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Patton Veterinary Hospital Adresses the Beneful Lawsuit

Is Beneful Dog Food Really Harming Dogs?


               Most of you have probably seen on the internet and in the media that Beneful dog food is the subject of a class action lawsuit by a family in California claiming their three dogs became seriously ill and one died after eating Beneful, made by Purina.  I want to clear up some misconceptions about Beneful for those of you who may be feeding it to your dogs and are concerned. 

First of all, Beneful dog food has not been recalled by the company and, at this time, no recall is expected.  The FDA who issues recalls currently has no evidence of a toxin or problem with the food.  Anyone can file a lawsuit at any time for any reason.  The lawsuit does NOT confirm that there is a problem with the food and is NOT the same as a recall.

               It is unfortunate that the family in question lost one of their dogs and the other two became ill.  However, no actual proof linking Beneful to the dogs’ illnesses or to one’s death currently exist.  There are no autopsy results or tests on the food to confirm the presence of toxins or other harmful substances.

               Two possible causes of illness have been mentioned:  propylene glycol and mycotoxins. 

               Propylene glycol has been erroneously mentioned as being a component of antifreeze.   While it is sometimes found in non-toxic or “pet safe” antifreeze, it is NOT the same as ethylene glycol which IS toxic and is found in most types of antifreeze.  Propylene glycol is a safe, FDA approved sweetener and preservative found in thousands of products that both humans and animals use.  It can be found in cough syrups, certain foods and in semi-moist pet foods and treats like Pupperoni and Beggin’ Strips.  I bet if you looked in your medicine cabinet or kitchen, you would find items that contain propylene glycol.   Propylene glycol should not be confused with ethylene glycol.  Propylene glycol is NOT a toxin.

               Mycotoxins are toxins formed by fungi that sometimes grow on moldy grains.  Again, at this time we have no proof that the Beneful ingested by the sick dogs contained any contaminated grains or mycotoxins.  The food would need to be tested to confirm or refute the presence of mycotoxins.  This has not been done, or at least the information has not been released. 

               The symptoms described in the sick dogs could be due to many types of illnesses or toxins.  Should the food be checked for toxins or ingredients that may have caused the dogs to get sick?  Sure.  But can we say that Beneful definitely caused illness and death in these dogs?  No.  The simple truth is that there is no proof at this time that the food made those dogs sick. 

               We know many of you feed Beneful to your dogs, and, we have not seen nor heard of any dogs at Patton, or in Pennsylvania for that matter, who have become ill.  We believe that Beneful and other Purina products are safe to feed your dogs; however, please notify us if you think there is a problem with your pet.  If a recall of Purina Beneful, or any other food for that matter does occur, rest assured we will let you know.  If you have questions about Beneful or other foods, please call us.  Purina also has a link that answers some questions about the food and the lawsuit:  https://www.beneful.com/frequently-asked-questions

               This blog brought to you by the Patton Veterinary Hospital serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding areas.

Photo from www.Beneful.com

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