Purina Beneful is Toxic?

On February 5th in Contra Costa County, California, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of dog owners.  The lawsuit alleges that the dry “kibble”  produced by Purina’s Beneful brand contains propylene glycol (a component in antifreeze) and mycotoxins (toxins produced by mold) , resulting in as many as 3,000 dogs' illness or death.

Frank Lucido, the pet parent of three dogs: a German Shepard, an English Bulldog, and a Labrador Retriever, purchased a bag of Beneful dog food in December 2014. He noticed after just two weeks that his German Shepard exhibited signs of poisoning.  After an examination by his vet, it was confirmed that the dog had internal bleeding, a compromised stomach and liver, which are symptoms consistent with poisoning.
In January Lucido’s wife found their beloved English Bulldog in the yard and he had sadly passed away.  The English Bulldog also tested positive for the same poisoning symptoms.  The Lucido’s took their Lab to the vet so that he could also been treated for the same poisoning symptoms—possibly saving his life.

Because of his experience and that of 3,000 other dog owners, Lucido filed a class action law-suit to try to compensate the owners for their vet expenses and to get the dog food removed from the market.  Testing by a third party lab confirmed the presence of mycotoxins, most likely from mold in the grain.  Other sources say that the propylene glycol, used to keep the food moist, is also a known toxin that was used to be in cat food until it was outlawed.

While we wait for the outcome of this case, dog experts are warning dog owners to check the Dog Food Advisor site and avoid food that has less than a 4 star rating.