[Erin R]

Her current food protein level is i think 25% so 30%+ seems to be a big leap to me. Maybe that’s not such a good idea? Hmm. The only low fat grain free foods i can find seem to have high protein levels.

I did find Innova Weight Management with 22% Protein and 10% fat, and Blue Buffalo Small Breed Health Weight with 25% Protein and 9% Fat. They both have meats as the first two ingredients but Innova has Whole Grain Barley, Whole Grain Brown Rice, and Whole Grain Oats as the 3-5 ingredients. And Blue has Whole Ground Barley, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, and Rice Bran as the 3-6 ingredients.

Blue seems to have more grain, but it’s ground if that makes a difference? I just don’t know. I guess i’ll discuss it with the vet and see what they say.

[Kritterlady]

Blue Buffalo has not used co-packers for a long time. They lease facilities all over the country and are building a huge facility in Joplin Missouri to aid the town after the devastating tornados. It’s an easy target because its a fast growing company, but I haven’t had problems getting answers from them.

[DogFoodie]

Blue Buffalo is questionable at best. Too many co-packers, too many quality control issues and far too little transparency from the manufacturer. I’d never feed my dogs a Blue Buffalo product.

[Ly]

I changed my 7 month old yorkie’s diet from Blue Buffalo Freedom to Orijen last weekend. He got Diarrhea. He was on it from Sat-Thursday. I called my vet Thursday and they said to give him chicken and rice, then go back to BB and transition again. He’s been on chicken and rice since Thursday night. Now his poops are orange liquid. Should I fast him or maybe I’m just giving him too much food?

[Kritterlady]

Blue buffalo is still owned by the Bishop family. It has not been sold off though rumors abound and I’m sure offers have been made. Checked it out on business sites. I still have it in rotation and keep tabs on the company.

[Naturella]

Holly C,

Thanks for the advice! I would also feed TOTW even to my dog, and yes, I am aware some have an issue with it being made by Diamond, but I would at least try it. My Bruno did fantastic on Blue Buffalo Wilderness and I personally know of 3 other dogs that have also done great on it. But yeah, I doubt the lady would buy that.

As far as Rachael Ray, I haven’t tried it, but I think it also depends on the dog how it would react to it. Earthborn is my go-to food as I can get it for cheap, but I can also get TOTW and even Victor for not much at all.

As for the lady, I already ordered her some food – Dogswell LiveFree (Grain Free) in 3 different flavors – Salmon, Chicken, and Lamb (4 lbs each) and one Wysong Nurture with Quail (5 lbs) – the LiveFree was on sale for $4 each, and the Wysong for $5, so it was legit a steal – 17 lbs for $18 (even with the shipping – I got a $5 discount too). And I have bought bigger bags (14-15 lbs) of food for my small guy (13.5 lbs) with no problems, but I will DEFINITELY only use small bags in my rotation for more variety in brands and flavors. But the lady would rather I get her the same 14-15 lb-bags so that she doesn’t have to worry about getting dog food too often, which I understand… But yeah, if I catch good deals, I will get her smaller bags too. 🙂

[Holly C]

Hooray! I’d definitely go with Taste of the Wild (the fish one, probably for her coat). I think Chicken Soup for the Soul dog food is a good choice too. When I have budget issues, I always buy it. It’s the best bang for my buck, but I prefer ToTW when I can buy it. I also like Earthborn Holistic. Wellness and Castor and Pollux are great foods, but really pricey.

Stay away from Blue Buffalo (too much for what it really is, and it always gets my dog sick!), and the Rachel Ray food. I have tried both before, and it made my dog itch like crazy.

If I were you, I’d go for a smaller bag of ToTW. A 15lb bag of TOTW lasts my 55lb dog about 2 weeks (he eats 300 grams a day), so don’t buy big dog food bags. It might spoil and you’ll lose more money than you’d save.

Good job with helping this dog!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Holly C.

[Deby G]

About 2 weeks ago I started to fed my 7lb poodle mix the family style with veggies, etc. I researched and even called the company and was told they import nothing from China and neither do their suppliers. Now there are posts on the internet that the company was sold to a china based company and there are horror stories about the dry food. I rescued Marley this past Feb. and she is about 5-6 years old. My vet practically insisted on Hills WD prescription food. However, Marley had patella/cruciate surgery recently and in discussing her food the Dr. was shocked about using WD RX long term when she has no gastro or other problems. So, I figured he was pushing it because I need to buy it from him and decided to try Blue. Marley loves it but now I am frightened. Anyone out there have any answers for me? I will really appreciate your input. Bunny

[Naturella]

Wow, there are quite a few threads of mostly Shasta220 and I venting about Beneful and the like and Science Diet, lol, so I was not sure where to post, but here it is – I have a success story, y’all!!! (I get Southern-like when excited apparently, lol)

Anywho, I babysit these kids, and the family dog is a shitzu mix, 4 years old, unknown weight, but probably around 15-ish lbs. She is on Kibbles ‘N’ (PUKE)… I mean Bits. Kibbles ‘N’ Bits. She STANK!!! Like, BAD!!!

