[Inge F]

Our little Scotty will be 5 months old by the 19th of this month. We purchased Wilderness Puppy food, which she loved, then my husband felt that BLUE buffalo would be a better choice, therefore we mixed it half & half. When we got her (Maddie) she did nothing but scratch. The Vet treated her for a skin infection. The 2nd time she was treated with possible food allergy. Now she may have a urinal infection. We have no idea what kind of dog food we should purchase. Do you have any suggestions?
This Tuesday we are getting a 2nd opinion about her scratching. She has no fleas!

hank you, Inge F

[Akari_32]

Jakes mom, I bought 5 chicken wings tonight, one for him to eat, and maybe one for Bentley to eat, then whatever’s left will be cooked for meat-water (omnomnomnomnom!).

I did look at Pet Supermarket tonight on the way home, and the cheapest one was $20! Yikes! I can whip something up cheaper than that! I just might, too lol I’m gunna check other places and see what I can find.

Stay away from that litter! I hate that stuff! LOL

Bobby dog, it’s ok, I think it’s funny :p His license says Gary but I’m think about teaching to respond to Haru. We all call him Kitty anyways, so I might as well give him a name I’ll call him. He loves those Blue Buffalo treats so much, so I don’t think it’ll be hard. :p

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Akari_32.

[Akari_32]

Cool, thanks!

I’m watching the Food Channel, and got an idea. Could I simmer meat in some water and make his meat-water that way? Would it work that way with just meat and water and no seasonings? I guess that’s basically just boiling it lol

Also, what can I do about cleaning his teeth? This canned food has got his teeth all dull and brown looking. I bought him some Blue Buffalo treats (they’re moist and have a chewy texture) but I don’t want to give them in any amount that’ll get his teeth clean because they’re full of grains and I’m worried about UTIs (though j doubt it’s enough to case a problem lol). What about a chicken wing or something every now and then? Or some stew cut beef or whatever?

[Akari_32]

I have a question for you guys…

I changed the litter to the Blue Buffalo walnut stuff, and at first he didn’t really want to use it, but gave in a few hours later and then hasn’t seemed to mind since (this was two nights ago). I’m noticing that since switching to this litter, he pees in really small amounts, like when he had his UTI.

He did get locked in the roommates room all day one day, but he peed in her cloths, so I don’t really think he had to hold it long, if at all that day. He’s also been out side a few time and got hot to the point where he was panting (he really likes it out side….), but I made sure to extra water (on top of the water I already add) to his food after wards.

So, I mean, there have been a *few* instances were he could have gotten a UTI, but I don’t really think it was enough to cause one (two play times outside with lots of water afterwards, and a day locked in a room where he found a place to pee anyways). My thought is its the new litter, and he’s sort of unsure about it. I just noticed last night that he was peeing in small amounts, and thats the night after I started using this litter. Since then, I’ve been adding lots of water to his food. Like, he’ll lap all the water up, eat some of the food, then leave, and I’ll sneak in and add some more water before he comes back. And I’ve started back feeding him smaller meals (so that he has more chances to get water in while eating). How long is it ok to let this go on before going to the vet? I know cats don’t like drastic changes in their litter, and some are just spoiled rotten when it comes to adjusting, but if it is a UTI again, I want to get it taken care of as soon as possible.

And I know some people said fish water to get him to drink. I don’t really want to do anything with fish, so can I do, like, chicken broth, or beef broth, or something? Its the same idea, and less smelly, right? lol I’m also still looking for a fountain waterer, but he didn’t seem to thrilled about the running sink water, so I don’t really think he’d go for a fountain…

*side note: I hate this litter and once this stuff is gone, I’m not going back! My room smells like coffee and cat pee!!*

[Akari_32]

It’s here!!! I have about 60 pounds of food to go through yet before I can try the dogs on this (provided the expiration date is that far off. I should check that…. lol), but I’m super excited 😀 The bag isn’t as big as I thought it would be, though LOL I was imagining like one of those beastly bags of like Ol’ Roy or something. Nope! It’s not any bigger than a 30 pound bag of food (but it sure does weigh more!!) lol

The dogs are both eating lamb right now, so they’ll be getting a good rotation going lol Well, technically Haley is still on chicken (Wellness CORE), but she’s got just enough left that I can add in the Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Lamb and Rice under it, and then she’ll be on lamb. They’re basically just going back and forth between chicken and lamb right now, though I did nab 15 pounds of salmon Pet Botanics last weekend. I do have plans to try them on either the bison Pure Balance, or the bison (or maybe fish??) Nutrisource next. I guess it just depends on how much money I have in the dog food fund when their food gets low. I just spent it all ($30) on 30 pounds of Pet Botanics dog food, 50 pounds of cat liter, and a few cans of cat food and a bag of cat treats (let me just say, the Blue Buffalo cat treats: kitty crack! LOL). Not bad, though! Woulda cost me close to $150 other wise, so I’d say I did good lol Wasn’t expecting to spend my dog food fund so soon (just replaced it after all that cat food I bought!), but the dogs gotta eat and I got a SUPER awesome deal on that Pet Botanics, and I hate having less than two months worth of food put away.

