Beneful dog food
September 23, 2008
Filed under Beneful, Dog Food Reviews
Beneful dog food review
Beneful dog food formulas are manufactured and marketed by Nestle Purina Petcare Company. Currently, there are two Beneful product lines for dogs—dry dog food and one canned formula.
Beneful dog food has often been criticized as a low-grade product because of the low-quality ingredients which are incorporated in their dog food formulas. It is primarily grain-based and uses chicken by-product meal as the major source of animal-based protein. We do not recommend Beneful dog food brand to your dogs.
Currently, there are seven Beneful dry dog food variants formulated to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages. However, these dry dog formulas contain controversial ingredients that compromise the nutritional value of the dog food.
Beneful’s first five major ingredients are made up of ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, and animal fat.
Ground yellow corn as the first major ingredient already tells a lot about the nutritional value of the dog food. Although corn is a good source of carbohydrates, there is no way of knowing if the corn grains that have been used are of the first class grade and not one which has been designated as livestock feed grade. Corn has been also pinpointed as one of the important food allergens in dog food.
The same way can be said with wheat flour which has been linked to food allergies in dogs.
Another corn-based ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is also a by-product after starch has been extracted from corn. It is an inexpensive but inferior source of essential amino acids which can add to the total protein content of the dog food formula.
Chicken by-product meal is made from chicken parts which have been considered unfit for human consumption. The meal is made by rendering chicken slaughterhouse waste including chicken beaks, feet, entrails, even undeveloped eggs. As you can see, most of these by-products are inedible.
Although chicken by-product meal comes from such savory ingredients, it is still a good source of protein compared to fresh chicken.
The use of animal fat is controversial, in that the source/s has not been identified. Fat which has been used can come from any source including slaughterhouse waste, diseased livestock, and even restaurant grease.
Beneful dry dog food contains propylene glycol, a food moisturizer which has been banned by the FDA for use in pet food.
Controversial ingredients incorporated in Beneful dog food formulas include garlic oil, menadione, and non-chelated minerals.
Garlic oil, extracted from raw garlic, has been associated with the occurrence of Heinz body anemia in dogs.
Menadione is a controversial form of vitamin K which has been linked to several serious conditions including allergies, liver toxicity, and abnormal break-down of red blood cells in the body.
A run-through of the ingredients will reveal more than 50% carbohydrate content while protein dry matter is only a measly 29%. Fat content is insufficient to satisfy the nutritional requirements of all ages of dogs.
Customer Reviews
A significant number of dog allergies have been reported which have been linked to Beneful dog food products. Many dog owners are dismayed to be fooled into buying a dog food because of its rampant marketing strategies and excellent packaging without considering the poor quality ingredients of the dog food inside. Dog owners also report of digestive problems including diarrhea, bloating, and vomiting. Overall, we do not recommend Beneful dog food and would suggest Kirkland dog food as a higher-quality value alternative.
Please visit the links listed below for Beneful dog food reviews by formula.
Have a comment or question about our Beneful dog food review? Want to share your experiences with others? We welcome your comments!
Beneful dog food reviews
Beneful Dog Food Formulas:
- Beneful Original dog food
- Beneful Healthy Weight dog food
- Beneful Playful Life dog food
- Beneful Healthy Radiance dog food
- Beneful Healthy Harvest dog food
- Beneful Healthy Growth for Puppies dog food
Beneful Dog Food Consumer Rating
I HAVE 4 POMS AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE ALWAYS USED BENEFULS AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THERE DOG FOOD 1 OF MY POMS IS 7 YRS OLD AND HEALTHY RADIANCE HAS REALLY DONE WONDERS FOR HIM! 1 IS ON PLAYFUL LIFE AND 2 BABIES ARE ON GROWTH FOR PUPPIES SO MAYBE YOU ALL SHOULD STOP WITH YOUR BULLSHIT ! I CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE ALWAYS RAISED POMS ON BENEFULS AND WILL KEEP USING IT.
I have a wonderful dog. He is a Springer Spaniel and a valued part of our family. He started getting sick over a year ago. He had very bad hot spots, lost hair, energy. He smelled like “dead dog” all the time no matter how many times he was shampooed.
We have spent hundred of dollars in vet bills trying to find out the cause of his sickness. We did antibiotics, creams, special shampoos, You name it, we did it. They could never give me an answer. He suffered horribly. Guess what? He was eating Beneful. I have since changed his food and he has improved so much. All the hot spots are gone, he no longer suffers each day and where can we go from here?
Beneful needs to be accountable for the products and what they are doing with our beloved family members.
My Jack Russell never had allergies until I started him on Beneful Prepared Meals at age six. While on Beneful, he scratched his ears till they needed prescription drops to heal up. He chewed and licked his paws and developed lick granulomas. He scratched his mouth and lip area till it was raw. When he developed a renal glomelular problem at age eight, the vet changed his diet to Wellness products. He was off Beneful one week and I could see a change in him. After a month, the itching and sore spots were gone. I will have a urine sample re-tested in 3 months to see if his kidney function is better. I am hopeful he will get better, and am really thankful I found out what was causing the allergies. I have 3 other dogs who have eaten Beneful and suffered no allergy problems. They are off Beneful now and eating Wellnuss products. I feel better about giving them a proper digestible protein that is easier on their kidneys. I always thought Purina was a company that promoted animal health thru proper nutrition. Boy did this situation change my perspective on Purina!!!!!!
My two dogs are on beneful and have been on it for a couple months. Since my husband got a paycut at work and I lost my job that is the only food that we can afford that they will eat. We have noticed no problems, they eat their food well and are healthy and happy.
I cringe to look at the ingredients as I switched them from high quality foods to this but so far they are doing well and as long as they are doing well we will keep them on this food as long as we need to.
