[Madelon H]

I have a 12 month old solid black pure breed GSD. He weighs about 90lbs and is gorgeous. After researching dog food I have decided I want to switch him to a high quality food – he’s currently on royal canine GSD puppy. He had trouble with diarrhea as a puppy and when I put him on the royal canin he did better. He’s been tested for the genetic disorder regarding his digestive system (name escapes me now) and doesn’t have it but I still worry about their sensitive stomachs. I’m thinking of blue buffalo grain free for large breed, merrick and wellness core – does it matter if it doesn’t specifically say large breed on the bag or are these foods so good it works for all. I was thinking the large breed formulas would have more nutrients for hips and joints. PLEASE help I’m driving myself crazy with research!

[Rebekah S]

To fellow beagle- and any dog – lovers! We switched Bit and Miss to Blue Buffalo in the wake of the Purina revelations. (They had been on Beneful and healthy weight dry for years.) We switched to Blue Buffalo and Lil Miss got sick within a week. We thought it was her back disc issues. Not walking. Peeing the bed.lethargic in the extreme. Took her to the vet for bloodwork, x Rays etc. then Lil Bit got really sick really fast on Saturday. Limping. Panting. Lethargy. Duh. I googled Blue Buffalo complaints. There are over 900 horrifying stories on Consumers Affairs site. They ate it for 17 days. I am hoping there is no permanent organ damage. They have been eating boiled chicken and rice for 48 hours and are much improved already. THROW IT AWAY!!!!

[Kota ACD]

This was her first time eating Blue Buffalo.

[Kota ACD]

We definitely will not be using Blue Buffalo anymore! The big question is what our next choice will be!! It seems like every time I find a new with a good rating to try I read hours and hours of bad reviews! Sad to say but actually thinking of returning to Pedigree! Had a German Sheppard that ate it for all 16 years of her life without a single health issue and our current 4 year old baby ate it without any problem for the first 2 1/2 – 3 years of her life! =(

[Naturella]

Kota, hi. I fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy to my dog for a few months after we first got him. He did very well, if I must say, but honestly, I would probably not feed it again… Too many other good, more affordable foods out there for me to want to pay for a questionable food like that.

[DogFoodie]

I wouldn’t use Blue Buffalo products at all. My concern about Canidae is that it’s made by Diamond. Some, but not all, of their Pure line is made at their own manufacturing facility, Ethos, but you have no way of knowing what you’re getting for sure. I infrequently use Canidae Pure Sky in rotation for one of my dogs with lots of food intolerance issues, but I’m hyper-vigilant when I do. It’s one of a very small handfull of foods he can eat.

That said, if your dog isn’t accustomed to switching quickly, loose stool isn’t at all unusual if you made a quick switch without a transition. I’d switch back to whatever she was eating before the Blue Buffalo until the loose stool stops. I’d add some canned pumpkin to help firm up the stool. I’d probably also skip her next meal altogether. When things have settled down, I’d switch slowly to the new food. By slowly, I mean no more than 25% new and 75% old for several days and I’d only increase the ratio of new to old when the stool quality is good for several days. Canned pumpkin is your friend when changing foods especially if your dog isn’t accustomed to switching.

What food was your dog eating before the Blue Buffalo? Are you looking for suggestions for new foods?

[Kota ACD]

Thank you for the reply! Unfortunately we had already given her one meal of Blue Buffalo on Thursday evening. She had two bouts of diarrhea on Friday afternoon! =(
Thursday was the ONLY time she ate the Blue Buffalo and the diarrhea seems to be done however she has vomited three times sometime during the night (Fri night into Sat morn). Could this still be from the Blue Buffalo on Thurs. evening? If so could one serving do enough harm that I should bring her to the vet? She ate fine last evening (a mix of 1/2 her old food and 1/2 CANIDAE). We are considering Canidae…. Thoughts?????

[Akari_32]

Blue Buffalo is not a trustworthy company at all, for exactly the reasons you see in the reviews. They don’t care that they are making animals sick, and even killing them, with their food. I would suggest Wellness CORE. My 11 and 12 year olds love the Puppy formula :p

[Kota ACD]

We just bought a bag of Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken and Brown Rice Small Bite. Our blue heeler seemed to really enjoy her first feeding. The concern is my recent internet search on the food that has turned up 100s of reviews (many from as recent as this month) talking about vomiting and diarrhea that the owners feels is associated with Blue Buffalo. We are hoping that we can get some thoughts and experiences that you may have had with this brand! Please share your story!! Also thoughts on other foods…. we want to be sure we are feeding our baby the best food possible! THANKS!!

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[Gloria K]

Dawn M, Dog Food Advisor considers Blue Buffalo wilderness in the five-star category. That’s why I feed it to Mickey as his non-homemade treats. He absolutely loves it and from what I can see on the packaging it’s pretty healthy stuff. What have you read about it that’s negative?

[Mark M]

Buddy is 8 years old and has always had allergies. He is a Lab/Pit mix we rescued from the pound 2 days before he was to be “put down” when he was 12 weeks old. With our Vet, we have tried Apoquel, and Hydroxyzine, both expensive and minimal help. We feed him Blue Buffalo Healthy Weight Adult dry. He weighs 90 pounds. Can anyone help with dry food and biscuit advise? Home cooked is not an option.

