Disclaimer: The “we” referenced in this post isn’t representative of Banfield: The Pet Hospital. The advice contained therein is not advice from Banfield, and the recommendations are not sponsored by Banfield. Banfield is not responsible for anything, good or bad, that happens as a result of the information contained in this post, and in any other posts containing advice regarding pet care that may be found on this site.
________________________________________________
I have no “official” sources for this…only what we’ve been seeing at our pet hospital in the past week.
We’ve had a total of 5 dogs (one of them being JB’s – Angus, the Scotty) who’ve been brought in for severe vomiting.
Fecal exams, urinalysis, and blood tests have revealed no abnormalities, aside from elevated liver enzymes (which happens when animals are stressed out and have vomiting and diarrhea – it’s a reactionary, rather than causal, abnormality).
Basically, what that means is that these animals are all otherwise healthy, but something has caused their bodies to react as if they’d swallowed poison.
The dogs are all different breeds, all different ages, but upon interviewing the owners, we’ve found one common factor (the ONLY common factor): all of these dogs have been fed Beneful, if not for a long time, then recently.
Angus has been eating Beneful for a while, and just came down with the symptoms last week. Part of the reason I was at work so long on Thursday was because JB and his parents drove out from Covington to have our vet look at him.
We’ve been dealing with a dog who’s got all kinds of other issues (he only has one working kidney, among other things), but who’s been relatively healthy for the past year. Last week, his owner brought him in because he was wheezing and throwing up. What’s he eating? Beneful.
We had to give emergency fluids to a dog this weekend who had such a severe reaction that he couldn’t even keep Pedialyte down.
I know there have been rumors circulating about Beneful (even snopes.com has it listed as “unconfirmed” on their site, and it was last updated in 2007), that it has mold in it, and that dogs are glassy-eyed and uninterested in food and water, etc., but this is something that’s actually quite different than that.
The dogs are reacting fine – just worn out from vomiting. They’re interested in food and water, they just can’t keep anything down. None of them have diarrhea or any other indication of disease.
What this indicates is a bad batch of dog food.
If you’re currently feeding your dog Beneful, stop as soon as possible.
We recommend Nature’s Recipe dog food – it’s about the same price, and as far as we know, there haven’t been any major issues with any animal eating it.
If you don’t want to go by my food recommendation – I understand. However, if you’re going to try to feed something else, here’s a handy tip: in Petsmart stores (at least, the one I’m in), the dog food is arranged with the higher-quality food in the front, and the lower-quality food in the back. The closer to the front of the store you’re picking up the food, the better off your dog will generally be. If you’re still unsure, just check the ingredients on the bags toward the front, and compare it to the bags in the back. There’s a notable difference, and for dogs it’s the difference between us preparing meals at home that are well-balanced, or eating at Taco Bell every day.
Switching your dog’s food suddenly will result in some stomach upset, so unfortunately, you’re going to have to mix it with Beneful for at least a couple of days, then feed them the newer food exclusively.
Hang on to a little bit of Beneful, and make sure to note the batch number on the bag. Keep the bag, if possible. If there’s a recall because of a contaminated batch, that’s how it’ll be announced.
I’ll try to keep updated on the situation, and will continue to post about it here.
Please spread the word. This isn’t some email/spam joke or scare tactic – this is from someone who’s been dealing with the problem firsthand.
thanks for the heads up. This is what we feed lucy and she is almost out of the bag we’ve been feeding from. she hasn’t gotten sick at all but I don’t want to take the chance!
I’ve heard of several folks from all over the country who’ve been having similar issues from what I’ve posted…but it’s still such a small overall proportion that you’re likely part of the lucky larger group who got uncontaminated food. Until it’s been announced, though, or until we stop seeing this issue at the vet, though…yeah, I’d recommend switching. :-) Glad to help!
Nothing to do with this, but I thought of you when I read it.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jul/19/two-shot-east-end-beale/?partner=RSS
Two guys shot on Beale. Hey, I thought people were safe there, now!
And can someone please tell me what the lawful display of a “no guns allowed” sign is supposed to look like?
Technically, the part they’re talking about is waaaaaay East of Beale, in an area that’s not included in the touristy part with metal detectors. But still…pretty ignorant stuff.
I’m looking for the lawful display, myself. I have yet to see an example.
Squeaky-what is a quality dog food to feed a small (grown) dog? I used to feed Panda Beneful, but she more or less quit eating it, so I switched to Kibbles and Bits. She won’t eat “wet” dog food. I’ll buy at PetSmart, though I consider prices there pretty high.
