Search Results for 'Blue Buffalo'

Dog Food Advisor Forums Search Search Results for 'Blue Buffalo'

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  • #191089
    Pet Foods C
    Participant

    The best dog food for weight loss is a formula with high protein, low fat, and fiber-rich ingredients. Brands like Blue Buffalo Life Protection Healthy Weight and Wellness CORE Reduced Fat are top choices. https://www.petfoodscare.com/best-dog-food-for-weight-loss/

    Choosing the right dog food for weight management is crucial for the health and longevity of your pet. Dogs, like humans, require a balanced diet to lose weight safely and effectively. A high-quality weight loss dog food not only helps with reducing and maintaining a healthy weight but also ensures that your pet gets all the necessary nutrients for overall health.

    #189232
    April A
    Participant

    Hello Christopher,

    Seeing how dedicated you are to finding the best food for your adorable Cavachon is lovely! As a proud dog parent, selecting the proper nutrition for your furry companion is a top priority.

    When choosing the perfect food for your Cavachon, there are a few factors to consider. Their breed, size, age, activity level, and any specific dietary needs play a role in determining the best option.

    Since you currently use pre-made store dog foods, you might want to explore premium brands prioritising high-quality, natural ingredients. Brands like Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, Orijen, and Blue Buffalo offer a range of options tailored to different dog breeds and needs.

    Also, watch for formulations that contain essential nutrients like protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Your veterinarian can provide valuable insights into your Cavachon’s unique nutritional requirements and guide you toward the most suitable choice.

    Ultimately, the best food for your Cavachon will keep them happy, healthy, and energetic. Regular exercise, ample fresh water, and regular vet check-ups complement a well-balanced diet.

    Your commitment to providing the best for your furry friend is truly heartwarming. Wishing you and your Cavachon many more joyful moments together! 🐾🐶

    #187355
    Jon S
    Participant

    Hi there! It’s great that you’re looking for affordable kibble options for your pup. Here are a few suggestions for grain-inclusive kibbles that might fit your budget:

    Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula: This kibble is made with high-quality protein sources and includes wholesome whole grains. It’s available in a variety of flavors and sizes, so you can choose the one that works best for your pup.

    Hill’s Science Diet Adult: This kibble is made with natural ingredients and includes a blend of antioxidants for immune support. It’s available in a variety of flavors and sizes and is designed to support digestive health.

    Diamond Naturals Adult: This kibble is made with high-quality protein sources and includes whole grains for energy. It’s available in a variety of flavors and sizes and is designed to support digestive and immune health.

    Nutro Wholesome Essentials Adult: This kibble is made with natural ingredients and includes whole grains for sustained energy. It’s available in a variety of flavors and sizes and is designed to support digestive and immune health.

    Remember to transition your pup slowly to any new food to avoid digestive upset. Good luck and I hope this helps! https://petpalace.uk

    #186594
    Chris S
    Participant

    My dog Gracie has 2 favorite treats that I would like to share & hope that Dog Food Adviser would check into whats good or bad about them:

    Blue Buffalo True Chews Natural Dog Treats, Chicken Bacon Recipe

    SmartBones Mini Bones with Real Chicken Rawhide-Free Chews

    She loves both of these. The Smart Bones really smell good enough that I havev been tempted to eat them also.

    Thanks!

    #186444
    Ana W
    Participant

    Hi! There are several options for affordable kibble that you may want to consider for your shepherd mix:

    Diamond Naturals: This brand offers several grain-inclusive options, such as chicken and rice, lamb and rice, and beef and rice. A 40-pound bag typically costs around $35.

    Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula: This brand offers several grain-inclusive options, such as chicken and brown rice, lamb and brown rice, and fish and brown rice. A 30-pound bag typically costs around $50.

    Victor Classic: This brand offers several grain-inclusive options, such as chicken and rice, beef and rice, and lamb and rice. A 40-pound bag typically costs around $35.

    Hill’s Science Diet: This brand offers several grain-inclusive options, such as chicken and barley, lamb and rice, and beef and brown rice. A 30-pound bag typically costs around $50.

    It’s always important to transition your dog to a new food slowly, to avoid upsetting their stomach. Start by mixing a small amount of the new food in with their current food and gradually increasing the amount over several days. Also, be sure to choose a formula that meets your dog’s specific nutritional needs based on their age, activity level, and any health issues they may have.

    aimee
    Participant

    Hi Patricia,

    As you stated AAFCO does not approve foods AAFCO writes model food law which individual states may or may not adopt and they set means of how a food can claim nutritional adequacy. They do not test or regulate food. That is the job of your state feed control official in conjunction with the FDA.

    But regulation oversite is sparse, and companies are free to claim things that are not true, like that their food meets an AAFCO nutrient profile when it does not, or that their food passed a feeding trial when they never conducted one, or that their food doesn’t contain X when it is made from X or that they only use free range humanely raised meats but source from conventional factory farms. Sometimes they get caught, like when Purina sued Blue Buffalo. but it wasn’t regulatory, more and more it is consumer driven class action suits trying to hold manufacturers accountable. The chance of oversite is virtually none.

    I never judge a food by its ingredient list or claims of human grade, responsibly sourced blah blah blah. I look to see if I think the company IMO has a minimal basic level of honesty and integrity as best as I can judge those qualities, and I don’t set the bar very high because I haven’t found a company yet that doesn’t fall short.

    Circling back to DCM, certain diets have been linked nutritional DCM, is the company “owning it” or are the making crap up to defend their profit? When megaesophagus was linked to a particular diet the company immediately pulled the food. That is what I want to see. If a company is putting out blatant misinformation and pseudoscience nonsense on their website and marketing materials than I don’t care what the label says, I won’t feed it

    #184870

    In reply to: Suggestions 4 food

    Maxima K
    Participant

    My vet recommended Purina pro plan after I had the same realization with blue Buffalo. My pup loves it and his coat looks noticeably better since switching.
    /dog-food-reviews/ wordle unlimited purina-veterinary-diets-ha

    #184504
    Beach B
    Participant

    This thread is years old, but it came up in a 2022 search while I was researching my poor puppy who has similar symptoms. I had thought the Rachel Ray was healthy, but each time she is fed the chicken & rice wet food she throws up & has bloody diarrhea. I am now convinced it ‘s something in the RR food that doesn’t agree with her as she can have similar food by Blue Buffalo with no problem. We need to investigate the cause of this so no more pets can be harmed by this food!

    #184116
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    My best advice for you is to listen to your vet’s advice! Blue Buffalo has had their fair share of lawsuits . Their ingredient panel did not match what is actually in the bag. They do not employ a board-certified animal or veterinary nutritionist.

    The “big 5” employ full time experts, do feed trials and own their own facilities. They include, Royal Canin, Iams, Purina, Hills and Eukanuba.