[Rosy R]

Victor is not sold at my nearest store :/ so I was planning on purchasing Acana but no idea onto what to get started with… We are switching from Blue buffalo freedom.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Rosy R.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Rosy R.

[AL D]

I had used Blue Buffalo for several years. Nearly two years ago I bought a new bag of what I had been using. BOTH dogs got very sick, throwing up and diarrhea, also lethargic. I immediately knew nothing had changed other than their dog food. After vet visits and I got them well, I contacted Blue Buffalo. Blue Buffalo’s indignation alone was upsetting. They said, just to refund the cost of the 30# bag of dog food, I would need to furnish them complete blood test of both my dogs and a letter from the veterinarian saying that it was specifically the Blue Buffalo that made my dogs sick and specifically what they were diagnosed with connected to the dog food.
Their non-concern, attitude and response alone were enough for me to never use any of their products again; not to mention that I was so concerned about the health of my precious dogs that I feel are family.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by AL D.

[Nancy B]

Monique: Here we go again with ‘Blue’. Over 1000 consumer complaints scared me!

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html?page=2

[Linda b]

my new family member is a Hairless Chinese Crested puppy 14 weeks old. I put her on Blue Buffalo Small Breed puppy food. I do not see it or any Blue Buffalo products on any of these lists of good food. Should I take her off this?

[Cheryl H]

My vet has put my dog on prescription dog food. Once it was because of crystals in his urine and now because of a bout of diarrhea and vomiting. The crystals went away soon after he was treated for the urinary infection, but I had to keep him on the Hills prescription food for several months. I did some research to find a good quality food to transition from the prescription food. During my research I read numerous negative reports and posts regarding the quality of Hills dog foods. I chose a Blue Buffalo dry food that worked really well for several months. The soft stools that he had while on the prescription food feared up and there was no recurrence of the crystals. I bought a fourth or fifth bag of the BB and immediately had problems. At first my dog wouldn’t eat it and when he finally did, he got really sick. I chalked it up to a bad bag. I then bought some Blue Basic grain free, lamb formula and things went back to normal until the third bag. My dog became violently ill following the second serving from the third bag. My vet again has put him on a Hills prescription diet (ID). Any ideas about what to feed next? I’ve read that canned food might be better for dogs with urinary tract problems because of the water content. Any suggestions for a quality food for a sensitive stomach? Never using BB again!!

[jpjhooper]

After reading a heated discussion on the merits of the Merrick brand (one we currently use and do not have a problem with) as with any pet parent you wonder if what you are feeding your dog is enough. Here is the run down.

Over a year ago we were feeding our 7 year old Pom/Australian Shephard mix (not even sure how that happens) Blue Buffalo when that company had some issues so we switched to Grandma Lucys freeze dried grain free chicken. Did well on that but pooped like a German Shepard. Recently started feeding Merrick grain free Texas beef with no ill effects. Pooped less and not as loose but stinks to high heaven.

We shop at a local natural pet food store and there are so many to choose from its overwhelming. Do you stick with what you know? How do you decide what is best for your pet? I notice a lot of people switch around between 2 or 3 different foods.

After getting teeth cleaned we had him on Merrick canned chicken senior food until his gums healed up and still not a lot of waste which I hope means he is actually absorbing more of the good stuff.

Long winded I know. Thoughts?

[Brandy S]

I have a Saint Bernard puppy she is 8.5months and weighs 81.5lbs she is healthy for the most part however I would really like to get a food that she likes and is not alergic too Science diet is off the table I have tried the following foods and the only one she likes is Beniful (not the best choice) Blue Buffalo giant breed puppy, large breed puppy from science diet (she had a bunch of respiratory stuff), eukanuba large breed puppy(she did not like this food at all), wellness puppy formula (not the large breed the fish one she does not like it much) and Beniful puppy(this food is not the best for her but she likes to eat it and will eat about 4cups a day). She is a picky eater I have thought about cooking her diet but I dont really have that kind of time and would like to keep food out for her. She will only eat when she wants I have tried the daily feeding twice a day and she starved herself. I love her bunches but I am at a loss for what kind of food to give her that wont be not eaten or that will make her sick. Thank you, RebaSaintMom

[Akari_32]

Since dry food isn’t species appropriate, and can cause some serious health issues anyways, if he doesn’t want to eat it, don’t make him. Dry is especially dangerous for males if they don’t get enough water. If we were talking going from dry to canned, and he didn’t want to eat the canned, I’d say keep bribing him, but there are more cost effective ways to feed a cat than introducing dry food. Brands that typically offer coupons for canned food are Halo, Wellness, Holistic Select, Blue Buffalo, and if you dig, there are many more…. I can tell you right now that you can get 5.5 oz cans of Halo Vigor for free at PetCo with the coupon Halo has on their website. I fed my cat for $20 a month on canned with coupons. Now I’m doing it with raw, and he loves it 🙂

[Taek K]

My beagle became allergic to everything a little after the age of 1. I knew of the consequences of feeding him cheap kibbles and bits so I started him off with Orijen then blue buffalo, etc…basically, anything that’s grain free, high in protein, etc…but at the end, it didn’t matter. It couldn’t have been couple of months after the age of 1 when constant itching, scratching, ear infection, eye infection, skin infection, etc started to plague my poor baby. Like most, I took him to vets after vets. Went to an allergist/dermatologist and paid over $700 for testing and allergy shots. I even got him testing for food allergies!!! Thank God I got him pet insurance, otherwise, I probably would have had to fork over over 10k out of pocket within the first year.