So I talked to the mom and tossed the idea to her that it may be the food and she was quite open to suggestions on what to feed her! I first warned her to steer clear of Kibbles N Puke, Beneful (Crappyful), Pedigree, Iams, and the like, and she goes “That’s all that we’ve been feeding her!”. And I was like “Well… Don’t anymore, please!”. So I asked where she usually shops for food, and she said Walmart. So I immediately recommended Pure Balance Grain Free and Rachael Ray Zero Grain. Also some other foods like Blue Buffalo Wilderness and some of the ones I’ve fed.

So the lady takes a note, but with a full-time job, 3 kids, a husband, and a household to run, I am sure doggie food is not a top 10 priority, so I look at my stash and see some gifts from a friend, who had given me about a lb or so each of Nutro Max, Simply Nourish, and Whole Earth Farms. So I scoop them up (after keeping a cup of each for Bruno) and pour some of the current Earthborn he is on, and I brought them to the family today, along with a sample pack of THK perfect form, for the puppy’s tummy. I asked for permission to transition the dog (named Snowy) to better food with the ones I have brought. Permission granted. I’m ecstatic! I mixed 1/3 of Nutro Max with 2/3 of Kibbles N Crap (luckily, the last in the bag!) and served her a scoop. Poor pup was picking out the Nutro like crazy! I was so touched for some reason. She has enough Kibbles N Yuck mixed with Nutro to last her the end of the week, maybe more, and once/day, while I’m there, I will be giving her some Perfect Form so that her tummy doesn’t get upset. After that she will be on some Simply Nourish, then Whole Earth Farms will join in, and, finally, Earthborn! 🙂

Also, I told my mom about the good deals I get often, so she said I can get her a big bag of a good food (up to $20) and she would pay me. Oh, will I!? Of course! I am thinking TOTW with alternating Pure Balance Grain Free, Earthborn Holisitic Grain Free, and Rachael Ray Zero Grain (those I can either get for real cheap or with coupons), and if I catch deals on Victor or something from the local pet boutique, I will get her some from there too. I am so excited, so as long as I’m babysitting the kids, I will be able to transition this poor dog to something better. It is so necessary as she has 3 bumps on her smallest ribs and I don’t know what they are… The lady didn’t either, but she said she’ll check them out when she takes her to the vet next. Also, even if I don’t work for her anymore, I have left her a list with foods to use, so I hope she adheres to them. I just can’t wait to see results from the transition – no more stink at least, and hopefully the bumps will just kind of be ok.

But yeah. I’m excited. Success story. Yay! 🙂

P.S. This website was on the top of each page on the list. Hope she looks at it! 🙂

[Naturella]

Liz S, I also think adding canned will do much, much good! When I use canned, I prefer the pate-style ones, and I add a bit of water with the canned and kibble (I mix dry and canned usually), and make it mushy/porridge-like/soupy, and this way I try to counter the dryness of the kibble.

My dog is small too (Jack Russell-mini Rat Terrier mix (we think, as he was found in the bushes), 13.5 lbs), but I never really fed him a small-breed specific food except for his very first one when we adopted him. Foods I have tried that he did good on (and could eat the kibble with no problems) are: Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension, Dr. Tim’s (slightly bigger kibble, but oh well, he managed it just fine), Nutrisca, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Victor Grain Free (lots of samples), Nature’s Variety Instinct (samples), Now! Fresh (sample), NutriSource Grain Free (samples), Annamaet (samples), Wysong (samples), and I have a lot lined up – Back to Basics, Canidae Pure, Dogswell LiveFree, Wysong, NVI, more Victor Grain Free (which, in my case (heads up to LabsRawesome), told me I could PURCHASE the samples at $0.33/baggie, but wouldn’t send me free ones, AND I had to pay the shipping… But I stocked up at 5 samples/food, lol).

