Earlier this month the website Top Class Actions reported that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Nestle Purina Petcare Company alleging that its Beneful dog food includes toxic substances which are capable of killing dogs.
The more than 3,000 complaints against Beneful “show consistent symptoms, including stomach and related internal bleeding, liver malfunction or failure, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, seizures, bloating, and kidney failure,” according to Frank Lucido v. Nesltle Purina Petcare Company, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Image from topclassactions.com.
Lucindo filed the lawsuit on February 5. He owns a Labrador Retriever, an English Bulldog, and a German Shepherd. He bought a bag of Beneful for the first time in late December of 2014 or early January 2015 and began feeding it to his dogs exclusively. Soon after that, all his dogs experienced significant health problems, and one died.
According to the lawsuit, the German Shepherd began to lose a large amount of hair and began giving off a unusual odor on Jan. 15. Two days later it became “violently ill.”
A veterinarian who examined the dog determined that it was suffering from internal bleeding in its stomach and the liver was also malfunctioning, which the veterinarian said was “consistent with poisoning.”
Three days later, Lucido’s wife found their English Bulldog dead in their yard. The lawsuit claims “post-mortem veterinary examination revealed signs of internal bleeding in the dog’s stomach and lesions on his liver” similar to those on the German Shepherd.
The Labrador Retriever also became sick and is being tested for similar problems.
Lucido alleges in his suit that Beneful Dog Food contains propylene glycol, which is “an automotive component that is a known animal toxin and is poisonous to cats and dogs.”
The suit also alleges that the dog food includes mycotoxins, which are “a group of toxins produced by fungus that occurs in grains, which are a principle ingredient in Beneful.”
Image from wsbtv.com.
Complaints about Beneful dog food are not new. The website Consumer Affairs has hundreds of them. Hundreds more are on Facebook pages like Is BENEFUL by Purina KILLING or SICKENING Dogs?.
I’ve heard stories about Beneful for years now, but I think this lawsuit will focus more media attention on the problems so many consumers have had with it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if sales of it drop sharply.
According to Top Class Actions, Lucido is looking to represent two classes — a nationwide class and a California subclass for dog owners “who purchased Beneful dog food in the past four years and who incurred any out of pocket costs due to illness, injury or death of their dog resulting from the ingestion of Beneful.”
The website also noted that the Beneful toxic dog food class action lawsuit is charging Nestle Purina with breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, strict products liability, violating California’s consumer legal remedies act, violating California’s Unfair Competition Law, and violating California’s False Advertising Law.
Thank you so much for posting this & getting the word out! I homecook, so it it is not an issue for my pets, but I am part of the Seattle Humane Society’s Pet Project & we get a lot of Beneful donated to our Pet food Bank thru our Pet Food Drives & then it is delivered to clients. I will make sure our Pet Project & Pet food Bank Coordinator is aware so they can pull any of the Beneful currently in the Food Bank as well as warn Volunteers to not deliver this food & warn their clients to throw it out.
Oh good, I’m glad it helped. Thanks for letting me know.
I used to work at a Nestle Purina plant. The propylene glycol is not put into the dog food. It is used in the facilities however. It is used to cool off the chillers that keep the fresh meat cool (below 44 degrees). Now if a pipe was leaking into a meat tank, that could be a way propylene glycol could contaminate product. For most people posting on here, when your dog stops eating their food or eats very little compared to normal, when starting a new bag, it is usually because there is not enough digest in the food, which gives the kibble its flavor.
I beg to differ….the ingredients in Beneful Healthy Radiance has the following … “Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, salmon, rice flour, soy flour, meat and bone meal, propylene glycol,”…
and more.
My dog got sick too…wouldn’t eat. I changed to Iams Chunks and he’s back to normal.
You are confusing propylene glycol with ethylene glycol. Feel free to Google each. Propylene glycol is used as a food preservative. It is also in the new pink antifreeze, which will not kill you if you drink it. Ethylene glycol is the old green antifreeze, which can kill you if you drink too much of it.
RMoulton just because it won’t kill doesn’t mean you should Eat/drink it. You don’t honestly believe it’s okay for dogs to eat antifreeze do you? There is no real meat in this horrible food. Dogs NEED meat. Not corn and by products.
Thanks. Dog Food Advisor is a great site.
My one dog mya lost her hair from this food and my boomer had seizures and pass away last june .i wish i knew about this last year
I’m so sorry for your loss.
This Sh*t killed my dog!!!!!
This dog food made my rat terrier very sick! I thought she was dying until I heard about this and now she is on another dog food and she is better!
Hi – we have a 10 year old golden retriever and a 2 year old English Springer Spaniel. Our golden has ate Beneful his entire life (he is a bit of a vacuum with food). However our springer spaniel would refuse to eat the Beneful – needless to say I started making special food for the Spaniel. Our Golden retriever continued to eat the Beneful and over the course of the past 6 months, the golden has developed the most god awful gas. In the evening his flatulations would be so bad, he would clear a room. I saw this article last week and immediately stopped feeding our Golden the Beneful and switched him to Iams. The farting has completely stopped. If possible, how could this lawyer be contacted?
Glad the air in your home is more breathable! Here’s the info on the lawsuit: PURINA BENEFUL DOG FOOD CLASS ACTION
Update:
I spoke with one of the firms on Friday. Anyone may call if you have had illness or death because of this crap. Even those outside the USA.
The Law Firms of Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP and Morgan & Morgan have launched a class action suit against Nestle Purina following reports of large numbers of pets becoming sick or dying after eating Purina’s Beneful dry dog food. We are continuing to collect information. If you or someone you know believe your pet became ill from Beneful dry dog food, please let us know. Call toll free at 1-877-667-4265.
polypropylene glycerol,” do u know how dangerous this is?
I fed my dog Beneful when I ran out of his Vegetarian Natural Balance (for severe allergies). His stools which were the byproducts of B-ful could only have possessed such qualities as being putrid, obnoxiously malodorous, sickly yellowish and mushy from attempting to digest non-edible particles, GMO/Monsanto ingredients, herbicide and pesticide agents, chemical preservatives ( Mixed Tocopherols, BHA, TBHQ, BHT, propylene glycol), toxic fillers & thickening substances (arsenic), food dyes, selective viscera and other delectable animal/insect body parts. Unless the animals and insects whose body parts are mixed in the food have not themselves ingested any of the fore-mentioned items then just listed has been the Grade A ingredients in the Ultimate Carcinogenic Meal Plan for your Canine Child. ( for more info on canine cancer/causes of : Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research; Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine; Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and; BMC Veterinary Research )
i and millions of other folks consume large amouts of propylene glycol (pg) on a regular basis,is is a main ingredient in the liquid (e juice) that goes in electronic cigarettes. it has been thoroughly tested and studied for many many years and is considered safe. it is also found in soda,frosting,ice cream and various medications and many other products,
I mix my beniful dog food with Purina dog chow for several years now and have not had any problems!
Good – Some dogs haven’t had problems.
I have never fed my dogs Beneful but have exclusively always fed them Purina Dog Chow (the green bag). My dogs hair was falling out in bloody chunks, they were vomiting and defecating blood and my male yellow lab had a really horrible sour smell. I threw all their Purina out and have switched to a rice diet to clean them out. They have been on rice and chicken for 3 days now and he smells normal again and neither of them are vomiting or defecating blood! My yellow lab is 6 years old and my other is a boarder collie who is 7 years old. Ive never had any problems until about 6 months ago. Just be careful and keep an eye on yours! It starts small and then railroads! Ive even stopped feeding my cats Purina!
Good advice, thanks for sharing. Glad your dogs are ok.
I think you are missing the point. I fed my dog beneful for years also. I brought home a new bag and fed it to my dog and within 1/2 he was seizing and then he was dead. Vet said it appeared he was poisoned.
How do I join the suit.. About a year ago my dog was extremely Ill and purine benefit was all she was eating. She was hospitalized and I paid $4k dollars to nurse her back to health. The vet couldn’t figure out what the cause was but now that I see this I know what was wrong with her… She was pooping tons of blood and throwing up blood…. Please advise how I can join?
Here’s the info. Hope your dog is doing better.
PURINA BENEFUL DOG FOOD CLASS ACTION
Update:
I spoke with one of the firms on Friday. Anyone may call if you have had illness or death because of this crap. Even those outside the USA.
The Law Firms of Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP and Morgan & Morgan have launched a class action suit against Nestle Purina following reports of large numbers of pets becoming sick or dying after eating Purina’s Beneful dry dog food. We are continuing to collect information. If you or someone you know believe your pet became ill from Beneful dry dog food, please let us know. Call toll free at 1-877-667-4265.
http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/49385-purina-beneful-dog-food-kills-dogs-class-action-says/
I would stop feeding ….before you do have a real severe problem or death of your dog. Why risk it??
It is listed in the ingredients!
This is a common misconception. Propylene glycol is a food safe preservative found in many consumer products and is considered safe for human consumption by the FDA. Ethylene glycol is an ingredient found in anti freeze and sometimes used as a refrigerant.
Im freaking out right now. I have been feeding this to my dog for 3 1/2 years now. Im sick to my stomach. My beagle has never had any of these issues but im worried if some of the problems he has had is related.
I would switch to another food asap. You can find dog food ratings at dogfoodadvisor.com.
I would never feed my dog or cats any Purina product. A few years ago I got a dog from a shelter. He had the most beautiful, thick, glossy coat you’ve ever seen. At that time I was feeding Purina and after I’d had him a month, his coat was dull, he had dandruff and it was falling out in chunks. I checked dogfoodadvisor.com and found that Purina is rated pretty much at the bottom of the list! I switched to a grain-free food where meat is the first ingredient and a few weeks later he had his beautiful, glossy coat back. People comment on how beautiful he is and want to know what he’s fed. The vet even commented on it.
Glad you switched him off Purina. We’ve fed our dogs grain free food and their coats are gorgeous.
Stop feeding it NOW! Our problems didn’t start until later.
Greetings all:
I have been feeding my mixed Shepard Beneful for years and find that periodically he will not want to eat his food until I get another bag and then he seems back to normal.
This seems to happen at the same time he has vomiting spells. It concerns me that I have been inadvertently poisoning my dog a little at a time for years!
Signed,
Deeply concerned in Cincinnati, Ohio
Greetings all:
I have been feeding my mixed Shepard Beneful for years and find that periodically he will not want to eat his food until I get another bag and then he seems back to normal.
This seems to happen at the same time he has vomiting spells. It concerns me that I have been inadvertently poisoning my dog a little at a time for years!
Signed,
Deeply concerned in Cincinnati, Ohio
Other people have had that experience as well. They say the bad batches have an awful smell.
Thank you for article. Unfortunately, it was too late for our 6 year old min pin and our beloved “Lucky dog” that we lost within 5 months of each other. Thought Purina was a trusted brand name.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
I am concerned about Iams. Has anyone heard anything about this food. My Chihuahua was recently to the vet for vomiting etc and she had every test know to man without any results. Took her home and she was eating and drinking again but 3 days later started showing signs of illness again. I immediately took up her Iams food and changed brands to something organic and started giving her bottled water. Took a day or so but she’s back to normal. I’m almost certain it was the food but I’m wondering if other people are also having problems with it?
I haven’t heard anything but you can check dogfoodadvisor.com. Glad your dog is feeling better.
We were unaware of the problem with Beneful. We started our Golden Retriever on it about 6-8 months ago. He has been acting strange, sick and two nights ago had a horrible seizure. Is there anything we can do?
If you haven’t taken to a vet you should have hime checked out. And switch to another food if you haven’t already.
I had a pomeranian, he has passed. I fed him this food the last year’s of his life. He lost weight, and would never finish his bowl. I thought it was old age now I’m reading this and can’t help but wonder. My poor Mickey. Did I kill him? By trusting Purina? Feeling Guilty 🙁
I’ve been feeding my dogs this for yrs and our lab last month was throwing up and had diarrhea and was not eating or drinking for days I started feeding him rice and boiled chicken and a couple of day he got back to normal but he still looks like hes losing weight. And Marsha please don’t feel guilty its not your fault we all trusted the name Purina just like Gerber.
Does this pertain to only the DRY food or also the moist food.
Omg my dog has been sick for a while now and was just diagnosed with kidney failure. He’s still battling it. Doctor said he is close to dying. I’ve been feeding him purina for a long time and yes he gets sick a lot! I’m so ill about this article but I can finally pin point my issues. Thank u!
Marsha! You had no way of knowing! You believed a supposedly reputable company on their advertisement of a quality food. THEY are responsible, not you. I’m so sorry for your loss.
I recently found out that most dry dog foods even the premium kind has pesticides and other chemicals that harm dogs in the long run..Look it up. I used Iams with my other 2 dogs and they had a healthy long life of 16 yrs My new pup now 4 yrs old is fed Chicken Soup. I read the first 3 ingrediants and I am satisfied. I am going to look into this further and make sure that Chicken soup is safe
You get info on safe dog food at dogfoodadvisor.com.
Thank you for this information. Have been using beneful healthy smile for our yorkiepoo and chocolate lab. Haven’t had any problems but am throwing in the garbage! Thanks again. All treats I have that are Purina have gone in the garbage too!!!
Good – better safe than sorry!
Firstly, THANK you so much for getting this lawsuit out to a wider audience. The group “Is BENEFUL by Purina KILLING or SICKENING Dogs? Post YOUR Story!” that you link to here was started by me in 2013 after I heard reports of dogs dying from Beneful.
Two years later, we have 4,000 members whose dogs have sickened or, even worse, DIED, from this terrible “food”. And not just dogs .. we now have a good contingent of cat owners whose cats have died from Purina food.. hemorrhage, seizures, rapid onset of liver disease, kidney failure.