I’m just going to assume your dogs problem is associated with food and nothing more. My dog not only suffers from environmental allergies but also yeast infection. But I’ll just give you the run down for food. Otherwise, this post would be too long.

The best thing you can do for your dog is feed him REAL food. I don’t care how great a bagged dog food is made. At the end of the day, it’s all processed. Think of it this way. When Purnia, Pedigree, Blue buffalo, etc type of food companies didn’t exist, what did we feed our dogs? Exactly. We fed them real food. Long story short, I’ve done years of feeding my dog this and that type of real food and I FINALLY narrowed it down to what WORKS FOR MY DOG. And now, no ear or eye infection. He does get skin infection during the super hot months but it’s more like an instance vs a prolong battle. I think last infection lasted like couple days and it went away on it’s own. When infections creeps in, I suggest giving him a bath with antifungal shampoo like 2-3 times a week. But I digress.

Cut out everything that is starchy and sweet. That in turn will starve the yeast. The problem with bag dog food is there will always be starchy fillers. This is so the food company can keep the cost down. Ziwipeak is a brand that doesn’t contain starchy veggies or fruits. But its very expensive. Whether it’s sweet potato, peas, fruits, etc..bottom line, its starchy and will feed the yeast. STARVE THE YEAST!!!

This is what I give my 45lb mixed beagle.

-Salmon/Tuna (This is his staple protein source. This never changes)
-boiled beef/organ meat (I switch this up. One week, I give him beef. The following week, I give him organ meat. All boiled.)
-non starchy vegetables (green beans, romaine lettuce, cabbage, etc)
-plain greek yogurt (read the label; less the ingredient the better)
-berries (only during colder months; I wouldn’t even give him any the first 2 years to wipe out the yeast)
-Dinovite (its a supplement, google it)
-if my dog wasn’t allergic to anything chicken, I would give him a crushed boiled egg with the shell.

Anything that’s not protein based are fillers. Protein should be the base of his food so provide enough of it. There’s going to be a lot trials to see what works best for your dog. But this will work. It just takes time. Integrate REAL food with his food slowly. Once you completely change over to real food, you’ll see huge improvements. FYI…when you start changing his food, he’ll have couple instances of infections. This is expected. Its like the yeast trying to fight back. Keep hold and I promise, it’ll get better.

The only treat your dog should eat are no filler jerky. Read the ingredients. Again, say no to starch/sweet/carb!!! I give my dog BIXBI beef liver jerky.

If anyone needs more info or have any questions, please ask. From one owner who suffered, I wish nothing but the best and will help anyway I can.

[David P]

TOTW is the cheapest of the somewhat-acceptable foods out there. It’s good you have enough love for your dog to purchase that. TOTW is what I started my three dogs (6 lbs, 24 lbs, & 68 lbs) on.

I’ve had to economize in OTHER AREAS OF MY LIFE in order to feed these 3 hounds properly.

TOTW is BARELY acceptable. On this site, you’ll see the owner/moderator mention Steve Brown of “The Canine Ancestral Diet”; Steve Brown was an MIT graduate who started studying this as a sideline and eventually veered off into the topic of “pet nutrition” full-time.

Holistic Veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker had two YouTube interviews with Steve Brown… I am somewhat RETICENT about asking you to ACTUALLY SPEND MORE MONEY but you quite obviously have already MADE THE COMMITMENT to ensuring that your puppy gets “quality nutrition”.

So…..

You need to add one of the pre-mixes to supplement TOTW (I use Sojos Green… 8lb bag is $62)… the 6 lb Chihuahua gets one tsp. per meal. the 24 lb spaniel bred to look like a mini-Rottweiler gets 1 1/2 tblsp per meal, the 68 lb American Bulldog gets 3 tblsp. per meal. Dr. Becker provided the rationale that the diet of canids (dogs, wolves, etc.) in the wild is 70% moisture and greens from the stomachs of their vegetarian prey (rabbits, squirrels, chicken, etc.) The best that even the higher-quality grain-free dry dog foods can do is 12% moisture.

Do not OVERFEED your puppy; this resulted in a “mini-rebellion” bordering on “insurrection” by the 3 dogs in my household teaming up on me to complain when I instituted “measuring cup” proportional feedings. You’ll find that WITHOUT the “fillers/excipients” in the grocery-store brands, the recommended TOTW and Champion Dog Food (Orijen and Acana) Guidelines seem rather “stingy.” I compromise since a part of the rebellion staged by these 3 was to begin eating cheetohs and french fries that the truckers drop where I walk my dogs by the Walmart.

I measure each dogs recommended portion per day and SPACE OUT the meals to four servings which sates their initial hunger pangs; the COMPROMISE is that I don’t count the calories from the pre-mixes towards their daily caloric intake; the rationale being that these are HIGH-ROUGHAGE FOODS and since dogs have very short intestinal tracts, I’m getting the INTERNAL CLEANSING of the INTESTINAL WALLS that I desire; there is ALSO water-soluble fiber from the apples, etc CLEANSING THEIR BLOODSTREAM and keeping their RENAL SYSTEM (Kidneys) healthy.