I still recommend Nature’s Recipe – just check the ingredients to make sure that the only grains are rice and barley. Anything else is iffy, and wheat is a no-no. Peas are fine. The first ingredient should always be meat, and chicken and lamb are in the top as far as healthy choices go.
You’re going to pay more for better food because they don’t have as many fillers. My cat’s now on prescription food (at $32 for a 10-lb bag) because he developed a food allergy from cheap food, so I find myself wishing I’d switched him to better food a lot earlier than I did.
I hope you’re able to find something that works.
Squeaky-what is a quality dog food to feed a small (grown) dog? I used to feed Panda Beneful, but she more or less quit eating it, so I switched to Kibbles and Bits. She won’t eat “wet” dog food. I’ll buy at PetSmart, though I consider prices there pretty high.
Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can’t wait to see your next post!
This comment ended up in spam…I guess because it’s basically the same comment twice.
Now that you’ve been approved, you should be seeing your comments appearing without any problem from now on.
Thanks for the compliment!
Read the ingredient labels on commercial pet foods and you’ll wonder why there AREN’T more animals getting sick from that crap. The pet food industry got started as a way to make garbage profitable. Not nearly enough has changed since then.
When I was a USDA inspector, I saw what the pet food manufacturers bought from the plant where I worked.
I feed my dogs a raw diet I make up at home. It costs significantly less than any “quality” commercial food. I have two 13-year-olds right now who run around like puppies and who are never sick. And when I had a chance to compare notes with vets from all over the country at a national Greyhound adoption conference, they said my dogs had less than a third of the cancer they saw in the general pet population, and less than a fourth of what they saw in retired racing Greyhounds.
The ash content in cat food is another WTF-inducing puke-fest. I’ll never understand why it’s acceptable to include ASH in pet food. Seriously. No one will ever be able to convince me that it’s useful.
With dogs, chicken and rice prepared at home is much cheaper and easier on their stomachs than anything you could hope to buy at a store. Mixing some peas in there occasionally will help their digestion, and vitamin supplements (like glucosamine) can be bought and added if necessary.
Luckily, most dogs are not picky eaters, and don’t get bored by eating the same things all the time, especially if it’s something that tastes good to them. I wish I could suggest an at-home diet for the animals that come into the vet office, but with the whining cries of, “I don’t have time to wait for my appointment! I got here 20 minutes ago! See me now!”, I have a feeling that most folks would claim that they barely have time to scoop food into their dogs’ bowls as it is.
Just an aside—-While Purina can be a reasonable dog food, the food in the front of Petsmart isn’t necessarily better. Just like a supermarket, Petsmart stocks the more expensive and therefore more profit-generating items toward the front, where a consumer will see them. Quality isn’t their consideration, and price is not a guarantee of quality.
We don’t recommend them JUST because they’re in the front – there are a few foods up there that we roll our eyes at and simply steer the customer away from, because they’re over-priced and not that great…we’re aware of the marketing scheme…lol. Nature’s Recipe is the only one that I can for-sure recommend, based on nutrition information. The price is comparable to Beneful, as well, so folks shouldn’t have a hard time switching, financially. I made the suggestion because it’s what I, personally, know. I work for Banfield, not Petsmart, but because I work IN a Petsmart, I’m more familiar with their stocking methods.
I am not a fan of Beneful. I got lazy with my last dog, Mingo, and switched to Beneful because it was available in grocery stores and was less expensive than Science Diet, Diamond etc. He started having seizures and was diagnosed with diabetes, then he had a tumor and after buying time with some palliative care, I ultimately had to put the old man down. A few months later, I adopted a rescue who had a sensitive stomach, so I went back to Hollywood Pet Star for the good stuff. The clerk and I started talking about Beneful, and he recommended I check out the ingredients list. I was shocked to find sugar listed right up near the top. There is NO REASON dogs should be eating sugar (us humans need to cut back too, but that’s another argument). I felt so sad and so guilty that for the last year of Mingo’s life, I was feeding him such crap. I will never buy Beneful again, and, after consulting the ingredients lists of the majority of Purina’s treats, etc, I will not buy any of their products without close scrutiny.
Yep – Angus’s glucose levels were high at the time his blood test was given, as well, as a result of the Beneful.
I’m really sorry to hear about Mingo. I understand your guilt, but you don’t expect packaged food to contain stuff that can kill your animal, so you can’t blame yourself.