These two labs – the owners are, I THINK, in Oregon – were two of the lucky ones. Both dogs started seizing within an hour of receving a SINGLE Benefel Healthy Smile treat. The owners could hardly believe it so when the dogs recovered, they did it again.. same result. They are now submitting reports to both the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture.
Cassandra Angelique JUST joined us. With her partner, Mike Garnett, she was able to record what happened after the dogs received those treats.
LIke Purina’s killer toxic jerky treats (18% Propylene Glycol), BENEFUL is 1% Propylene Glycol; the FDA has been warning about contaminated PG from China since 2011, but there are NO tests to check for the suspected toxins, and only maybe 1% of imported raw ANYTHING ever gets tested.. a drum of INDUSTRIAL GRADE PG was found by the FDA in one of the Chinese jerky treat plants but the FDA were not allowed to remove it or test it.
On that basis, ANY oils have the potential to be industrial grade and contaminated.. including Sorbitol (used in some Beneful lines) and Glycerin (used extensively in both cat and dog food and treats). AVOID AT THE RISK OF POISONING YOUR PETS!
Other issues are potentially lethal mycotoxins from molds – Corn, Soy, Wheat can all be easily contaminated with excess moisture during harvest, storage, and even after the food is packed.
Beneful, Dog Chow, Friskies, Cat Chow, Meow Mix, should NEVER be fed to your pets.. it is like playing Russiam Roullette with your pet’s life!
We have recovered numerous dogs from the brink of death in some cases using an established protocol of easily available ingredients. Many other animals who have been sick for years, have regained their puppyhood. Details in the group – Liquid Milk Thistle Extract, Home-made Chicken Broth, Coconut Oil and Life Extension Super Biocurcumin.. followed by a progression to a grain and potato free canned and/or dry, and/or raw or home-made diet. I have prepared extensive files on grain and potato free canned and dry foods for dogs and cats for all budgets for the group.
Oh, and before you pat yourself on the back for not feeding Beneful we hold the same disdain for not just ALL Purina foods, but Hill’s Ol’ Roy, IAMS, Royal Canin, Ehkanuba, including those terrible “Prescription” foods.. also Nutro, Kibbles n Bits, Kit n Kaboodle.. I assure you this would be a VERY long list if I mentioned them all!
Please join us for further information! As you can imagine, we are getting VERY busy with the new arrivals!
I just joined myself. Thanks for all the information.
Beneful is what my brother was feeding his dog for the longest and he had to keep my pebbles which at the time was a 8lb teddy bear poodle and she started having siezurs so we got her off of that stuff slowly but surly they have eased off
We purchased a bag of Beneful Healthy Smiles treats. I fed one to each of our 8 month old Labrador puppies. Within 15 minutes, one of the pups could not walk and was very lethargic and disoriented. The other pup was wobbling around when trying to walk and disoriented. We decided to start filming the puppies, so we could warn our friends about this toxic treat that was only the size of my thumb, and what it could do to a 50 pound animal immediately after ingesting it. After about 30 minutes, the pups were trying to walk around, but could not stand on their own for almost an hour. There is a class action lawsuit filed against Nestle-Purina, because hundreds of people have lost their beloved pets to this toxic food & treats. We were lucky, quick action saved our babies… but many many people have not been this lucky. I have the videos on my facebook page.
I fed my dogs Beneful for a short time. My Chihuahua Apollo swelled up 3 times his normal size so I switched to Taste of the wild and after about a week he was back to his normal size. I have since learned he has canine celiac disease which now after reading this makes me wonder if that is how he contracted Canine Celiac disease
This makes me wonder if this was the cause of me loosing my 4 year old American bulldog. He started sheading like crazy, started loosing weight and muscle mass. I had to have him put down, because it made his head sink in. The vet told me that it would be thousands of dollars to test and find the cause, which I did not have. So I had to send my baby to heaven, and now to see this, makes me so MAD to think it was the negligence of the dog food company that killed my baby.
In glad I seen this because I have a pit bull and ive noticed she hasnt been eatin alot and I feed her beneful and not only that she looks so weak on her back side her hind legs and even when she does it its literally a little bit and her stomach looks huge. Im glad I seen this because I now kno not to feed that to her and I dont have the money to get her checked out either to see if there ris anyyhing else goin on wit her
I’d switch her to another food immediately. Sometimes the local shelter or humane society will help out people who can’t afford to pay for a vet.
Please Virginia, go to your local humane society as suggested to help you with the cost of a vet.
Our boxer, Murphy, passed away a few days before Thanksgiving of this year. We requested an autopsy on him and we still really had no clear answers as to what happened to him. As most animal owners, Murphy was much more than a pet to our family! Reading this article sends chills up me… A majority of the symptoms listed happed to our dog. Beneful dog food was our choice of dog food for him and now I am sickened to see this. Any awareness of this will help save animals lives… It is shared on my Facebook now.
I’m sorry. Lots of people have similar stories.
How do I file a lawsuit? My boxer pup just almost died cost us over a grand to save his life I put symptoms in search engine that was on vet report bc I wanted to know if other dogs were sick and I seen this! My huge bag of dogfood is sitting in my kitchen and it’s this exact one shown!
As of the last 2 days my dog has been acting weird February 19th 2015 she is acting like she is in a days,feeling warm and not drinking or eating,I will be calling my vet Monday morning to have her checked out,who do we notify on this matter,does anyone know whT we should do.
Taking her to the vet is good but stop feeding it Beneful now.
I have a half pit and a half black lab. After feeding them Beneful for a while they developed pancreatictitis and both were in ICU for a few days costing me almost 2,000.00 dollars. Thankfully they are fine now, however when I told their vet what I was feeding them she said Beneful is the worst dog food to feed your dog and it most likely caused the stomach problems.
I have three english mastiffs and three small dogs. I have been feeding them Beneiful for three to four years. They have had problems also and i wasnt sure what was causing it. Now i know. My male weighs 200 pounds and he sheds really bad and has diarreha all the time. One of my females shed year round and looses hair. I just bought a 30lb bag and im taking it back today. thanks for the info.
Good! Most people have said those symptoms clear up after they switch to another brand.
I am definitely throwing mine away my dogs are on this food
Is this just the beneful or all Purina products?
Just Beneful as far as I know but in general Purina products aren’t rated very highly – check dogfoodadvisor.com.
Wow thanks for posting I’ve been feeding my dog beneful for years. New Years day I had to take her to the vet for seizures and he said we almost lost her. Now she is on seizure meds and she is constantly thirsty and vomiting. After I read this article I’m throwing away her food and am researching on the best and safest dog foods any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
You can get info on good dog food at dogfoodadvisor.com.
My 3 dogs have ate beniful for the last ten years and I have never had any problems.
Some dogs eat it and never have problems.
My dog has been eating beneful since he was a pup and he is 8yrs old now and we have never had an issue
Makes me wonder if the problem(s) come from where the product is made or the ingredients and where they came from might be causing the issues.
All 3 dogs got sick the same time from Poisoning because of Beneful and they only ate it for a month or two? And he’s suing because of that crap?……that’s BS..I rescued my Black Lab / Shepherd over 10 years ago. He only eats Beneful. He is a solid 80 pounds and in Excellent Health. Maybe neighbors poisoned his dogs…….seen that happen before
You think neighbors poisoned the dogs? If that’s true (which it isn’t) did hundreds of other neighbors poison the hundreds of other dogs that died from similar symptoms?
Our dog has been throwing up and not had an appetite and last night he had a seizure and stopped breathing for over a minute. He pooped in himself and finally woke up after we did chest compressions. He was so stiff… He has NEVER did this before. Hes been eating Purina beneful for the last 6 months…. But not anymore!!! He didn’t do this before when he ate another brand. Now I feel guilty and its all my fault cause I thought this food was good for him!!
Please don’t feel guilty. It’s the company’s fault, not yours. We shouldn’t have to wonder if the dog food we buy is safe. At least you found out in time.
We have a 6 year old golden that we switched to beneful 5 months ago. He started losing weight, would barely eat the dog food . 2 months ago he started becoming sluggish , his coat rough and began to smell along with a constant thirst. 2 weeks ago out of nowhere his stomach became extremely large and hard as a rock. Took him to the vet and he’s in liver failure but without the high enzymes in his blood. Leading his vet to believe it’s the food after everything he has read. We only have a few weeks left With him as his nervous system is starting to fail. It’s heartbreaking to know that I’ve essentially killed my own dog. My children are devastated .
I’m so sorry. That’s one of the worst things about this – people feeling guilty because they think they killed their dog. It’s not your fault. It’s the company’s responsibility to ensure the food they sell is safe, not yours. You did what you thought was best for your dog.
My 7.5 month old was eating Beneful puppy for a couple months; he started peeing blood, pooping weirdly, and acting weird. I’ve had dogs since I was a kid, and am mindful of what they stick in their mouths (as my fiance says, if it fits in his mouth it must be delicious; and he’s a big boy) I recently switched him to Iams, which is a family (mom is a retired vet manager) trusted brand, and he isn’t bleeding anymore. I’m afraid the damage is done, though. What a horrible thing to do to our beloved pets! Shame on them!!
Good thing that you switched in time.
Wow! This is what I feed my dog and about a week ago my dog had a seizure. This is the first any only time something like this had happened. Scared the crap out of me. Couldn’t figure out why. Now I am pretty sure I have an answer. I will be switching brands IMMEDIATELY!!
I’m glad you got the info.
Please read below what happened to my dog.n I wish you good luck with your dog. You should probably have blood work done to see if there is any permanent damage going on that may be causing him pain you don’t know about. That crap food is made in China….figures.
Anyone who lost a dog after eating Beneful from January 2012 to present and would like it placed with the Angels leave a message on the Angels page.
http://www.facebook.com/BenefulAngelsTheFacesBehindtheStatistics
Is this just the dry dog food. I know the moist dog food I normally mix with dry. I did buy a bag the time before last that was name brand and the dogs quit eating eat. They love the moist dog food mix with a dry brand. Maybe they could tell something wasn’t quite right with the last bag I got. It wasn’t just one dog, it was all three.
I’ve just heard about the dry but if it were my dogs I’d stay away from Purina products. You can find other options at dogfoodadvisor.com
I lost my dog at 7 years old from these same symptoms internal bleeding and she was being feed beneful dog food .My neighbor lost his dog from the symtoms (siezures) to and they both ate the same dog food . They ate together every day . and both died within a month of one another .His dog was a year and a half older and not in as good of physical shape as mine . My lab was the picture of health before this and I lost her the vet had her at her office under care when she passed and was in shock because she has been so healthy. Who can I contact to help and participate in this lawsuit because I believe there are so many people have that have lost their dogs and not known that this was what caused it .
Don Kibler
My dog has been spitting up a yellow liquid for over a year on Beneful. I thought it was because he was hungry overnight since he typically would puke in the morning when he would. He actually spit up 10 before I saw the info about this ordeal on Facebook last night, and my wheels began to spin. The liquid puke is ALWAYS yellow, as is his poop. There is a load of “yellow” this and that ingredients in the Beneful he eats. There are even times when we just won’t eat it, but it’s so few and far between, I just figured he wasn’t hungry. I’d like to be in on this class action suit, as I just bought a new bag and now have to switch hi food. For the home cookers, what are you feeding your fur-babies? Thanks
Kevin, if you haven’t done so yet, please take your dog to a vet right away. Those signs are not good at all and he may be nauseateated and in pain all the time. Try to take specimens if you can of his bowels and urine. He needs blood work asap. Read below what that food did to my poor dog.
My little Brussels Griffon had never been sick a day in his life. He died when he was only eight years old. Three weeks before this past Christmas. His pancreas and liver shut down completely at the exact same time. The blame for his death sits squarely on Purina’s shoulders. I fed him Beneful. It makes me ill to realize if I had fed him quality dog food, he would still be with me today. It infuriates the hell out of me that Walmart is still stocking their shelves with this killer food. I stopped a nice woman who had a great big bag of it in the bottom of her grocery cart. She had not heard all the reports about it. She took it back to the dog isle, threw it in the floor and bought Iams instead.
I’m so sorry about your dog. Thank you for sharing your story with others to help them protect their dogs.
Thank you for letting me know about this…I Intend to Stop feeding OUR Dog with this food ever again…Again will let all my friends know who have dogs Not to buy this Product…These people all they care about is PROFIT…Now I know that main company behind all this is Nestle, I Will also make sure I Will Never buy any of their other products as well….
My dog died at 7 yo after eating beneful for his entire life of terminal cancer. The bat said it was rare and only 10%. Interesting.. I will never use this dog food again
I’m so sorry.
I fed this to my dachshund right before he passed away. EXCLUSIVELY. He was leaving parts of it in his dish. I thought he might just be full, but he must’ve known it was bad for him. His kidneys looked GREAT, just stopped working suddenly. All of his vital organs were good. These b****** killed my sweet Rex!!!!!! I need to get involved in the lawsuit. I kept the package I gave to Mr. Rex. I’ll see if I still have the receipt somewhere. I have his x-rays. Oh Lord…..poor Rex!!!!! Please contact me by e-mail at: jslferguson@gmail.com. I DIDN’T KNOW!
I’m so sorry about Rex. You can contact me at info@seattledogspot.com.
I only fed this kind of Purina Beneful dog food to my dog before she died. I thought I was feeding her nutritious food because of the picture on the bag. My dog stopped eating and died. I am so angry to find out that could have been because of this brand of dog food that I was feeding her! Please contact me.
I just got two kinds of benefuls dog food n i have notice my two shitzu puppies have had some blood in their urine. Now Im really worried.
I can’t offer specific medical advice but I suggest you switch to another food immediately and take them to the vet.
My Chica has eaten Benefull since she was born she is now 7 y%s old and she will not eat anything else so now i am scared.