[Sarah Y]

Thanks for your insight…I definitely appreciate it. I was considering blue buffalo wilderness which is 5 stars and grain free. You are right that those of us who don’t have a lot of information are told grain free is the best way. I have heard some grains are good for your dog. I think your perspective about the higher amounts of meat makee sense. Thanks again….

[InkedMarie]

I look at the food (except for ny allergy boy, grainfree for him always) because not all grainfrees are alike. I just went to the review side, chose a few popular grainfrees:

Earthborn Holistic: 4.5 stars, plant based, moderate amount of meat
TOTW: 4.5 stars, plant based, moderate amount of meat
Blue Buffalo Freedom: 4 stars, plant based, moderate amount of meat
Nutro: 3 stars, plant based, modest amount of meat.

There are grainfrees that are five stars and meat based with significant amounts of meat and 3 stars with modest meat.

Now, a few grain inclusives:

Acana : 5 stars, plant based, significant amount of meat
Dr Tim’s: 5 stars, meat based, significant meat
Natures Logic: plant based, notable amount of meat

There are grain inclusives that are 1 star up to 5 stars, lotsa meat to is there any meat.

This is why I go by the food. A lot of people think, grainfree is the best and pick up any grainfree. People think grain inclusive is bad & buy cheaper (pricewise) grainfree.

Me, I’d take any quality grain inclusives, including the three I mentioned above, over any of the grainfrees I mentioned above. It depends on your dog. No problems with grains & no problem with gf but buy a high quality food with a high amount of meat”

[maggieful]

Hello all, I have two adult, male Chihuahuas that are both right around 5lbs each. I fed them Innova since we brought them home at 8 wks – first the puppy small bites and then the adult small bites and they were perfect on that. I used to order it online and then got it at PetSmart until PetSmart stopped selling it a few months ago due to all of the recalls. My dogs never got sick on the Innova and their coats were always shiny and healthy and they always had plenty of energy. I’ve been feeding them Blue Buffalo Small Breed Wilderness formula since February and they’ve been shedding a lot and their coats aren’t as soft. I want to switch them to a diet that’s more beneficial to them. I’ve been thinking about switching them to Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon formula. Does anybody have any experience with this dog food or have any suggestions as to what would be better for them? Thanks so much!

[cindy q]

Another question, my puppy (6 mos old standard poodle) is now at the point where she is on 1/2 blue buffalo wilderness and have merrick, her stools are firmer now. Can I keep her on this mixture or should I continue weaning her off the blue?

[Chris D]

Hello, I am new to the forum and need some help. About 4 months ago we switched our two dogs from Purina Pro Plan to Blue Buffalo Wilderness. We followed the guidelines for switching their food. Our dogs were gassy before the switch and we though switching to a better brand might help. Unfortunately it has made the problem MUCH worse. They are large dogs and it is making our house stink something awful. Do y’all have any suggestions on a different brand or a different line in Blue Buffalo? We are at a loss. We have tried adding digestive enzymes as well without much luck.

[cindy q]

What about rotating with in the same brand? I just started using Merrick for my puppy I am slowly switching her off Blue Buffalo wilderness because her stools were always very, very loose on it. I noticed Merrick has different varietys like buffalo, chicken. Lamb, pork would it be ok to switch between the different varietys.

[mogavero1955]

Hi Kayley, first of all, check the dog’s nails. My mini beagle bites her nails…when it is time for a cut. 🙂 If it is itchy, it probably is allergies. My other beagle has allergies and always gets ear infections. We have changed foods so often. Response FP, taste of the wild salmon, arcana fish, blue buffalo salmon, fromms duck and now earthborn lamb. The last four just the last two weeks! I noticed his ear infected tonight. The lamb I started yesterday. So, my advice is trial and error. I had heard Fromms was good but so are many others. I would recommend grain free. Good luck!

[Sarah Y]

I hope it’s okay to jump in on this since I was going to ask about some senior foods for a 10 year old beagle with early renal issues or may not renal issues. She has had some elevator bun levels and creatine was elevated once. The odd thing her last 3 tests have come back normal. She has a history of being a heavy water and unless we get her first urine sample of the day, her USG is always low. First catches are always normal.

Anyway, I’m just trying to find a grain free senior food low in phosphorus. My vet is still a believer that low protein is good and she recommended finding foods low in phosphorus so if our Scooter does have a renal deficiency then the food would help.

I looked into blue buffalo freedom senior and it’s low in phosphorus but i’m worried the protein is too low. the other option was blue wilderness red meat senior food. Not sure if there are other recommendations? If you prefer i start another thread, just let me know.

[Tina]

I’m extremely interested in the secrects to Blue Buffalo. Where is it made? Where do the ingredients come from? Why didn’t it make any of the lists? Where there many silent recalls? Why do some dogs like it and some dogs like mine who won’t touch it?