7/21/09: I have been feeding my dog Beneful dog food for a while. I recently purchased a 15.5 lb. bag of the Healthy Radiance flavor at WalMart. I had been buying the Healthy Weight kind, but they were out of it. My 75-pound dog has been extremely gassy since he started eating from this bag and has been drinking a lot more water. This morning he pretty much refused to eat the food. I usually add some water anyway, but I added more and he took a few bites, but then walked away. I called the company and they said that there was no problem. I made some white rice for my dog because it was all that I had that would be appropriate. I am just confirming the above and wondering if anyone else is having problems with Beneful. Other than this, my dog seems absolutely fine and is playing ball as usual. I would also like a suggestion for a simple homemade recipe for dog food that I can make for my dog. Thanks.
For an upset stomach, feed your dog chicken and rice. Cook the chicken thoroughly, and cut it up into small chunks. Make sure the rice is fully cooked so that it’s easily-digested. Don’t add anything extra – it’ll smell weird, because we’re used to having other things added to our food, but resist the temptation…heh. (I only say that because someone at our office fed her dog rice and chicken, but added pepper, cumin, and other stuff to it because she thought it smelled “boring”, and her dog didn’t keep it down…she freaked out and brought him back, and when we told her what was going on, she was like, “…oh.”)
I have no other suggestions…hecate might be able to help you, as she’s apparently been feeding her animals from home for a while with great success.
P.S.-I just discovered that my dog had thrown up his food earlier this morning.
Keep an eye on him. Mix some Pedialyte (grape and orange are apparently popular flavors for dogs…who knew?) into his water, to make sure he’s getting some nutrients and is properly hydrated. Try the chicken and rice feeding for a bit. If he refuses to eat anything at all, take him to your vet ASAP, especially if he continues to vomit/dry heave without having eaten anything.
I feed my dogs the Blue Buffalo brand food from PetsMart. I think they’re a pretty good company, and my dogs certainly love the kibble.
That stuff is seriously over-priced, and it’s almost exactly the same formula as Nature’s Recipe (which is half the price for the same amount).
If your dogs like it, and you think you’d be able to switch them over, I’d recommend the NR food – it’ll certainly help your wallet. :-)
I did a search today that used “beneful dog food bad” as the key words, and found this site.
Starting 5 days ago, my dog started vomiting, and it went on for 3 days. I thought she was just sick, like when she may pick up a virus. However, she is usually over it in a day or two.
When it was happening on the 3rd day, we took her Beneful dog food away. She stopped vomiting. That was two days ago. I have given her bits of other bland grain food, and some rabbit food in the meantime. She hasn’t vomited.
I put a half a bowl of Beneful in her bowl yesterday, and she turned her nose up at it. She wouldn’t eat it.
I realized that it all started when I opened up a new big bag of Beneful dog food.
I suspected something was wrong with the food, and your post confirms my suspicions. I got it at the Walmart in Washington, PA. I’m going to return the bag, and get something else.
I’m glad you were able to figure it out on your own, and that you’re willing to make the change! An important thing to look for in new food: corn products shouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the main ingredients, there shouldn’t be any wheat or gluten in it, and meat should be the first ingredient. If you see “glucose” or “corn syrup” as an ingredient anywhere, run away…heh.
I’d recommend getting your food from a pet store, rather than from a supermarket, if possible. You’ll have a greater selection, and there are folks there who will be able to speak with you about what would be the best choice for your animals (and, hopefully, your wallet). Good luck!
A lot of dog owners nowadays most likely put down the dog plate without giving much attention to what we are actually feeding our pets. All dog food is not created equal. Some have high preservatives, others have low nutritional content. Instead of just going with the cheapest or the first brand you see on the store shelves, it is important to make sure that you are getting the best for the dog.
Danniele Brown
http://woofgangbakerylakewoodranch.com/
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Beneful packaging markets images making you think it’s a very healthful dogfood. My recent purchase of the dry dog food Healthy Radiance-Walmart- contained a lot of crushed food like it was the end bag of the bottom batch. My dog after eating some of it did not eat much through out the rest of the day – he tried to eat it again later on and threw up the little bit he ate- I was then wondering if it was his food -until I found your site- I am pretty sure it’s a bad batch. I started to pay more attention to the ingredients and found Nutrish-beef/brown rice -Rachel Ray’s new natural dog food. He ate some of that and has kept it down. I feel sure there will be more dogs and pets sickened by this batch. I for one am not waiting for the recall.