All the kibbles aside from Dr. Tim’s were small enough and just fine to manage. For canned I have fed Wellness Core, Nutro Natural Source and Nutro Ultra, and now I feed The Honest Kitchen (THK) dehydrated with water instead of canned. I also add a raw egg once a week, coconut oil with some lukewarm water every other day, and yoghurt/kefir every other day, as well as a canned sardine and its fish juice from the can once a week too. So you can use some of these for variety and to cut the costs of canned.

[Trey W]

I have had my Lab puppy for over 2 months now and we can’t seem to get his stools regularly normal. At first we were feeding him Blue Buffalo Large Puppy Breed Chicken and Rice flavor and he was having diarrhea almost every time he would poop. So we switched his food to Simply Nourish Large Puppy Breed Chicken and Rice and for about the first week he was eating that his poops were pretty normal, but now they have started to soften up again. Many days his poops will go from decent to worse throughout the day, but he does not have an increase in poops it is just that when he does poop they tend to be very soft stools if not diarrhea.

He does not have any worms nor blood in his stool even though today I did find some gravel looking stuff in his stool. We have feed him boiled chicken and rice on days that his tummy has been real upset, and when we do that his poops are always better, but I cant feed him boiled chicken and rice forever. He eats, drinks, plays, and acts perfectly healthy. My vet recommended switching his food to Hills Science Diet because that is the softest on dogs stomachs. I am weary of this because I have heard that vets just push that on the customers because that is their sponsored dog food.

I am open to any suggestions, and just hoping to get my boy all better.

[Lihan Z]

My corgi puppy is having pro plan right now, he is almost finished with the food and I want to get him the best I can get the next time. The vet told me not to get blue buffalo, because they never talk to vets and never attend conferences. I looked over the GMO-free category and I have never heard of most brands. Everyone is saying something different. After a little bit of research, I think I’ll get Wellness Core Small Breed Formula for my pup. Before I go ahead and purchase, does anyone have some better ideas? Thanks

[DogFoodie]

I hate to say this, but I recall calling Earthborn when my Golden was a little pup and the gentleman that I spoke with told me the Calcium in the Primitive Naturals was too high for a LBP in growth phase. I don’t mind single source amino acids at all, after all, it’s why you rotate in the first place.

What stores do you have locally, Petco, PetSmart, TSC? Have you tried the Victor product locator to see if you might have that at a local feed store. No pet boutiques? You could try cooking or a simple raw diet for a few days if you needed to while you wait for an order to arrive. You could even run to Wal-Mart and feed some Pure Balance canned for a few days in a pinch.

I’d go for the Meadow Feast of all those you mentioned. I would never use a Blue Buffalo product.

[Naturella]

Amen, Kritterlady! This is basically what happened to us when we got Bruno. He was dropped off with no food, so we loaded him in the car and rushed to PetSmart where we looked around a bit (our roommate was feeding Science Diet at the time, thank goodness he finally switched to Nulo Medal Series), and we were pondering upon also feeding SD, but we spoke to a store associate and she recommended Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (4.5 stars on DFA, but I didn’t know this at the time) – she talked about the unique shape of the kibbles and how they are meant to strengthen puppy jaws but are small enough for our little guy. We got a small bag of that, Bruno loved it, it was all good. But then I kept seeing Blue Wilderness commercials, so in a month we got him a small bag of that. He also loved it and I noticed increased shine on his coat. We bought a bigger bag and for the next 3-4 months he was on Blue, but when researching it I found DFA, and began learning tons and tons about dog nutrition. I am so happy I steered clear of SD and now Bruno is on a rotational dry diet (4-5 stars only) with canned or THK as a topper, and additives like yoghurt/kefir, coconut oil, canned sardines, flax seed meal and pumpkin every once in a while, and RMBs and raw egg once a week each. He looks fantastic, coat feels great, and I really believe that had it not been for Blue Buffalo Wilderness and me researching it, I may not have found this amazing website and learned so much. I plan to use it again in the future as Bruno seemed to have no problems on it, but it will be a while – so many other foods to try before that! 🙂

[Brando F]

Hi all,

I have a male 16-17lb Shih-Tzu who is about 8-9 years old. Due to ignorance, convenience, price, and picky eating, my parents have been feeding him Cesar food mixed with some home cooked food for almost his whole life. Now that I’m older and more aware, I want to feed him better quality food, however late it may be.

He hasn’t exhibited any notable health problems, isn’t overweight, and gets plenty of exercise, but still – I’m concerned for his diet.

My questions: What brands do you recommend? Should I be looking for something low in fat even if he isn’t overweight? Just to compensate for the low quality of Cesar?

I’ve been experimenting with Blue Buffalo Divine Delights and Blue Buffalo Wilderness, both of which he likes. However, I’m a little iffy about Wilderness because of the fat content, though the nutritional benefits are there.