[Jodi R]

I’m looking for recommendations for a good quality dry senior dog food. I have been feeding my 13 year old mixed breed Blue Buffalo Life Protection Senior. I thought that was a good choice, but it only gets a 2-star rating! I want something better for my sweet old girl. She is about 65 lbs, but I really have no idea what breeds she may be. When I adopted her 12 years ago, they told me a possible chow mix, but I don’t see that at all. She did have some kidney and liver issues a few years back but now is in good health for her age. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

[Doris H]

Blue Buffalo Wilderness

[Naturella]

Steven A, I would definitely advise you to try all of the above suggestions. Rotational diet is good anyway. 🙂

Also, I have fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness for about 4 months or so just fine. Acana and Orijen I have not tried yet. A good one, and pretty affordable, is Dr. Tim’s, as well as Victor. I usually look for deals both in stores and online and was able to snatch a 4-lb bag of Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea for $5 on Petflow, no kidding! 🙂

Other foods I’ve fed that are good are Holistic Health Extensions, Earthborn Holistic – currently on the fish one, Nature’s Variety Instinct + Raw Boost and Now Fresh (on samples), and I will be feeding some of Victor, Back to Basics, Wellness Core, AvoDerm, Merrick, Nature’s Variety, and more in the near future. ALL grain-free too.

Of those, I think Wellness Core and Blue Buffalo Wilderness are moderately affordable; Victor, Dr. Tim’s, and Earthborn Holistic seem to be very affordable; the rest I have coupons for/will scout deals for, lol.

[Mom2Cavs]

Of the two you mentioned, I prefer Wellness Core. I am a Wellnss fan and use their canned food as well as their biscuits regularly. I don’t use their kibble, though. In the past it was too big and the small breed formulas all had chicken. Now they have some new small breed formulas I may check in to at a later date. I am feeding Victor to 3 of mine and my new one came with Blue Buffalo lamb & rice. I am trying to switch him off now. I did just get a huge bag of Precise Sensicare that looks promising at a tremendous price (35 lbs. for 26.00!) so will be using that in the future, too. I’m also fans of Fromm, Dr. Tim’s and Annamaet, and Holistic Select.

[Steven A]

I’ve had my to Dachshunds on a raw diet for three years. I can no longer keep up the pace processing my own Raw diet for them. Chicken Neck, Beef Heart Liver and Ground Organ mix. All purchased from a local slaughter house. It is time to head back to Kibble(don’t stone me) I know for years I praised the Raw Diet. I just can’t do it any more so I’m heading back to a grain free kibble. Any suggestions on how to do it and what brand to get? Leaning toward Wellness brand or Blue Buffalo……

[Naturella]

Patty, wow, yeah, I haven’t seen NutriSource elsewhere yet (besides at that Petland), and it’s too expensive, so I try to snatch a free sample when I can, lol.

Betsy, I was having a hard time to find the best by date on my Victor free samples too, so I hope I have better luck with the actual bags of food.

Melissaandcrew, yeah, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, lol. I am pretty stocked up with Earthborn and Holistic Health Extension for a while now, so I won’t need Victor till next year probably, but I did order me some samples and I CAN’T WAIT for the little black baggies! I hope Bruno likes it, I really really hope so! After he’s out of the Earthborns and HHEs, he will get him some Victor Ultra Pro-Victor Joint Healt-Back to Basics Open Range mix.

And THEN, some others that I have coupons for – Avoderm (interested in), Wellness (also obsessed over), Canidae Pure (somewhat excited about), Blue Buffalo Wilderness (had it before with great success), Solid Gold (hmm, we shall see how this goes. They have interesting names, lol), Nature’s Variety Instinct + Raw Boost (I know, recalls, but COUPON – I will just watch the pup and make sure he is feeling well on it), and Merrick (interested in). And THEN, I have a $5-off coupon for ANY bag of ANY food for Petco. So I will get another one of a brand he has liked/did well on. With those, plus the ones he currently has, Bruno will be set for most of 2015. But I will get the coupon foods toward the end of the year so they are hopefully fresher longer into 2015. I watch my best by dates closely. 😀

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, I used to feed Canine Caviar before they added their new grain free formulation. I fed the Lamb & Millet and the Special Needs. Loved it back then. One of these days I might try it again for the dogs. My girls are eating Victor Yukon, atm. I do have some of the Senior on hand and just ordered some of the Lamb & rice. Rupert came to me eating Blue Buffalo lamb & rice, and I thought I’d try the Victor’s L&R with him and the girls.

[Mom2Cavs]

If your food is a 5 star rated food on this site, why would you need to switch….especially if it’s working for your dog. Now that said, I do agree with BCnut that switching or rotating after a certain amount of bags can be a good idea. I personally am not a fan of Blue Buffalo but I know tons of people who swear by it. I just am not comfortable with them for a few reasons. One is that they have so many co-packers for their food (5 or more!?). I’m currently eating a food that has one co-packer for their food….easier for me to keep track of. They also have so many new products, and are adding to them all the time. That alone is not so bad, but again….with all the co-packers they already have it’s a nightmare to keep track of who makes what for them, and that’s important to me. My new Cavalier came to me eating Blue lamb & rice. I will soon switch him over to what my others are eating.

