Beneful Problems

I hope nothing is wrong with it, especially knowing how many people in this country feed that food. 

I did think it was interesting that the one person said they noticed a tan mold on the food, but fed it to their dog anyways, and then the dog got sick...[&:]  ??

"A week before Christmas we bought a bag of Beneful dog food at Wal-Mart, DeFuniak Springs, FL. On 12/23 I noticed a tan mold like growth on the dog food. Our 14 year old Dalmatian mix had been getting weaker by the day and by 12/24 she was near death. Glazed eyes, couldn't stand, eat, drink or control her functions. Her gums were white. We had to carry her to the yard and hold her up so she could go. The only thing she would eat was ham and turkey scraps. I spoke with a microbiologist and she said the mold growing in the dog food was toxic. It took a week for Sparky to regain her strength. I did notify the manufacturer of Beneful, they were very sorry and are sending coupons. Said it was a rare happening."

I did think it was interesting that the one person said they noticed a tan mold on the food, but fed it to their dog anyways, and then the dog got sick... ??

"A week before Christmas we bought a bag of Beneful dog food at Wal-Mart, DeFuniak Springs, FL. On 12/23 I noticed a tan mold like growth on the dog food. Our 14 year old Dalmatian mix had been getting weaker by the day and by 12/24 she was near death. Glazed eyes, couldn't stand, eat, drink or control her functions. Her gums were white. We had to carry her to the yard and hold her up so she could go. The only thing she would eat was ham and turkey scraps. I spoke with a microbiologist and she said the mold growing in the dog food was toxic. It took a week for Sparky to regain her strength. I did notify the manufacturer of Beneful, they were very sorry and are sending coupons. Said it was a rare happening." 

Also, there's no mention of taking the dog to the vet even though, according to the owner, she was "near death".

Do not and never have  fed Beneful to my dogs.  However, there are some funny thhings going on here.  She "spoke" to a biologist and was it told was toxic.  Seems to me the biologist would have  needed a sample of the food and run tests.  and as JM said, if she noticed mold on the food, why feed it?  Why no mention of the taking the dog to the vet.  Said it took a week --I think-- for the dog to recover.  I can tell you this, my dog would have been at the vet's ASAP if he/she coudln't walk, gums were white, etc, etc.  I don't know about this.

I tried to access the blog with no success.  IMO I think Purina Beneful is a crap food. However, Ralston is a huge corporation with no doubt some serious, long term, experienced quality control practices so I'd have to take someone's blog with a grain of salt.

Paula

They pulled that page off the Blog and put this link up instead..


[linkhttp://www.doggybling.com/newsarticle.php?id=1073]http://www.doggybling.com/newsarticle.php?id=1073[/link]

     While I'm not sure that article was totally legit, Beneful is a big seller around here. I can't count how many people I know feeding that garbage have had some serious medical issues with their dogs from that feed. One of my elderly neighbors has a nephew w/ a beautiful Golden ... apparently it caused some type of liver problem with this dog. She actually rang my bell one day out of the blue to ask if I was feeding it and to warn me about what had happened ot her nephew's dog.
     Honestly, I know there needs to be economical dog food but why a manufacturer with such an excellent R&D would sell something so loaded with sugar, dye and grain is just beyond me ...

ORIGINAL: UrbanBeagles

     While I'm not sure that article was totally legit, Beneful is a big seller around here. I can't count how many people I know feeding that garbage have had some serious medical issues with their dogs from that feed. One of my elderly neighbors has a nephew w/ a beautiful Golden ... apparently it caused some type of liver problem with this dog. She actually rang my bell one day out of the blue to ask if I was feeding it and to warn me about what had happened ot her nephew's dog.
    Honestly, I know there needs to be economical dog food but why a manufacturer with such an excellent R&D would sell something so loaded with sugar, dye and grain is just beyond me ...