This “may” or “may not” another TOUGH PILL for some to swallow; Steve Brown pointed out in the Karen Becker YouTube interview that THE FATS in even the best of the dry foods are intact in the air-sealed environment before the bag is opened but that these same fats degrade once opened. You need to go to a dollar store and buy $1 tupperware storage containers and refrigerate/freeze the balance of the bag once opened. Humans, dogs and all mammals need a variety of high-quality fats (which are EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT as proteins).

Going to what I call “minimally-appropriate quality” dog foods does involve some “financial sticker shock”; you came here because you got a great puppy dog, Zane H and you were clever enough to sniff out the necessity of going “grain free”; Blue Buffalo is to be credited with instituting a national advertising campaign and there has been an understandable backlash against Purina and other brand providers to where they sheepishly and quietly have begun acknowledging that “corn,” “soy” and “wheat” are poisoning your pets.

You came here because you love your dog, Zane H and you were faced with some tough choices; I too don’t make a lot of money at my job as a CNC Lathe Operator.

You’ve got a puppy so you have a chance to have a healthy dog.. I’d recommend going to YouTube and search for Dr. Karen Becker and Mercola Healthy pets. Here is the link to her two-part series on Best-to-worst dog foods.

This the dry I feed my dogs; Orijen is 75%/80% whole prey protein to 20%/25% fruit and vegetables (found in the stomachs of the prey that dogs/wolves eat in the wild). Princess is 68 lbs and closer to “wolf size” than either Shadow (24 lbs) or Mary (6 lbs) so she gets the higher-protein + 3 tblsps. of the sojos green per meal.

I like the LESS EXPENSIVE Acana for Shadow and Mary since it is what is contained in the other 50% that I like (The DHA and EPA). I’m thinking of switching Princess over to Acana as she ages into her 13th year of life. She and Shadow are the same age and they have been active, healthy dogs who have the puppy chihuahua to entertain them.

Dogs REALLY NEED “fresh water” every day EITHER filtered through your tap with Britta or purchased in gallon bottles (“drinking” or “spring” only not “distilled”) from Walmart.

I also use the Honest Kitchen “Preference” pre-mix and sparingly add in the Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance pre-mix to get in some of those low-glycemic chickpeas.

Acana and Orijen have won numeorus awards for their low-glycemic qualities which keeps your pets healthy in the first place so that they don’t get system failures from having bodies with their pH-levels out of whack.

You need to change your dogs water daily and also add in a Tropicana breath freshener liquid to keep their teeth clean.

It is somewhat DEFLATING to come here and discover that it don’t get any cheaper than what you’re already doing…

…but you are here and you obviously love your dog.

[Riley and Molly]

We recently rescued a 4 year old Toy Poodle. We tried feeding her Toy Breed Blue Buffalo and Grain-Free Blue Buffalo Small Breed. She does not seem to like either one. She has also been scratching all over. The foster parent said that she was on this food previously which is why we tried it. Any suggestions on what would be good for her?

Thank you 🙂

[Akari_32]

I wouldn’t recommend any of the foods you’ve listed. Canidae and Blue Buffalo are both Diamond brands, who is know for terrible quality control and equipment repair, and Innova (along with EVO and Califorina Natural), are owned by Mars, who also makes brands such as Pedigree and Iams, and of course, human candy bars.

What I do recommend is that you head over to the Diet and Health section, and check out the Large and Giant Breed Puppy Food list. These are all reputable brands that all contain the proper amounts of calcium and phosphorus for growing large breed puppies. The most up to date list is near the end of the thread.

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

Good luck with your new puppy! Post some pics, too! I love Afghans 🙂

[Carla D]

Hi there! We’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of our standard poodle puppy next week & so I’ve just subscribed to figure out what to feed him. Our knowledgeable & well-respected breeder has recommended Dick Van Patten’s Sweet Potato & Venison Dry Formula, but I’m also wondering about Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness Brand that we fed our first standard poodle who lived to the wonderful age of 15 years & 3 months. I don’t see either or these brands in the current Editor’s Choice. Please advise & thanks in advance!

[Akari_32]

I wouldn’t touch Blue Buffalo, or anything Diamond made (Taste of the Wild, Kirkland, Diamond Natural’s, etc) with a 10ft stick. Wellness is definitely a great food. However, I’m unsure if it’s appropriate for a large breed puppy. There’s a list somewhere around here of food that are suitable for large breed puppies. You should check it out 🙂

Acana and Orijen are not available at chain stores, unfortunately. If you’d like to buy online, you can buy them (and plenty other brands) on websites like PetFlow and Chewy.

[Naturella]

@aquariangt, it is a tiny bit larger than Blue Buffalo Wilderness… idk if you have ever fed or seen it. They are about the size of Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and Primitive Natural. If you tell me what you’ve fed I can tell you how the size compares maybe. They are triangular-shaped. Small enough for my 15-pounder.

[Barbara M]

@Derek L the antibiotics was for the UTI not the crystals. The crystals require either a prescription for or wet food and increased water. I use solid gold berry supplement and someone recommended above Cranimals supplement. Nate I ise Blue Buffalo grain free turkey and potato I think the flavor is.

[DogFoodie]

There’s been an issue with Blue Buffalo’s quality control for a while now, maybe that’s why your dogs are rejecting it. Is switching to a different foods an option?

[Naturella]

Hey, Dana, and welcome to DFA.

