I saw an interesting pattern of the people who swore by Beneful, most of them have not done any research besides what the vet has told them or what they saw in the commercial. Most claim their dogs to be healthy, but I know from experience, most people cannot tell a difference between a healthy dog and one that has obvious issues from eating crappy food.
I've been pet-sitting on/off the last 12+ years and I've seen dogs and cats with problems that people tend to overlook because they consider it a normal part of being a dog/cat. For example obesity, dental problems, frequent ear infections, dull/greasy coats, lethargy just to name a few. Cats most often struggle with kidney issues as well as urinary crystals due to being fed high carb, dry food their entire lives.
I recently watched a 10 year old cat with progressive kidney disease, she was put on prescription dry food which is mostly made up of corn and peanut hulls, along with daily subcutaneous fluids to re-hydrate her to maintain somewhat stable kidney function. I found it mind-boggling to see an obviously intelligent owner who meant well, blindly follow a very poor advice from a vet by feeding dry food to a cat with compromised kidneys, dehydrating her further in the process. All I could do was suggest an alternative course and leave a can of EVO canned cat food. She seemed very hesitant about my advice and said that the canned food was probably not a good idea because it was "high protein". It's incredibly sad to see animals that are suffering in the hands of misinformed owners.
So anyways, back to the topic. The above mentioned vet posted a response to all the Beneful comments by stating the following which I found very interesting. Particularly since I've come across a lot of naysayers that claim pet companies do not influence vet students while they are in school.
Here's an honest response and I really appreciate, it's a rarity to come across a vet that is willing to think outside the bubble and actually care about something as vital as nutrition when it comes to animals long term health. :
-I am a licensed and practicing veterinarian.
-I started this very thread on the dangers of Beneful.
-I graduated 10 years ago from the number 2 vet school in the nation.
-We as veterinary students received virtually no internal nutritional training.
-Nutritional education we received was from Hill’s Science Diet, Iams and Purina.
-Hill’s, Iams and Purina not only provided us as poor vet students with free food for our pets for the 4 years of veterinary school, but they sponsored major events, scholarships, educational meetings and provided us with endless freebees. Their support during our hardest times made veterinarian’s feel obligated to recommend these companies.
-Hill’s, Iams and Purina sponsor extremely expensive booths at veterinarians’ continuing education meetings, continuing to demonstrate their “strength” in the pet food market.
-I learned from my own trial and error, first on my own pets, then on the numerous dogs I rescue, how high quality diet plays a critical role in the health of our pets.
-Now in this practice I purchased 18 months ago, I have personally seen the significant effects that good nutrition can make. I started my campaign against Beneful, because about 80-90% of my dog owners in this practice were feeding it and thinking they were doing right by their dogs.
-Since we have started promoting good nutrition in this practice, I have seen about a 75% decline in my ear, skin and allergy cases. A decrease in medical cases is not good for our bottom line, but as I have learned on my own pets, nutrition is key for their overall well being. Overall, my patients are healthier, my clients are happier, and I sleep better at night knowing this.
-Please, if you learn nothing more from reading this, be an informed consumer for your pets. If you need to research pet foods, consult http://
You can read more responses and show your support on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Southwest-Pet-Hospital/171020129603271
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