This is in response to cojc14 regarding the empty shelves at walmart. I work for a company that does business with Nestle Purina Pet Care (the company that produces the Beneful brand) and I know that the walmart outage was due to conflicts/negotiation over pricing. Walmart eventually accepted Nestle’s increased price and subsequently refilled their shelves. It was not due to a recall, but with that being said, I would not feed this brand to my dog simply because of their choice of ingredients (mainly preservatives and basically pesticides that increase the shelf life on their product). Even though vets and/or governing agencies have not specifically ruled that this formulation of ingredients is harmful, I don’t believe in putting that level of chemical additive/preservative in my own body and I wouldn’t knowingly give it to my pet, but that of course is just my own opinion and preferences.
This is to Fenix. So, the amount of perservatives and pesticides in Beneful you say are used in this product to increase shelf life, is it any different compared to other dog food products out there? I also assume that you suggest that you are also not likely to use the gravy based meals over the dry version- is this correct?
Our dog has had severe loose stools and has been lethargic, glassy eyes and has been throwing up blood. Before heading to the vet, I thought I would google this and was disgusted by what I have seen. We have had him on beneful for 7 years or so and have not had any problems. We switched to the Playful formula and this all started within 3 days of having it. We will be making his food now and I hope and pray that he doesn’t have any liver issues. Ironically, my vet encouraged us to get him on beneful after visiting the Purina plant and gave it his stamp of approval!
Thanks!
Read the ingrediants on Beneful dry dog food! One ingrediant is ANIMAL WASTE. Why would anyone want to feed their beloved pet ANIMAL WASTE.
We have been feeding our dog Beneful original for years. We bought a new bag from Wal-mart around Easter. Our dog started vomiting and having diarrhea. He became very lethargic and his eyes were very red and glassy. He also had a putrid odor to him. He started not to eat or drink, could not walk the stairs or stand on his back legs. We took him to the vet and the initial blood test indicated that he had ingested anti-freeze or another toxin, which he did neither. He was kept at the vet and put on antibiotic IV therapy and intravenous fluids. Repeated tests indicated that his kidneys were shutting down and that his creatinine and bun levels were off the chart. He eventually died of kidney failure. He was only 8 years old. After he died we discovered all of the problems with Beneful. I called Purina and they wanted samples for testing and of course the Lot number from the bag which I do not have. I am having the food independently tested and am very disappointed that a company can knowing kill and/or poison our animals that are aprecious to us. Something needs to be done to have these companies become responsible.
I recently opened a bag of Beneful dog food and noticed it had a lot of moisture in the bag. A week later I started finding what appeared to be “sawdust” on my coffee pot and areas surrounding my microwave. I wiped the “dust” off and pondered where it might be coming from. As soon as I cleaned, the “dust” would reappear. A day later it seemed to multiply 10 fold. That’s when I noticed the “dust” was actually moving! It appears the Beneful Dog Food was infested with mites and now I’m having trouble ridding my kitchen of the freaking things! Does anyone have any suggestion? I have thrown the food out and washed everything down with soap and water, rubbing alcohol, 409….their numbers have reduced but they’re still here!
In response to Celeste, Aug 1, 2009 post. I just bought a new bag of Beneful Original. For the past week my dogs hasn’t been eating it as he usually does. Spitting out chewed pieces esp. the red balls. The second day he threw up. I checked his food and didn’t notice anything. A few days later my son noticed these extremely tiny white dots in the pantry. If you stare at them long enough you notice they are moving!!! I checked the Beneful bag and sure enough the inside was crawling with billions of these dots. They are GRAIN MITES which are usually found in low quality dog food. They multiply rapidly. I contacted Pet Smart and they asked me to return the bag for a refund. Pet Smart was totally uninterested in removing or checking the product on the floor. I’m calling Purina this morning. I threw out every unopened item in my panty. My dog is now eating homemade food. I just have to find out how to make sure he is getting all the nutrition he needs. I cleaned with bleach and water. Hopefully I don’t have an infestation.
We had grainmites from Beneful. After cleaning the whole area, place spaceheaters all over the area – they cannot live in a hot dry area.
My two dashchunds are on ORIJEN dry food. I also feed them two tablespoons of California Natural canned food in a vatiety of flavors such as chicken & brown rice, beef & sweet potato and lamb & rice. Prior, they were on Hill’s R/D (Rx dog food). Stay away from Hill’s & Science Diet dog foods!! They are money moguls and they are owned by Colgate-Palmolive and use all their money to advertise to vets whereas Orijen and California Natural use their funds to actually MAKE THE DOG FOOD and not spend thousands advertising their foods. Please invest in holistic, organic dog food for your beloved best friends as it is sooooo worth it, guys! Wellness, Inova and Orijen are all terrific brands.
I have a Lab that is 6 years old…I just began giving her Beneful two months ago. Just recently, I have had to take her to the local 24 hour emergency vet due to health issues. After running bloodwork and other tests, the vet said her liver enzyme count was signficantly higher than it should be. My dog started having what they felt was an onset of seizures. After reading this, I plan to change her food and I will report back with what I observe. I hope if it is caused by Beneful, that the effects are reversable in this case.
As a side note: My dog was due for her yearly checkup in June (before changing her food to Beneful)…the vet said she was in perfect health. Just something to think about.
I am not typically someone who is easily scared by findings like this, but after discussing things with my vet…I am now really afraid that Beneful is the problem.
I switched to Beneful Healthy Radiance because my dog had skin issues. That was a couple of years ago and starting last year he got very sick and started having severe seizures. We tried everything and is now on two different meds. My sister told me how bad Beneful was so I decided to switch to Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. I am happy to say that after two weeks, not one seizure. Before I switch foods, he was having three seizures a week. I cannot believe the progress he has made in just two weeks!