Why I stopped feeding my dog Beneful

Beneful has been in the news about claims the dog food was making dogs sick, some dying from ingesting the food.The lawsuit claims Purina Beneful is to blame.

I was shocked as this is what I have been feeding our dog Cali ( a Husky, Shepard cross) for a couple yrs. We adopted her from the Calgary Humane Society. She was a fussy eater and we had to try numerous dog foods throughout time to finally find one she would eat. It happens to be Beneful. So we stuck to it. It looked healthy enough from the picture on the bag. As time passed she was leaving her food untouched. It got to the point she would only eat it if we mixed it with people food. I noticed she had days where she seemed sluggish, and her stools were inconsistent. It did not seem like anything to be causing alarm bells, but I was concerned.

Why dogs shed?

It is normal for dogs to shed, However, it varies dog to dog. Dogs shed old or damaged hair throughout the year. The season can bring on shedding as dogs fill in a thick protective coat for winter months, then in spring will start to shed that excess hair. Shedding can also be due to stress, poor nutrition or a medical problem.

Cali shed 365 days a year. She was an outside dog majority of the time, brought in on cold days. On days, I brought her in she stayed in the foyer. This was because of her shedding. I have allergies as well, so with her excess shedding, I had to vacuum daily as her hair ended up everywhere, and fast. I believed it was because of her breed. I would literally brush bag fulls of hair any day of the year. Everywhere she went she would leave trails of hair. She had free range in our garage which daily was full of hair. Like I mean everywhere.

We ended up moving from our acreage to a place in town. I was so worried about all the hair that would accumulate inside and out and was actually thinking I may have to find her a new home. During our move, we ran out of food and a friend gave us a couple scoops of their dog food to get her by. Cali loved it, she ate it all, along with the next feed. When it came to buying her food we figured we should give that food a try. It was Ol’Roy. So we bought a bag. Within a few short days, there was NO hair. I mean none, what so ever. It has now been 6 months and no shedding besides normal shedding. I am amazed. She looks healthier and happier than ever and her poops are consistent. Every day she is happy to eat and never leaves it untouched.

Realizing it must be the food

Just recently is when I heard of the Beneful Dog food causing problems. I was like, OMG, I can understand. I don’t know for certain but I am pretty positive that Beneful was making her sick.

I ran into a lady at checkout the other day. I saw she had a bag of Beneful in her cart. I was uncomfortable but I happen to ask her what kind of dogs she had. Then I asked her if she is a regular user of Beneful and if her dogs shed a lot. Her answer, Oh yes!  I proceeded to explain to her about my findings. She said that may have merit and will be switching to see if it makes a difference with her dogs.

Some comparisons with Ingredients in 3 dog foods:

Ol’Roy Ingredients: Main ingredients: Ground yellow corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, chicken by-product meal, wheat middlings, animal fat [preserved with BHA and citric acid], natural flavor, brewers rice, salt, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride,choline chloride, color added [red #40, yellow #5, blue #2], menadione sodium .

Beneful Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols,among others. Does contain dried vegetable matter. The most disturbing ingredient is propylene glycol. Propylene glycol, also called propane-1,2-diol, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C₃H₈O₂. It is a viscous colorless liquid which is nearly odorless but possesses a faintly sweet taste. Wikipedia  Click Ingredient list to learn more.

Ingredient list

I won’t say that the food I chose is best. I am on a limited budget so buying dog food such as Blue is not feasible at this time. I do believe there are healthier choices on the market. I much prefer to see ingredients such as this for my dog.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Ingredients:  Deboned Salmon, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potato Starch, Pea Protein, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Natural Chicken Flavor, Potatoes, Sunflower Oil (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Alfalfa Meal, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2),Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6),Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride,Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Dried Yeast (source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product

Bonnie and Clyde Omega Fish Oil

This supplement has Vita E added.  Benefits of adding Fish Oil to your dog’s food will aid in Inflammation, Osteoarthritis, Neurological, Training ability, Longevity, Cardiovascular, Skin and Coat health.