I’m glad she hasn’t had any adverse effects. Not all dogs have had health problems after eating it, but now that people are learning about the lawsuit many are coming forward to say their dogs are having or have had problems after eating Beneful, probably because they never made the connection between the food and their dogs’ illnesses.
I have used beneful with two dogs for over eight years. I have not had any of the mentioned issues. BUT, I also supplement with chicken and green beans. I too am scared and will switch tomorrow. I can’t take that chance. Read ingredients carefully and look for toxic ones. I googled them.
Even if your dogs have not shown visible symptoms, there could be liver and/or kidney and pancreas issues – you would only know if you run full liver and kidney panels.
There IS an issue for ALL dogs eating Beneful – it’s absolute crap. It’s considered one of the worst dog foods on the market. It’s nutritional value is negligible. It’s full of corn which is nothing more than sugar. It is full of dyes that our pets can not process – dyes just sit in their organs.
As a pet parent whose 2 of 3 dogs were poisoned by Purina’s Waggin Train jerky (along with 5800 other known victims), I had to learn the hard way that too many of us simply don’t know enough about pet nutrition and pet food.
I no longer freed kibble to my pets – including my cats. I have learned how to really understand labels. The difference in my pets health is immeasurable. It’s a shame that we can’t simply walk into a pet store and buy a food and have it nourish our pets. In order for our pets to THRIVE, we must invest in our knowledge of the pet food industry.
Thanks for sharing your story. Incredibly useful information.
My 5 yrs old female mix pug and Charpa has recently gotten very sick and almost died. Her adrenal glands suddenly quit producing the hormones to keep her body functioning as normal. They said it is Addison’s disease. I feed her this dogfood all the time. Could this have caused this to happen? Her symptoms started suddenly one morning. 12:30 in morning with violent vomiting. She vomited till 5:00 am and we were both up all night. Started again at around 6:30 more vomiting and lasted for several more hours. So weak she could hardly stand. I took her to vet and they did a cbc and found out everything was off. I ask her if it could be the food because my friends dog died week before and had same symptoms. She said she hadn’t seen anything on it. I have always been very careful to feed her the best that I can and not to buy treats made in China because of something like this. This happened to her 3 weeks ago and we now have to give her steroids everyday and a shot once a month. She isn’t back 100% to herself yet and I have continued to feed her this food! OMG! Now what! Her next appt. For dr. Is tomarrow. I have been also feeding her boiled chicken and rice. But what dogfood is safe!
You can get info on good dog food at dogfoodadvisor.com
Just about a year ago we loss our 10 yr. old lab from bleeding internally the vet suspected cancer. He was fine months before never been sick no masses we changed him an our female to beneful, just about 6 month’s before he died. Before that he was a healthy an energetic dog . I had to watch my best friend waste away an finally took him to be put down. And now your telling me it could have prevented. I’am changing my dog’s to a totally different dog food. I am so angry!!!!!!!!
I am so sorry.
I had a pomeranian, he has passed. I fed him this food the last year’s of his life. He lost weight, and would never finish his bowl. I thought it was old age now I’m reading this and can’t help but wonder. My poor Mickey. Did I kill him? By trusting Purina? Feeling Guilty 🙁
A 10 year old dog is prone to many age related problems, including cancer. Playing devil’s advocate here, eating a certain food or not the same thing may still have happened to your beloved pet. If I suddenly started eating apples at 75 years old and got diagnosed 6 months later with cancer I wouldn’t assume the apples caused it l. I’m sorry for your loss.
That is true. And not all dogs have had problems after they ate Beneful. But I’ve read so many similar stories about healthy dogs that began having similar health problems as soon as they started eating it that there has to be a problem with the food. They can’t all be random. The food is the common denominator in all the stories.
I feed my boys ( weimaraners) the wet beneful mixed in a different dry dog food. Should I be worried?
Thetruthaboutpetfood.org has a list of good and bad dog foods but I would get them off any Purina pet food if you can.
really? any purina dog food can be harmful? that;s all i’ve ever fed my dogs–now i’m scared to death. what to do? please answer ASAP! thanks, sue
The only kind I’ve heard problems about consistently is Beneful. Check dogfoodadvisor.com to see if people have had problems with other Purina food. Personally, I would avoid purina products.
When Nestle purchased Purina the problems with their products began. Purina today is not the Purina we grew up with – Purina spends more on marketing and packaging than they do on what’s IN the package.
A Purina product will NEVER pass the lips of any of my pets again.
That’s a great point. I forgot that Nestle bought Purina.
Sue,we fed our lab Annie beneful her whole life she started throwing up and losing weight the vet thought she had been poisoned. She was an inside dog her yard was completely panel fenced in,so some one would have to intentionally do that and our neighbors would never do that.she got worse her liver shut down and we had to put her to sleep at 10 years old all of our other dogs we’ve had lived much longer and didn’t eat beneful our chocolate lab now is 2 1/2 and has only been fed blue. We won’t lose another to purinna hope this helps
I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re not feeding it to your new dog.
i have a dachshund and he has liver and kidney disease. He is 13 yrs old and he ate this for also
I’m sorry to hear that.
Normally I feed my dog higher end dry kibble. He got beneful wet food as a Christmas present from a friend. I fed him only two of the small cans over two days which resulted in him having severe diarrhea for more than two weeks! Clearly this food is dangerous! Thanks for sharing! I’m heading to my neighbors now to show her the article! This is what she feeds her dog!!!!
Good!
Just an fyi that often happens when you change their food. Especially from dry to wet.
That’s true although I don’t think the diarrhea last 2 weeks. It’s usually just a few days after you switch food.
For you people that don’t know. …..
Propylene glycol is used in many many foods that are in your house right now and is NOT an automotive product such as antifreeze which is ETHYLENE GLYCOL GET IT RIGHT BEFORE YOU RUN YOUR MOUTH
Propylene glycol is a type of anti-freeze. It is not as dangerous as ethylene glycol, but it is still toxic, more so to animals. Just like we can eat chocolate and grapes but dogs can’t. Get it?
I thought DOgs cant eat Garlic …but they put garlic oil in it …
I think small amounts of garlic are ok. http://www.petguide.com/health/dog/the-shocking-truth-about-dogs-and-garlic/
Seriously? You’re coming to a page full of concerned pet owners and attempt to argue with them? You must be a special kind of stupid.
If you, for one minute, think you’ve trumped every argument made against Beneful/Purina with your one comment, I strongly suggest you enjoy a big bowl of your valued poison.
As a chemist and former quality control manager, I advise people to slow down in making conclusions about propylene glycol (“PG”) contamination and the adverse effects of contaminants. Propylene glycol is approved by the FDA for food and pharmaceutical use, and so in itself it is generally harmless to humans and dogs. If what is put into dog food is “industrial grade” PG as opposed to “food grade” PG, then it probably should be tested for ethylene glycol (“EG”, which is used is toxic) as an impurity. A general addendum: just because some impurity is found to be present during quality control testing does not mean the levels are high enough to cause problems. And just because a chemical is used in antifreeze (both EG and PG are), it does not mean it is toxic.
As a dog owner and animal lover, I too am concerned about this topic. I just got a rescue dog three weeks ago and have been feeding her Blue Buffalo exclusively. She is fine.
Hear, hear. If you read the allegations, it is the impurities in the ingredients, coming from untestable, corrupt overseas manufacturing, that cause illness. Not acceptable, but propylene glycol is not shown in the literature to be toxic to dogs in these quantities. Just because PG is used to make antifreeze, it is no more toxic because of its applications. It’s chosen because it’s non-toxic in small amounts, unlike ethylene and diethylene glycols. Rock salt freezes things at a lower set point, too, but that by itself doesn’t make it toxic.
The Beneful case may have merit, but the pet owners are better served by pointing out that it’s the impurities in question, lest the baby get thrown out with the bathwater.
People start running around emptying their kitchen cabinets due to this lack of clarification. The fungal contaminants are just that: contaminants. Corn and wheat don’t kill your dog, but poorly processed and stored grains will. Caveat emptor.
Corn and wheat may not kill your dog but they are used as unnecessary fillers used in mass produced dog food and do nothing to improve dogs’ health. The majority of the dog owners that switched their dogs to grain free diets report significant health improvement in their dogs.
Our dog Boo died when she was 7 due to kidney failure, and she also had stones in her kidneys and bladder. Boo only ate Beneful. We started out feeding Preston, our male Dachshund / Jack Russell Beneful (before Boo died) and he got really bad bladder stones, which is supposedly rare in males. He had to have surgery to remove them and we switched him off of the Beneful and onto some medicated food to help make sure the stones do not form again. Our only dog that was never fed Beneful is Ava, our German Shepherd, and she has never had any of the issues that our other two had. We truly believe that Boo’s health problems and eventual death were caused by Beneful and that Preston’s were from Beneful as well. I am so glad that we got Preston off of that horrible food before something worse happened to him too.
Thanks for sharing your story. I’m glad you got him off it in time.
My little Yorkie development seizures and I stopped feeding her Purina brand. Never could imagine the brand I fed her was beneful. Thanks for posting. Now she is on phenobarbital to control them. Please contact me. maryr@geauxspine.com
Glad she’s doing better.
We have been feeding our Cock-a-Poo Beneful for approx. 7 years or so. 3 years ago he started having seizures out of the blue. The vet recently upped his dose to 20mg twice a day. I hope we are not slowly poisoning our dog! I am going to try a new brand!!
Sorry vet upped his Phenobarbitol to 20mg
Great! That you switched dog food, I mean.
I fed this to my dogs just the other day! I thought it was weird because none of them ate it all…. now all of them have a horrible smell and my oldest is losing hair by the handfull…. I only fed it to them that one time…….
Definitely time to switch your dog food. You might want to have him checked out at your vet too.
I fed my dog all the beneful little dinner entrees, is this also harmful, he died from liver cancer. or is it just the bag food???
I’d don’t know but if you can’t switch to another brand check on thetruthaboutpetfood.org.
Now I’m scared too. My dogs love purina puppy chow. They won’t eat anything else. Could that be equally as dangerous as Beneful? it’s all Purina and mostly comes from the same mills. Right?
I also feed my goats Purina Goat Chow. Now I need to switch that as well?
I’m sorry I don’t know but you can probably find it at thetruthaboutpetfood.org.
I fed my dog beneful all her adult life, when she was 5 she ballooned up, I thought she was pregnant at first then she started getting thin in the face, took her to the vet and got her x-rayed we couldn’t even see her organs she was so bad.I couldn’t afford the surgery so rather than watch her suffocate to death I had the vet mercy her.It’s been a mystery to me how this happened until I read your article.Please send info on the lawsuit I’d like to get involved.Poor Bobo she was such a good girl.
I’m so sorry. If you look at the end of the article you’ll see the info about the lawsuit.
My dog refused to eat the red pieces threw up only ate this. Changed food a whole new dog!
Good news!
just switched my dogs to beneful healthy radiance, should I be concerned??? Is it all purina dog foods???? Is it all beneful brands???
I think it’s just Beneful but I’d avoid all Purina brands. Check out dogfoodadvisor.com for more info.
I have a question if these problems are with all purina dog food or just The beneful?
As far as I know it’s just Beneful, but personally, I’d avoid all purina pet foods.
Fred Meyers sells this dry dog food solely. I have two dogs, one I have had for more years than the other. I have never notice or have I taken them into the vet for problems related to this dog food. Both are seniors now. FM does not sell another dog food brand, nor have they replaced the current dry dog food. What gives? I don’t want to continue it if it is harmful. We need answers NOW!
Some dogs haven’t had any problems after eating Beneful, but there have been so many stories of dogs that have had health problems I wouldn’t use any Purina pet food. I wouldn’t expect answers anytime soon.
I have two shelties, one will be turning 15 at the end of May, the other will be 13 in August. Both have been on Beniful foods (dry) their entire lives. (I switch from one flavor to another to give them a different taste) Neither of them have been sick in a day of their lives as being described. Is this a new problem?
No, I’ve heard about it for awhile but some dogs have had any problems. Glad yours are ok
i used to feed my dogs nothing but beneful. One of my dogs became very I’ll a few months ago, and loss an extremely amount of weight. I thought he might have gotten a hold of something outside or had been bitten by something. So my mom took him to the vet and they gave him a couple shots. I changed his food and he got better and started gaining his weight back. This could very well be the reason for his illness that occurred out of nowhere.
I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m glad your dog it ok.
My American Bulldog passed away 4 months ago unexpectedly. How do I find out more info or contact someone regarding this?
Does this apply to the wet food? We feed our dogs dry science diet, but they will only eat the wet beneful. What about cat food? The cats get dry science diet also, but can vary with wet food and treats, but they are mostly purina brands.
And we did have a dog and a cat die in the last year of kidney failure
You can check out the quality of pet food at dogfoodadvisor.com. I’d avoid buying any Purina products.
Wow glad I read this we just started using a certain beneful dog food and have had a very sick dog on our hands, who was otherwise very healthy! Will replace food IMMEDIATELY!
Good! Let me know if your dog’s health improves after you switch.
I emailed you for more info. We lost our beautiful 2 1/2 year old blue pit bull Kobalt last summer and he did not get sick until we switched his food to this brand. I’m am heartbroken that I might have been able to do something. Never in a million years did in think it could have been the food. II sick to my stomach.
I’m sorry – I responded to your email.
I am not sure if this is one of the issues pertaining to Purina Beneful Dry Dog food but I had Chocolate Lab who was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cushing’s in 1/13 after feeding Sr. product for about 2-3 years. Went through 18 months of shots and treatment for the Cushing’s that developed to Addison’s before stabilizing. She then became blind from the diabetes along with incontinence both urine and fecal. Family decision was finally made in 6/14 to ease her pain and put her down due to suffering. Charley was 10 years old. Best family dog ever.
