Beneful Prepared Meals (Wet)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Beneful Prepared Meals wet-packaged dog food earns the Advisor’s below-average rating of 2 stars.

The Beneful product line lists eight prepared meals, all designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth of puppies and adult maintenance.

  • Beneful Prepared Meals Beef Stew
  • Beneful Prepared Meals Chicken Stew
  • Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Beef Entree
  • Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley
  • Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Chicken Recipe
  • Beneful Prepared Meals Beef and Chicken Medley
  • Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Chicken Medley
  • Beneful Prepared Meals Savory Rice and Lamb Stew

Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 46% | Fat = 9% | Carbs = 37%

Ingredients: Water sufficient for processing, turkey, wheat gluten, liver, corn, meat by-products, corn starch, wild rice, peas, barley, artificial and natural flavors, calcium phosphate, salt, soy flour, potassium chloride, added color, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, vitamin A supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, potassium iodide, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite, biotin

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis10%2%NA
Dry Matter Basis46%9%37%
Calorie Weighted Basis43%21%36%

The first ingredient in this dog food is water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.

The second ingredient is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1

Like most meats, turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life. This is a quality ingredient.

The third ingredient includes wheat gluten… the rubbery residue remaining once wheat has had most of its starchy carbohydrate (the good stuff) washed out of it.

Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins low in some of the essential amino acids dogs need to sustain life.

This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.

The fourth item is liver. Normally, a named liver ingredient can be a nutritious component. However, in this case, the source species of the liver is unknown. Generic. It could come from almost anywhere.

For this reason, this item cannot be considered a quality ingredient.

The fifth item lists corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.

The sixth item lists meat by-products… slaughterhouse waste. This is what’s left of slaughtered animals after all the prime cuts have been removed.

In a nutshell, meat by-products are the unsavory leftovers of processing considered by many “unfit for human consumption”.

What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal. So, this meat can even come from almost anywhere… even diseased or dying livestock.

Although meat by-products can be high in protein, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this a quality item.

The seventh ingredient mentions corn starch… a starchy powder extracted from endosperm found at the heart of a kernel of corn. Cornstarch is most likely used here to thicken the broth into a gravy.

The eighth is wild rice. Wild rice is usually added as a whole grain and is especially rich in protein and dietary fiber.

Peas are considered a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re loaded with natural fiber.

Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With one notable exception…

The minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

Beneful Prepared Meals Dog Food
The Bottom Line

It’s a real shame this Beneful Prepared Meals dog food does so little to live up to its exceptionally beautiful packaging.

Yet as you can see from its ingredients, this kibble would surely not be one of our favorites.

In any case, it’s still beneficial to estimate the amount of meat present in this food before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46%, a fat level of 9% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 37%.

As a group, the Beneful Prepared Meals product line presents an average protein content of 48% with a fat reading of 9%.

Above-average protein. Very low fat. And above-average carbs… as compared to a typical canned dog food.

When you consider the presence of the protein-boosting wheat gluten, this is the profile of a canned product containing at least a moderate amount of meat.

Yet the inclusion of its generic meat by-products prompts us to downgrade this dog food to a lower category.

Bottom line?

Beneful Prepared Meals is primarily a meat-based canned dog food using a fair amount of inexpensive meat by-products as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand two stars.

Not recommended.

Those looking for a comparable kibble from this same company may want to check-out our review of Beneful Dry Dog Food.

A Final Word

This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in a specific health benefit for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.

Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Other spellings: Beniful

Notes

11/07/2009 Original review
05/18/2010 Review updated
01/30/2011 Review updated (no changes)
01/30/2011 Last Update

  1. Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • LabsRawesome

     Hi Julie, Beneful is not a good food. Also this site is a dog food review site,and is not going to compensate you for anything. There is probably a phone# on the container. You will have to contact the manufacturer. Here is a link to a good canned dog food. It is available at Walmart, and Target. There is a list of other stores on the site as well. http://www.varietypetfoods.com/where-to-buy-homestyle-recipes/

  • Julie

    Well my dogs just love the wet beneful dog food but the
    other day I opened one up and it was moldy, so kinda skeptical about giving them the food again. How can you compensate me for this. I buy alot for my 2 dogs.

  • darth mutt

    Beneful isn’t all that good for your dog, but to add insult to injury my dog didn’t even eat the whole thing!

  • Toxed2loss

    Tulik,
    I too, urge you to listen to what Shawna is saying. My area of interest is toxins. The kidneys and liver are the major detoxification centers of the body. If your vet is recommending a low protein diet based on his belief that high protein is harder on the kidneys, I find that horribly misguided. The thing he should be looking at here is “reducing toxins” to reduce the work the kidneys have to do! This food is chock full of excitotory neurotoxins by process.

  • monkey

    This food is absolutely horrible for any dog. PLEASE listen to Shawna.

  • Shawna

    By the way, I would NEVER put my dog with kidney disease on this food.  It would kill her.  Drs Foster and Smith mention a “protein that is more digestible (therefore producing fewer nitrogen byproducts).”  This food, because of the wheat gluten, the meat-by-products and several other ingredients would create more “nitrogen byproducts” then quality protein…  You’ve been duped :(

  • Shawna

    Tulik ~~ I’m so sorry to have to say this but I think your vets are seriously misinformed.  Protein does not damage the kidneys.  In fact, protein does not need to be restricted in kidney disease until the later stages of the disease or in protein is in the urine (indicating inflammation).  They have known this now for over 10 years.  I don’t expect you to believe me so here are quotes from a vet and two animal nutritionists.

