[Kelsey P]

By no means am I just saying watch a documentary. I deal with pet nutrition for a living. I use the documentary Petfooled to start the conversation. Petfooled is also a great start for information. A vet is interviewed the whole time and she herself says Purina and Science Diet put vets through school. Anyhow, most people are overwhelmed by all the information I give them on pet health and pet nutrition. Science Diet may work for some yes, but it isn’t a great food. Some people say Blue Buffalo saved their dogs lives, while others watched it kill their dog. Everyone has an opinion or thought on what is right.

[Michael P G]

Hey, I have a question for anyone out there who might have tried or knows about either Ollie’s or The Farmer’s Dog delivered fresh dog food. I’m tempted to try it since my 7 yo Boston Terrier seems to be getting more picky as he ages and I want him to have the best that a non-processed, whole food diet can give him. HOWEVER, when I look at the nutrition breakdown of both these seemingly respected new brands, the protein min/max is around 12%, which is significantly lower than the Blue Buffalo kibble and Stella and Chewy’s dehydrated that I currently feed him (around 24% protein). He’s an active dog–lots of hiking, swimming and outdoor adventure and I’m concerned the change won’t meet his requirement for best muscle maintenance, etc. Anyone have any advice? Or experience with delivered whole food/homemade diets? Thanks!

[Michael P G]

Hey, I have a question for anyone out there who might have tried or knows about either Ollie’s or The Farmer’s Dog delivered fresh dog food. I’m tempted to try it since my 7 yo Boston Terrier seems to be getting more picky as he ages and I want him to have the best that a non-processed, whole food diet can give him. HOWEVER, when I look at the nutrition breakdown of both these seemingly respected new brands, the protein min/max is around 12%, which is significantly lower than the Blue Buffalo kibble and Stella and Chewy’s dehydrated that I currently feed him (around 24% protein). He’s an active dog–lots of hiking, swimming and outdoor adventure and I’m concerned the change won’t meet his requirement for best muscle maintenance, etc. Anyone have any advice? Or experience with delivered whole food/homemade diets? Thanks!

[M N]

Thanks for the input.

A couple things…

I have heard several times about rotating foods, and I am certainly open to that. For those of you who do rotate, do you switch cold turkey between brands? I don’t want to have 2 or more open bags of food at once… I have switched flavors within brands cold turkey with no issues.

The biggest reason I am looking at the calcium and phosphorus levels of the “new” foods is because I do have another pup coming this fall. I would like to feed them both the same food as I really don’t want to have 2 open bags of food if I can avoid it.

I don’t think I will be switching to a maintenance formula as we don’t really have an “off season.” We do field and water training April-August, Hunting season runs September – December. He runs free for 20-30 minutes 5-7 times a day (we live in the country). In the summer we also do weekly hikes where I will cover 3-8 miles, and since he is “free” while doing this he will cover probably 3x that. We will start using a roading harness and dragging weight for at least a portion of these hikes in the next month or so. We don’t hike during hunting season, instead we hunt both upland and waterfowl several days a week. In the winter we snowshoe (again he is free to run while I follow the trails). The only time he has held a “5” on the condition scale for longer than a week was January through April when we were only running 3-4 times a month and he was eating a 32/18 . This is also why all the foods I am looking at are all 3600+ kcal/kg.

I didn’t even think about the amount of heavy metals that could be in the fish formulas. I suppose it makes sense though. Humans are cautioned on consuming too much fish for the same reason. I was not familiar with the CLP, unfortunately none of the brands I was looking at are listed.

I am not dead set on grain free, but I do want to limit the amount of grain I feed. I would be interested in hearing more about which grains have a high bio-availability for dogs.