[cindy q]

I just switched my puppy (standard poodle) to blue buffalo wilderness because it was given 5 stars by the dog food advisor, now I see it didn’t even make the list in the editors choice. Now do I switch again??

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

[D C]

Looking for Large Breed Grain Free, without chicken would be great. Budget friendly would be helpful, we have 4 dogs, the biggest being a Great Pyrenees and he needs large food and alot of it! Some of the regular size food we have tried seem small to me, and it just falls out of his mouth. One of the dogs, a Boston Terrier seems to scratch non stop on everything for the last year. I thought it might be the chicken, switched to duck and he still scratched. Poor thing spins like a top and has no hair on his tail. We currently are using Blue Buffalo Large Breed Salmon. It seems ok so far, looking for other ones to try. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Monica J]

My baby, Max, is a very large framed westie and is 7. He weighs 33.3 pounds and the vet says he needs to lose weight. He says to feed him a 1/2 cup of food 2 times a day. I’ve been feeding him Canidae forever, but he seems to have no energy anymore and since he recently sprained his leg he is taking a very long time to heal. I feel he needs a change to his diet. Perhaps a higher protein? My brother suggested Blue Buffalo but I see some reviews on here that are not too good for that. I really would love some advice.

[Bobby dog]

Gotta love kitty love! Thanks for the Purina info. I didn’t check out the “One” for my neighbor just the One Beyond and I probably won’t considering they are more corn based. I don’t really keep up on Purina except for canned cat food. Years ago I fed my JRT Pro Plan then switched to Blue Buffalo when they began marketing their food nationally. She did very well on both, but I am sure the recipes were very different from what they are now.

I always had Pro Plan Select in the back of my mind as a choice I would throw out there if they were ever interested in upgrading. I had a feeling they would only be open to Purina. I recommended both to them but I would just rather see them choose One Beyond since it is a simpler recipe and I feel the switch from Dog Chow to One Beyond will have a better chance of success. I think they will choose Beyond One anyway for both convenience and price.

I actually think I will get a small bag of One Beyond for Bobby to try; I saw a coupon for it. I like the idea of being able to feed a kibble that could easily be bought from a grocery store in case I was not able to take care of Bobby in an emergency. Some of my friends and family are not dog people let alone know how to feed one!

[Naturella]

I have found that a lot of good foods have really small kibble even if not specifically for small/toy breeds. My 13-lb Rat Terrier mix does well with just about any size, the biggest he’s had so far being Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF. We’re about to get on Earthborn Holistic GF (not for small breeds), and the kibble is bigger in diameter but really flat. My friend has an 8-lb Chorkie (Chihuahua-Yorkie) and he did just fine on Earthborn normal size. So yeah, just pick just about any 4-5-star food, think your new little family member should be ok! Some small kibbles I have fed/will feed are Holistic Health Extension (especially the “little bites”), Nutrisca, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Back to Basics, Nature’s Variety Instinct, NutriSource, NOW Fresh, and many more.

Also, if you are trying to reach his ideal weight, Victor foods are pretty calorie-dense and small kibble, my guy LOVES it, and you can feed him that in such an amount so that he gets to his ideal weight.

But please, get him off the Science Diet ASAP!

[Barb D]

I have a nine month old Bichon shih tzu & I have tried Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance both wet & dry & cannot get him to eat dog food. I have tried adding chicken broth & broiled chicken & salmon. He will pick out the dog food & will eat the chicken & salmon. The vet checked him out & there is nothing wrong with his health. I am at my wits end so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Jasmine W]

I have a greyhound mix who seems to have the same things your dog has but not as bad. Leo had very bad hot spots though. A friend told me chicken allergies are super common in dogs. Seemed ridiculous but apparently since many dog foods contain beaks feet and feathers aka “chicken by products” or “fillers” well dogs who’ve eaten these dog foods even once can develop a chicken allergy. When I had Leo on a grain free chicken free formula he had loose stools and a runny nose still but less itching and no swelling around tick or flea bites. He got so much better that I let him have chicken treats. This seemed ok so I bought the grain free blue buffalo wilderness chicken formula and now he’s sliding back again. He even got some hot spots again and hadn’t had any for years. So we’re going back to no eggs no chicken no duck no turkey, no poultry of any kind. Try that and let me know. Also dairy products even yoghurt can cause a runny nose and “runny rear.”

Leo gets a homemade dog food meal separate from his kibble meal. He gets a pound of ground beef freshly cooked and drained of fat plus a quarter can of “tripette” green tripe and “Solid Gold Seameal.” He’ll take a bit of ground up frozen peas with this meal but if I put too many peas in it he won’t eat. I’m concerned he’s getting too much protein. He won’t eat pumpkin. I’ll try the beet fiber. I know the tripette is making his coat soft because that’s what it did for my friends dog and before eating tripette Leo had a rough coat. Tripette is amazing stuff. I don’t really know what good the Solid Gold Seameal is doing but its filled with vitamins and minerals.

