Beneful Dog Food: Expert Explains How To Tell If Your Dog Food Is Dangerous

Beneful dog food is blamed for causing thousands of dogs to grow ill, with owners claiming that the Purina product caused stomach pains, weight loss, and even death.

The accusations are part of a class-action lawsuit against the pet food maker filed in U.S. District Court by Frank Lucido. The lawsuit claims that pet owners noticed changes in their dogs not long after they started eating Beneful dog food.

One of them claimed that “after eating Beneful for just over a week, my dogs liver failed. She was drinking way more than usual, stopped eating and was vomiting. She spent 2 days in intensive care with IV fluids and antibiotics.”

Purina asserts that Beneful dog food is safe, using “an FDA-approved food additive” also found in human food. But while the case is still up in the air, the accusations have caused a panic among some dog owners who are now worried that their food could be harmful to their pets.

Some experts are now trying to help dog owners wade through the information — and misinformation — to find out if their beloved animals are safe. Dr. Evan Morse, of Warrensville Animal Clinic, joined Fox 8 in Cleveland to talk about what dog owners should look for.

“The food supply chain is critical in humans as in pets,” he said, adding, “What I would suggest is that the pet owner needs to educate themselves. This is the ideal time to delve and talk and do research and find out about pet foods. When you look at a dog food label you want to see anywhere between 18 and 25 percent protein, somewhere between 10 and 15 percent fat and 30 to 70 percent carbohydrates.”

But Morse advises caution when looking at labels.

“But you have to understand that the pet food label is sometimes a marketing tool for the pet manufacturer, and you have to learn how to read a pet food label an that takes education,” he said.

This is where a veterinarian can come in, the report noted.

Morse said there’s not enough evidence to know if the Beneful dog food is really making the dogs sick, noting there needs to be more research before a conclusion can be reached.

“At this point we just have to take a wait and see attitude,” he said.

This is not the first time that Beneful dog food has been accused of making animals sick. The pet food maker was subject to two previous lawsuits, although both ended up being dismissed by courts.

[Image via WXPI]