First off, I really think that getting your dogs off of the Science Diet is a wonderful decision! I also know what shopping on a budget is like, so what I can recommend is emailing/facebooking companies to ask for coupons (Nulo would send you some, it is a brand sold at Petsmart and online too), and sign up for coupons from Merrick/Castor and Pollux/Wellness. They will send you coupons as well. And if you order online, websites such as chewy.com , petflow.com , wag.com are great places to look for deals on.

Also, feeding a rotational diet will help with scooping out deals and sales – basically you will be able to rotate to different foods that are at a good price at the time of purchase.

Now, I can recommend you several brands that are mostly affordable (without coupons), and are available online. Earthborn Holistic, Dr. Tim’s, Annamaet, probably NutriSource (not affordable in my area though), Victor (available at sportdogfood.com), and if you don’t mind Diamond as a manufacturing company (lots of recalls, not handled well), Taste of the Wild and Canidae Grain Free Pure would be good options.

Most of these foods are pretty calorie-dense so you would also feed less and possibly have smaller stool. And I can actually give you an almost-personal example – my roommate used to feed the same Science Diet formula as you, and he fed it for almost 5 years to his dog (except he did feed her the puppy version when she was a pup). Then he switched to Nulo Lamb and Lentils (a grain-free, high-animal-protein food) and his dog lost weight, actually enjoyed eating her food, and her coat looks a lot better. I am not sure about stool size though. And now she eats Blue Buffalo Wilderness Red Meat. She seems to be doing well although many report issues with Blue so I wouldn’t really recommend it. Plus, it is pricy as heck.

Now, I can’t really help with the gas issues. Maybe someone else can give you direction with that and you can see what food matches others’ recommendations from the brands I suggested, and other brands others may suggest. Good luck!

[aquariangt]

Read my first post, that explains how everything the rating system works. Reading forums, review comments, and joining editors choice gives you more insight into the company. There is no real way to grade the quality of ingredients other than what the ingredient panel says, as well as judging the company itself based on a bag. Follow the grade system, but ou must do,your own research as well, to keep informed on that end. Blue buffalo looks good on paper, just often not in practice.

The other thing to keep in mind is there is no food that is perfect for all dogs.

[james y]

Are these reviews for bill jac done by the same person who reviewed blue buffalo and gave it five stars? If so, surely you can understand my hesitation to follow the grade system.

[Akari_32]

You might try Wellness CORE. It’s a favorite of mine to buy for my dogs, and they love it and do very well on it. It’s a bit cheaper than a Blue Buffalo, as well.

Thay said, not all dogs do well on premium diets, just like not all dogs do well on lower grade diets. Finding what works is what’s most important.

[InkedMarie]

You’re correct, Blue Buffalo is having issues. I do not think they’re a bunch of hired posters.
Your vet friend may have recommended Bil Jac raw but unless something has changed, it’s not the best. Did you check the revew of it here? Up top in the red line, click reviews and look for it.

What are you using to treat the worms?

[james y]

Hello newb here looking for a little info.

First a little background
My 9 month old pitbull, maple has recently been having problems. She undoubtedly had worms and was scratching alot and losing hair. At first i was feeding her purina dog chow and she was doing fine. Then the wife brought home pedigree and thats when the hair loss started. So i instantly thought the dog had mange and began treating her for it. I also read that a raw diet would boost the immune system so i did that too. I fed her venison mostly, with raw eggs and gave her vitamins everyday. She cleared up and we started back with the unused portion of pedigree. Well she broke out in hives!

Ok so the dog is allergic to dog food…just my luck. A vet friend told me to try bil-jac frozen food so i did for a couple weeks. She was doing great on it! we got rid of the worms and shes putting on wieght and her coat is awesome! Although the frozen food isnt very convenient so i just googled best grain free dog food and found this site. I came across a name i recognized “blue buffalo” and this very site said it wss a five star food. So i purchased 20 pounds of the grain free wilderness red meat puppy food. It was pretty pricey, as a matter of fact i figure i could buy hamburger for $3 a pound but its so much easier than having to refrigerate or prepare raw food.

2 days into feeding and she seems to be doing just fine. I dont monitor poo, so i cant say anything about it.

Anyhow now im seeing all this bad stuff on the web about blue dog food….and something about a lawsuit with purina?? Is there any truth to these claims about the food hurting dogs or is it maybe a bunch of hired posters or something? If the stuff wasnt $60 a bag i would just throw it out and go back to the biljac.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Whether to feed one or two times a day can really depend on the dog, but I would say two is good for most dogs. If your dog doesn’t like to eat at one meal, then your could consider switching to once a day. Feeding three times per day is usually not recommended, because it is good for dogs’ digestive systems to have a break.

Also, I wouldn’t recommend feeding anything by Blue Buffalo right now. They have been having some quality control/labeling issues lately.

[Laura B]

OK, I’m getting very fed up trying to find a good dog food I can stick with for my pugs. My black pug was on Taste of the Wild for nearly a year and did fine on it, until the last batch we bought somehow gave her diarrhea. I switched her to Blue Buffalo, and immediately her poop solidified – but it gave my new pug diarrhea (and according to other forums, Blue Buffalo changed their formula recently and many dogs are getting sick). I have no idea what to feed my poor dogs at this point. For those of you with pugs, what works best for you?