[T S]

We have two male JRTs (5 & 7 yrs) and a female Labrottie (9 yrs). After seeing ads and getting some samples from a local rep, we tried the Blue Buffalo–dogs rejected it outright. We tried the Wild stuff, various flavors, and inevitably at least one of the three turned up their noses at each flavor of the food. Talked to vets, who sell canned Canin and Hills, about allergies, food ingredient quality, flavor variety. Went back to Fromms, tried three different flavors (chicken, beef and pork), and all three dogs are happy with the dry pork & applesauce formula. They’re energetic, different vets are all REALLY happy with all 3 of their overall health, especially weight maintenance vs activities levels, and their coats, teeth and skin are all great. None smells, they all sleep and BM on schedule w/o problems. We looked at MANY of the so-called ‘holistic’ and ‘organic’ foods. Local pet store guy recommended some ‘natural’ and raw foods, but it made no sense to change from what’s working now. Fromm’s is US made, only US ingredients, and no recalls we know of. We don’t feed them ANY human food, and they almost never get snacks or treats–so no threat of allergic reactions. Labrottie came to us from a poor-quality non-US food diet, and she’s a much happier, healthier, energetic dog now.

[Naturella]

Yeah, I think brushing and RMBs/natural chews would be the way to go for Bruno. I have also tried the Blue Buffalo dental bones (once), and it gave him serious tummy troubles… So none of those anymore. I trust(ed?) Zuke’s more, I have used their training treats with no problems, so we’ll see.

I have used a water additive too, he had to have 2 canine teeth extracted because the puppy ones wouldn’t fall and the adult ones had come in, so he was a little shark with 4 sharp canines (the long ones). So after the extraction I used water additive in his water, more for antiseptic purposes.

I have read that apple cider vinegar is good to put in their water, so I got some with the mother in it, but Bruno really dislikes his water with it and barely drinks it… I put one teaspoon, maybe I should put less? I don’t know…

[Naturella]

Bobby dog, thanks for the kind words!

Yes, shopping on a budget is a necessity for both my friend and I, but finding fantabulous deals for quality food is a hobby. Luckily, she has 2 dogs – the lab and a Chorkie (chihuahua-yorkie, although he looks more like a bichon…), so she likes to stock up for both of them… She feeds them different stuff, which I find slightly odd, but to each their own, they both eat really good food. The Chorkie is stocked up with Holistic Health Extension Small Breed, Earthborn Holistic Small Breed and Coastal Catch, as well as a bag of Whole Earth Farms – Pork (I think), Halo, Simply Nourish, and Evanger’s. The lab also has a bag of Earthborn’s Ocean Fusion as well, I forgot about that.

To add to that, we both have a bunch of PetCo coupons and wipll be using them throughout the year.

As for me, my little JR-Rat Terrier-maybe Chihuahua in there-mutt is on a mix of Dr. Tim’s Kinesis-Nutrisca Chicken-Holistic Health Extension Grain Free-Now Fresh-Victor Yukon Salmon Grain Free-Nature’s Variety Instinct Chicken + Raw Boost-Nature’s Variety Turkey, Duck, and Chicken (TURDUCKEN! 😀 ) + Raw Boost. Some is from his initial mix of the first 3 foods; the HHE bag I got for free from Petland; the Now Fresh I got on sale for $3 for 0.5lbs; the Nature’s Variety and the Victor are free samples. For treats I use those kibbles, or free samples of Victor Joint Health Grain Free and Victor High-Pro Grain free, mixed together. Lined up I have Earthborn’s Coastal Catch, Primitive Natural, and Great Plains Feast to be mixed with ALL FREE bags of HHE Original, Grain Free, and Lamb and Brown Rice, respectively. For later on, I have Victor Ultra Professional lined up to mix with Back to Basics Open Range, and the foods that I have PetCo coupons for, such as Wellness, Canidae, Blue Buffalo (Bruno has done well on it in the past), Avo Derm, Solid Gold, Nature’s Variety, and Merrick. Those last ones I will buy in the end of the year, so they will be next year’s stash.

As for the pet boutiques, I would not purchase food from Store A, even if it’s good. But Store B I really like.

And thank you for the compliment – Bruno is our first “real” dog (when I was little, I had a min pin for about 2 weeks, but my dad couldn’t stand her, so they gave her away… Gina was “real”, but not “mine” for very long…) and I really try to learn about what is good for him and what’s not… We really love the little guy and definitely take better care for him than for ourselves (which is not entirely good, but… eh…). 🙂

[Naturella]

Hey, guys! I need to vent… sorry to burden you all, but it’s happening…

So today I was grooming Bruno (with the Furminator – that dog sheds like an avalanche!), and my roommate saw me so he came to offer precious advice. He did help me finish Bruno up cause it was a bit of a struggle – he doesn’t like being groomed and I wasn’t doing it quite right – he was in my lap when he should have been in front of me. Either way, it all went ok, until my roommate was almost done with Bruno and noticed his doggie dander.

And then…

He began lecturing me on how I feed my dog “a bunch of random crap” (referring to the additives I have been giving him to help with his hard-ass stools, and just for general health supplementation, such as yoghurt, pumpkin, flax seed meal, coconut oil, canned sardines, raw egg, RMBs, etc.)!!! He then continued on saying how his brother’s dog (a rottie) lived to 14.5 years old (“when the average lifespan of rottweilers is 10 years”), and how he thrived on ONE food for his WHOLE life, and it was… Can you guess? THE SCIENCE DIET!!!

