Update on the Death of Abby

[sfreeman8]

I've been away for a bit because I wanted to try and find the reason for her kidney failure.

Lo and Behold...it turns out it was probably the dog food. We were feeding her Beneful. I found a newspaper article that explained the symptoms and she had ALL of them, not all the time, not in the same order, and not at the same time.  Yet, this dog food was never recalled by the FDA. Purina One Beyond has been recalled and it's notice is posted on the FDA website. Too bad the Purina Company chooses to ignore Beneful. There has been 644 pets that have either died or were lucky enough to have their sickness caught in time.

I just want to warn others about this just in case they know someone who feeds their pet Beneful. It may save them. 

[Oryon20]

I'm very sorry to hear of the loss of your furry friend.

Losing a pet is very hard any time it happens, but it makes it even more difficult when you suspect the cause may have been contributed to by the food you were feeding.  The sad fact is, there is very little oversight with the pet food industry.  They are allowed to put ingredients into their products which would never be allowed near a human plate.  They are also for the most part self-regulating.  Sure, the FDA announces recalls and approves/disapproves ingredients that can be used, but the urgency isn't there like it is when there is a situation with human products.  Ultimately, some products inevitably get overlooked.  That is completely understandable as humans should be prioritized.  However, there needs to be a better system put in place.  They also need to look into banning some ingredients which have proven over time to be linked to serious health problems, like for example ethoxyquin (a preservative banned in human food), propylene glycol (a key component of antifreeze), and menadione (a form of vitamin K which is banned for human consumption and considered a toxin) just to name a few.

I'm not sure if you have any other dogs and are now looking for a new food.  If you are, I can highly recommend to you Nature's Variety Instinct, Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost, Merrick Grain Free, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness.  We rotate these for our dog, along with canned products from those manufacturers and raw food from Nature's Variety.  You can find all of these brands at Petco, and the Wilderness is also available at Petsmart if you have those stores in your area.  I won't lie, they are pricier than Beneful.  But, if you can afford them, they are very worth it, in my opinion.

[patycake56]

so sorry to hear that

[msmoneybags48]

I am sorry that your dog died.  Thanks for the warning about Beneful.  Hopefully people will pay attention to what their dog eats.  It is more than the name when it comes to those you love, even your beloved pet.

[sfreeman8]

I'm very sorry to hear of the loss of your furry friend.


I'm not sure if you have any other dogs and are now looking for a new food.  If you are, I can highly recommend to you Nature's Variety Instinct, Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost, Merrick Grain Free, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness.  We rotate these for our dog, along with canned products from those manufacturers and raw food from Nature's Variety.  You can find all of these brands at Petco, and the Wilderness is also available at Petsmart if you have those stores in your area.  I won't lie, they are pricier than Beneful.  But, if you can afford them, they are very worth it, in my opinion.

We are not planning on having another fur baby. If we were, we definitely would not feed any pet food. i would make my own. DH was so devastated by Abby's loss that he is depressed. She was his baby and he figured she'd be around for at least another 3-6 years.  I think he tries to be strong for me and vice versa....but it's twice as hard at night when he used to sit with her on the floor, hug, pet, and talk to her.  That's when it hits him the most. During the day he has a lot to do so it keeps his mind occupied.

We will work through it eventually and I thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

[potluck6]

Sorry to hear about your dog.I have a brown lab 10yrs old so I know in the nest few years he may get sick. I feed him purina dog food and Pedigree thanks for the info on benifull.Smetimes canned dog food like alpo or mighty dog . He seems to have allergies and gets ear infections on and off. He really is a house dog stays inside more then out .I often tell him my problems he does understands and is very sweet.

[jwallbank]

I'm Sorry to hear the loss of your dog!! I know how a pet can become one of the family! We have had 6 dogs and all but, one has been great addition to our family.! I felt sorry for the one that we had to put down but, she had been getting more and more vicious - going after the Children. We even took about 3 mos going to doctors seeing what could be wrong. The other 5 we have had were all either off the street or from a Shelter, they seem to be the best because they know what they had been missing having a loving home. I thank you for the information on the Pet Food - It is a shame that there isn't more that the Dept of AG can do on this matter.

[BlackSheepNY]

I've been away for a bit because I wanted to try and find the reason for her kidney failure.

Lo and Behold...it turns out it was probably the dog food. We were feeding her Beneful. I found a newspaper article that explained the symptoms and she had ALL of them, not all the time, not in the same order, and not at the same time.  Yet, this dog food was never recalled by the FDA. Purina One Beyond has been recalled and it's notice is posted on the FDA website. Too bad the Purina Company chooses to ignore Beneful. There has been 644 pets that have either died or were lucky enough to have their sickness caught in time.

I just want to warn others about this just in case they know someone who feeds their pet Beneful. It may save them. 

  I really don't like hearing about this.  It hurts to lose a best friend this way and it disgusts me that this kind of thing even happens.  I am very sorry for your loss!  Have you reported this dog food to the FDA?  On their homepage, if you click on the Tab named "Animal and Veterinary," there is a link on the right hand side of that page under "Recalls and Alerts" called "How To Report A Pet Food Complaint."  I think they should be made aware of what happened to Abby and what dog food she was eating.  Beneful is a very popular brand and I would certainly be afraid that many other animals could suffer the same fate.

[jonhall37]

sorry to hear, i just now saw this post....pets can be like your own children,....

[hotcocoa]

Thank you so much for the heads up and I'm terribly sorry about your dog.  A while back a professional dog trainer was here and pointed to my big bag of Beneful and told me not to feed my dog this as it is not healthy.  I didn't know about Purina?  He told me Taste of the Wild and Blue were good brands.  I started to buy Taste of the Wild, but can't afford it.  I think I'm back to Purina, maybe not for long.  I love my little guy.

[nannycoe1]

So sorry for your loss. I am glad that you found out what happen and can maybe warn others.

[bowrunner]

I am so sorry that you lost your dog, Abby.  That is so sad and it's even worse that it was caused by the dog food.  I have always trusted Purina.  I have used Beneful occasionally in the past with no problem but obviously there is a problem with it.  Again, I'm so very sorry.

[remediagirl]

So very sorry for your loss of a family member. Try not to feel guilty about what you fed her. Not many people eat healthy and even more don't understand what they are feeding their pets. I send you many warm thoughts and much love in this hard time. 

[mjoseph1]

i want to offer my condolences, sorry for your loss