Regardless of Beneful's quality control, I would never feed my dog Beneful.

In light of recent lawsuits filed against them asserting the presence of mold-based mycotoxins and Propylene Glycol, I thought I would write up about dog food.

If true, then the presence of mycotoxins is a quality control issue, where Purina is either ignoring the need to inspect raw ingredients or failing to properly and adequately test their final product -- critical issues for any processed food, not just dog food.

According to literature on Propylene Glycol -- the active ingredient of low toxicity antifreeze -- it is safe to use as a food additive (generally recognized as safe) and does not bio-accumulate, but that does not mean that it is not toxic. In high enough doses, it can be toxic. If your dog seriously overeats, it is possible to reach the lower range of toxicity, though the risk is slight. But the more concerning issue to me, is why any company would use PG in the first place, in food.

If your food needs PG to make it tasty, how crappy is your food to begin with? Knowing that Beneful used PG, I wanted to know what else was in Beneful. Their ingredient list explained it all.

Beneful
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, rice flour, beef, soy flour, meat and bone meal, propylene glycol, sugar, tricalcium phosphate, salt, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, animal digest, sorbic acid (a preservative), mono and dicalcium phosphate, dried spinach, dried peas, dried carrots, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, Red 40, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, Blue 2, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

The first ingredient -- ground corn -- is not an easily digestible product; that the source of protein and Lysine comes from animal meal and gluten, explains why this stuff requires PG and added L-Lysine. In fact, all of those vitamins listed below dried carrots, should signal just how poor the nutritional level is, of the primary ingredients.

Compare that to what I make, at home.

My dog food
Brown rice, ground beef or ground / cut chicken breast, millet, atlantic cod or salmon, carrots, potato, celery, kale or spinach, broccoli, bell pepper, green beans or peas, eggs, eggplant, yogurt, Benadryl.

Much shorter list, eh? So let me explain some things.

I don't always use all of those ingredients, but rather, a list of commonly used ingredients. Not all of the vegetables are easily digested, so they are chopped into very small pieces -- less than 1/4". If you look at your dog's poop, you can tell what is and isn't digested, and adjust as needed.

My dog does not tolerate fats other than from beef, fish and plants. Poultry and pork fats cause his stool to be, well, loose and messy and yellowish. Yogurt (added after the food is cooked) is there to boost his gut bacteria. The eggs are an incredibly cheap source of protein, and also tastes good! Benedryl is for allergies related to fleas, dust, etc. -- I find it a lot easier to simply incorporate Benedryl pills into his food (after cooked, while cooling), than to try to force down the pill in his mouth, daily. If your dog itches like mad from seasonal fleas, Benedryl makes a huge difference.

This is not for everyone. It is more expensive than specialized wet dog foods at the pet store and the specialty blend dry dog foods at the vet, and requires considerable amount of labor to prep and cook; nowadays I make 10-day batches and freeze half.

I'd previously tried kibble from Trader Joe's and Costco (neither of which use corn), but he'd sometimes let it sit, rather than dig right into it. Now, he'll skip his dog snacks if he knows he's getting his dog food served up. If your dog does not want to eat his/her food right away, either your dog is sick or the food it is bland and boring.

Therefore, regardless of Beneful's quality control, I would never feed my dog Beneful.