[Earl W]

Hound Dog Mom,

In your spreadsheet you created you listed Wellness Core Puppy. This is not specifically a large breed formula. Is it still good for large breeds? I’m currently feeding my dogs Blue Buffalo wilderness and I want to change it to the Wellness Core but I’m worried that the formula doesn’t specify that it’s for large breeds Is it still okay? Thanks in advance for your answer.

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

I would add 25% of the commercial raw to his diet for say 1-2 weeks, transitioning is a personal thing, some can do it rt away, some not.
But in my opinion with raw I would do it slowly, say after 1 week cut back on the blue buffalo by say another 25%,add more raw, see how his tummy takes to the new food. Also monitor his stool for any change, if you see a change cut back on raw & wait until his stomach settles down.
You might want to add a probiotic or digestive enzyme during the transition -the honest kitchen makes a so called transition enabler called “Perfect Form” which worked for me. TheHonestKitchen.com
I will check back later to see if you have more questions, 1 of my angels needs her walk ,so i must go.
Good luck

[FunsIzE]

I recently adopted a dog (not my profile pic!) and he’s 4 yrs old and 50 ibs. He’s been fed grocery store kibble in the shelter and I switched him to a high quality dog food, in my opinion, blue buffalo. I think feeding him raw food would be best, not for health reasons, but maybe just because. 🙂 How do I switch him from kibble to raw?? I’d really like to know!!

[Tim L]

I switched my Yellow Lab, Payton, to Blue Buffalo Wilderness (Salmon & Duck mixed together) when he was 13 months old this past September 2014. He did very well on it until January 2015. I had purchased 2 new bags on January 7th, since we were just about to run out. I was feeding him the Salmon and the Duck and mixing the two together. He started the new bags on or about Jan 9th. I noticed in the days following, that is stool was becoming more and more loose. By Jan 17th he had horrible diarrhea. We put him on a bland diet of boiled turkey, rice and sweet potatoes. His stomach recovered quickly. We began to slowly transition him back onto his BBW. I noticed almost immediately that his stools become loose again. By the time he was fully back on BBW, the horrible diarrhea returned. We had his tool tested and blood work performed. He is healthy with no bacteria, parasites, kidney and liver functions are all normal. So, back on the bland diet. I have purchased Merrick Grain Free and began adding it to his bland food in very small quantities. So far, solid stools. Everything I had read thus far about Blue Buffalo is very concerning to me and my pup. I will be contacting the BB company today

[weezerweeks]

No low protein has nothing to do with PH. when the ph is high it is to alkalinity and when it’s low it’s too acidity. So in my opinion it’s the ingredients in the food. I know that when my yorkies ph was 8 his diet was too high in carbs. He was on longevity by bb and it was high in carbs.He was also on kibble and when I switched to canned with low carbs his ph dropped. I personally would never use anything by Blue Buffalo again. To many people have had too much trouble with this brand. Good luck

[tad b]

We rescued a 10 month old Dalmation/Pit mix about 2 months ago and she doesn’t like any of the dog foods I’ve tried. We have tried TOTW, Orijen, Evolve, Trader Joes, Blue Wilderness and/or Buffalo, Wellness and Merrick. We tried different varieties as well as puppy and adult versions and nothing seems to work. She has now developed some itching and minor rashes which I’m sure is caused by some of the foods. We also mixed canned foods from some of the list above but to no success. She will eat the dry cat food when she gets a chance. She was 45 lbs and is now down to 43 lbs and is getting us worried. We took her to the vet and she is healthy other than not liking her foods. I then tried a lesser quality dog food (Purina One) and she seemed to like that but that’s not the way we want to go with her unless we have too. I guess dogs like they’re version of “fast food” over healthy eating just like a lot of us humans. By the way, the foods that were not eaten have been donated to our shelters. I need some help!
Thanks for any responses.

[Mary S]

I do not know about stone formation – you may want to check Dr. Karen Becker’s web site, part of Dr. Mercola’s web site. http://www.mercola.com Type in those key words, e.g., struvite crystals, calcium oxalate stones, oxalate, oxalate stones, something may come up.

You are correct with the low protein levels. That is what I am looking for too. My vet has asked me to reduce the protein level 30/70. I need to supplement something other than potato. My dog has a severe allergy to it. I believe my next choice to cut the protein will be pumpkin or sweet potato. (Presently, I’m feeding Purina’s Beyond, Grain Free, Wild Caught Tuna and Egg Recipe. Right now it is the only thing she can eat that doesn’t cause a major skin out break. The protein is too high which causes her to wet the bet constantly. Yes, she has been on Blue Buffalo and etc. with no luck or the protein is too high.)

Good luck with your quest.

[Kimi_forever]

I just got a bag of blue buffalo wilderness trail treats duck flavor wild bits in the mail today from chewy.com on accident instead of my freeze dried sojo’s treats, they obviously are taking great care of replacing the mistake but i dont know what to do with these treats now that i’ve read this thread. i always knew BB was whack but jeeze. They told me to just donate these to the local animal shelter instead of send them back but i dont know if i even want to do give these to a raccoon after this. I’m thinking about just throwing them away.