I’m so sorry. We lost our chocolate lab last October. No one can be sure her problems were related to Beneful but there have been too many similar stories to dismiss the possibility. You should use another brand if you get another dog.
I have two Yorkies that have been on this since I had them now my mother has a tumor on her spleen I wonder if that had anything to do with it? I changed the wet but was still giving them the dry that is going to change right now.
I don’t know but I’ve heard so many stories similar to yours that it could be related. Good thing you switched their food.
Does anyone know if the moist Beneful “blends” products are similarly dangerous? I use that to supplement some very high quality dry food as our dog gets bored with just dry after some time.
Check http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/.
Like all smart pet food shoppers, you should do your homework with your veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist before you buy pet food. This web site is the opinion of a non-veterinary person, no links are provided to documents or studies. Take it with a “grain of salt.” It is HIS opinion, not results from studies, no evidence based data. Here are some quotes from his disclamer page: The views and opinions expressed in the articles posted here are presented in good faith and are strictly my own.
Please be advised that I am not a veterinarian. For this reason, this website was never meant to be used as a substitute for sound professional advice.
Because the health of your dog can be directly affected by what you read here, you should always consult with a licensed veterinary professional before taking any specific action.
I have been feeding Beneful to my Bichon for at least 4 years now. I never noticed any of the problems listed in the article or responses. What has happened is his teeth have begun to fall out and his breath has gotten progressively worse. I have always brushed his teeth every other day and the Vet chalked it up as old age he will be 6 this year. I changed to a softer food about a month ago and his teeth are getting better the bad breath is gone and he seems to be a new dog as far as energy levels. I would hate to find out that it’s is all because of the food I was feeding him, which after this article I believe it is.
Definitely a possibility. Check out dogfoodadvisor.com to see what other food might be better.
Our dog Gator died. I thought he got into the trash or something outside. The vet said he got into something too fatty. Our other dog has been eating benifel for years. I guess we are changing foods.
I’m sorry – yes you should try another brand. heck you dogfoodadvisor.com for ideas.
My dog, Peanut, a full size Jack Russell mix is very old (not sure how old, we adopted her). I switched to Purina/Beneful (in the purple bag) about 6-months ago. She has lost an extremely lot of weight, has some diarrhea, and drinks water excessively. I even have to help her up the steps to my home, she cannot make it anymore on her own. My mini Jack Russell, Dixie, so far seems fine, but I have noticed her appetite has decreased. Getting a different brand today! Thank you so much for posting, otherwise I would never have known.
Glad to help and that you are switching to another food.
We fed our jack Russells this and our female had kidney cancer and seizures and we had to put her down in October 2014 and 3months later our other jack Russell Wally who was healthy became very sick and within a day he had to be out down from internal bleeding from tumor on his spleen,its been very hard on us
My 3 dogs have been eating this. I didnt know about this. My beagle passed away on january 13th then my pit bull mix started losing weight and didn’t want to eat. His blood work is showing kidney failure. He spent 48 hours on IV fluids. He is currently home on Hill’s prescription diet and kidney pills. I still have what is left in bag. Can I send it someone to be checked and how do I go about filing a lawsuit claim
I have a17 1/2 year old blue heeler border collie mix that has eaten Beneful dry in different varieties ever since she was a puppy. She’s begun to lose weight and itches all the time in the last year or so. I also have a 10 year old pug/jack russell and a 3 year old spitz mix that ️have always eaten Beneful. The only symptom they have displayed is itching and the spitz chews her backside until she has hair loss. I recently switched my 17 year old to the wet purina not Beneful and she doesn’t seem to be having the stomach issues like she was when she was on the dry Beneful. She had worms very bad all the time and I couldn’t seem to get rid of them until I took her to the vet. What would you recommend I switch?
I’m not qualified to give that kind of advice. You can also check dogfoodadvisor.com. They have lots of recommendations for healthy food. You could also ask your vet but remember some of them get compensated by dog food companies for recommending their food.
Have used Beneful for several years and have lost several Dog never connected it to the Beneful dog food but I guess it is possible. They all had symptons vomiting and loose stools and they all died suddenly. Lost 2 Bassett hounds, Siberian Huskey, a Poodle, and a little Benji type dog, but they were all old never connected it to possible poisoning from their dog food.
It’s hard to know for sure if it was the cause since your dogs were ok for several years, but I’d use a different dog food to be safe.
My 10 year old Lab went from 140 lbs of happy healthy bubble of joy to a mere 100 lb very sick baby ,all i fed him was benniful healthy weight dry dog food,He passed away Dec.28 from kidney and liver failure for no apparent reason, his vet could not understand how this took him over so fast,i have a little corgy/russle that misses his big brother so much he moarns awlful for him as i do, THERE WILL BE NO BENNIFUL IN MY HOME EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!
Shame on you Benniful we trusted you with our babies how could you be so carless and callous!!!!!!!
I’m so sorry.
I am having a hard time understanding this. I have a a 7 yr. old pit mix who I have fed the Beneful weight lose control to my dog for the last three years EXCLUSIVELY and she has had no issues what so ever. Her weight went down slowly and over a period of appropriate time. Her energy and overall health has been much better since we started her on this. Also this is the first I have heard of Beneful causing health issues with dogs.
Every dog that has eaten it didn’t get sick. I’m glad you’re is ok. But if you read the comments that people are leaving here you’ll see lots of dogs got sick and some died after eating it.
I bought a bag of it and feed it to all three of my small dogs . My male Yorkshire started acting like it was sick and then had a seizure and passed away an hour later . I have two other dogs I was feeding it to till I seen this
I’m sorry for your loss. Yes, stop feeding it to your other 2 dogs!
oh yeah and to add to my previous post ,his spleen was the size of a brick because of tumors, I am sick that by feeding him this food I killed the one life that loved and trusted me UNCONDITIONALLY !!!!!!
I have a German Shepherd and we have been feeding him Beneful since we had him! Now Max is our 3rd Shepherd and we have not had the health issues with the other 2 like we are having with him . He will be 3years old in March and he has a Perianal Fistulas I feel so sorry for him cause I did not know what was wrong with him ,we take our dog to the Vet for all his check-up and everything and of when I discovered something was wrong with him. We have spent $600.00 in the last couple of months buying 3month supply of antibiotic which has help a lot but it has not gotten rid of the issue. Now the Vet wants to try some kind of ointment and maybe change his food so we don’t know what type of food it is going to be, do you think that Beneful cause this condition? If anybody got suggestion on this please help out!!!Need information cause I hate my baby being in pain and of all three dogs he’s the only one with problems and we did not feed the other dogs Beneful!!!
I have a German Shepherd and we have been feeding him Beneful since we had him! Now Max is our 3rd Shepherd and we have not had the health issues with the other 2 like we are having with him . He will be 3years old in March and he has a Perianal Fistulas I feel so sorry for him cause I did not know what was wrong with him ,we take our dog to the Vet for all his check-up and everything and of when I discovered something was wrong with him. We have spent $600.00 in the last couple of months buying 3month supply of antibiotic which has help a lot but it has not gotten rid of the issue. Now the Vet wants to try some kind of ointment and maybe change his food so we don’t know what type of food it is going to be, do you think that Beneful cause this condition? If anybody got suggestion on this please help out!!!Need information cause I hate my baby being in pain and of all three dogs he’s the only one with problems and we did not feed the other dogs Beneful!!!
I’m not an expert on dog health but I would switch to another brand. You can find recommendations for healthy dog food at dogfoodadvisor.com.
I always thought Beneful was a good choice. We fed this to our dog Gracie and now I wonder if it contributed to her health problems. She had seizures and was on medication for them. She also had very bad allergies. We lost her in 2012 and actually just got a new puppy three weeks ago. Of course, I got Beneful Healthy Growth for Puppies and will be changing that today!
I’m sorry you lost your dog but glad you won’t be feeding it to your new puppy.
We’ve had our two Shih Tzu mixes for roughly 3-4 years and have been feeding them nothing but the Beniful Playful Life dry dog food. We’ve never experienced any abnormal health issues with our pets during this time. I have a feeling this food may effect only certain dogs in certain circumstances, and I am really sorry to hear this for these owners. Or maybe the difference is we use the Playful Life and not Original flavor… At any rate, I just wanted to share that we’ve not had an issue with this brand. We’ll keep a eye on things to see if our dogs health should ever change, just to be safe.
Not every dog that ate Beneful got sick. I’m glad yours are OK. I would still consider switching to be safe though.
I only feed my dogs raw turkey necks, chicken necks, chicken backs, and venison. These commercial dog foods were designed and marketed for people, not dogs. There is nothing in these bags of kibble that is natural for a dog. When you chose to take this easy path to dog feeding, be prepared for high vet bills and early death. The pet food industry is a billion dollar business, they can afford these class action suits. Best to protect your dogs and take the natural feeding route, now!
I don’t think you should berate people about what dog food they buy. Not everyone things they are taking the “easy path” when they buy kibble. Some people don’t have the money or time to buy what you give your dogs. Or they buy kibble because their vet, who they trust, recommended it. Save the blame for the companies that make the crappy kibble.
A yr ago this march weblost our 9 yr old german shepard. He had all of the symptoms that are stated above. We have been buyin benefuls for our dogs for past 6 yrs. My 1 an half old shepard has gotten to where she wont eat. An when she does she gets sick an lathargic. I NO longer buy benefuls!!! And she is doing great! We are suppost to trust dog food companies in providing good food for our pets. This is ridiculous. We would still have our boy striker with us if it wasnt for benefuls dog food. I believe with all my heart that him eating this is what caused his death.
I’m sorry you lost your dog. Purina should be ashamed.
I feed my dog beneful original, she developed severe itching problems in her anal area, it was so bad she would scoot across snow and ice to cool off. She would lick, scratch, until she almost bleed. The vet had me switch her food, it stopped within days. Beneful has cost me 100’s in vet bills but thankfully I caught it in time.
Sorry about the money but at least you figured it out quickly.
My dog became ill from the wet Beneful dog food. She got a terrible urinary tract infection. Luckily we caught what this food was doing to her. My uncle was not so lucky. So glad this law suit is finally happening. It has been a long time coming. Beneful is the worst food you can possibly give your dog!
Glad you caught it in time.
I recently had to put my Bassett down. Elmer had been with me for 10 years. Last year I purchased bag of Purina Dog Chow 40lb. bag at Walmart which is what he always ate. I started the new bag and within three days he was a fountain of blood when moving his stool and vomiting. After stopping the food I started him on a rice and chicken diet all home made. I managed to keep him going for about 6 mos. but he never really recovered from this incident. In January I had to make the choice to put him down. This was a horrifying experience for me.
I’ve read so many stories like yours. I’m so sorry.
I have been feeding my dog Purina food for 6 months, I noticed lately she started dry heeving and then she threw up a couple times after eating.
What is a good brand out there? I need recommendations. There is no way I am feeding her that crap anymore.
Dogfoodadvisor.com has information about both good and bad dog food. Or you could go to a local pet store. Most of them are knowledgeable about the best brands to use.
We had a beautiful energetic white German Shepard. We were feeding her Beneful dog food. She went from always ready to go dog to a dog that could hardly walk across the room within a week. We took her to the vet and was told she had blood in her abdomen and was dying. We had to put her down immediately as we were told there was nothing that could be done.
I am so sorry for your loss. That’s awful.
what are all the details with this class action lawsuit? My dog had been on Purina for 4 + years. About a month ago she woke up early in the morning coughing, pale, urinated on the floor (which she never does) and her CRT was awful pale and very tacky. Took her to the ER they ran a complete chemistry panel and her liver enzymes were very high and she is now on liver medication for it. She’s ten years old and I tried to think of what could have caused it and I read awful reviews about beneful so I immediately changed her diet.
Glad you caught it in time. There’s info about the lawsuit at the end of my post.
I just lost my baby there were no health issues with him and bam in 20 minute time vomiting shaking glassey eyes lost all the pink in his mouth could not move panted very very hard and died in my hall way wth dog food killing our babys what can we do this is so so wrong after I read this I cried this dog food killed my baby
I’m so sorry you lost your dog.
I fed my pug, Ali, beneful. She started having seizures..no one could tell me what was wrong. I read an article about the dog food so I changed the brand and she never had another seizure. I believe that they were caused by her food.
I had fed this dog food to my 3 dogs for years. Just last month we almost lost our 7 year old Jack Russel, the little guy had 17 stones both in his bladder and urethra. The vet didn’t think she could get them out. We are now starting out 4th week of a raw diet for all 3 dogs. They all act like puppies again. They look better than they have in years, skin is healthy, fur better than ever and eyes are brighter.
To read that this dog food that I had feeding them is known for causing so many health issues is sickening. We spent $2500 for tests and a surgery, all because of a dog food that should not be in the market. I have learned never to buy kibble again, I can’t trust what is put into the food.
My dog just died 2 days ago and was on this food for years she grew tumors and very sick with vomiting and feces all over it has ruined my life she was a yellow lab and healthy otherwise until about a couple years ago. This food is a mess and Purina is going to pay us all. I am going after all of them…I hope all of you are with me!!!!
i have been warning people about this brand FOR YEARS! it almost killed my Minpin in 2007. she broke out into full body hives and got really sick. Worst brand out there.
This totally makes sense now I used to feed my boxers Beneful and my male boxer ended up dying I never thought the cause was the dog food but I never wanna go thru that again severely dehydrated almost unresponsive pooping blood all in a matter of 6 hours while I was working….
Any or all of the things claimed could happen, no matter what the dog is fed. See where the law suit goes. My bet is they settle so as to not cause undue financial hardship on the customer. I doubt the courts give much weight to unproven internet stories. Of course, that will be seen as an admission of guilt, right?Without a definite cause maybe someone DID poison the dogs?