I appreciate the additional brand suggestions as well. I have heard nothing but good things about Dr Tim’s and there are several formulas that I think would work for me, however it is not available locally and at $70 for a 40lb bag from Chewy it is cost prohibitive. I have looked at a lot of “premium” brands including Nutro, Canidae, Acana, Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Royal Canin, Orijen, and Merrick… Most were eliminated from serious consideration due to lack of local availability, cost, or simply not having a blend with the nutritional requirements I am looking for. It seems there are not many premium “performance” formulas out there.

Anyone see any issues with the brands/formulas I am looking at? Any other recommendations of similar foods?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Brian S-
Congrats on your new pup! I’m OK with any of the food you mentioned, except Blue Buffalo. They have had too many current issues in my opinion. I have two lab mix dogs and they are a very fun handful!! Keep your socks, gloves and retainers picked up and out of reach!!

[LuckyLab]

Hi guys,
I just got a nicely bred Yellow Lab who I will be bringing home Sunday (8 weeks and 2 days old). He has had a small spell of diarrhea while with his breeder and they are getting him through. His first kibble and what he’s getting now is Diamond Puppy. I’ve heard this is a decent food and good value but the breeder told me if I wanted to upgrade she like Blue Buffalo.

Finding a new food is so overwhelming but I know the first 2 years can be so important for his growth and development. I’ve narrowed down my options to:
-Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy (is this too much protein?)
-Fromm Heartland Gold or just Fromm Gold (both for large breeds)
-Taste of the Wild Puppy
-Wellness Complete Health or Core (Puppy)
-He’s currently on Diamond Puppy

So many different opinions, we go to the vet on Tuesday but not sure he’ll have a recommendation. We were told whatever we decide to keep him on his current Diamond food for at least 2 weeks after we bring him home not to stress his system as he adjusts then we could start slowly changing.
Thank you so much for the help (sorry for the long post).

[Mary G]

The brands sold here are:
Proplan.
Euoanuba.
Royal canin.
Blue buffalo.
Diamond.
Instinct.
Ideal balance.
Hill’s.
Kirklqnd.

[John I]

My totally anecdotal experience.
For, 3 Bouviers des Flandres(2 male, 1 female).
Catelyn(70lb), she’ll be 3 this November.
Butkus(130lb..high weight, 100lb current weight), he’s 13 and will be 14 next March 2018.
Harley(90lb), lived to be 11years, had bone/joint birth defects. His back went out and he couldn’t stand or control his bowels @ the end.

I fed Harley and Butkus Blue Buffalo for 11 years. I had no health concerns and no soft stools. Catie has had soft stools as long as I’ve had her. I’ve had her checked by the vet several times, nothing has been diagnosed.
VET Recommended: 1TBsp Metamucil plain, this worked a little.

FOODS I’VE FED:
ToTW High Plains puppy: I fed this as recommended by the breeder.
BB Salmon/Sweet potato: Switched to this to match Harley and Butkus lifetime meals.
Victor Hero: Switched after some BB recalls. I was looking for U.S. made, reliable company. Butkus had no issues, and the food has glucosamine. Catie still had soft stools.

LOCAL Recommendations: From locally owned Pet food dealers were Probiotics, using goat milk or green tripe.

CURRENT DIET:
Tripett Beef: pure green tripe a very stinky suplement. I feed once every 2-3 weeks(Catey only).
Orijen Regional Red(US): Very high ratings, controlled ingredient sources, U.S. made in KY. Pricey @ $95/25lb bag. Butkus 1.5 cups morning and night, Catie 2.25cups morning 1.5cups night.

Both dogs have firm stools.

[Megan M]

I have a 14 month old mixed breed dog. According to a DNA test he’s part Staffshire terrier part boxer part chow and part Rottweiler and 55 lbs. he was eating blue Buffalo puppy food but his stool was so soft we switch to adult and it’s gotten worse. We made the switch to Nutro but his stool was firm but clay colored.

We made another switch back to blue Buffalo but this time the line Earth essentials and his stool is back to liquid. We did the transition died both times and gave the different bags of food a couple months to work.