His next advice was that I need to not mess with my dog’s GI tract by giving him my random crap, because:
a. I will spoil him and he won’t ever eat just dry kibble again.
b. I will mess his digestion up
c. I will mess his skin and coat by adding the stuff I add.
He then went on to brag about his dog, who has only been on Science Diet as well, and how she has no pet dander and how she is the “epitome of health” according to his vet and how whatever he’s doing, he shouldn’t change ever (and he plans to do exactly that); how she never has tummy troubles because he has found one food that she likes and does her so much good and he will never change it… And how I SHOULD DO THE SAME, how I need to choose between Nutro, Blue Buffalo, or Science Diet, and find something Bruno likes, and keep him on it forever!!! GAH!

In between some of his tirade I managed to sneak in a word or 2, such as: “The random crap I feed him is to help with his stools, and is carefully researched and selected to fit my dog’s dietary needs” – response “Yeah, but you give him too much of it, plus, hard kibble is designed to be balanced and give the dogs all they need, so they don’t really need any other crap, additives, or soft food, for the a, b, and c reasons above.”
Me – “I am about to put Bruno on a fish-based food soon” (referring to his pet dander).
Him – “Why?”
Me – “Because fish is really good for dogs’ skin and coat, and has Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, just like flax seed (minus the Omega 6) and coconut oil.”
Him – “… Yeah, but lamb is better. Casey (his dog) has been on brown rice and lamb and her coat is so shiny and soft (not nearly as much as my dog’s, I promise), and she has no pet dander, and she loves the food, and you really shouldn’t switch his food so much.”

Maybe he is right, maybe lamb is indeed better, but can someone please explain how it could be better than fish, in regards to Omega 3 and 6, and skin and coat benefits?

As for the rest, the convo ended with him saying that he doesn’t usually like to tell us (my husband and I, which he NEVER tells him – he only speaks to me about the dog) how to take care of the dog, cause he feels like “we” (read “I”) get pissed off, but he wants us to do what’s best for Bruno…. I don’t know how I didn’t lose it and yell at him that I already am, and that all I do and feed is because I do daily research on it, and educate myself on what is good for Bruno… I just thanked him for helping me with the grooming and went to wash my dog…

Sigh, annoyed… The other problem/reason why I didn’t pour some emotions and knowledge down his head, is because:
a. he clearly won’t take it
b. he is helping us financially with the place a lot, i.e. paying more than us
c. I’m a chicken (or, how I like to think of it, I pick my battles).

SO, this is it… I just really needed to vent… Sigh, I will go walk my “messed-with” dog… Poor guy, having all kinds of variety with his food… I should be ashamed of my dog parenting skills… LoL,.. Sigh….

[aquariangt]

Acana Regionals
Simply Nourish Source
Blue Buffalo Wilderness

Acana is great if you wanna spring for it, the other two are available at PetSmart and well priced for 5 stars

[“Blue”]

Blue Buffalo makes many types, which ones gave problem to your dog HDM? We’re half way thru our first bag of BB Wilderness Lg. Breed Chicken without any probs.

[Naturella]

Shasta,

This is amazing that your lab has had such a turnaround! It is so amazing to see and hear success stories of better food, so I am always ecstatic to see my friend who switched to good food.

As for my other friend, I took her to my favorite store today, and they hooked her up with over 15 samples of 4-and-5-star foods for her old rottie who has been on Beneful and Pedigree so far… She was happy, I was beyond excited, and I can’t wait too see which one he likes/does on best, and which one she gets. I think she should incorporate a joint supplement in whatever she feeds anyway. But I think we’re on a good track there! Hoping for a smooth transition and great results. Also, I did recommend to her to start with may a 3- or 3.5-star food first, and then go to a 4- or 5-star one.

Shasta, I would have never guessed you are a teenager! You rock! 🙂

And also, I agree with both Shasta and aquariangt – although some people feed Beneful and the sort because of price, it is true that good foods can be found for much less online or at clearance/sales racks in pet stores/boutiques. But I can understand how uninformed people can suffer from commercials and misinformation, and I also believe that once they are open to at least checking this website out, they will also get hooked. Like with Shasta, that’s what happened to me. I just stumbled upon it googling something, and bam. That was it for me. I just wish people weren’t so headstrong about what they choose to feed and at least entertain the idea of learning something from someone else… My roommate, however, said to me, after I had had Bruno for about 2 months – “You have had a dog for how long, 2 months now? What do YOU know about dogs. I GREW UP around dogs and have had my own for over 3 years now.” Then it was clear to me that he just wouldn’t ever take anything I tell him, and, sadly, even his vet recommends this site, and other foods (NOT the SD), but he would still not listen, or research so meh… It is what it is.