Again, are these okay for my dog because of their overall quality, or should I be looking for something lower in fat? If I’m feeding Divine Delights during the day and Wilderness at night, is this a sufficient balance?

*Note: I’m sticking to wet food.

Thanks in advance 🙂

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Brando F.
• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Brando F.

[InkedMarie]

Patricia,
I can’t speak for why it;s not on the list but you may want to read this link:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html

[patricia h]

Dear Editor choice, I looked through Your list and could not find Blue Buffalo why do You not have it on Your list, could You please let me know since this is what I feed my dog

[C W]

Acana is not available in my area, bummer! We also move just about every 2 years, so it’s always a struggle to find good foods that are widely available or that ship from Amazon.

Sue66b, I haven’t tried any wet foods but I think that would burn out my wallet pretty quick with a large dog and other “toppings” (or even just plain boiled chicken) I’ve offered her haven’t helped.

Your comment about the fat content does get me thinking though… We started out on NV Prairie Chicken (~13% fat), switched to the Lamb (~14%), then went to TOTW (~19%). She mostly ate the TOTW well, give or take a bag here and there. The Pedigree & RC Gastro were both low fat and she ate them immediately. Maybe the fat is bugging her… The Blue Buffalo she refused had about ~16%, so mid-range I guess, but it was also the Chicken flavor and I have a growing suspicion she might also be sensitive to chicken.

Thank you all for your thoughts & suggestions so far — lots to think about!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by C W.

[C W]

I have a 4 year old Golden Retriever who has basically always happily eaten 4-ish star dog foods in various meat varieties, some with grains and some without, with seemingly no problem. In recent weeks/months she’s just decided that she won’t eat any of them anymore. She’s had Nature’s Variety Prairie/Instinct, Taste of the Wild, and I just bought her some Blue Buffalo (which she refused entirely).

I’ve already eliminated all ‘extras’ and she just starves herself for days until she throws up bile. Broth is no help, boiled chicken she’ll eat but she threw up the last time I gave it to her, etc.

A week or so ago, I ended up paying for an abdominal x-ray & blood work (clean bill of health from both), a nausea injection, follow-up pills, and Royal Canin Gastrointestinal vet food (which she ate immediately). The Royal Canin is crazy expensive. I ended up mixing it with her regular food and she ate both. The RC ran out & she ate her regular food again and I thought she was better… and then she refused to eat again.

In desperation I bought her a small bag of Pedigree (barf), which she scarfed down. 🙁 I’ve noticed that the kibble size is much larger in the Pedigree. All the “holistic” brands I’ve seen have tiny diameter kibble… I’m wondering if that’s part of the reason for the refusal?

Are there any ‘good’ foods that have larger kibble? Or does anyone have any other ideas about what might be wrong??

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by C W.

[Naturella]

I did feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness with great success for 4 months to my terrier mix. It made a lot of difference for him, coming off of Purina One (what the people who rescued him fed him), and Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (what we were initially advised to feed him at PetSmart the day we got him). His coat got shiny, he had good appetite, good stool, no problems whatsoever. I do know people who feed Blue in rotation, and some who feed it exclusively, day in and day out, so far no problems.

I think for us, I will keep an eye on it and the cases surrounding it, but maybe in 2 years, when I have had a bunch of other foods I want to rotate Bruno through, I may go back to it if I get a good sale on it, lol. If not, I will stick with some favorites – Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Annamaet, Earthborn Holistic, and hopefully Wellness, Wysong, Canidae, Fromm, Orijen, Acana, 4Health (yet to feed those in our rotation).

[DogFoodie]

I believe it was Blue Buffalo that refused to disclose information regarding the nutrient analysis of their products when requested by Hound Dog Mom while she was researching foods appropriate for large breed puppies; as a result, none of their foods made the LBP appropriate foods list.

[Kritterlady]

Donald S, i can tell you what’s causing the lawsuit. A close friend of mine manages a large Petsmart and blue Buffalo is killing the other name brands in sales! It is the number one selling product in Petsmart nationally and the other brands are green with jealousy at this upstart brand. While like many here I feed primarily raw, I do rotate and sometimes add blue wilderness. Ask a competitor rep about blue an you will get tons of misinformation and lies about it. Ask the blue rep about the others an they say nothing negative about the others. A company that has to rely on lawsuits and lies about its competitors is not worth my dime. Good for blue buffalo for fighting this out loud. People are getting educated about what’s in pet food thanks to this site and others And at the retail level there is a shift in what people will put up with even from established brands.