    We all need to give veterinarians more credit when it comes to nutrition!

    Hope your pup improves with a new diet. I feed Purina One to my pups with great success.

    #184110
    Lisa T
    Participant

    Hi, first time posting on here but I’m kind of at my wits end. This is going to be long but I really need some advice here.

    So I have a 14 month old Cane Corso/German Shepherd/Great Dane/ Rotty/Lab/Pitbull mix. She’s a mouthful, I know. She favors heavily on the German Shepherd side and is currently 63lbs with the vet thinking she could comfortably get up to 10lbs heavier. Since she was a puppy she has been a picky eater – with me going through about 5 brands of puppy food until she actually showed interest in Blue Buffalo. When she became an adult I transitioned her to adult Blue Buffalo adult and she would eat, but she’s not a heavy eater daily. The vet told me not to worry about it because she was proper weight.

    Come to the present and she just had her routine physical exam and her yearly labs. The vets told me she had elevated levels in certain things but not to worry about it and that she had a severe UTI. I got the medicine for her, she’s been taking it with relucatance. Once I looked at the paperwork and started to lookup exactly what she was elevated in for her labs, everything had to do with her liver. Which, to me, seems like something I should maybe worry about. Anyways the vet also stated I should change her dog food from Blue Buffalo to a different brand and gave me no reasons. Just a list of what they recommend, which seems to all be owned by the big 3 food companies. As I researched her elevated levels and what they meant, her UTI, and the request to change the dog food, it all seems to point to maybe she can’t handle a high protein diet.

    So my long winded question for suggestions is : anyone know of a low – medium protein dog food that I can try? I know fish recipes tend to be the better option for this and I have successfully transitioned her from Blue Buffalo to Natural Balance salmon and brown rice and she doesn’t like it. She eats here and there but would prefer to not eat until she goes to a family members house where they have not so good dog food down for their dogs.

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Yvonne K
    Participant

    Thank you Marcia H for the information you provided specifically for communicating several recalls on blue Buffalo and how the diamond brand is terrible. I have been looking for an alternative dog food for my three year old golden doodle that has struvite crystals and constant ear infections. She is currently on royal Canin urinary SO and it helps with the struvite crystals but certainly doesn’t keep her ears from getting infected and I clean them daily. The Cytopoint injections help but the cost is prohibitive. My vet hasn’t been too helpful in narrowing down the best choice for my dog, so thank you very much for your input. It is very much appreciated.

    MARCIA H
    Participant

    Hi, First off, thank you for providing this forum and your recall system. That in particular is invaluable.

    I have studied dog food, nutrition, and health as an admin on a popular dog food group for nine years but stepped down and away from the group in January. I’ve worked in the medical field my entire life.

    I have problems with some of the foods you listed in your Top Dry Dog Foods. First up, Blue Buffalo. They have had several recalls in the past. Listed ingredients include: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oatmeal, etc. First off, I noticed several foods, including Wellness Core, which you rate highly, use brown rice as a second or third ingredient. All U.S. rice, brown, white, or organic, is naturally contaminated with arsenic in the hulls, so I refuse to feed my dog anything with rice in it. Rice is only a cheap filler anyway, so you’re losing zero nutrition when you cut it out.

    Also, you have many foods in your Top Dry Dog Foods that rely heavily on grains. Look at Blue above: Brown rice (see above), barley, oatmeal, and the list goes on. Our dogs don’t need grains. They’re carnivores, not chickens. There are many dog foods who use cheaper grains like corn (that would be moldy hog corn), soy, wheat, etc. NONE of these are good for your dogs. Grain-free foods are best.

    Orijen and Acana were wonderful foods when they were all made in Canada. Since they built a factory in Kentucky, the food’s quality has greatly declined and, before I left the group I referenced above, I saw many. many dogs get very sick or worse from eating Acana, Orijen, Blue Buffalo, Wellness & Wellness Core, and several more of the foods you have listed in your Top Ten.

    I’m not trying to cause trouble or be picky, I’m trying to share what I’ve learned about dog foods over the past nine years. Oh, and Diamond food and anything made by Diamond (like Taste of the Wild) — awful foods. Diamond has had several recalls and lots and lots of production issues. I wouldn’t recommend TOTW, Diamond, or anything else they produce.

    I could go on and on but wanted to shed some light on what I’ve already read. I hope this information will help at least one person.

    Dudley S
    Participant

    Weight Management, high fiber, chicken excluded, except in one (chicken fat OK – no proteins),

    multiple peas means the pea total could move it way up on ingrediants list, as #1 DCM concern, as of 2/2022

    Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Healthy Weight Adult Red Meat Dog Food Grain Free
    355 calories Protein Min 30.0 %, Fat Min 10.0 %, Fiber Max 10.0 %, chelate. taurine
    DCM – peas 3 in top 6 ingredients, grain free but taurine inclusive

    Avodarm ADVANCED HEALTHY WEIGHT, GRAIN FREE TURKEY MEAL FORMULA 380 calories, 10% fat, 10% max fiber, 28% protein, cheleate, taurin
    DCM – peas 2 of top 4, Grain free but taurine inclusive

    Blue Basic Healthy Weight Turkey & Potato Recipe , 329 calories, 9% min fat, 10% max fiber, 20% pro, taurine chelate
    DCM warning – peas 3 of first 8 but Grain and taurine inclusive

    Solid Gold Fit & Fabulous Low Fat/Low Calorie with Fresh Caught Alaskan Pollock Adult Dry Dog Food
    330, 10% max fiber, 8% fat, 25% pro taurine
    DCM – 2 peas in top 6, but grain and taurine inclusive

    NUTRO ADULT HEALTHY WEIGHT LAMB & BROWN RICE RECIPE – CHICKEN INCLUSIVE
    240 calories 8.5% fat 11% fiber max, 24% pro,
    DCM – peas not in top 6. grain and taurine inclusive

    Diamond CARE Weight Management Formula Adult Dry Dog Food lamb, 7% fat, 304 cal, 10% max fiber, 22% min pro taurine
    DCM , peas and lentils both in top 4, but grain and taurine

    #181526
    Mike M
    Participant

    I used to deliver all the top brands of dog food Blue Buffalo is the worst brand when it comes to recalls. I would never feed that to my dogs. I use Sprout naturals and have seen my dogs feces go from soft to pooping alot to more of a solid state. Than when I was using Ivet vet sold dog food. Me personally Fromm is expensive but is one of the leading brands very few recalls been in business over 100 years but myself 3 large dogs I wanted something cost effective and Sprout has delivered I’m very happy with it and so are my dogs

    #181324
    eli B
    Participant

    Hello, i’m new to this site and i don’t know if i’m posting correctly.