Most of Purina's  foods are garbage, the fact that Beneful is NG, is no surprise to me....

why a manufacturer with such an excellent R&D would sell something so loaded with sugar, dye and grain is just beyond me ...

you're kidding me, right? Purina has many truly awful roducts out there, Beneful is just the worst of the worst.  If you read their studies they are highly concerned about poop consistency (owners don't like soft poops), palatability (owners don't like foods dogs won't eat), and how to turn things like feathers into dog food. Very little concern for actual dog health.
Besides, who said it was an economical food? it costs $1 a pound, which is what you'd pay for Iams or Nutro, both of which are much healthier than this garbage.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

why a manufacturer with such an excellent R&D would sell something so loaded with sugar, dye and grain is just beyond me ...

you're kidding me, right? Purina has many truly awful roducts out there, Beneful is just the worst of the worst.  If you read their studies they are highly concerned about poop consistency (owners don't like soft poops), palatability (owners don't like foods dogs won't eat), and how to turn things like feathers into dog food. Very little concern for actual dog health.
Besides, who said it was an economical food? it costs $1 a pound, which is what you'd pay for Iams or Nutro, both of which are much healthier than this garbage.

Yeah, you must be right.  They just spend millions of dollars on research to see how they can make a food have horrible effects on a dog's health.  Yes, they do have low-end formulas (and yes I think Beneful is crap), but I think that is so even people who don't have a lot of money can afford to feed their dogs instead of starving them.  Sometimes I think we don't take into account the amount of dogs that are lucky to be getting fed period.  They do have some good formulas as well...Purina ONE, ONE natural blends, Pro Plan and Pro Plan selects are not horrible foods....certainly better than many of their competitors. 

Yes, they do have low-end formulas (and yes I think Beneful is crap), but I think that is so even people who don't have a lot of money can afford to feed their dogs instead of starving them.

 
Except Beneful is expensive. I agree that foods like Dog Chow are necessary to have around (although I will still gag when I see people wearing Prada and whatever buying it), but Beneful is purely deceptive. It costs as much as good brands, and more than mid-grade brands, and IMO is WORSE than Dog Chow. There's nothing necessary about it.

exactly my point-- Beneful isn't offered as an "affordable" alternative, it's offered as a mid-priced product that has been heavily advertised as a  "super healthy food for your dog".  
 

Honestly, I've never priced Beneful in the grocery store (lol) so you are probably right about that.  I just figured it was cheap b/c so many people use it.  

you're kidding me, right? Purina has many truly awful products out there, Beneful is just the worst of the worst. If you read their studies they are highly concerned about poop consistency (owners don't like soft poops), palatability (owners don't like foods dogs won't eat), and how to turn things like feathers into dog food.

 
As long as people go around saying stuff like this, someone is going to believe it and repeat it.  Then others will believe it.  I talked directly to people at purina and they DO NOT USE FEATHERS, BEAKS, ETC, in their food.  There seems to be a tendency for some to believe what the upper end dog food makers say, but say the mid and lower ones are lying.  Why is it only the upper end maufactures tell the truth?
 
On this forum I am constantly reading about the trouble some ar having with picky eaters.  They can't find a food their dog truly likes, they have tried this, that and the other to no avail.  And poop is a major subject here.  'Everyone wants a nice firm poop.  So doesn't it make total sense that the manufacturer of a dog food would be concerned about the same things? If consumers do not like a product for one reason or another, the product fails.
 

sandra, I personally attended a seminar at a vet school where a series of reps from the "big" dog food companies talked about their research on turning things like feathers and beaks into "digestible" protein. They seem to have given up and turned to soy and corn as cheap sources of rotein (to bamboozle the public into thinking they are feeding adequate protein to their dogs), but yes, they have done and probably are still continuing to do, research into how to feed feathers to dogs.
 
and it is certainly possible that any food that lists "by-products" on the label does contain beaks and feathers. They sell every part of the chicken except the intestines, the feathers, and the heads, so what else could "by products" be?