[Donald S]

Kritterlady- you are correct- I was thinking Purina & Hill’s/Diamond Feed suing Blue Buffalo over slander and false advertising. Just wondering what started that? Seems like a lot of money to be spent by a couple of companies that will gain no reward for their efforts. I’m not even a slight fan of Diamond Feed.

[Kritterlady]

Blue diamond is a nut company. Diamond is a pet food company. Blue Buffalo is a pet food company that’s been slandered. They don’t use byproduct and they no longer use copackers. I called the company to confirm this.

[Adele P]

My fourteen year old dingo mix, Libby, was on Weruva’s “Bed and Breakfast” and a Blue Buffalo kibble but when I became aware of Blue Buffalo’s legal problems I switched to Hill’s Ideal Balance “Slim and Healthy” because it was recommended by the retailer we use. Libby’s once sleek, shining fur is now dry and dull so I’m looking for recommendations for a kibble that is appropriate for elderly dogs without carb loading. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

[BellaBoo]

I have a two year old pit bull mix, named Bella. We’ve been having issues with her glands only recently. I feed her Blue Buffalo Chicken, dry and wet and usually she has firm stool,but recently it’s been soft. I was told try pumpkin and/or Metamucil? She also is on medication for life due to her blood disease she has :/ any ideas?

[Bobby dog]

Petsmart $5 off coupon for dog or cat food valid through 9/29 on any size of the following brands:
Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux ORGANIX & Ultramix, Hill’s Ideal Balance, Innova, Nature’s Recipe, Nutro Natural Choice, Nulo, Nutro Max, Nutro Ultra, Simply Nourish, Wellness

Specialized: Authority, Bil-Jac/Farmer’s Bounty, Eukanuba, Hill’s Science Diet, Pet Botanics, Pro Plan, Royal Canin.

http://www.pennywisepaws.com/petsmart-5-natural-specialized-dry-dog-cat-food-size/

[Marlene N]

Hi Melissa…Yes, the Article was by the FDA, US Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm228986.htm
It covers all Blue brands (protection, basic and wilderness)… it was excessive Vitamin D. Back in 2010. That was on the side of precaution.
If it was a food poisoning bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria or E.Coli. causing death then that would be something to be concerned about.
Taking others views….(with a grain of salt)….- the numerous complaints by pet owners feeding their dogs Blue Buffalo and Blue Wilderness products and going through 2 months of my pet having severe diarrhea…it was enough to make me change.
Who’s to say what is right or wrong … Every food is different, every dog is different….
I don’t really feel that there is something wrong with the food, I just know that it is not right for my dog.

[DogFoodie]

I would never feed Blue Buffalo either. It’s actually not on the Editor’s Choice list.

I think I’d look for a quality canned food.

[Jennifer V]

My 4 yr. old Lucy (unknown breed) has recently been diagnosed with cancer. I know what chemo and radiation does to a person, so rather than putting my Lucy through that, I’ve decided to first try the holistic approach. I went out and bought Blue Wilderness (bison, dry) and began feeding it to Lucy and Bells (pug/chihuahua). Initially, they both loved it! Then, after about two weeks, Lucy began having diarrhea everyday and she quit eating and Bella just quit eating too. Lucy began eating again last night, but Bella hasn’t eaten now for four days. Feeling horrible, I even tried to feed her, her old food (Purina), and she won’t even eat that. These two dogs have never had any issues with their appetite, typically they’ll eat anything. They’re definitely not picky dogs, until now.
I did some research and found this site regarding the same issue from hundreds of other people.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html

These are obviously only the people that’s taken the time to complain in writing. What I want to know is why this happening, and seeing as so many people are having these issues, why is Blue Wilderness the Editors Choice???

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi David –

Blue Buffalo does not report actual calcium levels on their packaging, they only report the guaranteed minimum. Basically, the minimum just means that the food is guaranteed to contain at least that much calcium – the actual amount in the food could be much higher. As far as I know (unless something has changed), Blue refuses to disclose the actual amount of calcium in their foods.

With that said, higher calcium levels are only of concern during growth. It’s perfectly fine to feed an adult dog foods that are higher in calcium.

[Dori]

If you read through the posts on BB you’ll note that a lot of poster’s dogs have had many issues with the food. I don’t know whether it’s always been that way or if something along the way has changed but it does seem to cause a lot of issues. If I’m not mistaken, I think they may have had a recall in the past. Sorry, I’ve never fed the food so I’m not sure about that but I do seem to recall a Blue Buffalo recall.