    I have a 2 year old goldedoodle, she’s been with TLC dog food since she was born. When we first got her I tried to change her food at the vets recommendation but she wouldn’t tolerate it. I tried the one the vet recommended (cant remember the name) and it didnt work. The vet told me to try a different one and i tried blue buffalo (it was the last “good” brand i had tried years ago when i had a dog). Both she rejected with bloody endless stools. I was introducing it little by little. I figured we could wait a bit until her stomach matured a bit. Randomly she starts throwing up last month and again this month. I figured it must be her food since she only goes on walks and hasnt eaten anything weird. I tried introducing a new food (Science diet) last week but she started with bloody stools again.

    Do i have to keep on until she stops and gets used to it?
    Is there a better way to introduce new food?

    kind responses will be appreciated 🙂

    #175221
    Leslie P
    Participant

    I bought a large bag of Blue Buffalo Small Breed Dry Dog Food for my dog. Bought it on sale so had it for a couple of months before opening it. No rips or tears in bag and it was kept under ideal conditions. Expiry date is 2022. When I finally opened it and transferred some of the food to a smaller container, I found a huge hunk of mold. Only the one clump but it was disturbing. Contacted the retail store and the manufacturer but no one wanted to take responsibility or do anything about it. Has anyone ever encountered this problem before. I definitely am changing brands.

    #167777

    In reply to: secret ingredients

    Aoife H
    Participant
    #167752
    Aoife H
    Participant

    I think you should start giving Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Healthy Weight Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, this very healthy and cost efficient food. I read review about it on a website i hope this will help you!

    Renee A
    Participant

    I have always fed our dogs blue buffalo but want to change. I bought the canidae, wellness core and merrick in lamb. Our one dog is allergic to grains, chicken, etc. I just bought 3 small bags for them to try, Hoping they would like one over the other, lol. They liked all three.
    I can’t find online opinions that differ much. I did notice that the canned food in those lines are also more than Blue too.

    Does any one have opinions on these 3 with a highly allergic and sensitive tummy dog? Thank you.

    #167079
    Sara L
    Participant

    I can relate to all of your experiences. We are fostering a 3yo Australian Shepherd mix with this same problem. We bought Blue Buffalo Basics Sensitive Stomach and will see if that helps. We have given her Pepto Bismol when she is having an episode and it helps. We are going to try Pepcid and/or Tums too. This poor baby can’t keep missing meals due to this condition.

    #166463
    Suzanne K
    Participant

    my malchi is 5yrs old. Has high enzymes. Her bile test came back normal. Her ultrasound came back normal. But her enzymes kept going up! So I decided to change her food to blue buffalo & give her denamarin. Her enzymes has went from 1100 to 600! Nobody told me about changing her food! My question is Hills science diet liver care will help or digestive care? Thanks for your time

    #166260
    Amanda V
    Participant

    Hi,

    We have a 55 pound mixed breed pup who’s 2 years old. He has a very sensitive stomach and so far the only food he’s done well on is just food for dogs turkey and whole wheat pasta. We have been cooking fresh food for him for over a year but we travel a lot with him which makes it hard. We want to try a dry food but don’t know where to start. Before the fresh food we tried Purina, hills, blue Buffalo, etc. he was even on the vet’s chicken prescription food. Does anyone have any suggestions for dogs with similar stomachs? We are open to regular dry or dehydrated raw. With precious dry food he always had bathroom issues as well as would throw up fairly frequently, have itchy paws and need his anal glands expressed often. The fresh food fixed everything but the itchy paws and anal glands. Thanks in advance!

    kerry S
    Participant

    Hi Everyone,
    hoping someone here can provide some advice guidance/recommendations. I have a 13 yr old Shiba whom we just adore, who started having major vomiting /eating grass issues last April. We had him do rounds of tests at a bad vet with no resolution. I suspected he might have food allergies and got him on a protein he had not eaten and food that was grain free. He did GREAT ont his new food majority of the covid summer (had him on Just food for dogs DIY Venison and Squash).
    He recently had a very bad episode of vomiting, loose stool and no appetite in November. We got him to the emergency vet and their team there recommended we put him on Ultamino by royal canin for IBD. He eats the kibble but itches and itches/licks his paws 45mins after feeding, and he’ll do this for quite some time (1-2hours sometimes more). I think something in the food is irritating him, but I don’t know what.
    I called the vet and she just said to try a different food. However all the Royal canin Hydrolyzed brands seem to have the same ingredients… I can try a different brand… Does any one know of any Limited ingredient Hydrolyzed protein foods? He’s allergic to grains , chicken and beef (those are the ones I know of)
    Blue Buffalo makes one (Hydrolyzed Salmon, grain fee, preservative free) , but the vet said there is no science or verified results on that brand that is proven effective for IBD and that the ingredients I think I am getting might not actually be the ingredients I am getting… I heard allergy tests are not reliable. Any advise would be much appreciated! I feel like I am running out of time to get him better since he’s a senior pup
    many thanks!
    Ker

    • This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by kerry S.
    #161714
    Ken M
    Participant

    The evening news, on 20 September 2020, announced there was a recall on certain types of Blue Buffalo dog foods. I didn’t hear them say which ones or provide any other details. I had just got home from shopping with two bags of Blue Buffalo. Does anyone have any more details? I checked into the “Recalls” section here but saw nothing relevant. TIA. Ken

    #156255
    Rachelle B
    Participant

    My pup Walden just turned 4 recently. For the majority of the first two years of his life, he was on a Nutro chicken food, then a Blue Buffalo duck food. Then he started having issues with acid reflux, throwing up bile almost every single day. The vet recommended Hills I/D, I switched to that, and for almost two years Walden’s issues we’re almost non-existent (bile thrown up once a week at max). Back in November, he had what I believe I’ve researched and understood as an HGE. He suddenly had started to not be able to control his pooping, and was vomiting and pooping everywhere constantly. The vet found inflammation in his intestines in the x-rays and put him on Fortiflora and Metronidazole for I believe 10 days. I’d never had him on the Metronidazole, so I started the Fortiflora and was trying to start the Metro a couple days later over the weekend so I would be home and could see how he reacted to it. Well the next day the presence of blood appeared in the vomit and poop and he was very weak, so I rushed him to the vet immediately and they gave him a shot of penicillin and fluids I believe. He immediately started getting better and I finished up the antibiotics and Fortiflora.

    After finally somewhat getting over the fear it was going to happen again, this February I started trying to transition him to a Hill’s Science Diet with chicken and after just a couple days of transitioning, I came home after Walden had been acting normal for days and he’d pooped all over the house again, this time however the blood was immediately there. I knew it had to be the same issue (even though the vet never found out the original issue) so I rushed him back there. They, like me, assumed it was the same issue (although they said the food change triggered it which I say is BS because that didn’t explain November), so rather than hundreds of dollars in the same tests as last time that showed nothing, gave him the same treatment, along with a diet of purely chicken and rice until his poop started firming up. I noticed after a few days his poop was still extremely runny, so instead of waiting, I started moving him back to his normal food. Poops started getting a ton better after less than a day off the rice.