And on wellness, i know i’ve heard good things about them from people on this forum. But ive read on another forum that someone contacted them and was told that they don’t even use human grade ingredients anymore, that they use pet grade — which depending on how you feel could mean a lot, and it does to me. I emailed wellness to try and confirm this and was met with silence/no reply so i wrote them off my list of foods. Not to mention that when i tried a bag of wellness core for my dog she had terrible diarehha and would wake me up in the middle of the night 3-4 times at all different hours crying in the crate and then would run to door as fast as she could and run outside and have completely liquid poo’s. I asked chewy.com to exchange the bag of core with a bag of the Fromm that she had no problems with and they did…I’ve also heard that nature’s variety uses denatured pet grade ingredients as well, and i was not able to get a straight answer out of their rep in an email as to whether nature’s variety used pet or human grade, they just said “we strive to source the best ingredients for you pet blah blah blah our ingedients meet or exceed the standards of the pet food industry blah blah blah” totally circumventing my question, petcurean did the same thing when i asked them. I personally don’t trust a company who can’t clearly verify that they use USDA inspected (or the equivalent) and passed meat and that their other ingredients are human grade. Sojo’s is made in a pet food facility and has no problem clearly articulating that they use human ingredients, same with merrick, orijen, fromm, and others. but after seeing some stuff on susan thixton’s site about merrick i’m no longer as hot on them either (not new news, old news)….

I dunno if i should give these treats to my aunt who feeds beneful to their dog, give them to a shelter, or just throw them away in hopes of not making anyone sick…jeeze

[Heather H]

I need some help. I have a 1 year old large Rhodesian Ridgeback. We have had food issues from the beginning with him. The breeder had him on a mix of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula and Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy. When we got him at 8 weeks we transitioned him to straight Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula. Shortly after this transition he started having some difficulty having a bowel movement. He would go once regular, and then shortly after he would go again but it would be very skinny. Sometimes he would continue to try to go for sometime afterwards with nothing coming out. Our vet said it was probably just a nerve that wasn’t fully developed yet and that was making him feel like he needed to keep going. She said as long as he was having regular bowel movements, and he wasn’t vomiting, we shouldn’t worry and it would probably clear up on it’s own. At our five month check up, I brought it up again because it seemed to be getting worse. She did an x-ray and determined he was backed up, his stomach was still very full of food (even though it had been several hours since he ate) and he had several pockets of gas. She said there were a few places where his bowel looked inflamed and thickened. She put him on a pro-biotic and an anti-inflammatory pill for a week. It wasn’t any better on the medication. She was concerned that his stomach wasn’t emptying property and his waste wasn’t moving through the bowel as it should. She did a barium study to rule out any internal issues. Everything came back normal so she said it must be the food and recommended their in-house brand Prescription Diet D/D. After research, I decided not to try that kind, but instead find a food that was rated 4 or 5 that agreed with him. We spent the next 3 months transitioning to different foods. We tried other flavors of Taste of the Wild, Diamond Naturals Grain Free Beef and Sweet Potato, and one other, I can’t remember the name of at the moment. Some caused diarrhea, some made his bowel movement issues worse and he strained more. Finally, we tried Merrick Grain Free Buffalo and his bowel movements got drastically better. I still don’t believe they are 100% normal, but at least to the point where he wasn’t straining or trying to go for an extended time with nothing coming out. He has been on this for 4 with no changes or issues. I just bought another bag and it has caused HORRIBLE, uncontrollable diarrhea. We have taken it away, fed rice and pumpkin, twice. Each time we start mixing a little of the food back in, one feeding of less than 1/4 of a cup of food in 1 cup of rice/pumpkin mix, causes horrible diarrhea again. The second time we took it away we took him to the vet and she put him on a pro-biotic and an antibiotic. He was on those medicines and rice and pumpkin only for a week. When we reintroduced, it was the same thing. I have emailed the company. I’m not sure if we just got a bad batch or we need to switch foods. Should I just go buy another bag of Merrick and hope it isn’t the same batch and it works? Should I try the Chicken Merrick? My store only stocks a few bags at a time, and I am worried they are from the same batch. I have spent the morning researching foods. Some grain free options I have come up with that our local stores sell are: Blue Wilderness, Wellness Core, and Earthborn. I would be willing to order something but I have nothing except for the potentially bad Merrick to mix with so we would be starting something new without a transition. I am wondering now if maybe he needs grains or even if he could possibly have colitis and need a high fiber diet? Does anyone have some insight or suggestions for me? Thanks!

[Heather H]