    1.  Drs Foster and Smith  “Does high protein cause kidney disease? No. This myth probably started because, in the past, patients with kidney disease were commonly placed on low-protein (and thus low-nitrogen) diets. Today, we often put them on a diet that is not necessarily very low in protein, but instead contains protein that is more digestible (therefore producing fewer nitrogen by-products). “  http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=459#answer_7

    2.  Nutritionist Mary Straus – writes nutrition articles for Whole Dog Journal and other publications/magazines.  She had a dog with kd and is a moderator of one of the yahoo kidney groups.  This page has WAY TOO many references to quote from but the article is titled “Is a Low-Protein Diet Desirable or Necessary for Dogs with Kidney Disease?”  http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneyprotein.html

    3.  This is from Lew Olson PhD Natural Nutrition owner of Rottie Bean who was born with kideny disease and also a moderator of one of the yahoo kidney groups.  “The anatomy and digestive process of dogs are designed to most easily digest animal fat and protein. Dogs perform best on animal based products. Studies have shown you cannot feed a dog too much protein.”   http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/dogs-and-protein/

    I am also the owner of a dog that was born with kidney disease.  Symptoms appeared before she was weaned and official diagnosis happened at one year of age.  She has been on a HIGH protein raw diet her entire life and is now 5 and 1/2 years old and in EXCELLENT health.  No drugs ever, no fluids ever etc.. 

  • tulik

    I have fed my various dogs over the years only high end dry/wet dog foods but they are so high in protein the Vets are telling me after reviewing the results of routine blood work to lower the protein intake because the high protein is affecting the kidney functions and as i sat in the vets office i heard it told to patients over and over to lower the protein intake.  I switched at least their wet food to something they would eat and they love Beneful prepared meals but i still buy high end dry food that is available to them at all times.  My suggestion to all of you is to be sure to get your dogs blood work done on a yearly bases to be able to monitor the true effect of the food.  Of course any reaction to a food is a reason to switch but i don’t believe any more that you must give them high end dog food…as long as the blood work is fine and there are no allergies.  And those dogs allergic to this food is probably allergic to  many things so be sure to have their thyroid checked as well as routine blood work. 

  • April Oliveira-Kean

    I think this food is horrible for your pets , my parents feed their large breed dogs Beniful food and I think its discusting , her one dog is almost 3 she only eats 1 wet food a day with 2 cups of hard food both beniful and the dog is almost 60lbs over weight , her other dog isn’t that large maybe just 55lbs but she is in rough shape for her age , and I honestly think it has something to do with the food , my dog is 56lbs and 8 years old same age as my mothers dog , mine is on holistic food and a good diet , she is in awesome shape , she is excersised just as much and mine has next to no health problems since i got her , I honestly think people should look into the dog food they buy … if you really love your pet like a part of your family then treat them like they are

  • Aimee

    i fed my dog beneful not knowing anything about dog nutrition. but after all of my research, i will never feed my baby this crap again.

  • Mike P

    7 red items Phil …beneful is poison ..what you pay for that crap you can do much better

  • Jonathan

    Phillip, you said

    “You can see everything that is in the wet so I really don’t see what the issue is. It’s meat, veggies, rice and gravy.”

    well, buddy, what “meat” are we talking about here? there are little flakes of turkey here and there, but those strange lumps… those are gross. That is where the meat by-products are pressed (probably with the wheat gluten) into those nasty little lumps. Don’t confuse those little lumps with actual meat. The added color here is to hide how unattractive it would really look.

  • Phillip

    I haven’t had any problems with the wet food but I definitely had a problem with the dry…my puppy started getting rashes on her lady parts! not cool at all. I had actually bought both because puppies sometimes have trouble switching to dry food, so, i would mix the two together. Once I noticed she was having a negative reaction I stopped feeding her the dry….not really sure why but for some reason I just knew it was the dry food…I think it’s just something about dog food having food coloring in it. The rashes stopped! …until one day I came home and she had it in her dish….mmm hmmm….yeah my boyfriend had given her the food, not realizing that I had stopped. Yep, just like clockwork, the rash started re-appearing, within 24 hours. So I have no doubt that it was the food causing these allergies. I’ve continued with the wet because my little girl loves it but if I could find something organic and as flavorful and keeps my dogs coat shiny I would have no problem switching. You can see everything that is in the wet so I really don’t see what the issue is. It’s meat, veggies, rice and gravy. Don’t know about anyone else but if I had to make a dog food those are the things I would put in it. I think just like every other living thing, every dog is different. My dog didn’t die from the food and actually didn’t even seem to be bothered by the rashes. More then anything it just bothered me. I’m not a fan of the dry food but if you think it’s worth it for you to try it, knock yourself out. My cousin has been using it for years and he swears by it. So, like I said, everyone’s different ;)

  • Jonathan

    Why “organic”? there aren’t many organic dog foods out there. What other foods have you tried? Have you given Wellness Core a shot? or Blue Buffalo canned foods? They have Turducken, Chicken Pot Pie, Thanksgiving Feast, Back Yard BBQ, Irish Lamb Stew… if your dog won’t eat any of those meat-filled yummy foods, then I don’t know what to tell you. All i know is that this stuff is garbage.

  • helen crowther

    the only reason I give my dog beneful wet food is because she wont eat organic food

  • Leslie Ann Holbrook

    We have a small terrier mix (13 pounds, looks like Toto) who developed rashes after we switched her to Beneful Prepared Meals. When we took her to our vet to have the rashes looked at, she said that this was the third dog she’d seen *that day* that had come in itching after having switched to Beneful. Caveat emptor.