People need to get a grip and stop panicking over internet rumors. See….the food has been out since 2001? 14 years and no proven case? Propylene glycol is not a toxin to dogs. Did they find mycotoxins in the food? How many conditions cause liver problems in dogs? How many dogs are genetically prone to liver problems?
Where are the “3000 complaints”? With as much commercial dog food sold and consumed….even that is a minuscule number of complaints….and none proven.
PLUS, an internet “page” that gives out veterinarian advice? Oh well, to each his own. I prefer to see and know the person I take medical advice from!
Like I said, I am waiting to see where it all goes.
Is there anyway that I can get involved in this suit? I lost my three year old Pekingese to kidney failure and I strongly believe it was due to food poisoning. It’s been five years since his passing, but he was eating Purina products (Beneful and Beggin Strips) when he became so ill. He was otherwise healthy.
I suffered and am still suffering immense emotional turmoil. That dog was my whole world. I still can’t sleep some nights thinking about the night he passed away, knowing in my gut that if i had only been more educated he would still be with me today. People shouldn’t have to worry about poisons in their dogs foods…. It’s criminal.
Is it just the original beneful or all of em includin the puppy one
Shortly after we lost our Cairn, Woodrow, to acute liver failure, our daughter found info online implicating Purina in many dog deaths. All he’d ever eaten was Beneful Healthy Weight. I immediately contacted Purina, and they were quick to request Woodrow’s medical records, so they could pass them along to the legal firm that handles such things. A couple of weeks after they were sent, we received a letter from the attorneys, saying Purina had had nothing to do with our dog’s health problems, but offering us $250.00, basically to shut up and go away. We never bothered to respond to that slap in the face. We’ve been talking about a lawsuit, and hadn’t gotten to it. Besides the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet, we had accrued thousands of dollars in vet bills. I’d love to be part of this.
II don’t know my dog has had it for 7 or 8 years now not an issue at all of curse he is a puggele and eats everything from whole cooked chickens to plastic and cans chocolate Dr says he is healthy and he sure acts it
sorry for those that have lost dogs I wouldn’t sure a food company … we all do die and get diseases
its life … be at Peace
Not all dogs got sick after eating it, fortunately. Glad yours are ok. But too many dogs had the same symptoms to ignore it.
I have fed Beneful to my dogs for years. They have been to the vet over and over again for seizures and allergic reactions. Recently I started feeding them natural, grain free dog food. It’s amazing to see them so healthy and happy. Just happened to see this today on Facebook, it really makes a lot of sense. It makes me so mad that these dog food companies get away with this.
Hopefully the lawsuit will hold them accountable.
I have fed this to my dog for a couple of years with no problem… as of thanksgiving she started to pee blood. She has 5 to 6 stones in her bladder. It is going to cost me $1500 for surgery that I don’t have to remove them. Could these stones be caused from the stuff in this dog food? She is currently on a different food and I WILL NOT go back to this.
I had bought a bag of this , thought was going to start buying a little better food for my dogs. I always slowly transition them to new food by mixing new and old together and then finally doing the full switch to the new… The loved the taste of it and would sort it out of the other food first before eating the rest of what was in the bowl. WELL.. All three of my dogs got Diarrhea after starting to give them this food.. I thought it was that they were just not adjusting to the new food until I read this… In a few days after not giving them any more of this food they cleared up.. Haven’t given them anymore.. Have almost a full bag still sitting here at the house. Now that I have read this won’t be trying to switch to it again..
Good, I’m glad you’re switching them before they got really sick.
My daughters dog has been eating Beneful for 7 years and has had no health problems at all
We already called the attorneys and they told us that ANYONE in thye US who has had ANY issue with Nestle-Purina’s Beneful causing illness or death is highly encouraged to phone the team handling the Class Action Lawsuit at: 877-667-4265. They will conduct a phone interview no matter where you are. So CALL – participation will not cost you a dime!
Thanks for the info.
I have been feeding the same thing to my dogs I have had to take my poodle unto the Dr for not being able to move much on his back legs and my other dog us loosing hair and they both are losing weight..
Where can I go file a complaint as well…ty
I have 2 miniature Daschunds and when I first got them I started them on Beneful thinking it was a very good dog food. They did fine for a while, but then they started throwing up and having bloody, runny stools and shaking. I could tell they weren’t feeling well and when I took them to the vet they suggested trying different food. We switched them to a more natural food and have since then not had a problem at all! I would be inclined to believe that the Beneful was probably making my fur babies sick and I’m so very glad that we switched before anything worse happened to them!!
Very glad they’re ok.
My pups were fed Beneful Healthy Weight for several years. In summer 2014 one of my two dogs became violently ill- vomiting profusely and trembling in his limbs and appearing to seize. We immediately took him to our vet where labs were pulled and he was treated with IV fluids and electrolytes, antibiotics and anti nausea meds. The lab work was inconclusive other than that he had an elevated white blood count and what our vet could only describe as a “GI infection of unknown source”. We immediately suspected it was what we were feeding the dogs, having recently seen stories in mainstream media about Chinese products creeping into American pet foods . We found the “Is Beneful by Purina Killing or Sickening Dogs?” and with support from others on the site we followed a holistic detox for our sick dog and our other dog using easily acquired herbal supplements. We learned about how to descern quality pet food from commercially pushed garbage that years of glossy marketing had taught us was “good”. Eight months later our dog that was so ill and that we had to spend hundreds of dollars on an emergency vet visit for is doing well- we were fortunate! Had we waited to see if the apparent seizure and toxic reaction occurred “again ” it might have been too late.
We picked Beneful to feed our beloved pets because Purina had been a brand my parents and grandparents could trust- and therefore I believed I too could trust this company. However, that was during a time before the company outsourced major portions of it’s ingredients manufacturing to take place in other countries. There is little to no quality control for the ingredients that are processed overseas. Never again. Shame on you Purina. You violated the trust that generations of families gave to you- all for a larger profit share. Shame on you.
I can’t add anything to that.
I am sorry to hear of many dogs passing away but I have fed my dog beneful dog food for over 4 years and he has never suffered any illness. As a matter of fact he is doing wonderful. He has regular check ups. Maybe there is just something medically wrong that has nothing to do with the food.
That’s possible but so many people had the same experiences and the common denominator is Beneful. If it ever gets to court maybe we’ll find out.
My family had a black lab named Shae. She ate beneful her whole life. At 7 years old she became bloated, would not eat or drink, began throwing up bile. Took her to vet, kidney disease. Died not long after. She was the smartest and most loving dog I’ve ever met and I miss her a ton. Damn you beneful
I’m sorry.
Does anyone know if there is a recall on this food. We just bought (for the first time) a new bag for our dog this weekend…. Jeeze is there nothing safe anymore?
There is no official recall.
After reading this, I am now wondering if that is what happened to our 4 year old black lab mix. She was fine one day and in a matter of 48 hrs she was vomiting, had diarrhea, and became so weak that she had to be carried to move. As it was a holiday weekend and the nearest emergency vet was over an hour away, we thought we had enough time to wait til morning to take her. We were wrong, she starting making weird noises and a gurgling sound also. next thing we knew she shook and there was blood everywhere and she was gone. It stank horribly and we had to air our house out for days. we also could not afford any tests as we were told it would be in the $800+ range. I have fed this to our two puppies since her death, BUT will not be purchasing it again!! Thank you soo much for sharing this!!
I’m sorry you lost your lab but it’s good your taking your puppies off it.
I have a purebred long hair chocolate chihuahu and beneful is all he can eat..other dog foods make him sick or have alergic reactions
Some dogs haven’t gotten. I’d be sure to have your vets to check his kidneys periodically to be safe.
I had a Jack Russel Terrier…I had to put her down because she was having intestinal problems..she was throwing up..pooping blood..jelly like stuff, wouldn’t eat or drink and yes I was feeding her Beneful for her food..Doctors didn’t know what was going on..now that I saw this story..it had to be the food 🙁 I lost my first best friend for no reason. She was my first dog that I had. She was 8 yrs old…I know it wasn’t my fault but I feel so bad..Sorry my sweet Teca girl..I didn’t know 🙁 miss you like crazy!!
One of the worst legacies of Beneful is the guilt pet owners feel for feeding it to their dogs, especially the ones whose dogs got sick or died. I’m sorry.
I had a beautiful border collie/ corgi who passed after a seizure. I never knew it could have been the dog food. My other dog has gotten extremely sick she is a beagle/rat terrier. The vet couldn’t explain it as they were both in great condition. Molly still has skin issues/seizure but now my eyes are open to the food issue. May God have mercy on their souls for hurting dogs. My heart was broken.
I’m sorry. I’m glad one of your dogs is still alive.
First this goes against proven science. It takes a lot of propylene glycol to cause toxicity in animals (except cats). I mean they would have to eat a ton of dog food to get enough propylene glycol in their blood to reach a toxic level. Now if they got a hold of some ethylene glycol that would kill them. But there is no ethylene glycol in dog food. Since I highly doubt they are sitting there eating bags of dog food in one sitting I am more inclined to think that they got into something else that killed them. The problem with people is that they immediately blame the only thing they know. Just like when you get sick to your stomach you immediately blame the last thing you ate even though it could have been many different things, maybe not even food at all. I believe the lawyers believe this as well, as evidenced by the fact that they threw another reason in there. The outcome of this is going to be the lawyers getting rich and everyone else getting a $10 dollar check with the submission of a receipt.
I think the thousands of similar stories people have posted about their dogs getting sick is proof that something is wrong with Beneful. And maybe people are more concerned about holding Purina accountable than making money.
My sister just bought my dog a huge 35 pound bag of Purina Dog Chow. I am going to return it to the store immediately – have yet to open the bag, thankfully. My dog just finished a bag of Beneful but did not seem to like it. He would leave it in his dish until late at night after fasting all day and then only eat it reluctantly because he was so hungry. I noticed in particular he would separate the red pieces from the rest of the food and eat them last, begrudgingly. I am so disappointed in myself for forcing this poison on my dog and so grateful that he did not get sick. He will never be fed Purina products again. God bless you for warning me before this food harmed my baby! For those of you who want to defend Purina and blame these incidents on other causes, ask yourself if you believe in Purina enough to kill your beloved pet. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?
Yes, it is. There are plenty alternatives to Purina out there.
We had a lab/beagle mix for 8 years. The last 5 years years he was exclusively fed Beneful and a Boxer for a year also exclusively fed Beneful. Our Boxer, a healthy 1 year old, dug himself a hole and passed away under our house. He had started losing hair one his elbows and backside and suddenly died. He was literally playing hours before. Our lab/beagle mix did lose hair and weight. And passed suddenly as well. Heartbreaking. They also wouldnt eat certain pieces of their food. It was weird. But I never thought anything of it because it was every feeding. This definitely has my brain going!
Reading this I feel sick to my stomach! My husky died a year ago of kidney failure. He was 16. He developed seizures before that and always had stomach problems of throwing up etc. I asked the vet about changing his food but it was recommended that I shouldn’t because he had been eating it all his life. I am heartsick. I traveled across country with that dog. he was my buddy!
I’m sorry.
I have a 10 year old chocolate lab. Where most dogs live to play, Nestle has always lived to eat. She had always been fed Purina One, until one day a few years back when we ran out of food and we discovered that the store no longer carried the healthy weight formula she was on. While I looked high and low (for close to a year) for a store that carried her regular food, she ate Beneful’s healthy weight version. She loved it…at first. I would eventually learn that Beneful was causing her distress: one day, Nestle just stopped eating. I figured she had a little bug; made her rice and ground beef and she was quickly back on track. Started the Beneful again and the very next day she had bloody diarrhea unlike anything I have ever seen; it looked like she was hemorrhaging. After hundreds of dollars of inconclusive tests at the vet, she was given some antibiotics and the bout was chalked up to her age. When we returned home, Nestle let me know what was what. At dinner time she ran to her bowl as if hungry, smelled her food, flipped the bowl and walked away. Smart pup. I finally got it!! That day I threw what amounted to a whole bag in the garbage. I picked up a different Purina One food and she has been fine ever since. Never made any connection until reading this article that during that time she was also plagued (literally in 3 month rotations) with unexplained kidney infections/issues. Hundreds of dollars in xrays, ultrasounds and antibiotics yielded no answers or relief. Since being off of Beneful there have been ZERO incidences of UTIs, kidney infections or other intestinal upset. Coincidence?? I just feel awful that feeding our pup Beneful for the time I did was making her so sick…and to think it could’ve been worse.
Sorry you spent so much time and money trying to figure it out but I’m glad your dog is ok.
It’s not just Beneful. This grain filler like corn has got to stop! We noticed within days time the difference in our dogs mannerism and bathroom habits after taking them off grain based products! Don’t these companies do research anymore. Hell, hire me. I don’t have a chemistry degree but it’s not rocket science. Dogs don’t eat that much corn!
Yes, grain is a filler and not good for dogs. Fortunately there are a lot of grain free alternatives out there.
My first question is-Why in this world is this dog food not being recalled and how do they allow Purina to go on making it? Is this a chain where the dog food companies make faulty food and the veterinarians are aware and they know eventually they will have to treat these dogs and get money for it. Kind of seems like a racket to me. What is this world coming to? What happened to ethics in these professions? Have not got a lot of confidence in any company anymore. Was advised my MY doctor to take a certain laxative and looked on the label and there was the propylene glycol in it . They probably want to poison people also. Watch those labels people.
They have to prove a scientific link between the food and health problems before they do anything, and the FDA has been historically slow testing issues like this. It still says there’s no connection between chinese chicken jerky treats and the health problems thousands of dogs have experienced after eating them.