[Zach M]

My dog was doing fine on blue buffalo. I did decide to switch though, because she started eating grass, and it wasnt the food.

[David T]

I am considering switching my 2 year old IW food (Blue Buffalo Large Breed) to one of the editors choices recommendations. I think Blue Buffalo has been giving my IW infrequent (1-2 times every couple of months) diarrhea. I have heard that Blue buffalo mixes there vitamins separately which can cause abnormal dose in the dry food. I like Blue because of the low calcium <1.5%. However, I have noticed that a lot of the editors choice brands have very high Calcium levels in their food. From what I have read, (on this site) it is recommended to stay below 1.5% Calcium. Are there any dog food brands that are high quality and tailored to large/giant breeds?

[kelsey r]

I completely switched my golden pup over to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy (Rocky Mountain Recipe) a couple days ago. Not a moment after, he began having horrible diarrhea, constantly cried, and was so lethargic he wouldn’t wake unless I shook him vigorously. Normally he’d wake and groggily grumble in protest. It was so frightening! We stopped the Blue immediately and put him on a bland diet of chicken and rice. Today is the first day he’s had a solid (yet still very soft) go. He’s feeling better, it had to have been the Blue. The breeder had the pups on Purina and that rubbish didn’t make him sick! He gobbled up the Blue as we were switching him over and even went so far as to segregate the Purina from it, but after the first time he got sick, he wouldn’t even go near the kitchen, much less the bowl.

DO NOT FEED YOUR DOGS BLUE BUFFALO! I thought I was shelling out for an excellent brand with an excellent reputation. But judging by Consumer Reports’ review page for Blue (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html), a whole string of dogs have been getting sick recently. An email to the company has yet to yield a response. Shame on Blue! They have to be aware of this by now. A recall needs to happen! Stay far, far away from this brand!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by kelsey r.

[Donald S]

I saw that Purina and Hill’s are sueing Blue Buffalo for false advertising and slander, claiming Blue does use meat by products and other bad stuff in its foods- anybody know what it’s all about?

[Susan]

Hi Vanessa, when I first rescued Patch he’d clear a room, it was awful…I put him on a dog probiotic & changed his food… have a look at the Wellpet Range, they make “Holistic Select” & “Wellness” kibbles & wet, the Holistic Select has a grainfree Adult & Puppy health Salmon Anchovy & Sardine meal or there’s Deboned Turkey & Lentils, maybe he cant handle the high protein so pick a kibble with a bit lower protein….but the Royal Canin is full of crap & probably the same price as a good quaility kibble, make sure you read the ingredients when picking a new kibble & pick a kibble that has different ingredients to the Blue Buffalo cause something is giving him bad gas which isnt good..also try some wet tin foods aswell, kibble is over proccessed & harder to digest, even some nice home cooked meals or raw.. he’s a link to the Holistic Select range
http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog#category5

[Vanessa B]

Our 5 month old french bulldog has brought so much life and laughter into our home, and we all love him to pieces!! However, his gas is so horribly bad – room clearing bad… Wake you up from REM sleep bad… Melt this skin off your face bad!! We feed him Blue Buffalo Wilderness 100% grain free for puppies (at the recommendation of our local pet store Manager). I spoke to the lady I bought him from last night, and she told me that what I am feeding him has too much protein for him. She also said he needs to be on adult food. She suggested I transition Rocco (our Frenchie) to Royal Canin Bulldog 24. Here is some background: Rocco has ONLY eaten the dogfood I mentioned earlier… No table scraps, no people food. I have never tried yogurt in his food – I understand how yogurt helps our human guts but the fear of not knowing 100% what it may or may not do to Rocco’s belly makes me hesitant.

I will certainly take her advice into consideration, but I was hoping to possibly obtain further advice/knowledge/suggestions from this online community! Thank you all in advance for taking time to read my post! Any and all thoughts are welcomed! We are at the last little bit of his Blue Buffalo Wilderness bag of food so this is a good time to start transitioning him. I am looking forward to reading everyone’s thoughts!

***I am helping my husband with some outside work today so if you post a question for me just please know that I will respond to it but it might be a little while before I am able to log back into this site.

[Karen D]

Hi everyone! My name is Karen and I have an almost 4 month old mini dachshund. I am brand new here and hope you can help me out!

He is eating Blue Buffalo with some cooked chicken breast now. I have 3 cats that have eaten raw for 5 years…2 years ago we moved them to Blueridge Beef. We have to keep him separated from them or he will race over there to gobble it up faster than you could believe LOL!

