Beneful dog food

[halo]

I feed Blue Ridge Beef. They have delivery close to me once a month, so I go pick it up. I feed the puppy mix and the chicken, or turkey. I also go to a local meat market and get gizzards, chicken livers and hearts, and chicken necks for snacks. Keeps their teeth sparkly white.

I sell eggs, so I always have buckets full of eggs. They help themselves to one a day.

I went thru every single dry dog food there is. One of my elders got skinny as a rail, and one got as fat as a pig. I switched to Blue Ridge, and within a few months, both got to optimum weight. Its probably a little expensive…costs me about $3 a day to feed them both now, but if I can’t spend that on them, I dont need them.

[DarkenStormy]

It’s true about the better the food the less they eat. My dog is on Solid Gold Barking at the Moon - he’s about 50 lbs and we go through a 24lb bag about every 2.5 months. He is free fed and usually only eats once a day( or every other day in the summer) and one bowl. In the winter he will eat a bit more bc he has no body fat on him and when we go to an agility show he will eat maybe a bowl and a half. He does get supplemented with a filled Kong now and then, as well as other high quality treats.

I don’t begrudge the almost 70.00 a bag I spend on his dog food because I know I am getting good quality. And I never have to tempt him to eat it with canned food.

[FalseImpression]

[QUOTE=pezk;8027440]
Orijen was a great food for a GSD that had severe allergies. I have a dobie on Arcana Pacifica. The Orijen was too rich for her. Both foods made by the same Canadian co.[/QUOTE]

We had to switch my lab from Orijen 6 fish to Acana Pacifica for the same reason. You know you can switch from one Orijen/Acana product to another without the mixing it for a few days, right… my dog has been enjoying all the different foods… fish, pork, duck, lamb… no issue at all. Tundra, I would avoid… price and protein, it is meant for hard working dogs ie sled dogs and such…
but Champion who makes this food has their own kitchens and prepare the food themselves… no sub-contracting, so they KNOW what goes in their food… and they invite their reps/store owners to the company kitchens where they are served meals made from the same ingredients used in the dog food!!

[Mosey_2003]

I’m feeding Orijen too :yes: Pup likes it alright, but doesn’t get excited for it. Honestly, I thought his coat would improve more than it has, but… The peace of mind knowing the care they put into making it is priceless.

[pezk]

[QUOTE=FalseImpression;8027727]
We had to switch my lab from Orijen 6 fish to Acana Pacifica for the same reason. You know you can switch from one Orijen/Acana product to another without the mixing it for a few days, right… my dog has been enjoying all the different foods… fish, pork, duck, lamb… no issue at all. Tundra, I would avoid… price and protein, it is meant for hard working dogs ie sled dogs and such…
but Champion who makes this food has their own kitchens and prepare the food themselves… no sub-contracting, so they KNOW what goes in their food… and they invite their reps/store owners to the company kitchens where they are served meals made from the same ingredients used in the dog food!![/QUOTE]

Yup, the GSD could only have the Orijen Fish because of her allergies. The dobe could eat almost anything unless it’s too rich. I keep her on the Arcana Pacifica because it doesn’t bother her tummy. I know about the co. Seems very responsible which is good. People complain about the high price but my dobie at 70lbs gets only 1.5 c in one day. And because of the responsible co, it’s worth the money to keep her safe, though on her own she’s capable of trying to do herself in just like a horse.

[Nezzy]

Any dog food you can purchase at the grocery store is cheaply made. Lots of grains, Corn syrup and flavorings. If you need to find a good dog food, go to Dogadvisor.com and they can steer you in the right direction.

[Canaqua]

[QUOTE=Nezzy;8027764]
Any dog food you can purchase at the grocery store is cheaply made. Lots of grains, Corn syrup and flavorings. If you need to find a good dog food, go to Dogadvisor.com and they can steer you in the right direction.[/QUOTE]

I’ve seen Newman’s Organic food in the supermarkets here and my son gets Rachel Ray Zero in the supermarket in NC. Both are decent foods, not in quite the same league as Orijen, etc…, but respectable foods and substantially better than most brands sold in the supermarket. The Rachel Ray is as expensive as Acana, so, given the choice I’d take the Acana, but since my son doesn’t have a car and can’t get to a dedicated pet store, he gets the Zero grain stuff.

