# Problems with Beneful?



## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

I do not and never have fed mine Beneful, but this was posted on an all breed board I belong to. I have not seen anything about this in the paper or on any forum. I have no idea if it is true or not. One guy (he hates anything purina anyway) posted a site and a couple of others think something is a little phoney. One posted the below portion and we were wondering why the person does not mention taking that deathly sick dog to a vet, why they would feed food with mold on it to their dog, and how a biologist could tell it was toxic without ever having seen it. At least this person just says they talked to one, didn't say about having food tested. Have any of you heard this?

"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."


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

Not heard that...but--who feeds their dogs food with mold growing on it?


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## bbhdl (Jan 16, 2007)

That is really messed up. I had fed my dog beneful in 11/06 because it was recomended as very palatable and might get my 11 year old golden to eat after greieving for her brother and not eating well for some time. I tried it and she ate it up. Three days later she passed away. She had just been to the vet and seemed to be grieving and not pyhsically sick. I blamed myself ofcourse thinking of everything right down to the treats I gave her that day. It is just probably a freaky thing but I had to mention it. Also, just for the record, the food seemed perfectly okay. No mold or anything unusual.


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

I don't believe that story..... I've searched and haven't found any news one way or another...


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## JimS (Jan 2, 2007)

I could see a mold problem happening on a very limited basis. For instance, if the food had gotten damp at some point during the handling. A lot of people feed the food right out of the bags, which sit in garages, kitchen floors on porches etc. If the floor got wet, and the moisture soaked into the bag, it could become a marvelous breeding ground for mold. It wouldn't have even been the whole bag, just the food on the bottom. There are dozens of scenarios where a single bag of food could be contaminated or partially contaminated. Most of them from unsafe handling procedures at home.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

You know it's a lie by this line: "I did notify the manufacturer of Beneful, they were very sorry and are sending coupons." Coupons? Your dog is almost killed by a dog food and you'd be happy with coupons (as opposed to suing)? And who would want coupons for dog food from a company that they believe is selling toxic dog food??


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

Like Njb, the first think I thought of is who would feed their dog moldy food? Plus they never mention taking it to a vet! If my dog was so sick I had to hold it up to relieve itself, I think I'd see a vet.


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## Dog (Sep 26, 2006)

This article mention something about MOLD contamination and BENEFUL food(which I have never heard of and therefore have no comment).

Dog Food, Premium Dog Food, Dog Food Ingredients


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## Gldiebr (Oct 10, 2006)

LaurJen said:


> You know it's a lie by this line: "I did notify the manufacturer of Beneful, they were very sorry and are sending coupons." Coupons? Your dog is almost killed by a dog food and you'd be happy with coupons (as opposed to suing)? And who would want coupons for dog food from a company that they believe is selling toxic dog food??


Also, the manufacturer would NEVER say they were sorry, as that would open them up for lawsuits, big time! The whole thing just sounds flakey, IMO.


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## ty823 (Feb 7, 2006)

It seems like if it was the manufactures fault, there would be many many cases of this out there, not just a single one. How does just one bag get sent out w/ the problem?


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

I keep my dog food in tightly seal containers just because of that mold issue. Here on the Gulf Coast--mold is an issue because of our humid climate. I can see mold growing in the bottom of the bag and not being noticed--but I cant see feeding your dog food that you know has mold growing all over it. 

I would have to read the orginal article to have a better understanding of what happened.


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## Buffy & Abby's Mom (Nov 27, 2005)

I fed Buffy Beneful for over 2 years and she loved it. She still misses it. I switched her to Nutro Natural Choice a couple years ago when she developed allergies. Wasn't sure at the time if it was a food allergy or not was the reason for the switch. Come to find out it was something growing in the grass. 

But anyway, I never had any problems at all with their quality. Like I said she loved it! I fed her some a month ago that my Mom had left over from when her dog died. And she scarved it up like it was her most favorite thing in the world. I sometimes feel guilty that I changed her and honestly am thinking about changing her back since I know now that it wasn't a food allergy.


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

JimS said:


> I could see a mold problem happening on a very limited basis. For instance, if the food had gotten damp at some point during the handling. A lot of people feed the food right out of the bags, which sit in garages, kitchen floors on porches etc. If the floor got wet, and the moisture soaked into the bag, it could become a marvelous breeding ground for mold. It wouldn't have even been the whole bag, just the food on the bottom. There are dozens of scenarios where a single bag of food could be contaminated or partially contaminated. Most of them from unsafe handling procedures at home.


Exactly why we store our food in one of those sealable(is that a word?) containers. Here in the NW we have problems with mold too.


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

Carsonsdaddy said:


> Exactly why we store our food in one of those sealable(is that a word?) containers. Here in the NW we have problems with mold too.


We do the same. Keeps it fresh, unmoldy and looks better in the corner of our kitchen than the bag would....

I would NEVER feed my dogs moldy food. The kids love moldy bread, though....


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## AtticusJordie (Aug 15, 2006)

We received an email from several rescue organizations about this same issue. From what little I can glean from the info--it sounds credible. The relevant portions of the email and the link is below. 