And another dog that I take pride in being put on good food is my own. When Bruno was first found, he had the worst case of fleas the vet had ever seen. His fur was falling out, and he had patches of sores and wounds all over. The couple that found him (the second ones; the initial “founders” did not even give him food or water for 2 days before the other couple visited them and took the puppy from them) did a great job de-fleeing him, having him dewormed, given food and water, and a good safe space to live for a while until found a forever home (that would be us!). They had him on Purina-Something and he looked fine (I wasn’t able to tell he had fur missing before), and only had 2 scabs left from when he had sores. It wasn’t until we got him on Blue Buffalo Wilderness that his fur got really shiny (that’s when I realized it had been dull before!), and he started growing fur on his tummy (I thought it was supposed to be bare, not that it was actually missing fur!). So good food helped my little guy too, and like others, at first I did listen to the pet store associates and even my roommate (the Science Diet guy), but even then, I preferred grain free and higher protein food, I guess by instinct. So once I found this site, I have never looked at dog food again, let alone any grocery store’s pet aisle, lol.

[Naturella]

I think I have mentioned being in a similar situation with my roommate who feeds his lab-hound mix the Science Diet. While not as horrible as Beneful or Pedigree, he can still do MUCH better, especially because he has the means to! But he just believes he knows a lot about dogs and would not listen to another opinion. This weekend he was out climbing and I was in charge of feeding his dog. Many times I debated whether I should sneak some good food into her crap, or at least a sardine, some coconut butter, or some healthy additive, but never did, precisely because of what neezerfan said. The dog is somewhat picky and if she doesn’t eat the food and he gets home and sees it, he will be upset. Or, if she eats it and gets sick, he will be upset. So while it is heartbreaking to me to not feed her good food, I am working on coming to terms that this battle is one I will never win.

I have, however, gotten a really close friend of mine and a former roommate to stop feeding her lab and chorkie (chihuahua-yorkie mix) dogs the Aldi brand dog food Shep (1 star), to feeding 3.5-5-star foods, such as Blue Buffalo, Great Life, Earthborn, Holistic Heath Extension, Evangers, Nutro, Victor, etc. She can clearly see the effects of better food on her dogs, especially her lab, whose coat has gotten soft and shiny. Her and her dogs are my pride and joy! Now, if only I can get her to stop bathing them every week and giving them “greenies” every night, I would feel complete, but that’s another story, lol. She does give them bully sticks-antlers-marrow bones-hooves-himalayan dog chews-other natural chews, so I guess they are ok for the most part. 🙂

Another “battle” is with a classmate, who is a vet actually, but studied in Colombia, back in the day. Her husband feeds their rottweiler Pedigree (1 star) and stuff like that, so I am going to slowly introduce her to other foods for a great price too (Victor for example, and Earthborn, and HHE). I am giving her a bag of free samples of better foods I got from the nearby pet boutique, and I will hopefully get her to switch to Victor Joint Health or something like that soon. 🙂

Overall I have spoken to many friends who have dogs about dog food, and some take my advice, and some don’t, but if I can even help one dog, I would be happy. I would always want to help more though, but you just have to be careful, and really gauge how to speak to a person about what they feed their “baby”.

[Mom2Cavs]

Blue Buffalo is an approved food on the Whole Dog Journal’s list of dry foods for 2014. It does say they are co-packed. Last I knew they had about 6 different co-packers! Not sure anymore, though, as I don’t feed it….I have in the past, though.

[Melissaandcrew]

Blue Buffalo? Last thing I heard was Simmons for canned and CJ Foods for the dry, but I think they may have more than one for the dry products.

[Willy]

My miniature Schnauzer, Duke, would turn up his nose at BB for the first two bags, and I figured he was being a picky eater. Since to me, it looks like quality food on the packaging, I was insistent. For five days in a row last week he could not hold it down. I switched to home cooked meals, and it all stopped. Now I will pay more attention to Duke’s judgement, when a hungry dog won’t eat dog food – it probably means something is going on. Yes, there’s a problem with Blue Buffalo , IMHO.

[aquariangt]

I would try Blue Buffalo (Wilderness is my favorite of their blends, but its also pricey), Fromms, Precise, or Simply Nourish (Source is my favorite of those, still under 50$ a bag)

If you want to spend more, of course you have Acana, Orijen, Wellness…all things that are solid and not made by diamond

[aquariangt]

I don’t believe Merrick is made by Diamond, is it? Blue Buffalo isn’t either-i don’t hate their wilderness blend. Simply Nourish isn’t manufactured by Diamond either, and I actually like them as far as PetSmart options go (its an exclusive for them) the Source is pretty nice, gets 5 stars on this website too.

[Mom2Cavs]

Although, personally I don’t recommend Blue Buffalo I’m not sure about the statement of being bought by P&G. Maybe, but P&G did buy Natura a few years ago. Anyway, you are right that quite a few of the more cost conscious foods are made by Diamond. Some foods that I feel are good foods that are not made by them are: Earthborn, Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Fromm Gold (I feel the 4Star line is expensive), Annamaet, Wellness, Holistic Select, Precise, Nutrisource, Merrick (even though I don’t like them now), 4Health grain free only (TSC’s house label, the grain free is made by Ainsworth but the grain inclusive by Diamond). Also, some of these may not be local to you but if you’re not adverse to ordering online sometimes you can get deals and free shipping. I order my Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s and Victor online.

