I'm afraid that Purina has taken more to superficial advertising than giving the public a healthy and nutritious dog food. This is just another instance of a product marketed as a "healthy" food that contains less than desirable ingredients. Read on.

I recently adopted two more mini dachshunds named Kris and Dori. They came from a family that really loved them and took good care of them. They had regular vet care and all of their records were turned over to me. When I was about to leave with the pups, the owner asked me to wait a minute that he had something else that needed to go with the dogs. He brought out an almost new bag of Purina Beneful Dog Food in a 17.6 lb. bag. He told me this was the only food they liked. I thanked him for the bag of food and we proceeded on our journey home. I immediately charted my plan of action in my mind to start mixing this food with Science Diet, IAMS or Diamond to get them on a better diet and to also get them used to another flavor of dog food.

About Purina Beneful

My main gripe about this food other than the ingredients is the advertising blitz by Purina. Even looking at the pictures of carrots, peas and corn on the front of the bag is deceiving. Then the byline under the name of the product states "With Wholesome Grains & Real Beef, Accented With Vitamin Rich Vegetables". This is the key...the word "accent". Purina also claims that Beneful is an antioxidant-rich formula to help support a healthy immune system. Beneful also contains omega fatty acids that also support healthy immune systems.

The food itself comes in small morsels of different sizes, shapes and colors. You will find red, yellow, green and brown pieces of dog food to simulate the healthy vegetables that Purina promotes. There is a mixture of crunchy bites and moist chewy bites.

Beneful is available in 4, 8, 17.6 and 35.2 lb. bags and can be found at most grocery stores and mass merchandising stores.

Nutritional Information

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 25% Min.

Crude Fat: 10% Min.

Crude Fiber: 4% Max.

Moisture: 14% Max.

Lineolic Acid: 1.5% Min.

Calcium: 1.1% Min.

Ingredients

Ground yellow corn, chicken-by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, Minerals (tricalcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), sugar, sorbitol, water, animal digest, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E, Vitamin A, niacin, Vitamin B-12, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D-3], added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, glyceryl monostearate, garlic oil.

Company Information

Nestle Purina Petcare Company, Inc.
St. Louis, MO 63164

Phone: 1-800-7PURINA

Website: www.purina.com

My Thoughts On This Product And Our Transition

Well the first ingredients are less than impressive. We start off with ground yellow corn which is nothing more than a filler. Next is chicken by-product meal, another junky ingredient, followed by corn glutton meal which is more fillers. Add to the list animal digest which is a little farther down and my thoughts on this food is that all the good things are canceled out with the less than desirable main ingredients here.

I immediately started weaning the new pups off this food. They didn't seem to mind at all. The ate the other food offered to them and mixing half and half only lasted for about 7 days. We have now finished the bag of Beneful and I won't be buying it again if I can help avoiding it. There are too many other choices that stack up much better than this food. What really gets me is the deceiving advertising. People think they are getting a good quality dog food when actually it is just junk with vitamins. I hope this review helps others start a new habit in reading the ingredients before purchasing pet food! I give this food 2 Stars!

© 2005 Birdfeather

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