    Once he recovered from that, in March I went into overdrive. I’ve got to figure out what’s wrong with my sweet boy. He’d been regurgitating his food every so often and just plain throwing it up a few other times, but otherwise seemed okay. I brought him into my vet (Thursday) before things got to the emergency point this time. I’d done my research beforehand and I was down to a few ideas, with IBD, a food allergy, or an ulcer being the top ideas. The vet agreed and figured the way he’d been acting, especially with his increased issues of throwing up bile (he couldn’t go more than 5 hours without food), that it seemed like an ulcer. She prescribed Sulcralfate and Prilosec, along with weekly vitamin B12 shots for 6 weeks then we could re-evaluate if those should continue or not. Walden got worse quicker than he got better within that next week. To a point that he wasn’t keeping his food down at all and throwing up way too much. I went to my vet clinic Saturday, my normal vet not being there. They said his anal glands looked infected but otherwise he looked fine. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. She suggested the I/D low fat and told me to “go ahead and just put him straight on it, it’s the same thing just lower fat”. Okay I’m no vet but I’m not an idiot, my dog is already extremely sick, I’m not adding an immediate transition to a completely different food (which by the way, did have completely different ingredients) that I don’t even think is going to work. Well they did nothing that day so I figured I’d keep him on his meds and pray he got better. Sunday rolled around and he was looking worse. He didn’t want to jump around like normal, refused to eat, was constantly throwing up, and I couldn’t stand it. I took him to the emergency vet and they did some blood tests and everything looked fairly normal, so I had the choice to have him stay overnight and see a specialist and get an ultrasound in the morning (almost $2k), or they could give him a shot of anti nausea medicine to get him through the night for me to get him into my normal vet the next day. I had already spent $1,500 since November at this point and my savings was almost gone, so I had to go with just the anti-nausea shot. After he had that, he did much better throughout the night, and acted fairly normal the next day. He slowly started to get back to normal but just couldn’t last very long without eating still (feeding routine was 8am, 1pm, 6pm, 11pm).

    When he’s gotten the blood tests at the emergency vet, they had noticed some levels that pointed towards the possibility of Addison’s Disease. This in my mind would be awful, but also I knew it was manageable in most dogs and it would finally explain all his problems, especially after he’d acted so much peppier with a shot of cortisone the day before his test. Well, one expensive test later with my vet and unfortunately it came back negative.

    My vet then referred me to a digestive specialist because that was really next steps, we’d exhausted a lot of things. The specialist was wonderful, but the options were a vitamin blood test and ultrasound, which was going to be almost $1k. At this point I’d spent my entire savings. And trust me, I’d go into debt if I knew I’d be finding a the answer, but I was so scared another test would go by and still nothing, with what I knew would have to be an endoscopy next, that there’s no way I could afford. The specialist was great and completely understood, and said really the top 2 things she thought it could be (which I agree still to this day) were a food allergy or IBD. We decided to treat it like a food allergy and she gave me Hills Z/D.

    Well, great news, I started transitioning Walden to Z/D over the course of 2 weeks (after the HGE incident I wasn’t taking any chances of switching him over too quickly). He started acting better as soon as he started getting that Z/D in his food (even though it was still mixed with his old). I then started checking out the ingredients more in I/D and I presumed that the #1 ingredient of rice and the main protein of chicken were what was the issue more than likely, because I just had a feeling he was very allergic to rice and I’ve always thought he has a slight sensitivity to chicken. A couple days ago he was fully transitioned to Z/D and ever since then he’s been acting much better. No more getting sick throughout the nights, he’s able to lay on his back and not choke on acid reflux coming up, and not to mention he WANTS to eat his food for the first time in at least 2.5 years.

    The only problem now is, I started noticing yesterday morning that his poop had a darkish mucus in it. I was worried it may be blood but chaulked it up to my overreacting. Well his second poop that day definitely had a presence of some sort of red mucus in it that looked like blood. It wasn’t much, normal pet parents probably wouldn’t of seen it, but I inspect Walden’s poops very carefully because of his past issues (I’m sure my neighbors are disgusted watching me carefully dig through 2-3 times a day). When I moved it around though, it definitely had more of just a mucus look than redness, just like a normal stomach irritation. He had only a little bit in his last night poop, but the same thing again in his morning poop today.

    I plan on talking to my vet again tomorrow about next steps, but I wanted some advice as well. Could this be his anal glands still being infected and causing small bits of blood (and I mean they’re very small, almost unoticeable… And his poops aren’t overly soft to where I would think this was another HGE yet)? Or could this be just because of the transition to his new food and it will more than likely go away? He’s acting completely normal and eating/drinking great or I’d be rushing him off to the emergency vet obviously (I even called them yesterday and they agreed to just keep an eye out for any worsening symptoms for now).

    #155437
    Lindsy O
    Participant

    Hi all, I have a 10 month old black lab/retriever mix who had a bladder infection about 2 months ago. After antibiotics, it was found he had crystals in his urine.

    My vet put him on Royal Canine Urinary S/O and it has been nothing but problems since. He is always starving, he stinks (I bath him almost every second day to keep the stench away), he is always peeing and drinking excessive amounts of water.
    We have his mother, who was on the gastro Royal Canine and was not doing well on it (not gaining weight). We switched her to blue buffalo dog food (it is a non dairy, no gluten more “holistic” dog food), and she has been thriving on it. We have been feeding her the recommended amount for her targeted weight and she looks so healthy, and with the royal canine brand she was so thin, you could feel her spine. She did not look healthy when she was on it, and he does not look healthy right now either. It looks like we do not feed him because he is so thin! When he reality, he is suppose to be eating 3 1/2 cups of food a day, and we have him on 6 to try and get his weight up.

    I have been trying to convince our vet to let us try another brand of urinanry food, as we cannot get one without her consent, and she won’t (she sells the royal canine and only the royal canine). When she told us our girl needed to gain weight, I asked if we could try another dog food and she got snippy and said “Just feed her more, she’s a hard to keep dog”.

    My question here is, I don’t think the royal canine is working well for my dogs. He is always starving, to the point he starting eating her feces to get more nutrients. If I were to switch to a brand that is not meant for urinary problems, is there anything I can do to try and prevent crystals? At this point, he has figured out how to get the garbage can over because he knows there is food in there, and he is starving all the time. He is a little ninja, and he is eating food other then the special urinary blend from the vet. She has told us we just need to put the garbage can away (we have no where else to put it), “watch him better” etc etc.

    I Should also mention, when he had the crystals we were living in a house with very very hard water. We have since moved to a town with a special water filtration system for the taps.