That notwithstanding, what idiot would still continue to feed mold-covered dogfood (whether is was Beneful, IAMS, Dads, etc) to their dogs after they noticed something wrong with the food? 

http://www.doggybling.com/newsarticlephp?id=1070; 

Email we received:
From: Laura Cortese <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:51:59 -0800 (PST)
Subject: "BENEFUL" BAD DOG FOOD ALERT-PLEASE CROSS POST




BAD DOG FOOD ALERT-PLEASE CROSS POST


HEALTH ALERT! ..... 
Discontinue use of Beneful until this is resolved! 
Multiple Reports We have received multiple reports of dogs becoming 
sick or dying after eating Beneful dog food. The first reports were 
placed in our new forum and was overlooked by DoggyBling.com staff 
until we received direct emails last week and then another today. 
After speaking on the phone with the lady who emailed us today, we 
feel that there is sufficient cause for alarm Dog lovers make a lot 
of effort to take good care of their dogs and will want to know if 
they are feeding them something that could be harmful. Most of the 
alerts by email, forum and phone cited Beneful dog food that was 
purchased at Wal Mart around Christmas of 2006. 
We spoke with Terri Culp at Beneful this morning and were assured that 
they are aware of the situation and are researching the problem. We 
assured them that this won't go away and we would be alerting our 
email base of the problem and posting a news item on our site. We also 
told her that DoggyBling.com visitors and dog lovers everywhere would 
be evaluating the way the Purina Corporation (Parent to Beneful) 
handles the potential crisis. 
Symptoms 
The symptoms reported have been very similar. The reported symptoms 
include some or all of the following: General weakness or 
sluggishness, glazed eyes, not interested in food or water, white 
gums, lack of control of bodily functions. Some of the callers 
reported dogs that have died and others say they had gotten sick but 
had recovered. I am inserting the first forum post about a dog that 
became sick, but didn't die. 
A! week be fore 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. 
Beneful's Website 
Notify us if your dog has had symptoms after using Beneful 
We are going to stay on top of this situation and would like to know 
if your dog has had any of the symptoms listed above after eating 
Beneful. If so, please send an email to [email protected] 
or give us a call at 904-430-0260. Either way, please pass this email 
and information to dog lovers who may be feeding this food to their 
dog. 
DoggyBling.com Doggy Bling: Upscale dog products, dog spa lines, dog apparel, dog collars, dog beds 
UPDATES: 
Updates and Beneful's response and precautionary action will be listed 
in our news section. We know Purina will take this seriously and will 
not want to tarnish their company's positive reputation. 
News Item about Beneful 
Doggy Bling: Upscale dog products, dog spa lines, dog apparel, dog collars, dog beds 

Thanks, 
Bernie Burch 
Marketing & Sales Training 
sanofi pasteur 
570-839-5449 

We don't use Beneful--but friends of ours have used it for years without any problems. I agree that it's probably due to bad handling at the store, in transit to the store or is the fault of the dogowner allowing it to be stored in a moist area.......... And I definately blame the dog owner for continuing to feed the crap to their pet. 

Sounds like it's grounds for taking away their 'dog-owners' license! 

What do the rest of y'uns think? About the article, that is............

I hope that I 'cut and pasted' this correctly--I'm not too savvy when it comes to stuff like this.............

SJ


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## ontariogolden (Oct 24, 2006)

njb said:


> Not heard that...but--who feeds their dogs food with mold growing on it?



No kidding. Why are people so stupid? We wouldn't eat stuff with gross mold on it so why should our dogs?


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

LOL sometimes (like Rick's kids) I eat moldy bread. However, I've seen so many of these alerts, it's hard to take them seriously sometimes.


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## AtticusJordie (Aug 15, 2006)

Good point Vrocco1--

I usually try to post something here when I hear of them--the last one someone posted about the Swiffer products turned out to be completely bogus. I had never heard of that "problem" and was getting a bit worried (we use Swiffers...) until a number of people replied that it was an old hoax.

SJ


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

Yeah....and the Beneful alert has all the makings of an e-mail hoax. Once someone posts an actual article link, I can't take it too seriously.....


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

That posted story above was the one in the link posted on the all breed board. This site below is all i could find when i googled Beneful doog food warnings.
Beneful Dog Food Warnings


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

I personally think it is a hoax...or a very very stupid owner. Maybe some of both...


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

There appears to be no other corroborating stories other than the one being repeated... and one single story can multiply on the INTERNET so fast it can appear like there is an epidemic... unless people stop to think and demand to check identification and the details before spreading rumors. The problem with molds and dog food (in the past) is when the mold is growing on grain while in storage... and even then its got to be a particular type of mold which creates neural-toxins. These toxins (NOT the mold spores) can survive the cooking process and can then cause nerve damage in any dog who eats it. But when mold grows on the kibble, these are usually never harmful molds. Just like a particular mold that's grown on wheat is used to make LSD, yet no one who eats moldy bread has ever taken a 'trip'...
The story is obviously bogus and I really have a problem with that rescue group spreading the 'word' based on such flimsy evidence.


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

Finally got around to looking it up on Snopes.com--it seems to be a new take on an old story that was true...but it was Diamond Dog Food...

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Diamond Dogs


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