He starts in August and my question is how much should I feed him? He is almost 6 pounds now..projected to be 10-12 pounds according to what his parents weigh. I read 2.5% of that….so does that mean about 2.5 ounces per feeding (3x’s a day)?
Also, BRB only has 1 organ meat in it (liver). Do I need to add something else? This is the total break down of their puppy mix: ground beef, chicken, green tripe, beef heart, chicken bone and beef liver. I add a supplement to my cats’ food too (Kitty Bloom). Should I add the Dog Bloom to this?

Thanks in advance!!

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Jennifer-

I am going to agree with your vet on the cause-Pig ears are a huge no no for many breeds of dogs that are prone to pancreatitis, so definetly would be for one who had an attack. Very high fat content. What was the fat content of what you were feeding him before? You may have said and I missed it. Right after an attack, one does need to heavily restrict the fat etc in order to allow the pancreas to rest and reduce inflammation. Most vets will say restrict the fat content from this point forward to 10-12% MAXIMUM, not minimum. Good luck finding foods that report a guaranteed minimum, lol.

As an owner of mini schnauzers for 25 plus years, I have dealt with it more times than I wished to. Schnauzers are very prone to pancreatitis and severe attacks at that. I was a good sheep and followed the protocol. And what that got me was a bunch of schnauzers who were more fat sensitive than ever. I only had one that continued to have fat content issues, and we went with Blue Buffalo Wilderness Healthy weight for her, with some other brands mixed in for variety. The rest of the crew were transitioned SLOWLY to various brands, and types and they are “safe” up to about 16.5% total fat in a meal. If I wish to feed them say Acana grassland which is 17% fat, then I mix it with Lamb/Apple which is 15% fat. You get the idea.

These days, I feed a combination of dry,canned, dehydrated and homemade raw(they did well on Natures Variety Instinct raw as well-but like anything else watch the fat content) When I make raw, I use lean meats-skinless chicken, lean beef etc and so far, no issues. My point being while you have to be conscious of fat content, each dog has an upper threshold and it may take a bit of research to find yours. Just remember to do everything very slowly, and don’t go crazy and think Milo can have 17 or 18 percent fat because other dogs do. good luck-Melissa

[Brenda M]

Hi there. I have a 4 yr old Cavalier King Charles/Papillon mix. He’s been on California Natural Grain Free Venison for a couple years & was doing great on it. And now California Natural has changed the ingredients on this food. We’ve tried other foods b/c of recalls, etc. I’ve found that my dog is sensitive to certain dog foods, his stool gets soft if the food is too rich, possibly high in protein (Acana, Orjien, Blue Buffalo Wilderness). Soft stool then seems to cause issues with his anal glands not emptying as they should. The new formula for CA Natural is making the stool softer. Anyone have any recommendations? He isn’t a picky eater & while I’ve always gave him grain free, I really have no reason for that…

Thank you!

[Srmeadow]

Hi Corey K,
I had my dog on the Royal Canin SO food for 2 weeks after she was diagnosed with struvite crystals, then once we had a urine check and found that her urine was clear, I asked the vet if I could change her back to a “regular” food that was not prescription. She said, yes. I asked her what food she recommended, because obviously I could not put her back on Blue Buffalo (the original food I was feeding her). The vet told me that many times certain foods do not work for your pet and I believe this to be the case with my dog. My vet said honestly whatever food your dog will eat is what you should feed them as long as it is a name brand food. I hesitantly put my dog on Iams and it has been over a year now and we have had ZERO issues with bladder problems. My dog does have some separation anxiety and even being boarded a few times over the last year has had no issues with her bladder as far as crystals or UTI’s which can be brought on during stressful situations. I don’t believe your dog needs to be on prescription dog food long term. Perhaps keep your dog on the prescription food for a short term, then once all seems to be good, try going to a different food. I was such a firm believer in expensive and more natural dog foods until all of this happened with my dog. Now, I’m a firm believer in whatever food works with your dog’s system is best and Iams has truly made my dog a different dog. 🙂 As a side note, my dog was also experiencing high levels in her liver and once I made the switch to Iams, it has all disappeared. Coincidence? Maybe.. but, I will be feeding her Iams from now on. Good luck with your pup! I know how stressful medical issues are with pets! Try Iams if you feel comfortable and see if it helps your dog. 🙂

[Naturella]

Of the above, Victor, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Dr. Tim’s, Nutrisca, Now! Fresh, Annamaet, and Nulo are 5 stars. Earthborn Holistic (the Grain Free ones) and TOTW are 4.5 stars I think.