    I have seen tips on soaking the food in water, and getting cranberry supplements. I wanted to try the blue buffalo with him, and then bring him in for a urinary test in a month to see if he still had the crystals. Any other tips??

    #153919
    Devin G
    Participant

    I also mixed one of his small blue buffalo wilderness wet food containers in with it since he only had a tablespoon of it today mixed with his dry food. Excuse any typos I am using my cell phone! 🙂

    #153918
    Devin G
    Participant

    Hi everybody, this is my first post and I hope you cam give me helpful advice from your experience/knowledge. Please take it easy on me as I know how forums can be and how judgemental some users are. I am not experienced with this site so I apologize if this does not apply to you guys and gals! I just want my dog to be healthy and live as long as possible!

    I have a question about homemade dog food. I have read books and researched the web to come up with a homemade diet for my dog. He is an Australian Terrier/Chihuahua mix that is approx 5 years old.

    These are the ingredients I used tonight for his food tonight and please give any tips and knowledge you have about these. I wont go into too much detail and exact amounts used to save time but here is what I put together:

    Lean ground turkey (lightly cooked with coconut oil)
    Broccoli heads (lightly cooked in bone broth with the carrots)
    Carrot (minced and lightly cooked in bone broth)
    Anchovies (very lightly cooked then chopped)
    1 egg (scrambled and cooked until just a little runny)
    2 egg shells powdered (added and mixed at the end)
    Little coconut oil
    Little vegetable oil
    Little bone broth
    1 small sweet potato microwaved and skin removed
    Little ground ginger

    These are the ingredients and unwould appreciate any feedback. I used amounts close to what I found in books and from a Vet recommendation. I would really appreciate any experience with these ingredients you have regarding a dogs health. My dog weighs around 12lbs so I would also appreciate how much you would feed this weight daily. I mixed some with his blue buffalo dry food tonight as to not upset his tummy. I know broccoli can cause gas and has an ingredient not good in large amounts so I went light on it and only used the green tips.

    Thank you in advance for any advice!

    #153002
    Nicole A
    Participant

    Hi all,

    I have a six month old mix who will likely be around 55 pounds full grown (he is currently 37). He loves all of his treats, but will not touch his Science Diet Puppy Chicken & Barley food. We tried mixing it with Science Diet wet food, which he likes a little better, but still won’t eat most of the kibble.

    We has him on Blue Buffalo Puppy food, but he was having diarrhea and the vet suggested we transition away from it because of the high fat content.

    I am overwhelmed by all of the puppy food choices. Any suggestions for a puppy who is bored of mealtime with a sensitive stomach?

    Thanks in advance for any advice!!

    We have a seven pound Maltese mix and two almost 15 month old Chiweenies, 13 & 14 pounds. I’m having great difficulty trying to find healthiest, safest foods for them. We are currently feeding all three Click to open expanded view
    Blue Buffalo Wilderness Small Breed Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Small Breed Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food By Blue Buffalo but I don’t think they should all be eating the same thing. What do you advise? It’s very difficult trying to figure it out on your web site. Thanks

    #152146

    In reply to: Outlaw Dog Food

    Dan B
    Member

    Outlaw is a very good dogfood. I believe the more expensive ones feel threatened by them. Although Dogfood Advisor claims that they do not review them because they are not national. Bunk! More that half of the over hyped very expensive brands are not any better. If you can get some try it out. Do not believe “Blue Buffalo” is all that there is. Outlaw brand at Temple feed in Temple Texas is like 36 bucks or so for 50 lbs. You should try it out. And Dogfood Advisor, you should rate it. In the past I have sent you In gredient lists. Thank tiu

    #152132
    Lenny W
    Member

    Hi, I prefer to use Blue Buffalo or Rachael Ray Nutrish, u can read about the composition and purpose here

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Lenny W.
    • This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Lenny W.
    #143887
    GSDsForever
    Participant

    Dennis,

    IMO, just mine, I definitely think you should change brands from Blue Buffalo, both due to the concentrated legumes (be aware of “splitting,” which is found here — which is listing peas, but then separately all the separate parts of peas, which would otherwise be listed even higher in the ingredients) and the quality standards/control of the company.

    There are a number of more reputable companies (my opinion) out there from which to choose, especially since your dogs can have chicken (most commonly available). I would choose one that is grain inclusive/not a concentrated source of either legumes or potatoes.

    There are some awesome small breeds owners on this website that could give you more advice not only on food but longevity in these breeds and yours specifically. My dogs have been long lived, but large breed. Good luck.

    joanne l
    Member

    Patricia I just seen the ingredients in the chicken grain free and the chicken grain in. Yes the protein is high in the grain free due to the peas and pea protein high on the list. Then out of curiosity I looked at blue buffalo chicken grain free and it has 34% protein and the chicken grain in has 25% protein. There grain free is also high b/c peas and pea protein is very high on the list. So these poor customers think that high protein in the grain free is great when they are simply getting pea protein what a cheap way to do it. These companies know they can’t boost the protein that much with grain in. You are right they are taking full advantage of this. I hope some of them go out of business. So now we know for sure why the protein is so high in grain free. What a BIG BIG gimmick. And I see some grain in recipes that have peas sneaking in there also, these companies won’t let go of those peas. So keep an eye out and look at some of the grain in diets and see if you find pea or pea protein in it. Since they know how much they can boost the protein with them they are going to add it to the grain in recipes.

    Sherie A
    Member

    I’m as confused as you and would also like other’s perspectives. I feed my Siberian Husky Blue Buffalo Wilderness puppy formula based on the Dog Food Advisor recommendations.

    #142206
    Robert B
    Member

    In light of the most recent update issued regarding FDA CVM’s Investigation between the relationship between diet and canine heart disease (DVM), I decided to review the 500+ case reports from the 5-year period studied. The published incidence rate including breeds with a genetic propensity for DCM is estimated to be between 0.1-0.2%.

    We own a 9-1/2 year old, neutered Australian Shepherd who we have been feeding Orijen dry foods all of his life. When I look at Orijen (we feed Adult, Regional Red & Senior) I see lugumes and pulses, but well down the ingredient list by weight. That said, there a dozen cases of DCM associated with the brand. I do realize that the incidence rate is influenced on how widely a food is selling.

    There were 10 case reports of Australian Shepherds (the summary shows n=13 but I could not find them) and DCM out of the 515 canine cases reported (or about 2%). The observed rate out of the dog’s within the cases is > 10x the general population rate for ALL dogs. This struck me as not happening by “chance”.