I’m at a loss on what to feed him now. He’s a very high-energy dog. We go back to the vet in 2 months for normal wellness visit and I’d like to get him on something that works.

Any suggestions??

[John T]

Kathy, Please stay away from Blue Buffalo. Do your homework and you will see they are just BAD!! They even admitted to lying! http://iheartdogs.com/breaking-news-blue-buffalo-admits-to-lying-about-ingredients-here-is-why-you-should-care/

Eight years ago, thousands of dogs and cats died after being poisoned by tainted food. The world’s biggest pet food companies pulled more than 100 different products from store shelves. There’s still no official death toll from the Great Pet Food Recall, because the government doesn’t track animal deaths. But experts estimate at least 8,000 pets died.

For Blue , the carnage was an opportunity. In just five years, the company, which boasted of its “natural, healthy” products, had become one of the pet food industry’s most powerful players. Its rise was no small feat in a heavily concentrated industry — Mars Petcare and Nestle Purina together control about half of global sales, according to data from the trade publication Petfood Industry.

Blue Buffalo deployed a robust advertising budget to portray its products as more nutritious than those of its shoddy “big name” competitors — a term it has used frequently in commercials. As the recalls dominated headlines, Blue Buffalo ran a new ad campaign online and in newspapers, informing concerned consumers its products were a safe alternative to those that had been taken off the shelves.

For a while, the ads appeared to bolster the company’s image. But in late April — more than a month after its competitors had faced the music — Blue Buffalo acknowledged similar problems with one production run of its kitten food. A week later, the company expanded its recall to include all of its canned dog food, an entire line of canned cat food and treats it had marketed as “health bars.”

Blue Buffalo’s story is about more than one company’s advertising excess. It represents almost everything wrong with the pet food business, and just how little the industry and the government agencies that oversee it have changed since the most catastrophic pet food safety event in modern history. It’s a story with clear implications for human food safety, and serves as a warning for other sectors of the American economy where outgunned regulators are struggling to keep pace with global supply chains that grow more complex by the day.

[Kathy B]

We have a 18 month old Old English Sheepdog rescue that had been fed Tractor Supply dog food, when we got her had lots of issues with diarrhea so I looked for food with a high fiber content and had glucosamine chondroitin, it helped but we have at least one running stool a day ended up with Blue Wilderness Large Breed. Thought perhaps it was too rich for her and started looking at some limited diet food, Natural Balance was recommended but they don’t have the glucosamine so now I’m looking at Blue Buffalo Basic which has almost 1/2 the protein that Blue Wilderness did and I hear that’s not a bad thing but I wonder if anyone has any other suggestions before I switch her. I read that Pro Plan sensitive stomach was supposed to be good but then pet food store said they would not recommend it……..

[Marie P]

This was set up for a 11 month old Boston Terrier at 16 pounds )
YOU will need to ADJUST the feeding amount for your Dog’s Weight

VERY Easy
WE have had Good luck with this Recipe:
This recipe uses egg as a binder; bake it like a meat loaf, with bread crumbs. As presented here, with these ingredients, it is about 30 percent protein, 25 percent fat, and 38 percent carbohydrates.
If you need Wheat FREE bread crumbs – here is a link: to Gillian’s Foods
http://www.gilliansfoodsglutenfree.com/products/index.php?cPath=29&osCsid=15aad74dac45e25945dd8f62963644c1

FEED Daily: for the Boston Terrier:

2 ( 1 inch size slices of the meat loaf ) 2 x per day ( for you size dog ) ( 15-18 pound dog )

( at night you may want to do 1 1/2 slices ) – JUST see if he is hungry

SNACK-
( FEED 1/4 cup of a quality Dry ( LOW grain or NO grain Kibble per day ) – as a snack

WE like the Fromm’s Brand of Dog food – also Blue Buffalo is good:

Recipe:

CHOOSE 1 meat:

2 lbs fairly lean *****( YOU will do Ground Chicken or Ground Turkey ) ( skip the beef )/ for this month-

3 cups of bread crumbs – plain – See Wheat free link above if you need it –

1/8 of a cup 2 % low-fat milk

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons of CRUSHED eggShell — – Smash it ( it’s for Calcium)

1/2 cup cooked vegetables ( green beans/peas/ others) ( grated and mush) *** ( TRY GREEN BEANS but cut them up orSmash them )

( do not put the NuVET into the Recipe ) –

(YOU can not balance this Recipe without a Quality Supplement)

*** 1 NuVET wafer vitamin ** each day – see below: ( PER DAY PER DOG ) ( NuVET is a must to balance out home cooking )

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon LOW SALT tamari soy sauce

order your NuVET here- I do get a small % and give BACK to Pet Rescue

go here: http://www.nuvet.com/81098 ( you are looking for the NuVET Plus Wafer ) – if you go on auto ship you save 15% on every bottle
use my Name if they ask you – Pet Nurse Marie

BAKE
* press the mixture into a casserole dish so it’s 1 to 2 inches thick and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35minutes, or until set and lightly browned.

[Nick G]

My Shih Tzu mixed breed has a chicken meat intolerance but he does not react to the chicken egg added to the Blue Buffalo canned beef stew he eats twice daily. Since I’m very anal about label reading, I find that chicken broth, chicken liver, and chicken egg are added to foods that are recommended for dogs with chicken intolerances. Does it have something to do with the meat proteins in muscle meat and nothing to do with the proteins in the egg or organ meats? This has me really scratching my head. Even his vet isn’t sure why this occurs the way it does.

Thanks for all your ideas.

[Tabitha K]

I’ve got a 3 year old husky golden retriever mix and since he was a puppy, he’s been on the denali and Rocky mountain blends from blue buffalo. He’s about 60 lbs so the 22lb bags didn’t last too long but was right at the cusp of what we could afford.
We ended up finding and rescuing a golden retriever lab mix around the same age as the goberian and found out he’s allergic to chicken. He’s 75lbs. Now we have switched jobs and moved onto feeding taste of the wild lamb and rice formula (after swapping from authority bc the lamb and rice formula is too hard to find) and my goberian is only eating half of his food if that much. We have tried everything from letting him skip meals to adding broth and slowly taking out to try to adjust him to it but there’s no use. He would rather starve than to eat anything less than the good stuff.

Any ideas on a food VERY similar to blue buffalo in taste and quality that offers big bags without breaking the wallet? -MUST OFFER OTHER VARIETIES BESIDES CHICKEN-

[Robin M]

Anon101…The vet tech said to cut his food by half and give no salt green beans/carrots for the other half. So as of now he gets 1/2 c of his Blue Buffalo Senior food and 1/2 c of mixed green beans and carrots. This is twice a day. We just started that last week. She said the veggies were a “filler” with no calories. Hopefully we will see a difference. I’ve had several people tell me no to yogurt due to the dairy in it. I am going to make sure it’s ok via the vet and start giving that.

[Kim S]

I have used Blue Buffalo, Science Diet and Rachel Ray food for many years. I switched to Costco Kirkland brand. I had seen good reviews of Costco dry dog food and decided to purchase the blue and green bags. In only three weeks time I have lost one of my healthy dogs. I did not consider that his health problems could be related to his new food. I can’t say that the food caused his problems. However, in a very short period his symptoms mounted and my vet was testing and searching for answers and was getting none. Nothing definitive came before he passed. His symptoms included gas, bloating, upper abdomen tightness, high white blood cell count, slight fever, anemia, heavy breathing, weakness starting with a slow walk and ending with not being able to raise himself to stand, loose stool. His last week he gave up eating but continued to drink without problems. He was put on antibiotics and perked up for two days. Tests did not lean toward cancer but did indicate some kind of possible immunity problem. More tests were going to be done but he passed before that happened.
I’m writing to ask pet owners to be vigilant and seek answers from a vet as soon as changes are noticed. Make the vet aware of the dog food you are using. Some kind of data needs to be collected on Costco Kirkland dog food as well as other brands until answers are found. I’m heartbroken at losing my good buddy and don’t want others to face what happened to my dog.