[Naturella]

Victor has teeny kibbles, Holistic Health Extension Small/Toy Breed has teeny kibbles too. My dog was 5lbs or so when we adopted him, he was very small, but was able to eat Blue Buffalo Wilderness with no problem. I haven’t ever fed him small breed anything since the first food he was on – Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy. Since then he’s been on:
Blue Buffalo Wilderness
Nutrisca
Dr. Tim’s (largest kibble he’s ever had)
Holistic Health Extension
Earthborn Holistic
Now! Fresh
Victor (smallest kibble he’s ever had)
Nature’s Variety Instinct
Annamaet samples (good size, close to Victor)
NutriSource samples (close to HHE)
TOTW samples (close to HHE/BBW)
Nulo sample (a bit bigger than BBW)

Overall Bruno has managed to deal with all kibble sizes just fine. But you can check out Victor and other small breed varieties of good 5-star foods. 🙂

[Daryl O]

Hello!

We have a little Shorkie puppy who has a bit of a wire hair coat. He is 1 year 6 months old. His coat is drying out and is not as soft (as soft as a wire hair can be) as it was months ago.

We are feeding him blue buffalo life protection dry and blue buffalo canned (various).

Any suggestions on changing brands or other ideas to help is coat out?

New to this forum so excuse any inappropriate questions/statements.

Cheers.

[shane c]

Blue Buffalo killed my pitbull at 22 mo old. Hed been eating IAMs for 20 of those mo. then i switched to wilderness Blue Buffalo. hes dead in less than 2 mo. Kidney Failure. heres a BIG F YOU to Blue Buffalo…. My dog is dead as a result.

[Kelly F]

Recently, my 2 1/2 yr old blue heeler has begun to limp. Just over a month ago, we were both attacked by 2 american bulldogs. I thought maybe this was the reason, but after having x-rays & sedated palpitation done, our vet believes she has loose kneecaps and recommended science diet j/d formula. However, I have not had good experiences with this kind and the reviews do not seem great either, not to mention the price.

I was looking at Blue Buffalo life protection because it seems to have lots of omega-3 benefits, but after further research, I found that many consumers are not happy with the dog food because it makes their dog sick. There are so many mixed reviews, and I am now no closer to finding a food for my dog than I was in the beginning.

Any advice for a food aimed at joint health that won’t break the bank and is a good quality? She is also currently on a prescription anti-inflammatory, but she is still limping when she walks a while or runs.

[Jenn F]

I have 3 labs, 2 eat just fine but the 3rd is the pickiest eater I have ever seen. We adopted her in March & her foster sent along wellness. She ate it ok, but very slowly till we ran out & mixed it with blue buffalo. so we transitioned her to blue buffalo what we feed our male. She ate it ok for awhile & then she decided she didn’t want it one day. So then we started feeding her eukanuba, which we feed our other female & she ate it. I think she ate it because the kibble was bigger & not as hard. I know eukanuba isn’t the greatest & want to put her on something healthier. So, I bought a small bag of castor & pollux & she isn’t too fond of it, I think the kibble is too hard. And yes, we have tried adding H2O to the food & she still doesn’t like it. The only way she will eat it is if we add wet eukanuba to it. Any advice on a healthy food that doesn’t have small/hard kibble??? I have never had a dog be so picky about food, especially a lab!!! We are at our wits end with trying to get her to eat, meal times have become challenging with her!!!!! Thanks in advance

Jenn

[Abby S]

Our 2yr old beagle/lab mix has had an other round of diarrhea. I’ve had a fecal done and it is negative. He is currently on American Natural Premium: Sensitive Digestion. He previously ate Blue Buffalo but did far worse on it. I’ve also started him on a probiotic (his food also has them). He is doing his Nth round of Metronidazole. Even on all of this he has softer poop then he should. His vet wants to put him on a prescription food (it extremely pricey and from them of course). If that is what we need to do then we will but I am looking for other advise. I should mention that he is a high anxiety dog ( submissive peeing, pacing, cowering, and the like). Also has anal gland issues but not so bad we need to have the vet treat them. Thanks for the help!

[DogFoodie]

Hey Zach,

Not to try to talk you out of the Merrick, but there are a lot of people reporting problems with Merrick brands of kibble, in particular, Whole Earth Farms. I’ve never been a fan of Merrick products. I believe they have quality issues from the top down.

I’m sorry, I originally must’ve misunderstood. I thought you were planning to replace Blue Buffalo with THK. If you’re in the market for a new kibble, some I think are great that are pretty budget friendly are Dr.Tim’s, Horizon Legacy and Wellness Core.