    I reviewed the listed dog foods fed to the Australian Shepherds and then looked into what their current top 10 ingredients for legumes, pulses and tubers:

    Case 1) Nature’s Recipe Easy to Digest Fish meal and Potato recipe dry dog food: Potatoes
    Case 2) Zignature Kangaroo and Lentil: Peas, Chickpeas, Pear Flower, Red Lentils, Green Lentils
    Case 3) Fromm Pork and Pea: Peas, Chickpeas, Pea Flower, Pea Protein, Sweet Potatoes
    Case 4) Blue Buffalo wilderness natures evolutionary diet with chicken and lifsource bits: Pea Protein, Peas, Pea Starch, Pea Fiber, Potatoes
    Case 5a) Farmina N&D Pumpkin Formula Medium and Maxi: Pea Starch, Dried Pumpkin, Pea Fiber
    Case 5b) Kirkland Natures Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Potato Fibre
    Case 5c) Kirkland Organic Chicken and Pea: Organic Peas, Organic Lentils, Organic Garbanzo Beans, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes
    Cases 6 & 7) Pine Forest Canine Recipe with Venison & Legumes – Taste of the Wild Pet Food: Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, Fava Beans
    Case 8) Earthborn grain free (specific variety not declared): Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Starch, Chickpeas
    Case 9) Hill’s Ideal Balance Grain Free Chicken and Potato: Potatoes, Yellow Peas, Pea Protein, Potato Starch
    Case 10) Acana (all flavors except Chicken or Lamb): Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Whole Green Peas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Chickpeas

    I see a consistent use of legumes or tubers as ingredients among these foods (including Hills!). I work in R&D and while I agree the root cause may not be fully understood and the rates shown in the pareto chart are biased by how widely used a food is I can see why the Agency sent out the notification. Given the > 90% rate in the reported cases of grain free, legume formulated foods, I have made the decision to move our Australian Shepherd to a new dry food. So I have been trying to identify high quality grain inclusive dry foods to replace Orijen. So far I have identified:

    Farmina:
    N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Mini & Medium
    N&D Ancestral Grains Grains Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Medium & Maxi

    Fromm:
    Adult Gold
    Reduced Activity Senior Gold

    Nature’s Logic:
    Canine Beef Meal Feasts
    Canine Chicken Meal Feasts
    Canine Lamb Meal Feasts
    Canine Turkey Meal Feasts

    NutriSource
    Performance
    Adult
    Lamb Meal & Rice
    Beef & Rice

    We will begin to titrate him off Orijen onto some of these foods. We will first buy small bags to see how he a) likes them and b) his stool quality and general energy/health.

    Do any of you have any experience with these foods or have any other suggestions for me to consider?

    #142198

    In reply to: FDA DCM clarity

    Robert B
    Member

    In light of the most recent update issued regarding FDA CVM’s Investigation between the relationship between diet and canine heart disease (DVM), I decided to review the 500+ case reports from the 5-year period studied. The published incidence rate including breeds with a genetic propensity for DCM is estimated to be between 0.1-0.2%.

    We own a 9-1/2 year old, neutered Australian Shepherd who we have been feeding Orijen dry foods all of his life. When I look at Orijen (we feed Adult, Regional Red & Senior) I see lugumes and pulses, but well down the ingredient list by weight. That said, there a dozen cases of DCM associated with the brand. I do realize that the incidence rate is influenced on how widely a food is selling.

    There were 10 case reports of Australian Shepherds (the summary shows n=13 but I could not find them) and DCM out of the 515 canine cases reported (or about 2%). The observed rate out of the dog’s within the cases is > 10x the general population rate for ALL dogs. This struck me as not happening by “chance”.
    I reviewed the listed dog foods fed to the Australian Shepherds and then looked into what their current top 10 ingredients for legumes, pulses and tubers:

    Case 1) Nature’s Recipe Easy to Digest Fish meal and Potato recipe dry dog food: Potatoes
    Case 2) Zignature Kangaroo and Lentil: Peas, Chickpeas, Pear Flower, Red Lentils, Green Lentils
    Case 3) Fromm Pork and Pea: Peas, Chickpeas, Pea Flower, Pea Protein, Sweet Potatoes
    Case 4) Blue Buffalo wilderness natures evolutionary diet with chicken and lifsource bits: Pea Protein, Peas, Pea Starch, Pea Fiber, Potatoes
    Case 5a) Farmina N&D Pumpkin Formula Medium and Maxi: Pea Starch, Dried Pumpkin, Pea Fiber
    Case 5b) Kirkland Natures Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Potato Fibre
    Case 5c) Kirkland Organic Chicken and Pea: Organic Peas, Organic Lentils, Organic Garbanzo Beans, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes
    Cases 6 & 7) Pine Forest Canine Recipe with Venison & Legumes – Taste of the Wild Pet Food: Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, Fava Beans
    Case 8) Earthborn grain free (specific variety not declared): Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Starch, Chickpeas
    Case 9) Hill’s Ideal Balance Grain Free Chicken and Potato: Potatoes, Yellow Peas, Pea Protein, Potato Starch
    Case 10) Acana (all flavors except Chicken or Lamb): Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Whole Green Peas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Chickpeas

    I see a consistent use of legumes or tubers as ingredients among these foods (including Hills!). I work in R&D and while I agree the root cause may not be fully understood and the rates shown in the pareto chart are biased by how widely used a food is I can see why the Agency sent out the notification. Given the > 90% rate in the reported cases of grain free, legume formulated foods, I have made the decision to move our Australian Shepherd to a new dry food.

    So I have been trying to identify high quality grain inclusive dry foods to replace Orijen. So far I have identified:

    Farmina:
    N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Mini & Medium
    N&D Ancestral Grains Grains Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Medium & Maxi

    Fromm:
    Adult Gold
    Reduced Activity Senior Gold

    Nature’s Logic:
    Canine Beef Meal Feasts
    Canine Chicken Meal Feasts
    Canine Lamb Meal Feasts
    Canine Turkey Meal Feasts

    NutriSource:
    Performance
    Adult
    Lamb Meal & Rice
    Beef & Rice

    We will begin to titrate him off Orijen onto some of these foods. We will first buy small bags to see how he a) likes them and b) his stool quality and general energy/health before settling on a new rotation of foods.

    Do any of you have any experience with these foods or have any other suggestions for me to consider?

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Robert B.
    #141978
    Dennis M
    Member

    Hello. We are on our third Shih Tzu, Dory a female now 9 years old. None of our previous girls made it past 10 years old. We previously fed our dogs Nutro brand dog food. We’ve been feeding Dory Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula since she was a puppy, and hoping she’ll be with us way past the age of ten. She’s now on Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Senior for Small Breeds. She has always tolerated Blue Buffalo foods and treats very well. Our concern now is the FDA report on possible dangers of feeding grain-free diets. We realize the Blue Buffalo formula Dory is eating is NOT entirely grain-free, just doesn’t have any corn or wheat included. But the FDA warned of dog foods containing large amounts of legumes such as peas or lentils, other legume seeds, potatoes (including sweet potatoes), pea protein, pea starch, pea fiber, chickpeas, or beans. The ingredients of the Life Protection Formula Dory is now eating has several of these questionably high up in the ingredient list. We’re really at a quandary here. We’ve had great luck feeding Blue Buffalo products for nearly ten years, but concerned we might possibly be damaging our dog’s heart (DCM). Could you provide us a little guidance here? With the FDA concerns, is the Life Protection Formula we’re feeding the safest product line Blue Buffalo provides for this situation, or should we be considering another brand completely? I’m concerned and my wife is more than concerned. Please provide us with some sort of insight and direction to help us decide what may be best for Dory.