[Robin M]

I am desperately trying to find a good Senior Weight Loss food. I understand that most seniors need help putting ON weight, but my baby needs to lose. As of now, I am feeding Blue Buffalo BLUE Senior Dog Chicken & Brown Rice. From the reviews on this page I am finding that most of the Senior brands don’t get very good marks.

Should I try starting just Adult instead of Senior? I am wondering if I should just started focusing on the Weight Management part instead of the Senior Nutrition but I am worried he won’t get what vitamins, etc he needs.

Also, I was advised to give Yogurt as a treat. Is there a particular brand I should try? And can I freeze it for a special treat?

Thanks for all replies.
Robin

• This topic was modified 7 years ago by Robin M. Reason: Addition question added

[Holly B]

Hello,
I have 3year old 110 pound Doberman with very bad gas. He doesn’t have solid feces as well. I switched his food awhile back to natures domain chicken and sweet potato since it got decent reviews, it didn’t help. I’ve since tried 2 different probiotics to help with his stomach and no change. I finally asked my vet and they recommended science diet sensitive stomach (which they sell, surprise surprise). I would like an unbiased recommendation on a decent food for a sensitive stomach. I looked at an article for sensitive stomachs which listed the top 5, the only one I recognized was blue buffalo which I considered but Im keeping in mind that I have 2 large dogs who eat 6-7 cups of food a day between the two so price is a factor as well. I want my boy to feel his best and also stop stinking up the house, please help!

Thank you

[Kari P]

We use Whimzees, as they are made of all natural ingredients, don’t stain, and appear to be easily digested by our dog. We haven’t had any issues with them, but they are expensive.

I wouldn’t use Greenies based on reports of foam, blockage issues, and questionable ingredients. Dentastix ingredients list is also really long and concerning. Blue Buffalo Dental Bones and Zuke’s Z-Bones are the only other two dental chews I have found that contain natural ingredients, but both are expensive as well. Both have higher protein content than Whimzees though. I personally don’t see any reason to feed a dog a vegetarian product, but both Whimzees and Zuke’s are vegetarian if that matters to you.

Most brands recommend one stick per day, but keep in mind these are extra calories. I prefer to feed dental sticks less frequently because they are so expensive so I tend to give them to our dog on days when he is more active.

[nicolette k]

I need some recommendations for a low phosphorous, medium protein dog food

my 4 small breed dogs ranging in age from 13 to just 9 months old have been on blue buffalo wilderness chicken – my senior canine does better with a ” no grains diet” – he gets occasional gastritis and has a sensitive stomach.
My youngest- a yorkie – age 9 month has been diagnosed with early kidney failure. The vet recommended switching her dog food: lowering protein content and finding a low phosphorous food.
My main issue is that all 4 of my dogs share one food dish and graze through the day – there is no way to feed my puppy separately short of locking her up for the rest of her days. So I need to find something that works for all of them …
We are not aiming to bring down protein too much but the vet argued that she would like to see it more around 20-30 than over 30. I know this is controversial but she is an experienced vet who sees a lot of small breeds and she argued that her tiny patients seem to do better with slightly lower protein content. Anybody out there with recommendations as far as kidney diet goes .

[Amanda B]

So i am an employee of Pet Supplies Plus and I have a run down of Reford information. It is made in Kansas not Michigan (It is named after a city in Michigan) It is very similar to Taste of the Wild, Blue Buffalo and others. It comes in 3 varities (regular, grain-free and LID) (currently) with 2-6 flavors and 4 stages (adult, large breed, small breed and puppy which is available limited with certain varieties) It is all life stages, constantly on sale or has coupons, made and mostly sourced in the United States (lamb is from New Zealand and salmon is from Chile or Canada). If you have questions the employees at Pet Supplies Plus are able to answer most of them (some they may not know or have never been informed of).