Dog Food Advisor is a good resource, it not only lists ingredients, but explains what they are and what they have to offer (or not) to dogs.

[Appsolute]

[QUOTE=JGHIRETIRE;8027259]
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

A great link to the many dog foods out there.[/QUOTE]

Glad to see Taste of the Wild, Wetlands Formula dry food I feed gets 5 stars.

Yes, it costs more then beneful. But I just checked the feeding guidelines, and where taste of the wild calls for 1 cup to be fed, beneful is calling for 1.5 to 1.75 cups…

[wendy]

Beneful’s an absolute joke, an amazing story about how truly gullible american consumers are. Take the worst possible dog ingredients you can get away with, manufacture a truly unhealthy food, then advertise it heavily and sell it at a hefty price (for a lower-quality dog food, that is). There are a lot of dog foods out there with equally bad ingredients but they are sold at prices more reflective of their quality or lack thereof.
One glance at the ingredients in Beneful should tell you it’s not something your dog is going to do well on. And it’s expensive for what it is- if you want to feed your dog that kind of non-nutritious junk, why not go for ones sold at a more appropriate price?

[minnie]

[QUOTE=Appsolute;8027937]
Glad to see Taste of the Wild, Wetlands Formula dry food I feed gets 5 stars.

Yes, it costs more then beneful. But I just checked the feeding guidelines, and where taste of the wild calls for 1 cup to be fed, beneful is calling for 1.5 to 1.75 cups…[/QUOTE]

I guess you can’t trust the dogadvisor, since my blue buffalo gets 5 stars on that review and it has been designated blue barfalo on this thread. (?)

[Snowflake]

I have a dog with severe allergies who is very starch sensitive so he can’t have food with potatoes. Surprisingly, he does very well on the grain free Pure Balance from Walmart!

[Mondo]

I fed Orijen for a while, but got really turned off when I read the ingredients on the label for their cat food. Cats are obligate carnivores - they do NOT need vegetables, fruit, rice, sweet potatoes or anything of the sort. Now - I do admit that my cats are always indoor/outdoor and they are permitted to hunt if they choose, so do not need dietary supplements from their prepared cat food. But it did give me pause: if they know so little about cat dietary requirements, what do they know about dog dietary requirements. If you want to make sure your dog remains healthy and happy well into old age, I recommend supplementing with Canine Health by LifeVantage. You can Google it. There are some great videos on YouTube as well.

[Casey09]

[QUOTE=minnie;8027987]
I guess you can’t trust the dogadvisor, since my blue buffalo gets 5 stars on that review and it has been designated blue barfalo on this thread. (?)[/QUOTE]

That kind of surprised me. I don’t feed Blue Buffalo, but I’ve never thought of it as one of the lowest quality dog foods. I have found that different vets have very different opinions of which foods are good and which are bad.
One thing I’ve had to accept is that sometimes a dog just doesn’t do well on a food you want to feed. I’ve also experienced how frustrating pickiness can be. My own puppy tried the Orijen Large Breed puppy and would not eat it, and she was starting to lose weight. She does eat Now Large Breed puppy and her GI system seems healthier on that brand. I fed Orijen to several dogs that did well on it. To the person whose dog likes Beneful, I’d suggest trying mixing in a higher quality fish based food, and adding some meat if necessary. That said, when they won’t eat it can be troubling for owners and I think that is why it does become a factor.
As far as the lawsuit, it is very sad but I too wonder if they will be able to prove causation. I’ve heard these types of claims about other foods, but it is also difficult because you do have to wonder if some of these animals weren’t poisoned by other things - neighbors, accidental, or treats. That said, there are a lot of people that don’t know or research dog food as much as others. In very recent times I’ve been told by vets that smaller companies aren’t able to dedicate the research dollars that companies like Purina can.
We all have to make our own choices depending on our comfort level as well as what our dogs do well on. In all honesty I do feel best giving my dogs deer meat I cook mixed with a premix powder.

[pezk]

[QUOTE=minnie;8027987]
I guess you can’t trust the dogadvisor, since my blue buffalo gets 5 stars on that review and it has been designated blue barfalo on this thread. (?)[/QUOTE]
I’ve fed blue buffalo wilderness, the salmon one to the GSD with allergies. She was on it for a few yrs. seem to do well but then she became allergic to something in it. That was when I put her on Orijen.