    #141505
    Joseph G
    Member

    The FDA has released an update, detailing for the first time the brands with the most problems associated with them. The brands with at least 10 reported cases follow, but many other smaller brands are named in the full report:
    1. Acana
    2. Zignature
    3. Taste of the Wild
    4. 4 Health
    5. Earthborn Holistic
    6. Blue Buffalo
    7. Nature’s Domain
    8. Fromm
    9. Merrick
    10. California Natural
    11. Natural Balance
    12. Orijen
    13. Nature’s Variety
    14. NatruSource
    15. Nutro
    16. Rachel Ray Nutrish

    91% of cases involved Grain-Free foods. 93% used pulses in their formulation. Most were dry food. More cases were observed in males than females. Animal protein source was from many different sources.

    Golden retrievers tens to be prone to taurine deficiency and were the breed most affected, but amino acid profiles in the food were all normal. No other nutrient abnormalities have been found so far.

    More information is here, but the cause is still unknown: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Joseph G.
    • This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Joseph G.
    • This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Joseph G.
    #141264
    Owen J
    Member

    Feeding rules:
    Avoid overfeeding. Overeating does not contribute to the emergence of a larger energy reserve in a puppy;

    Limited feeding time. For one feeding, the puppy is given 15–20 minutes. The strictness in this matter will teach the puppy not to stretch the time of feeding and not to leave food in the bowl;

    Missed feeding does not catch up. Next time they give as much feed as usual;

    Fresh water should always be in a bowl.

    https://herepup.com/blue-buffalo-dog-food-reviews/

    #141224
    Tammy K
    Member

    Hi I’m new here and looking for advice? I gave a 3 yr old staffy iv fed her a few different foods like blue buffalo, Halo to name a couple. But she eats her own poop! So I turned to home made for her and it’s much better. But would live some support ona supplement To add in?thank you!

    #140973
    Christie B
    Member

    Joanne – right now they eat Merrick Classic Beef Recipe Kibble with Merrick Big Texas Steak Tips Canned as a topper (I split the can between the two of them).

    I usually buy the biggest bag and then if there haven’t been any issues, then I buy another and then rotate afterwards.

    The previous rotation was Canidae Multi-Protein All Life Stages Kibble. Both dogs hated it…I had to sprinkle a bit of cheese on it just to get them to eat. It was a total waste.

    Before that it was Instinct by Nature’s Variety Be Natural Chicken & Brown Rice

    The rotation before that was Blue Buffalo Adult Lamb & Brown Rice Formula.

    The rotation before that was ProPlan Large Breed Senior Bright Mind (I had my 4 year old dog finishing the bag of Blue Buffalo Lamb). Surprisingly, my big guy wasn’t a fan of the Purina ProPlan formula, so I only used the 1 bag before switching.

    I started to keep a record of when his drooling episodes occurred, to see if there was a pattern.
    3/2- Purina (chicken) , 3/9 Purina (chicken) , 4/11 (turkey), 5/15 Canidae (multi protein)/Be Natural (Chicken) during transitioning

    I may have missed one or two in between, but they only seem to occur 1-2 times per month.

    I’m pretty sure he had an episode while on the current Merrick Beef and Green Peas w/ Ancient Grains

    I avoid chicken now (which is hard because it seems like so many formulas list chicken as a secondary protein ingredient).

    I try to stick to beef or fish since they don’t generally add chicken. I also try to limit potatoes because my vet told me that they can be hard to digest and lead to stomach upset. I’m not quite sold on Merrick using Peas as their 3rd ingredient. I’d prefer it to be lower on the list.

    I have a storage container with a lid to help keep the food fresh. I used to dump the food in directly, but I learned that it’s better to keep it in the original bag and put the bag inside the container in case any issues with recalls come up so you can check the bag for the manufacturing info. The only time I noticed ‘bad’ food was a bag of Purina Pro Plan from like 9 years ago when my dog was a pup. I didn’t notice until the container was almost empty, but it was infested with Pantry Moths and larvae/worms. Unsightly but harmless.

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Christie B.
    • This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Christie B.
    #140617
    Christie B
    Member

    There’s this one Blue Buffalo rep that stalks around my local Petsmart. I went there the other day to pick up food for my dogs and my mother’s dogs. Her dogs eat BB Lamb dry food and wet food. He gave me coupons for both. But then he noticed that I had Merrick dry and wet food in the cart and started bashing it, going on and on about the superiority of BB.

    Now, I’m not particularly a fan of either food. My vet dislikes BB, and attributes some of my 1 dog’s weight gain years back to when I fed him BB large breed food. I think that their commercials are just about as misleading as the big corporate brands’ commercials are.

    I’m not even the biggest fan of Merrick and I know a lot of people on this site aren’t. But it seems like they are the only brand that both my picky eaters will eat and I have far less episodes of digestive discomfort/excessive drooling from my 1 dog. The food works for them, so I wind up buying the food.

    But I hate to be talked down to by a person whose only interest is his company’s profits.

    I wound up telling him that his food made my dog fat…and he had no comeback. lol.

    #139680
    haleycookie
    Member

    There are no pet stores anywhere near you?
    Canned raw pumpkin is good for digestion. Maybe not the best idea everyday though. You can use any quality canned food as a topper to mix the supplements in. Would be balanced food and free of sugar. Maybe try pure balance canned food. I’ve heard a lot of people whom don’t have pet stores around them that like the pure balance food. Any canned like merrick, wellness, even blue buffalo have ok stew canned foods. I think blue is at Walmart too.

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by haleycookie.
    #136392

    In reply to: Grain Free (Topic 3)

    haleycookie
    Member

    Goldens, You mentioned your dog has been on wilderness for most of his life. Wilderness is a sub par pea based food. Unfortunately it isn’t a good food for a dog prone to heart and other health issues as it is(anything blue buffalo is really overpriced crud). I’ll stick with biologically appropriate foods and that’s also what I’ll recommend to others. Thanks.

    #136371

    In reply to: Grain Free (Topic 3)

    Goldens4ever
    Member

    Thank you!