[freshley]

I have the normal chain stores (petco, petsmart & petvalue)(live in PA).
I had my previous dog on Canidae and he’s on Wellness puppy now. I had read that Canidae is being produced by diamond but they opened their new plant so they are now making some of it in their plant now.

I was going to try Solid Gold or taste of the wild but they are made by diamond. I was then thinking of chicken soup for dog lover as it’s reasonably priced and has a 4 star rating but the reviews from people about it are not very good.
I was going to try blue buffalo but there was a rumor that they were being bought by Proctor and Gamble who also has had issues with recalls.

[Bobby dog]

Hi, congrats and he is gorgeous! As far as how much to feed your kitty, if you are going to feed wet and dry food I would suggest you check out the feeding guide on the dry food you are feeding him. For example, Wellness has a guide on their bag suggesting how much to feed your cats if you are feeding only dry or a combo of wet and dry according to your cat’s weight. When you decide on an amount just observe your cat’s body condition and adjust your food amounts accordingly.
I have had cats ever since I can remember and still have lots to learn. I have two 15 yrs, one 14 yrs, one 11 yrs, and one 6 yrs, all stray cats. I wish I never fed them wheat, corn, soy, fish, or dry food. I lost two that were 15 years old about four years ago to illnesses that bad nutrition surely contributed to; digestion problems, obesity, and the male had urinary tract issues throughout his life. I have one cat that was diagnosed about five years ago with a hyperthyroid; he requires daily meds now. I have slowly changed their diets over the past five months, but at their ages change is difficult so they still need their fish and dry food fixes. Most importantly I have weaned them off of Friskies. I might not ever be able to completely ween them off of fish or dry food. If I paid more attention to their diets I truly believe I would not have had the vet bills I had over the years. About four years ago an emergency room visit in the middle of the night for my male cat’s urinary tract infection cost me about $2,000 to get him well.
My advice is to feed them the best wet diet that fits your budget. Avoid soy, wheat, corn, and fish. Stick to poultry, lamb, rabbit or beef if possible. If you are going to feed dry find a good quality GF dry.
I am with Crazy4cats, my go to website is catinfo.org. My other favorite is the naturalcatcareblog.com. They have a great list of dry and dehydrated foods and the reason they recommend them. I feed wet three times a day (totalling about 3-5 oz./cat) and give them a small scoop of dry once a day. I am on a very tight budget as well so I only buy food that I either have coupons for, on sale, or on the 50% off shelf. I feed Natures Variety raw (when they e-mail coupons), 4Health from Tractor Supply, Merrick, Wellness, Tiki Cat, Weruva, Soulistic (chic only, K3 is in the other varieties), Blue Buffalo, and Evo. I am always trying new canned foods using the information I learned about food from catinfo as a guide. I also feed them boiled chicken two or three days a week as one of their meals to help keep costs down. For dry I have been feeding Wellness GF Turkey & Duck meal (bought with the $5 coupon from their site of course) because there is no fish meal in the recipe. I just bought a bag of Merrick GF chic on sale which they seem to like.
Sorry for the long post, maybe something I have written will be helpful for you. Good luck, he’s one lucky kitty!

[Tulip]

Sounds like they may need a good probiotic to help. And adding a tablespoon of pumpkin as well. I’ve used Dinovite with great success. Added it to Blue Buffalo and a tablespoon of pumpkin.

[Akari_32]

PetSmart dry list!

Simply nourish source
Organix
Natures recipe grain free
Simply nourish LID
Wellness CORE
Blue buffalo wilderness
Blue buffalo freedom

Blue buffalo’s cat food is pretty cheap, considering! I was surprised. Their dog food is outrageous lol

[Akari_32]

PetSmart list for wet

Natures recipe
Blue Buffalo
Simply nourish
Organix grain free
Innova

[Akari_32]

Thanks! I’ve been scooting around the websites for all the stores here and picking out some foods to try. Wet and dry together sounds cheaper than just wet, and obviously healthier than just dry.

Wet:

Newmans own
Rachael Ray
Natural Life 95% (the dry is disgusting, but I don’t think the wet looks at all)
EVO
Wellness Core
Natural balance (some of them)
Nutro Natural Choice
Wellness
Blue buffalo

For dry, I’m kind of just leaning toward EVO, for the price. Given the good selection of canned foods I’ve got going, that’d be alright, right? Obviously, if another brand I like the looks of goes on sale I can get a few bags of that, too. It’s hard to find a good, affordable (for me) grain free dry cat food around here! :/ I’ve still got a local shop to check in person, and two more websites to check (PetSmart and PetCo).

What do you guys think so far?

[Susan]

My dogs ate blue buffalo for a while, but I had to switch. They didn’t want to eat and they started having skin issues. I switched to grain free and tried a few different brands. They did well on Nutrisource for a while, but started itching once again. They are now eating Earthborn Holistic and it is the best so far. I have to stay away from chicken, fish and tomato, add a little fiber (pumpkin) once a month or so. Absolutely no more skin problems and they love it.