Product Review: Purina Beneful Simmered Beef Entree

As an owner of two dogs, I'm always on the lookout to see what the industry is going to bring out next. I'm not a trend watcher so much as a consumer who has a certain amount of cynicism about what companies will do to earn a dollar. Don't get me wrong, last year's tainted pet food scare and my Westi-Poo's sudden skin irritation forced me to consider that maybe the food I'd been giving her wasn't so good. I tried my own home made raw food diet for her with success, and then discovered the source of her skin problem wasn't dietary. I'm now back to using dry, but supplementing it with a smattering of raw veggies or meat or even the occasional canned food depending on availability and budget.

Now let me say that I've never been big on canned food for my pets. I raised my eyebrows when I saw the ads for this product and when I saw it on the grocer's shelf. Like any dog owner who has done a bit of research on dog nutrition and health, I know that most vets do not recommend a strictly canned food diet. This is partly because dogs need something crunchy to help maintain proper dental hygiene. So first off, I would not use this product as the only food product for your dog.

Purina's new product, Beneful Simmered Beef Entree comes in an attractive see-through re-sealable plastic container. This package contains enough food to feed one adult 10-12 lb. dog for a whole day. It comes with a foil seal which preserves the product until the consumer opens it. Once open, the product can be re-sealed and refrigerated until its next use.

My sucky Westi-poo and my energetic Jack Russell Terrier were my taste testers for this product. As with all food that goes into their bowl, they first gave it the sniff test. Both dogs sniffed and licked their chops. When the bowls hit the floor, my dogs weren't shy about digging in. Time to snarf down their dinner: two minutes (and I'm being generous). They really liked it.

I can't say that I blame them. The Simmered Beef Entree looks good enough to eat (indeed the person at the trade show jokingly suggested that I feed some to my husband). It has chunks of beef, as well as carrot, barley, wild rice and spinach. This is not your average dog's dog food. It's gourmet dog food. The sauce is thick. Beneful Simmered Beef Entree is an attractive dog food with no "dog food stink". How it comes out on your dog's other end, on the other hand is something less than desirable.

I have to admit that I like the convenience factor; I don't have to go rooting through my cutlery drawer for the can opener. This would be a great factor to sales and would encourage elder folks who just don't have the muscle strength to open cans any more. I'm rather surprised that the marketing geniuses at Purina didn't consider that demographic in their advertising campaigns.

What would be a real deterrent to purchasing this product, though, is the cost. At $1.99 each USD (or approx $2.15 CDN) this product is almost double the cost of many basic "canned" dog food, which just goes to show you who Purina is marketing to. People with money, people who don't have the strength to open cans, people who are big on convenience and people who think of their dog as another family member who deserves the "good stuff" too. The packaging is recyclable, thankfully, or re-usable for other items (provided you clean it).

Overall rating: For taste: 4 paws, For convenience: 4 paws. For price: 1 paw.