A recent lawsuit filed against Nestle Purina PetCare Company is claiming that one of the company’s most popular dog food brands contains toxins that are poisoning and even killing people’s pets.
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court earlier this month by pet owner Frank Lucido, alleges that thousands of dogs have become ill or died as a result of eating Beneful dry kibble dog food.
Lucido and his family owned three dogs — a four-year-old German Shepherd, an eight-year-old English Bulldog and an 11-year-old Labrador — and began feeding the pets Beneful exclusively beginning in late December or early January, according to the suit. Because of home renovations, the dogs were kept in three different houses.
By the end of January all three of the dogs became ill and the English Bulldog eventually died, according to the suit. A post-mortem examination revealed signs of internal bleeding in the dog’s stomach and lesions on his liver. Similar symptoms were found in Lucido’s German Shepherd, who became violently ill before the bulldog’s death. A veterinary exam of the dog also showed signs of internal bleeding and liver malfunction “consistent with poisoning,” the lawsuit said. Lucido’s two remaining dogs remain in veterinary care, his lawyer said.
“All three of them werent exposed to a singular condition,” Jeffrey B. Cereghino, a lawyer representing Lucido, told NBC News. “The one constant they had was they were all eating the same dog food.”
Lucido’s story is similar to more than 3,000 complaints consumers have made online of dogs becoming ill and in some cases dying after eating Beneful kibble style dog foods, according to the complaint. The consistent symptoms reported include stomach internal bleeding, malfunction or failure of the liver, vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss.
The lawsuit claims toxins in Beneful are to blame, listing propylene glycol and mycotoxins as possibly harmful substances in the dog food.
While the suit alleges propylene glycol is a known animal toxin and component of automotive antifreeze, Purina says on its website that the type it uses is “an FDA-approved food additive that is also in human foods like salad dressing and cake mix.”
Mycotoxins are a group of toxins produced by mold found in grains, a major ingredient in Beneful. Mycotoxins pose a health risk to dogs and consumer complaints on Beneful report symptoms consistent with mycotoxin poisoning, according to the lawsuit. Cereghino said he and his team plan to collect further data and perform testing of the products for toxins.
Cereghino said he was interested in taking up the case after looking through a number of similar incidents
Purina issued a statement in response to the lawsuit saying “there are no quality issues with Beneful.”
“We believe the lawsuit is baseless, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves and our brand,” the statement read. “Beneful had two previous class action suits filed in recent years with similar baseless allegations, and both were dismissed by the courts.”
Yet, in another lawsuit settled in May, Purina and Waggin’ Train LLC agreed to create a $6.5 million fund to compensate pet owners who believed their animals were harmed after consuming jerky treats that were made in China.
Food and Drug Administration officials said at the time that pet treats, mostly imported from China, had been linked more than 1,000 deaths in dogs, more than 4,800 complaints of animal illness, and even three cases of humans getting sick after eating the products.
The settlement was open to any consumer whose pet may have eaten the dog treat products before a voluntary recall was issued in January 2013. However neither company ever admitted fault in the settlement, with Purina consistently saying tests detected no contaminants and that their treats were safe to eat as directed.
Regarding the recent complaints about Beneful, Purina said, “Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social media-driven misinformation. On-line postings often contain false, unsupported and misleading allegations that cause undue concern and confusion for our Beneful customers.”
The new filing is asking that Purina pay Lucido and other members of the class action lawsuit unspecified actual, statutory and punitive damages and restitution.
“Cases like these are important because we do invest so much love and time in our pets and they are such a part of our family,” Cereghino said. “What is going on at this point is significant in the lives people who lost their pets.”
Our Rating of Beneful Dog Food
Purina Beneful includes both grain-inclusive and grain-free dry dog foods using a moderate amount of named meat and by-product meals as its primary source of animal protein, thus receiving 3.5 stars.
Review of Beneful Dry Dog Food
Rating:
Purina Beneful Dog Food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3.5 stars.
The Purina Beneful product line includes the 13 dry dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Beneful Originals with Real Beef was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient ContentProtein =
Ingredients: Beef, whole grain corn, barley, rice, whole grain wheat, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, oat meal, egg and chicken flavor, calcium carbonate, mono and dicalcium phosphate, salt, natural flavor, potassium chloride, dried spinach, dried peas, dried carrots, iron oxide color, minerals [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate], sodium selenite, vitamins [vitamin E supplement, niacin (vitamin B-3), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B-2), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K), folic acid (vitamin B-9), biotin (vitamin B-7), ], choline chloride, l-lysine monohydrochloride
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.7%
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 23% | 12% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 27% | 14% | 51% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 24% | 30% | 46% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Although it’s a quality item, raw beef contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The second ingredient is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The third ingredient is barley, which is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The next ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.
The fifth ingredient is wheat. Wheat is another cereal grain and subject to the same issues as corn (previously discussed).
Next, we find soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds.
Although soybean meal contains 48% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
The next ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like soybean meal and corn gluten meal can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The eighth ingredient is beef fat. Beef fat (or tallow) is most likely obtained from rendering, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Although it may not sound very appetizing, beef fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The ninth ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Purina product.
With 6 notable exceptions…
First, we find dried peas. Dried peas are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.
However, dried peas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
Next, we find iron oxide, a synthetic color additive used in industry to impart a reddish color to food — and paint. In its natural form, this chemical compound is more commonly known as “iron rust”.
We’re always disappointed to find any artificial coloring in a pet food. That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans — not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his kibble is?
Next, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.
We also note that the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.
Additionally, this recipe contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
And lastly, this product includes menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in either of its dog food nutrient profiles, we question the use of this substance in any canine formulation.
Based on its ingredients alone, Purina Beneful Dog Food looks like a below-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 14% and estimated carbohydrates of about 51%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 15%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.
Which means this Purina product contains…
Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.
However, when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, soybean meal and dried peas, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
“Cases like these are important because we do invest so much love and time in our pets and they are such a part of our family,” Cereghino said. “What is going on at this point is significant in the lives people who lost their pets.”
Purina issued a statement in response to the lawsuit saying “there are no quality issues with Beneful.”
A recent lawsuit filed against Nestle Purina PetCare Company is claiming that one of the company’s most popular dog food brands contains toxins that are poisoning and even killing people’s pets.
Food and Drug Administration officials said at the time that pet treats, mostly imported from China, had been linked more than 1,000 deaths in dogs, more than 4,800 complaints of animal illness, and even three cases of humans getting sick after eating the products.
The lawsuit claims toxins in Beneful are to blame, listing propylene glycol and mycotoxins as possibly harmful substances in the dog food.
FAQ
Have there been any recalls on Beneful dog food?