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I have been feeding my daughter's dog Beneful for a while and since it was time to restock I decided to check online if there were better alternatives at a reasonable price. I was shocked to find the huge number of websites that listed Beneful as one of the very WORST dog foods available with detailed explanations as to why. Even Purina One which is made by the same company is considered a better alternative.
In a nutshell Beneful is primarily comprised of cheap ingredients that have been supplemented by additives to make the nutritional analysis look good and the food appetizing to your dog. If you look carefully at the ingredient list, they actually add SUGAR and SALT amongst other nasty things (that is why Beneful is appetizing to dogs despite the junk it is made from one website even compared Beneful to crack for dogs). The main ingredient is Corn which is not easily digestible by dogs. There is no real meat (only meat byproducts) which appear way down the list.
This probably explains why the dog is constantly hungry (despite the fact I feed more than prescribed) and is always itching.
The problem is how to replace this with a better brand without breaking the budget. To my pleasant surprise, with some research I was able to locate a few brands that are comparable in price pound for pound and not only have a much better ingredient list but are rated much higher by the various independent dog food review sites out there. It is amazing that Beneful with its cheap junk ingredients can dupe people into paying as much as dog foods which are made of real meat as the primary ingredients.
Anyway I found at least two on Amazon that looked really good (there were others but these are the ones I saved):
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult Dry Fog Food, 35-Pound Bag
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Dry Dog Food for Senior Dog, Chicken Flavor, 35 Pound Bag
Both of these at the time of this review were about $40 for a 35lb bag (which is actually cheaper than Beneful per pound!) and eligible for Super Saver/Prime shipping. I ordered the latter and will update once I see how the dog likes it.
Update Dec 4, 2012: I ended up ordering the Chicken Soup for the Soul food as a replacement and am quite pleased. The results were very noticeable. My daughter's dog within a few days stopped being constantly hungry and I could feed less and she would be just as happy and energetic. The itching has gone. No more Beneful for me.
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