I want to join and deadly want to know what other foods do this…i feed that food to my lab and she also became very sick and lost 30 lbs…since i have had to put her down…this is fault..i should never have fed her that food….please tell me how to join this
My dog Ocean had colitis….bloody diahrrea and loss of appetite when eating Beneful. We were lucky she survived. She loved that food. Then i started giving her the treats and the same happened. I spend a lot on her treatment for recovery. Whenever a treat from Beneful was given she got stomach cramps and then the bloody diahrrea. I changed her food and never gave her Beneful again. She recovered, but she could have died! Sorry for those who didn’t make it. We are from Puerto Rico.
Thanks for sharing your store. I’m glad your dog recovered.
We have a 12yr old lab/chow mix. She has eaten nothing but Beneful her entire life. We switch varieties now and then but always Beneful. Our vet says that she is in great shape for a dog her age. She gets normal check ups and tests. She has the occasional vomit, which the vet sees no problem with, but other than that she is very healthy. I think at this point it would be hard on her to change food.
Every person should decide for themselves. Some dogs haven’t shown any adverse symptoms. Be sure to have her kidneys checked just in case. Some of the damage is cumulative.
So what type of food would you suggest we feed our dogs. we were feeding them pedigree small breed but we rescued another dog and he was used to beniful so we switched they’ve been eating it since August with no obvious problems
Dogfoodadvisor.com has good info about what types of dog food are good/bad.
We’ve been feeding our dogs Beneful for years. We’ve not had any problems with either dog. One is a shar pei mix (14 years old), who has labs drawn every year, and the other a basset hound (10 years old). They are both healthy. Play, run, and chase rabbits in the yard like always.
Good – as you’ll see in the comments some dogs never have health problems after eating it.
My 5 yr old border collie, blue healer, catihoula, mix stated having seizures at just under a year old… All I feed us beniful… I have to give him med’s everyday to stop the seizures… I will be changing feed right away… I had no idea….
Good, I’m glad you’re switching.
i feed this to my dogs and they are fat and sassy should i stop and feed something else they have been eating it for about a yr now…????
Personally I would try to find another dog food but it’s up to you.
My dog has suddenly became sick and is Anemic right now. They ask if she got into rat poison because it is the the same systems as poisoning. I feed them a product fro. Purina for healthy weight but it is not Beniful but Dog chow light.
I’d get them off Purina if you can just to be sure.
I fed this to my pooch for the better part of 7 years, she never once had an issue. She lived to be just two weeks shy of her 15th birthday, which is huge for a dog of her breed and health issues….she probably could have gone on longer, I chose to put her down at that time.
Some dogs didn’t show any adverse effects. I’m glad yours was one of them.
We had a rescue dog a beagle basset “Satchmo” Only thing he would eat was Beneful. We thought we were feeding him well, we had him for almost 2 years, one day he stopped eating, became mopey, withdrew and then convulsed, he had bouts with bloody stools and then vomiting. It was absolutely the worst thing I have ever experienced, even having grown up on a farm. It was horrible seeing our friendly little guy suffering. His death has left an impact on our family and to think it could have been prevented! Shame on Purina for not fixing this horrific problem!!! I will definitely get the word out here in Missouri.
Thank you for letting people know. Hopefully Purina will do something now that the word is getting out.
How can I become a part of this class action lawsuit?
Wow I have been feeding my dog this for years. The weight control now because, of age. He will be 13 this year. How ever he has had liver function problem it going up to high then us getting it back down, He’s now a Diabetic with high liver functions. Wander if this has any thing to do with his health. I will be having him checked again on Wed. & will asking the vet. Thanks for the info.
My three year old newfoundland was on this food, and the morning of Nov. 23, 2013 he ate his food as normal and a few hours later I was rushing him to the emergency vet clinic but he died in my van on the way. He bloated and died within 45 minutes of the symptoms. I’m still not over loosing him, but I am thankful you shared this report as I just got another newfoundland puppy who is 4 months old now and with this information will not be putting him on Beneful.
Good, find another brand. I’m sorry for your loss.
My dogs too all were losing their hair, especially on stomachs. Our GoldenDoodle started suffering seizures. Her brilliancy was gone. She died. RIP Cheesecake. I called Purina. They acted as if they didn’t care. I called the FDA
Does anybody no which formula it is or is it in all of them?
I’ve been feeding my dogs Beneful for years with no issues and they get regular blood work done once a year. At this time the blood work for both is perfect.
I will be discussing this with my vet.
My beagle Fang ,She is going to be 17 years old has ATE bentiful.dog food,for years now ,she’s had seizures since she was 1 year old she’s been on phenabarbitol, since,she does smell ,kidney failure,and she has lost weight ,but feed her chicken to supplement…but I just thought it was a be able thing so maybe it was this food..but I love my Fang…Thank you …
My heart breaks as I read this article. My English Bulldog may have been victim off this, he started losing weight then started having extreme diarrhea. The vet ran a full course of blood test as his illness continued. He even did exploratory surgery to make sure there was no type of blockage or objects in intestinal tract. He could find nothing. The vet prescribed treatment that he hoped would combat his mystery illness and his health did not improve. I know I had to leave him at least twice for overnight stays to be rehydrated, Caring for him was emotionally draining as I watched my beloved pet progress to seizures. Because of my love for my dear pet, the vet did not give up.
I cried a river of tears as I watched my pet continue to get weaker. I carried him to the yard when he was to weak to go up and down the porch steps. Finally the day came when he would not or could not get up. I packed him up and rushed him to the vet. The vet told me it was time for me to let him go, a little piece of me died that day also.
I hope God can forgive me if I am the reason my loyal loving pet had to leave us,. I hope I can be forgiven for feeding you this product, if it was the cause we had to say goodbye.
Rest in peace my dear sweet Wyatt – (who was only four years old)
I had a boxer that I gave benefit dog food for about 1 year and she got real sick so took to the vet he told us she has internal bleeding and he could not do anything for her before we started to feed her that food she was never sick it was like loosing a family member
I was feeding this to my dog every time he would eat it he would throw up non stop so I quit feeding it to him and now he’s getting better I will never feed this crap to any of my animals again . its pathetic that you pay good price for a dog food and they get sick off it
So i have a 14 year old boxer who has been eating Baneful for quite some time. We had tried multiple expensive foods & he couldn’t hold them down and they really did a number on his tummy. So we tried Baneful about 7 years ago & it worked…so we have been using it since then. BUT…..fast forward to about 2 years ago. We got the dreaded diagnosis of Cancer…a rare form that has since returned 2 times. Also since that diagnosis he has had many weird weird things. He has almost NO hair left on either of his sides and there is NONE left on the his rear (under his tail or the legs in the back).
We have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on testing only to be told they have NO idea what is going on with him. His cancer was the only diagnosis that we have ever gotten. He has been urinating in the house a lot here over the past year and we have done lots of testing for that. Apparently nothing. BUT i’ve never been asked what kind of dog food do we use and now i’m wondering if there isn’t some kind of correlation between his weird issues/cancer and the food we are feeding our poor boy!
I’m disgusted to read this article and now am thinking that I have done this to him. I am IMMEDIATELY today going to be switching his food to something that doesn’t do my dog harm.
Anyone else using Beneful and had any of these issues? Is the poisoning immediate affects or could they be long term ailing issues that don’t happen after the first bag?
Thanks!
My dachshund died last year while eating beneful from suspected kidney problems… gotta wonder 🙁
I’m sorry. Lots of the dogs had kidney problems.
My dog Lucy who we adopted in 2005 at the age of 2 ONLY ate Beneful and she died in 2013 due to very high levels in her liver and kidneys and there was nothing the vet could do anymore and we had to put her down and my heart is STILL BROKEN. What link takes me to the class action suit. I want to file on behalf of my precious Lucy and my vet has the proper paperwork to back my claim. Thank you.
I have fed my dog Beneful forever. Here recently he has stopped eating. The other night he was acting very strange. He couldnt relax, was vomitin, shaking his head, rubbing against walls, and turned red and blotchy. I took him to the animal ER who said they believed he was having an allegeric reaction. I have given him nothing different. Im glad i read this or I would probably have continued feeding him this terrible food. Thank you for the posts.
I’m glad it helped and that you’re switching food before the problems get worse.
We have three dogs, for a while we fed them this brand and the yellow lab started having seizures . It was the most painful thing to watch I thought she was going to die the first time she had one. We took her to the vet and he thought perhaps epilepsy. She had more in the coming months. I researched on line and found that the food could cause problems, no brands were mentioned. We switched to a no grain product and they soon stopped. She then continue having incontinent
problems that took two years to fix. I am beyond upset can we join the law suit?
This is a scare tactic from a “natural” diet freak, coupled with a lawyer who wants money. Why? Propylene glycol is a common preservative that is only toxic in large amounts…in the same manner as ordinary table salt. However, most people confuse this with ethylene glycol (hey we can’t all be chemists!) which is indeed toxic, and would be a true issue. Also, the accusation of “mycotoxins” is vague since the accusers assume that because grains are used, they must therefore be contaminated with fungus. Will these alarmists support their accusations at an independent laboratory and provide hard data that there are indeed widespread fungal toxins in the pet food? Nah.
How would you explain all the stories of dogs getting sick with similar symptoms. The lawyers don’t get money unless they win the case or get a settlement.
Almost two months ago I started feeding my dog Jack beneful dog food, he really seemed to like it but a few weeks after feeding him the dog food he became very sick. He had a lot of blood in his stool. Wouldn’t eat or drink and got to the point where I had to physically move him out of bed. We took him to the vet er said he had Gastroenteritis Jack is doing a lot better and I am so happy that we go him to the doctors before it was to late.
Good news, glad he’s ok.
Our 8 lb dog has been eating the same Beneful for >15 years. She is 16 1/2 years old. She has had vet appointments every 6mos or yearly. She just recently started to slow down…
Some people have had no problems with it. I’m glad your dog has had a long life.
My dog has been on a Beneful regimen for the past 11 years, never really had a problem. She smells bad but we assumed it’s because she’s getting older. Last week she began to throw up her food, hours after ingestion, but almost as if she just ate it.
The vet said he believes it’s a virus and told us to give her bland food for a few days. She’s been fine. After someone mentioned this Beneful issue to me, I’m really afraid to put her back on it.
Probably a good idea. You can find healthy food options at dogfoodadvisor.com
Our Papillion Kenzie has been eating the Fiesta Blend of Beneful for 3/4 years. She was diagnosed last November with Liver failure (they did not think she would live through the night). After getting her through the next week, we changed her food to a low protein diet along with medication. The damage to her liver is questionable? The suffering I have watched my dog through is immeasurable, the medication to stabilize her costly. I would not wish this on my worst enemy. I hope that no dog ever has to suffer due to a food that some human being put on a shelf to feed our “fur-babies”… would you feed your child something that had these contents in it?
I’m sorry your dog was so sick. I hope she continues to get better.
Our Dog Duke passed away of hemolytic anemia in 2009, he ate Beneful his whole adult life. The Vet had no explanation for why he got this awful illness which killed him in less than 6 days and cost is over $4000!
We miss him deeply. Many people told us it was Beneful, we didn’t know there was a complaint.
How do we get involved?
Shanon Horridge
My dog has had monthly Seizures since the age of 2 (he’s 9 now) we’ve been feeding our dogs exclusively Beneful since they were pups.
We’ve taken him to a vet hospital at the onset and after many tests they couldn’t find the source. Until they are grand mal seizures there is nothing we can do for him since the meds he would need to be put on would shorten his life more so than the seizures do now. Once they are grand mal, if they ever do turn into that, is when we will need to put him on meds.
Our other dog gets regular kidney infections, I wonder if it is the food.
I’m switching their dog food, just to see what changes might occur.
Hopefully they will get better.
My dog has used Beneful since a pup and he is 8 yrs old now and heve never had an issue with it
That’s good. Some dogs have had no negative reaction to it.
OMG! We were long-term dog sitting a beautiful malamute last year and fed her beneful because that is what her owners fed her. Our 3 dogs were fed high end dog food. Well, the malamute became suddenly lethargic, constipated, and threw up so I rushed her to the vet. She had a high temperature and they were giving her palliative care and antibiotics while they ran other tests. She went downhill fast, kidneys shut down, and she died. I was devastated!!!!! I loved her as if she were my own, we were really good friends and we would have “conversations”, wrestle and chase each other…. she made me laugh all the time. They suspected a tick-born illness, which didn’t make any sense to me. We just don’t have ticks around here, never seen one, and all 3 of my other dogs are fine. They canceled the tests when she passed away, so we never got the results. I really wanted to drive her over to WSU for a post mortem, but the owners didn’t want that so she was cremated. We will never know, but I will always strongly suspect beneful.
This is how you respect an army medic while he is deployed???? All that matters is your profit margin. Thanks, Purina.
That’s awful, I’m so sorry.
Have been using Beneful “Healthy Weight” for years. Now 13, sprightly and doing well thank you. I am wondering if the problem is in a certain mix, or manufacturing batch or plant? Seems odd as is a very popular product.
Glad your dog is doing well. It doesn’t appear to be a specific batch as the problems have been going on for years.
have fed Beneful dry/wet to ALL my dogs (6) for the last 23 years w/no problems. They LOVE their mealtimes!
Some dogs never got sick from eating it. Glad yours are ok.
I have been feeding my dogs Beneful for several years now with no problems but the last bag I bought smelled bad as soon as I opened it and my young German Shepard won’t eat it until she gets really hungry. After reading this I think I need to take this bag back to the store and get them something that won’t kill them.
No more Purina for my dogs!
Good. Glad you noticed it.
I was feeding my dogs Beneful for years but this past August my healthy 10 year old lab suddenly fell ill. The night before he died he was fine then that morning I woke to find him unable to walk or stand. I thought he had a stroke but when we got him to the vet we found that he was bleeding internally and was too far gone to save. I never questioned the food I was feeding but after reading all of this I will stop feeding my other dog Purina immediately.