I need some help. I have a 1 year old large Rhodesian Ridgeback. We have had food issues from the beginning with him. The breeder had him on a mix of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula and Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy. When we got him at 8 weeks we transitioned him to straight Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula. Shortly after this transition he started having some difficulty having a bowel movement. He would go once regular, and then shortly after he would go again but it would be very skinny. Sometimes he would continue to try to go for sometime afterwards with nothing coming out. Our vet said it was probably just a nerve that wasn’t fully developed yet and that was making him feel like he needed to keep going. She said as long as he was having regular bowel movements, and he wasn’t vomiting, we shouldn’t worry and it would probably clear up on it’s own. At our five month check up, I brought it up again because it seemed to be getting worse. She did an x-ray and determined he was backed up, his stomach was still very full of food (even though it had been several hours since he ate) and he had several pockets of gas. She said there were a few places where his bowel looked inflamed and thickened. She put him on a pro-biotic and an anti-inflammatory pill for a week. It wasn’t any better on the medication. She was concerned that his stomach wasn’t emptying property and his waste wasn’t moving through the bowel as it should. She did a barium study to rule out any internal issues. Everything came back normal so she said it must be the food and recommended their in-house brand Prescription Diet D/D. After research, I decided not to try that kind, but instead find a food that was rated 4 or 5 that agreed with him. We spent the next 3 months transitioning to different foods. We tried other flavors of Taste of the Wild, Diamond Naturals Grain Free Beef and Sweet Potato, and one other, I can’t remember the name of at the moment. Some caused diarrhea, some made his bowel movement issues worse and he strained more. Finally, we tried Merrick Grain Free Buffalo and his bowel movements got drastically better. I still don’t believe they are 100% normal, but at least to the point where he wasn’t straining or trying to go for an extended time with nothing coming out. He has been on this for 4 with no changes or issues. I just bought another bag and it has caused HORRIBLE, uncontrollable diarrhea. We have taken it away, fed rice and pumpkin, twice. Each time we start mixing a little of the food back in, one feeding of less than 1/4 of a cup of food in 1 cup of rice/pumpkin mix, causes horrible diarrhea again. The second time we took it away we took him to the vet and she put him on a pro-biotic and an antibiotic. He was on those medicines and rice and pumpkin only for a week. When we reintroduced, it was the same thing. I have emailed the company. I’m not sure if we just got a bad batch or we need to switch foods. Should I just go buy another bag of Merrick and hope it isn’t the same batch and it works? Should I try the Chicken Merrick? My store only stocks a few bags at a time, and I am worried they are from the same batch. I have spent the morning researching foods. Some options I have come up with that our local stores sell are: Blue Wilderness, Wellness Core, and Earthborn. Does anyone have some insight or suggestions for me? Thanks!

[Sally C]

I am new to this site and a fairly new dog owner. Here’s the history of my pup: we adopted a 9 month old yorkie from a local rescue in November. He came to us eating Eagle Pack dog food which I kept him on. He was also coughing a lot, then he started itching and chewy his hind legs. He developed severe ear infections, then diarrhea and then he finally started vomiting roundworms. This was all over the course of 6 weeks. Before the worms were found (despite 3 stool samples), we were certain he had allergies. So, I tried him on Blue Buffalo Basics which was not helpful and caused diarrhea then switched to Nature’s Variety limited ingredient Salmon meal. He has completely quit scratching and the hair on his hind legs is starting to grow back. His skin is also less dry. The problem is that he really smells, he has gas, his breath is awful and his stools are very soft , large and smell awful!!! Now I don’t know if he really has allergies or if it could have been been getting worms.

I have read about raw diets but I just don’t know if I could do it. Maybe if it was already prepared. Dry kibble would be my first choice, but I don’t know if it will help him. This has been a very long process of trial and error and any advice would be wonderful! I have wasted so much dog food!

[Peggy]

Ronald, no more wrong than I was, or 75% of the US population, so don’t beat yourself up.
After leaving Pedigree, I moved to Blue Buffalo Basics which my Tebow liked – a little too much. He gained weight like crazy. LadyBug vomited.

I think she has food sensitivities, so we switched to Wellness Core grain-free reduced fat.
They both hated it, lol. Would not eat a single bite. I was discussing other brands with members here, and how being a single mom I can’t afford the high-priced stuff. Someone mentioned Pure Balance, which I looked up here and saw the good ratings. So I googled it and discovered you can only find it at Walmart.

I was floored that a food sold at walmart had such a high rating. And except for the chicken recipe, they love it. Especially the can lamb and dry Salmon & Pea recipe. And although it’s at the very top end of my budget, I can still swing it. Carefully. 🙂

[Dina H]

I was assured by the woman at Pet Valu that I didn’t have to do the slow transition. This is a dog that was born here. I do rescue and of the 5 in the litter, she was the typical ‘middle’ child, always sensitive and insecure. I think that may have some bearing. She was adopted and her owner had her on Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food. She was returned to me bec owner was moving (boo) and that is the food I was transitioning from. I had read about the connection between Blue Buffalo and Diamond and decided to part ways with it. She has always had intermittent bouts of diarrhea; no parasites…she has been checked and she has been treated with panacur and metro a month ago. I think what I will do is get a small bag of the Blue Buffalo that she was on and slowly segue her to the Acana but will go with the Acana chicken this time. As well as replace that slow feeder bowl that one of my dogs decided was a toy. (:

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! I just saw that PetSmart has the small bags of Nutrisca on sale for $7.99, and I have a coupon for $3 off each bag, and some coupons for the Purina One canned food thats $1 a piece right now ($1 off 3!).

Purina aside, does anyone have any thoughts about Nutrisca? I peeked over at the review side and while everyone’s dogs apprear to be doing great on it, it seems the company has shut out any questions of who actually makes the food. And, PetSmart stocks it in the same isle as they do Pedigree, their store brand, Purina, and the other junk foods (they need to move Blue Buffalo to that isle and bump Wellness and Nature’s Variety up….!).

I’m down to just a few months worth of dog food, so I need to start buying again, but I want to make sure I’m not knowingly buying a product that is going to make my dogs sick, not wanting to feed something made by Diamond, especially since they appear to be currently having issues, AGAIN (wow, never would have guessed Diamond would have issues *rolls eye* Psh!). The comments were all a few months old, so hopefully one of you guys will have some more recent information.