[FalseImpression]

I don’t have cats but my daughter stu. died animal biology and animal nutrition. Agree that cats need meat but they also need wet food as they used to get their meat from prey and there was water contents! My DD switched her husband’s cat to a wet food. It took a while for the cat to accept it and they lost some convenience, but the cat slimmed down and is doing very well.

Have you tried Weruva cat food? http://consciouscat.net/2013/04/23/weruva-cat-food-review/

[Appsolute]

[QUOTE=minnie;8027987]
I guess you can’t trust the dogadvisor, since my blue buffalo gets 5 stars on that review and it has been designated blue barfalo on this thread. (?)[/QUOTE]

I don’t really have any opinions on Blue Buffalo, never fed it, never looked into it - but I do see that “Blue Buffalo Basics Dry” gets a 3.5 stars.

And being as 24 lbs of Blue Buffalo Basics costs $57 (3.5 stars) vs. 30 lbs Taste of the Wild Wetlands costs $42 (5 stars)

Blue Buffalo’s first 8 ingredients:

Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Tapioca Starch, Potatoes, Peas, Potato Starch, Canola Oil, Pea Fiber

Taste of the Wild’s first 8 ingredients:

Duck, duck meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, chicken fat, egg product,

Given the COST I am not sure that Blue Buffalo would be my first pick!

[Xhltsalute]

[QUOTE=FalseImpression;8028088]
Agree that cats need meat but they also need wet food as they used to get their meat from prey and there was water contents! My DD switched her husband’s cat to a wet food. [/QUOTE]

This ^^^

[minnie]

[QUOTE=Appsolute;8028360]
I don’t really have any opinions on Blue Buffalo, never fed it, never looked into it - but I do see that “Blue Buffalo Basics Dry” gets a 3.5 stars.

And being as 24 lbs of Blue Buffalo Basics costs $57 (3.5 stars) vs. 30 lbs Taste of the Wild Wetlands costs $42 (5 stars)

Blue Buffalo’s first 8 ingredients:

Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Tapioca Starch, Potatoes, Peas, Potato Starch, Canola Oil, Pea Fiber

Taste of the Wild’s first 8 ingredients:

Duck, duck meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, chicken fat, egg product,

Given the COST I am not sure that Blue Buffalo would be my first pick![/QUOTE]

Obviously there are several varieties of blue buffalo with different ratings. It pays to do your homework. I had to go back to look after it was called “blue barfalo” as I remembered researching for a good food 5 years ago and this is what I ended up choosing. Just wanted to be sure nothing had changed from my original decision as I know even changing where it’s manufactured could change the food. The dogs do well on it, happy healthy and very shiny. My 85 pound dog gets 2 1/2 cups/ day. I give her an extra half cup when the weather’s freezing. Any more than that and she gets fat quick.

[ThisTooShallPass]

Isn’t there supposed to be a Costco label of dry dog food that is actually Taste of the Wild? I think I read that in the Menagerie a long time ago.

There is not even a Costco in Oklahoma, so never tried it.

[cowboymom]

I swear a bad bag of TOTW nearly killed all my eight cats over Christmas. They were totally healthy when I bought it and all went straight to bloody diarrhea for weeks. One kitten went into renal failure and nearly died, the vet was amazed he survived. Could never figure out a cause but I blame that bag of TOTW.

Good ol’ cat chow has never made one of our cats sick ever. Much as I prefer to feed a higher quality food, that scared me. We’ve had bad bags of other higher end dog foods too. Our animals get a lot of table scraps and “real food” just like appears on the ingredient label of expensive food so I don’t sweat it too much.

I’ve been all over the dog food debate, I’d love to be able to afford to feed super high end food and have no concerns but at the end of the day I really can’t tell much difference unless it’s low down Ol Roy. My six dogs did well on Dog Chow when we were on hard times; now I feed them Tuffy’s Gold that I can get through my job at a feed store, probably a low-range mid-range food. The dogs seem to be doing about the same no matter what and I kind of feel like I wasted a lot of mental energy on it! :lol: