bacteria survive in kibble?

If the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are *that* fragile, they wouldn't survive the cooking process. Or the shipping process, for that matter. Ever gotten in a shipment of dog food, in Georgia, in August?

If the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are *that* fragile, they wouldn't survive the cooking process

They are added after the cooking process. Having said that i really dont know how the friendly bacteria survives in the first place when it is recommended probiotics stay refrigerated.