Read this on another dog forum:
Permission to Crosspost:
Beneful Dog Food is Suspected of Causing Sickness and Deaths
DoggyBling.com
HEALTH ALERT! .....
Discontinue use of Beneful until this is resolved!
Multiple Reports We have received multiple reports of dogs becoming
sick or dying after eating Beneful dog food. The first reports were
placed in our new forum and was overlooked by DoggyBling.com staff
until we received direct emails last week and then another today.
After speaking on the phone with the lady who emailed us today, we
feel that there is sufficient cause for alarm. Dog lovers make a lot
of effort to take good care of their dogs and will want to know if
they are feeding them something that could be harmful. Most of the
alerts by email, forum and phone cited Beneful dog food that was
purchased at Wal Mart around Christmas of 2006.
We spoke with Terri Culp at Beneful this morning and were assured that
they are aware of the situation and are researching the problem. We
assured them that this won't go away and we would be alerting our
email base of the problem and posting a news item on our site. We also
told her that DoggyBling.com visitors and dog lovers everywhere would
be evaluating the way the Purina Corporation (Parent to Beneful)
handles the potential crisis.
Symptoms
The symptoms reported have been very similar. The reported symptoms
include some or all of the following: General weakness or
sluggishness, glazed eyes, not interested in food or water, white
gums, lack of control of bodily functions. Some of the callers
reported dogs that have died and others say they had gotten sick but
had recovered. I am inserting the first forum post about a dog that
became sick, but didn't die.
A week be fore Christmas we bought a bag of Beneful dog food at
Wal-Mart, DeFuniak Springs, FL. On 12/23 I noticed a tan mold like
growth on the dog food. Our 14 year old Dalmatian mix had been getting
weaker by the day and by 12/24 she was near death. Glazed eyes,
couldn't stand, eat, drink or control her functions. Her gums were
white. We had to carry her to the yard and hold her up so she could
go. The only thing she would eat was ham and turkey scraps. I spoke
with a microbiologist and she said the mold growing in the dog food
was toxic. It took a week for Sparky to regain her strength. I did
notify the manufacturer of Beneful, they were very sorry and are
sending coupons. Said it was a rare happening.
Beneful's Website
Notify us if your dog has had symptoms after using Beneful
We are going to stay on top of this situation and would like to know
if your dog has had any of the symptoms listed above after eating
Beneful. If so, please send an email to ric@doggybling. com
or give us a call at 904-430-0260. Either way, please pass this email
and information to dog lovers who may be feeding this food to their dog.
DoggyBling.com
http://www.doggybli ng.com
UPDATES:
Updates and Beneful's response and precautionary action will be listed
in our news section. We know Purina will take this seriously and will
not want to tarnish their company's positive reputation.
News Item about Beneful
http://www.doggybli ng.com/newsartic le.php?id= 1070