I’m so sorry you lost your dog.
Purina foods are pure garbage. Grain free is the way to go period.
This is an unsubstantiated claim and there is no scientific data to support it. The rumor has been circulating on the internet since 2007, and it is irresponsible to report this as fact, and to advise your readers to change their dogs’ diet.
If there is no data to support it then the lawsuit will be thrown out, but how to you explain the dozens of stories here from people whose dogs got sick or died when eating Beneful. Most of them had the same symptoms.
My 3 year old yellow lab died 15 months ago with the exact symptoms you describe in your article. The vet said it appeared that he was poisoned but there was no evidence. He recommended that I IMMEDIATELY buy new dog food because I have a (now) 12 year old black lab who was not affected (which is why I wasn’t sure it was the dog food). How can I get on this suit? After the autopsy my vet was almost certain it was the dog food.
PURINA BENEFUL DOG FOOD CLASS ACTION
Update:
I spoke with one of the firms on Friday. Anyone may call if you have had illness or death because of this crap. Even those outside the USA.
The Law Firms of Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP and Morgan & Morgan have launched a class action suit against Nestle Purina following reports of large numbers of pets becoming sick or dying after eating Purina’s Beneful dry dog food. We are continuing to collect information. If you or someone you know believe your pet became ill from Beneful dry dog food, please let us know. Call toll free at 1-877-667-4265.
http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/49385-purina-beneful-dog-food-kills-dogs-class-action-says/
Thank you for the information, Marsha. Lots of people have asked about this.
Wow this is all I have been feeding my dogs for the last 2 years. I will never buy another bag of it again.
Good. Some people didn’t see adverse reactions to it in their dogs for a few years.
Is it just the dog food? My dog loves the Beneful Baked Delights and Healthy Smile.
This is so devastating to hear. I just put my 8-year old lab mix down this past Saturday. He had been healthy his entire life…healthy weight, etc. Even at eight years old he acted like a puppy. This past December we notice him not wanting to eat. Blood work indicated kidney issues. We fought so hard for two 1/2 months to get him healthy…unfortunately, he didn’t get better. I fed him beneful original and incredibites for the past 3/4 years. My heart is breaking that this could be a possibility that he passed too soon, and that I fed him something I didn’t even think twice about.
I’m so sorry. You SHOULDN’T have to wonder if the food you feed your dog is safe. It’s the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure their food is safe.
We’ve been feeding it to my dog for a few years and he has had issues with vomitting – but the vet just always tells us that he has a sensitive stomach but now I am wondering…will be stopping.
Good!
This is messed up.. We fed our Dog Casey baneful for the 3 years we had him. He passed away last year from internal bleeding and an aneurysm. It was awful…We had let him out to go potty before bedtime 10pm. He had diarrhea and when he came back in he collapsed on the floor.. He was responsive but wouldn’t move.1015pm We rushed him to the vet who kept him on fluids for the night. we received a call at 7am the next morning from our vet stating that our boy had passed… I’m not sure if his food was the cause but now I am curious if it was… this whole time we have been trying to figure out what could have happened… We had our boy cremated … This story with the dog food is just awful…. I really hope that purina is charged to the fullest… Their food should be pulled from the shelves..
I’m so sorry you lost your dog. Hopefully the lawsuit will get it off the shelves.
Like Cathy La-Cohen said, our Rat Terrier was 8 years old, ate Beneful Healty Weight for his last 3 years. He was diagnosed with diabetis and we had to give him shots twice a day. About a year later we noticed some worsening symptoms from him, and the vet diagnosed him with diabities and cushing disease both.
I have MS and this boy grew up knowing when I had bad days and would quietly lie next to me in bed for as long as I needed to be there. He was always by my side. I had to have him put to sleep about a year and a half ago. It took a huge part of my heart to do that, even though it was best for him, as he was a skinny, sick little boy. I still greatly miss him. Now, wondering if it was Beneful that lead him to have these health issues and Beneful that made me have to make the most painful decision of my life???????????????????????????????????????????????
However we have 2 Bostons now, one is close to 2 yrs and the other is close to 8 yrs. They’ve had nothing but Beneful. The older one throws up food and mucus. It’s not everyday, but it is not surprising when it does. I will be changing their food ASAP. Thank you so much for posting this.
I’m sorry you lost your dog but I’m glad you’re switching now.
I had two dogs which died from liver failure after ingesting this product. It is beyond horrible. I hope someone gets justice against this disgusting company. I do not purchase any Purina products or any that are made in the same facilities. I hope that someone can draw attention to their crimes against pets and families and improve the standards and regulations for pet food.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Been giving my pet Cocker Spaniel Beneful for over a decade without any obvious problems. But in the past few years I would get a bag of it and he would refuse to eat it (unless heavily enticed with table scraps, but he would eventually even refuse that after a few days). I also noticed the smell of the contents of these bags was very different (I used the word ‘contaminated’, it smelled of mold or maybe rodent urine).
I contacted Purina after experiencing the problem when my newest pet, another Cocker, also refused to eat from a bag of ‘contaminated’ food. I sent a sample to Purina (using a sample container they provided), but never got feedback/result… just coupons for discount/free samples.
After buying a 3rd bag of ‘contaminated smelling’ food I switched brands.
I’ve heard lots of people talk about the foul smell. Glad you switched brands.
So I’ve been feeding Beneful to my 11 year old Boxer for approximately 9/10 years with no ill affects!!! Goes to show that it might not necessarily be the product!!
Some pets that eat it haven’t gotten sick, but I’ve seen thousands of comments from people about the problems their dogs experienced, and the one thing they had in common was they gave them Beneful. Just because some dogs haven’t gotten sick doesn’t mean there’s not a problem. I’m glad your dogs are ok.
In 2003 I purchased a Poodle that was a year old. I started feeding him Beneful and after a month he started having seizures, vomiting and passing blood. Took him to the Vet and he was not even able to stand. He was completely dehydrated, so there fore he was in the hospital for 2 days. Vet was skeptic about his survival. He did survive. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. I continued him on the dog food the vet recommended. After about 3 months I put him back on Beneful. In 2007 came home one night and found my beloved “Snowball” dead. It was just 3 week prior that I had lost my one and only sister. I was devastated. I would like to join this law suit. My brother gave me 2 Pomeranians in 2009 . I have been feeding them Beneful and they have been sick the past few days from time to time. You can bet they will not eat any more Beneful.
I’m so sorry – I’m glad you stopped feeding it to your poms.
I went to the Pet Food advisor link listed above & all I found there was sponsored links of the various companies pushing there product. Not very informative.
I have been using Beneful for a few years now & my Golden had developed a problem and lost all kinds of weight.
We found out that her pancreas has stopped working & producing the enzymes needed to digest her food. She is on pancreazyme which we her to put on her food at every meal so she can digest the food. It is expensive.
She has also developed a bad smell in the past few months along with bad dreath which is very unusual for Goldens.
I am taking her off Beneful immediately and going back to Nutro
That’s odd. I don’t see any. Here’s their policy.
Who Owns the
Dog Food Advisor?
The Dog Food Advisor is a blog written and edited by me and my staff. The views and opinions expressed here are presented in good faith and are strictly our own.
We do not accept money or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.
In addition, to avoid any influence from the pet food industry, we do not allow display advertising from manufacturers.
To learn how we support the cost of operating this website, please feel free to visit our public Disclosure and Disclaimer page.
yes my Dog lucy is bleeding since December and that is dog food she eats and she is getting sechers and we didn’t know what it was
I would switch to another brand and get her checked out by a vet if you haven’t already.
Well, off to a lawyer I go. I ed my Labradoodle this stuff for nine years, she just died and had the stomach issues. She had surgery, I spent a fortune to save her. why did this information not get out sooner. I have all the paperwork to prove it.
I’m sorry you lost your dog. I’ve heard rumors about Beneful for years but had no idea so many dogs it (allegedly) sickened or killed. I posted the info for joining the lawsuit but if you don’t see it let me know.
So I’ve been feeding my Shepard/lab beneful since she was a pup (now 10yrs old) but right around the time she turned 7 she became very ill, on the brink of death. She wasn’t eating, losing weight, vomiting, diarrhea, etc etc…. so we took her to the vet and they said she has Addison’s disease. The moment she went on the medication regime it was a 180° change. More active then when she was a pup. So we thought we had figured out the problem….and have continued to feed beneful with no symptoms. Now with all these lawsuits and such going around with beneful, wondering if I have been poisoning her her whole life??? Or is there a possibility she doesn’t have Addison’s and the medication is just counteracting the toxins? Is the damage already done? And does this apply to all purina dog food? Will be changing regardless….. just looking for some answers. Help!
I don’t know the answers but considering the problems other people have mentioned I’d switch to another dog food. Here’s where you can get more info”
PURINA BENEFUL DOG FOOD CLASS ACTION
Update:
I spoke with one of the firms on Friday. Anyone may call if you have had illness or death because of this crap. Even those outside the USA.
The Law Firms of Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP and Morgan & Morgan have launched a class action suit against Nestle Purina following reports of large numbers of pets becoming sick or dying after eating Purina’s Beneful dry dog food. We are continuing to collect information. If you or someone you know believe your pet became ill from Beneful dry dog food, please let us know. Call toll free at 1-877-667-4265.
Our dog suffered with blood in his stool, diarrhea, vomitting, he was lethargic and we took him to the vet on several occasions. This is when we switched him off beniful and he improved. Shame on you purina.
Glad he’s better.
OMG…my dog ate Beneful for many years. During the past few weeks, she was vomiting, bloody diarrhea and losing a lot of weight. She refused to eat anymore of the food. Yesterday, he was so sick and weakened, we were forced to have her euthanized because of the pain she was in. Now I see this lawsuit against Purina. How can I contact someone?
Sorry you lost your dog. Here’s the info on the lawsuit:
PURINA BENEFUL DOG FOOD CLASS ACTION
Update:
I spoke with one of the firms on Friday. Anyone may call if you have had illness or death because of this crap. Even those outside the USA.
The Law Firms of Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP and Morgan & Morgan have launched a class action suit against Nestle Purina following reports of large numbers of pets becoming sick or dying after eating Purina’s Beneful dry dog food. We are continuing to collect information. If you or someone you know believe your pet became ill from Beneful dry dog food, please let us know. Call toll free at 1-877-667-4265.
My 10 year old boxer (Rocky) has been eating beneful only since we adopted him 3 years ago. He was a little overweight so when he began loosing some weight a couple months ago I did not make an issue. However, shortly after he began having diarrhea and vomiting. He has lost almost 30 pounds in 2 months and he is skin and bones. We though initially cancer since Boxers are prone to that and that is not the case. We have paid for xrays, blood work, various other foods, steroid meds etc and nothing. He refuses to eat. We have tried other dog foods, soft food, treats, rice and ground turkey, dog food from vet, baby food, and even human food. He has and is healthy in all other aspects and we have taken him to 2 other vets for other opinions and nobody understands what is wrong with him. He has most of the symptoms from this toxic food and I want this company to pay whatever the cost to get my dog healthy before he passes away and reimburse me for all of my vet expenses. I am livid. What can I do? Any suggestions?
Here is the updated info about the lawsuit and how you can join it:
PURINA BENEFUL DOG FOOD CLASS ACTION
Update:
I spoke with one of the firms on Friday. Anyone may call if you have had illness or death because of this crap. Even those outside the USA.
The Law Firms of Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP and Morgan & Morgan have launched a class action suit against Nestle Purina following reports of large numbers of pets becoming sick or dying after eating Purina’s Beneful dry dog food. We are continuing to collect information. If you or someone you know believe your pet became ill from Beneful dry dog food, please let us know. Call toll free at 1-877-667-4265.
So this has been lurking around for 8 years now and nothing? There is always going to be something that makes dogs sick unfortunately and the easy culprit is often the easiest one. There are what, 435 complaints listed? out of a gozillion bags of food sold? I’m not saying there isn’t anything valid here but here’s some good advice. Don’t feed your dog anything you wouldn’t eat yourself. What makes you think it’s good for them if it’s not good for you? If you can’t read the ingredients on the dog food bag, then you probably shouldn’t be feeding it to them to begin with. If you can’t afford decent dog food, then you probably shouldn’t have a dog to begin with.
However – fun piece of info. Worked as a server for Applebee’s for a while. Found out that the biggest buyers of the “riblets” cut of meat were Applebee’s and Purina. hahahaha
I have two mini pinchers. I have been giving my dogs the beneful treats for years. The girl has had many problems and has many growths. Her brother has been urinating blood for almost 2 years. I have taken them to the vet many times. The last time I took Valentino the vet did blood work. She said there were liver elevations. I used to boil them chicken and carrots and they didnt have bleeding. I have been giving them the beneful food for the past 2 years and the problems have been constant. I guess I have to go back to the chicken and carrots.
People correlation is not causation. If it were poison it would kill every dog that eats it. Lots of these dog sites want to sell you high priced dog food. Also dogs don’t like sudden changes in diet and this can cause them not to eat. Been feeding my dogs Beneful for YEARS they love it and are perfectly healthy. Dogs get sick for a variety of reasons. They eat stuff out in the yard or even in your house that can make them sick. Don’t assume.
I am sorry to hear that so many people are having problems and losing their dogs to this. Our dog will not eat anything but Beneful and had eaten it her whole life! She will be 14 years old come April and sure doesn’t act like it! She has suffered no ill effects from it at all even with our cats sometimes eating it they are fine too. It is scary for sure.
Kibble is not real food. It’s processed crap in a bag. Much like feeding your child McDonalds every day, it will sustain life, but not health. Pet “food” companies don’t care about the health of your pet. They care about making money.
Hello,
Just a note.