    I was so overwhelmed the day he was diagnosed I grabbed the chicken and brown rice Blue Buffalo non-grain free. But in looking at the label more closely after reading a ton, it still has several pea derivatives in it, though lower on the list than the grain free. I know they aren’t completely sure what mechanism is at work, but I’m wary of the legumes at this point. So I am thinking of switching again to Purina ProPlan SAVOR ADULT 7+ SHREDDED BLEND CHICKEN & RICE FORMULA.

    My vet’s advice was just get him off grain free, but no specific suggestion otherwise. I read the UCDavis/Tufts recommendation to stick with Purina, Hills, Eukanuba or Royal Canin. Very hard to wrap my head around the idea of feeding what I thought last week was garbage and having it be a healthier choice.

    I’m hoping with the food change and all the heart meds and supplements that it’ll buy us more time with him. He’s 11 and a half though, so I know that’s already borrowed time for a Golden.

    I don’t have Facebook, but I’ve been reading the Q&A the admins put together on taurineDCM.org and it’s been very helpful.

    #136365

    In reply to: Grain Free (Topic 3)

    Goldens4ever
    Member

    I’m really anxious for answers to this. My Golden was just diagnosed with DCM and has eaten grain free Blue Buffalo Wilderness all his life. I have changed his food to a non-grain free food, but now I’m not sure what I picked is good enough. It’s paralyzing when you feel like you’ve already given your beloved dog a death sentence and you’re conditioned to think corn is “bad”.

    And to anyone who thinks their dog is fine on grain free, mine was fine until he wasn’t. He passed a senior physical to have his teeth cleaned in October and this week he was diagnosed with advanced DCM. I know it didn’t happen that fast, but unless they develop a heart murmur or start gagging like mine did or faint, you’re probably not going to know it’s happening until it’s too late or nearly so. They seem fine until they aren’t with this. It’s why heart disease is considered a silent killer.

    Susan
    Participant

    Hi Jaimie,

    I was just about to post a post to give her a 21 day course of Metronidazole, Patch a 40lb dog would take low dose -200mg Metronidazole tablets twice a day for 5-7 days then on day 8 the last 2 weeks I’d give him 1 x 200mg Metronidazole tablet with his dinner, my vet writes Patch 5-6 repeat scripts of Metronidazole & when I start to see Patches poos becoming sloppy for a few day & his poos are going yellow, I quickly take script of Metronidazole to chemist & start him on Metronidazole straight away..

    I think she might have food sensitivities & this puts her gut flora out of balance making too much bad bacteria & not enough good bacteria…

    Unless vet does Endoscope & takes 2 x Biopsies 1 x Stomach & 1 x Small Bowel your really not going to know what’s wrong?? Biopsies give vet answers.
    all the other test are a waste of money as biopsies are needed in the end, I noticed with Patch when he’d eat certain dry foods they would cause an in balance in his gut flora…

    “Dysbiosis” Leaky Gut typically occurs when the bacteria in gastrointestinal (GI) tract — which includes your stomach and intestines — become unbalanced. Dysbiosis syndrome is a disturbance in the small intestines, leading to damage of the intestinal lining and microvilli.

    Patch hasn’t needed his Metronidazole over 1 & 1/2 yr now since he’s been eating “Wellness Core Large Breed” “Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato LID” & “Wellness Complete Health Grain Free Chicken kibble” I don’t know if its the Wellness kibble being more cleaner less toxins & heavy metals that’s helped stopped his sloppy poos/diarrhea, or he’s finally eating a kibble that doesn’t have any allergens that are irritating his stomach & bowel, Wellness uses Probiotics & Prebiotics in their dry kibbles maybe Probiotics have made his gut healthy…he does 2-3 firm poos a day, I walk Patch after he eats, walking helps move on his poo & he isn’t holding his poo, he’s a bugger wont poo in his yard only his morning 7am poo he will do in his yard.

    Touch wood Patch hasn’t had Diarrhea since March 2018 when he started eating Wellness Core Large breed adult kibble.

    Keep a diary, write down what she is eating, every time you change her food write down new food, does it have grains or grain free, does the kibble have Probiotics, how high is the fiber %, then over the months & years you will start to see a pattern, does she suffer with “Food Sensitivities”?, is the kibble too high in fiber ingredients or probiotics & causing an in balance in her gut??

    I just goggle Blue Buffalo (Life Protection Formula, Adult Large Breed, Chicken) gee there’s a lot of ingredients too many & peas?? Pea fiber, Pea protein, Pea starch, Barley,??
    Patch can eat peas in a dry kibble but when the pet food has Pea fiber, Pea protein, Pea starch this is when he starts getting his sloppy yellow poos…. too much fiber also when he eats barley his poos start going yellow & sloppy then diarrhea…

    The next food you introduce make sure it has limited ingredients

    * Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato
    https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/simple-limited-ingredient-turkey-potato-recipe

    * Wellness Core Large Breed Adult
    https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/core-large-breed-large-breed

    * Canidae Pure Wild Boar
    https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-grain-free-pure-wild-boar-dry-dog

    * Natural Balance –
    N/B Potato & Duck – low fiber -3%, no peas,
    https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-lid-limited/dp/104644

    *N/B Lamb & Rice large breed – no peas, fiber 4%,
    https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-lid-limited/dp/29461

    N/B Sweet Potato & Fish – no peas, fiber 5%
    https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-lid-limited/dp/104659

    Stay away from kibbles that have too many ingredients, you’ll never know what ingredients she might be sensitive too?? stay away from Pea fiber, Pea protein, Pea starch, if the kibble has peas that’s OK but not the extra pea (fiber).

    Jaimie K
    Member

    UPDATE – We are on our third bout of diarrhea since January. I called our vet and he was able to refill her Metronidazole without a vet visit. He said to keep her on Hill’s i/d for ~2 months and then gradually switch to something OTHER than what she was on before (Blue Buffalo). He has not offered any specific advice on dog food, other than “something different” so thank you all for your suggestions, and keep them coming. 🙂

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by Jaimie K.
    Jaimie K
    Member

    Our vet did prescribe Hill’s i/d, but with the Hill’s recalls currently I did not purchase any. She is currently doing well on boiled chicken and rice, but I can’t keep her on that for long. When this happened 2 months ago we did the same thing (also did hamburger and rice when we didn’t have chicken) and she recovered well. She’s also on antibiotics (Metronidazole) although she was negative for bacteria and Giardia, so I’m not sure if it’s the diet or the meds that are helping.

    I’m looking into Canidae, as that seems like the best option that is easily accessible in our area. I’m also considering going back to Royal Canin large breed adult… if I’m remembering correctly she did well on that and the only reason we switched is it wasn’t easy for us to get when we lived in a rural area. That’s when we switched to Pro Plan.

    I switched to Blue Buffalo to increase the fiber, but I’m wondering if I should have decreased it? Thoughts, anyone?

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