I have been feeding my dogs only Blue and other similar products for over a year. Snacks have been made only in USA and natural. I picked up you Beneful Baked Delights Hug with Beef and cheese
Lot Number 42583783 1134Lo1 4274 Dec. 2015
UPC code 17800 16540 2
I have never had a problem with these.
My four year old Chocolate lab after one day of three treats had glassy eyes and no appetite.
Day two, she was very tired and did not want to eat.
My Black kerr began two days later with no appetite and now has his left back leg with spasms and cannot put pressure.
I toke them off treats immediately! giving them yogurt and forcing them to drink. I hope this reverses any problems.
You may want to check these batches.
Thank you for letting us know. Hope your dogs are OK.
We put our beautiful yellow lab, “Belle” to sleep Feb, 16, 2015, she was 14 months old. The only food she ever ate from little puppy on, was Purina/Beneful/Radiance/Health dry dog food. She was was smart enough not to want to eat it, but I would mix gravy, etc. to intice her to eat it. I am sorry for this. My vet at first thought she had gotten into some anti-freeze because of the symtoms and the fact she was in the end stages of kidney failure. Little did I know I was actually forcing her to eat dog food with anti-freeze components in it….It killed her. How can a company get by with this, I will do every thing I can to stop them.. Maybe together we put an end to them killing our pets….Please help…
How awful. So sorry.
We trust companies with our pets food, and time after time they show how little they care about our pets health, I went thru this with my Lab Buddy , I gave him beggin strips and pupperoni for a treat after his insulin shot, only to find out they have this same ingredient in them, I felt so bad for so long after he passed and found out about this ingredient in foods and treats, I also thought I killed him, then I realized the dog food company is the real killer, they knew what could happen and still sell these products.
I’m so sorry you lost your dog.
This is not the only dog food that has this ingredient in the food, check your packages, pupperoni and beggin strips, etc. etc. etc. so many treats have this ingredient in the food, I check all my dogs treats to make sure they do not include this ingredient, there are so many out there, Please take the time to read the ingredients before buying food and treats for your dog, or any pet.
I have fed Beneful to my two cockers for over 3 years. Last year one of my dogs lost hair, bloated stomach, eye infections, bad smelling skin came on suddenly and finally diagnosic testing – Cushings Disease. She is now on a powerful anti-cancer drug at $3.00 per pill. How do I join the suit – the food poisened my LucyGirl.
Here’s the info. Good luck:
THE BENEFUL CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT – JUST A FREE CALL TO JOIN! FEB 2015
By Caroline Snyder on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 5:33pm
Nestle/Purina DESERVE this after what they have done!
PLEASE pick up the phone and do it now! The BENEFUL lawsuit attorneys told us that ANYONE in the US who has had ANY issue with Nestle-Purina’s Beneful causing illness or death is highly encouraged to phone the team handling the ClassAction Lawsuit at: 877-667-4265 or 407-452-6990 They will conduct a phone interview no matter where you are. So CALL – participation will not cost you a dime! They are asking that people save anyfood they still have for testing, with packaging if possible, and any vet information/records.
February 2015 – Nestle Purina Petcare Company was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that its Beneful dog food includes toxic substances which are capable of killing dogs.
According to the Beneful class action lawsuit filed in a California federal court by plaintiff Frank Lucido on Feb. 5, Beneful is responsible for making thousands of dogs either seriously ill or causing them to die, which happened to one of his own dogs.
Lucido owned three dogs — a German Shepherd, an English Bulldog and a Labrador. He bought a bag of Beneful for the first time in late December 2014 or early January 2015 and each dog began eating Beneful exclusively, the Beneful class action lawsuit explains.
On Jan. 15, the German Shepherd began to lose a large amount of hair and began giving off a unusual odor, which concerned Lucido and his wife, who first started to notice the symptoms. Two days later the German Shepherd became “violently ill.”
After being examined by a veterinarian, it was determined that the German Shepherd was suffering from internal bleeding in the dog’s stomach and the liver was also malfunctioning, which the veterinarian said was “consistent with poisoning.”
On Jan. 23, Lucido’s wife found the English Bulldog dead in their yard. “Post-mortem veterinary examination revealed signs of internal bleeding in the dog’s stomach and lesions on his liver, much like [the German Shepherd],” the class action lawsuit claims.
The Labrador also became ill and is being tested for similar problems.
Lucido claims that he and his wife “have suffered economic losses including the purchase price of Beneful and veterinary and related medical expenses” as result of the damage Beneful has done to their dogs.
According to the Beneful class action lawsuit, there have been more than 3,000 complaints posted by dog owners on the internet “about dogs becoming ill, in many cases very seriously ill, and/or dying after eating Beneful.
“The dogs show consistent symptoms, including stomach and related internal bleeding, liver malfunction or failure, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, seizures, bloating, and kidney failure,” the Beneful toxic dog food class action lawsuit alleges.
Lucido gives several examples of these complaints by other dog owners.
According to Lucido, Beneful is advertised as a healthful and nutritional dog food, but his experience and others has been the opposite.
Beneful dog foods allegedly include propylene glycol, which is “an automotive component that is a known animal toxin and is poisonous to cats and dogs.”
In addition, the Beneful class action lawsuit alleges that the dog food includes mycotoxins, which are “a group of toxins produced by fungus that occurs in grains, which are a principle ingredient in Beneful.”
The class action lawsuit cites the Association for Truth In Pet Food, which tested “Beneful Original and found that it contained dangerous levels of mycotoxins.”
Lucido is looking to represent two classes — a nationwide class and a California subclass for dog owners “who purchased Beneful dog food in the past four years and who incurred any out of pocket costs due to illness, injury or death of their dog resulting from the ingestion of Beneful.”
The Beneful toxic dog food class action lawsuit is charging Nestle Purina with breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, strict products liability, violating California’s consumer legal remedies act, violating California’s Unfair Competition Law, and violating California’s False Advertising Law.
The plaintiff is represented by Jeffrey B. Cereghino of Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopcyzynski, by John Yanchunis of Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group, by Karl Molineux of Merrill, Nomura & Molineux, and by Donna F. Solen of Kimbrell Kimbrell & Solen LLC.
The Beneful Toxic Dog Food Class Action Lawsuit is Frank Lucido v. Nesltle Purina Petcare Company, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
LINK – http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/49385-purina-beneful-dog-food-kills-dogs-class-action-says/
My dog is very sick and cannot standup. I have changed her dog food since and she is still very sick. I understand now that this cheap stuff I fed my dog is not worth her pain that she is now going through. Now I understand why I spent over 600 dollars a couple a years ago when she was totally sick and couldn’t eat or stand because I fed her this stuff and then I bought it again this year thinking that it would be better for her not thinking it was the cause of her getting sick before. For now on I will only buy her the best even if I cannot afford it. So sad how we use to love and take care of one another and now its all about how much money we can make.
I’m sorry about your dog. Some rescue groups like your local humane society provide dog food to people who can’t afford it. You should check it out. And if you live in WA let me know – I may have some suggestions for you.
Thank you for posting this information. We have a 3.5 year old Newfoundland that we put on Beneful approximately 4 months ago. We could not figure out why she was losing all her fur. We live in northern Ontario, Canada with 30 to 40 below temperatures. In the past she has always had a beautiful thick coat. We took her off Beneful as soon as we read the article a week and a half ago and her coat is now coming in and she has stopped losing her fur. Once again thank you so much!!!
that’s good news!
I just bought a bag of the Purina Beneful, but I will be returning it after reading your article, and doing side research of my own. I have been feeding my 8 month old mixed puppy, Purina One Smartblend /Healthy Puppy dry food. I noticed propylene glycol is not listed in the ingredients. She is thriving on it, but I wanted to change up. Guess not. Thank you for your research, and I am sorry for all the pets and pet owners who have suffered.
On March 9, 2015 I had to have my nine year old beagle Dakota put to sleep. She started acting different the end of last year just after we had purchased her some Beneful wet dinners to go along with her Purina One dry food. She has been on that dry about nine months previous to that she had only eaten Beneful Healthy Weight for at least four years. We changed her because the vet had mentioned Beneful was not a good dry food to feed her. No other explanations were given, but we did change her food wanting the best for our sweet girl. Anyway as of March 1st she went to the vet when she was acting sluggish, not eating vomiting and drinking tons of water. She was admitted to the hospital and tests were done and she was put on IV fluids and nutrients trying to get her liver and kidney enzymes back to normal. Her numbers were extremely high but with all the treatments and the things the vet tried we ended up having to let her go. The vet told is she was in pain and suffering and not improving with everything they tried. We did the best thing for Dakota by letting her pass. We truly love and miss her each day. After her death I came across an article about Beneful and other Purina products I’m going to join in this class action suit because something needs to be done. To many coincidences and sickness and loss of pets. We need to stand up for our furry children and give company’s the message we will not stand for such lackadaisical response to our great losses.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing Dakota’s story and joining the lawsuit.
I bought Beneful 4 days ago and since yesterday my Maltipoo dog has been peeing blood and having trouble urinating and she is in pain. I took her to emergency and the vet could not figure out why and thought it could be a UTI and put her on antibiotics. Today I tried to research if it was the food and I came across the many complaints against Beneful and the lawsuit that was filed. I am going to throw this food immediately and I just hope my dog will be OK and I feel bad I did not read up on this before buying. I am going to take her to the vet for xrays tomorrow and I know I will be stuck with a huge bill. How do I go about filing a complain on this? I just hope she will be ok as she is so much in pain…
I took my dashund off it, right after she got sick and died in one month of liver failure.
I’m so sorry.
I Just purchased a bag of Purina one chicken and rice. I normally get blue buffalo but thought I would try this since the label was very well written to catch the eye of a concerned pet owner. My dog vomited 3 times last night and now has hives…a horrible case and am taking him to the vet because he looks miserable. WTF do they put in this crap? I have a very healthy Pit and he has never been sick after eating anything. I am pissed off. I am also taking this bag of shit back to slaveway and getting my money back. I’ll take Mo in so they can see his hives and how miserable he is…..sons a bitches…who would make this crap for a dog and call it healthy? I should sue safeway for selling this crap. Purina needs to remove this toxic crap they call food from the shelves.
I have fed Beneful dry healthy weight to my dogs for more than 7 years. Just not solely. Bowl full in the morning for am meal and grazing and then 1/2 can of wet – different brands – added to the Beneful for dinner. Chip, my border collie mix, just turned 14 on July 3rd. Pete-e, my lab mix will be 15 this December. My “boys” have gotten table food – when deemed healthy, added to their diet. And not so hea
Ed
I am desperately trying to find more information about what is going on with the suit. My wife and I read about it in March after noticing problems that 1 of our 2 dogs was experiencing at the time. After removing the Beneful from both of their diets, the problems our dog was experiencing went away within a week. Yesterday, October 8th, 2015, the 2nd of our 2 dogs(the one NOT experiencing problems initially), died in my arms. She exhibited every symptom reported by others the day prior, she died before we could get her into the vet. This was my wife’s service dog, a valued family member, and quite honestly, my best friend. I’m broken on the inside. Any information whatsoever would be appreciated. My son and I have cried for 2 days straight, it was all so unexpected. He would like to know more as well. Thank you in advance, Sean(Broken Heart)
I’m not sure what’s going on with the lawsuit now. Try some of the links in the post.
Our Golden Retriever just had a seizure and we have been feeding him Benneful. Any action still pending?
I don’t know – you should check the links in the story.
My precious animal companion, Boomer, a purebred Chihuahua was raised on this poison from around age 5 until he died a horrifying death in my lap at age 14. He had had seizures from his middle age, but was otherwise in great shape. Then one day he started sitting, hanging his head, refusing to eat or drink. When I took him to his doctor, she did blood work and came back saying he was in full kidney and liver failure. When she felt his tummy she said she could feel his liver and she believed he had cancer. She said he should be put down because he would be gone within a day. I went from having my sweet little best friend by my side to having to deal with losing him forever within a few hours. I asked if I could take him home for one last night, and his vet said he would probably pass away, and it “wouldn’t be pleasant.” How right she was. When he took his last breath a few hours later, he had been laying peacefully in my lap, when all of a sudden he let out a horrible, horrible scream as he lurched forward, his eyes so wide it was as if he was seeing something that absolutely terrified him. Then he was gone. I started screaming and running around the house, not knowing what to do. That was almost 2 years ago and I still break down when I remember. It was so awful, I will never forget it. The look on his little face was like he was seeing Death itself. I feel like my vet should have caught the symptoms of the hardening of the liver and whatever else she found the night he died. I had had him in for an annual checkup no more than a week prior. But after reading the other stories on various web sites, it makes me sick to realize the food I fed him year after year, thinking I was feeding him healthy kibble, was actually slowly killing him – my sweet, precious little companion and best friend for 14 years. I can’t bear the memory of his awful passing, but I wanted to let others know so hopefully they won’t make the same mistake I did. I will miss him until my dying day, and I will never forgive the Beneful makers. Such an unnecessary, needless, painful death.
I’m so sorry that Boomer went through this. Thank you for sharing you story.
I fed one serving to my 6 dogs mother and her younger daughters that are a year old mother is 21/2, just last night and they have all been puking all night and day I made sure after I noticed they were eating their vomit that they did not keep eating it during the night time there still vomiting this afternoon I don’t even know if the mother is going to make it about to take her to the vet I’m very very upset about this why are they still selling the food?? I cannot even afford this vet bill at the moment but I’m going to have to take her and our family will just be struggling and very sad if we lose our dogs this is very very awful we love our animals very much never would have thought that this would have done that we usually feed them blue diamonds been a hard month since covid so we thought we’d try this my husband brought it home when I asked him to bring some home last night I do not understand how they are still selling this food on the market my dogs have never been this sick I’ve never seen dogs in my lifetime be the sick over a serving of this food…….