[ashley l]

My dog is 3 1/2, just in this last year she has developed skin allergies and since it hasn’t changed since we moved I’m ruling out environmental… so the more I hear about Blue buffalo the more I want to switch her to see if it helps because she is even on meds to help and its not helping. I want to try this Redford Naturals and I’ll come back and post after a few weeks of her eating it. I’m sure she will transition well since they have the salmon and potato and duck and potato like she likes. Thanks for the information…

[Susan]

Hi Shannon, food change is good place to start & weekly baths, it’s not rare for dogs to have food sensitivities & become real itchy or have smelly ears & skin, rub bum on floor, it’s rare for dogs to have “food allergies” & when a dog does suffer with food allergies they normally have IBS symptoms & Skin Problems….
Have a look at “Canidae Pure” formulas, most formulas have single proteins with only 5 to 7 ingredients & grain free, Canidae Pure Sea is a really good formula for itchy dogs, the omega 3 is nice & high, what’s need for itchy dogs, Canidae have just brought out their small Pure Petite formulas, they’re lower in fat & lower in protein then their other Pure formulas, have a look at the Petite Pure Salmon formula for your itchy dog or Pure Sea & the Pure Meadow Senior for the 2 older dogs or they can all eat the same formulas just don’t feed a new kibble that has the same protein what they are eating in the Blue Buffalo formula, try & change ingredients…
also start weekly baths, I have found Malaseb medicated shampoo to work the best, Malaseb can be used daily to wash off any bacteria, allergens, pollens & dirt off their coats & skin, relieving their itch & killing any bacteria on the skin, I bath weekly thru Spring & Summer months & as Winter approaches I bath fortnightly, Patch suffers with Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food Sensitivities….
Once you change diet, give no treats, unless the treats are the same brand as kibble & have same ingredients as the kibble, Canidae has matching treats & wet in food & diet is higher in omega 3 fatty acids & you start bathing twice a week, you’ll start to see a big improvement with the itchy dog, keep….
There’s no true testing for food sensitivities or food allergies, the best thing to do is a elimination food diet or feed a vet diet or a novel protein, limited ingredient kibble like Canidae, then once dog is stable & isn’t itching or smells real yeasty like a corn chip then you can start adding 1 new food to diet for 6 weeks, it can take from 1 day to 6 weeks to show any signs of a reaction to a food…..
Keep a diary, my boy starts getting itchy ears & shaking his head after eating carrot, red front paws & real smelly yeasty skin from chicken, barley, rice & oats…then in Spring he becomes real itchy from seasonal environment allergies, which ones I don’t know but there’s a skin test called “Intradermal Skin Test” where they shave a part of the skin normally the side of the dog, then they inject just under the skin the most common allergen & see if the dogs skin reacts, humans also have this test, then once they work out what in the environment your dog is sensitive too you give injections to desensitize your dog from what ever is making him/her itch.. that’s why it’s best to keep a diary & you’ll start to see a pattern, what month they itch more, was it after eating a certain food, or when Spring came, or on real windy days when the pollen count is high etc
Another good kibble brand people are feeding is “Zignature” but just check the fat & protein % in the kibble your feeding at the moment, the Canidae Pure Petite may be more closer fat protein & fiber & be around the same % to the Blue Buffalo….Zignature Kangaroo has the lowest fat, protein & fiber the other Zignature formula are higher in fat protein & fiber & might cause stomach/bowel stress especially the older 2 dogs… Your dogs may be OK when they change formulas, make sure you introduce over 7-10 day period, a lot of people do it tooo quickly then blame the new kibble when their dog has intestinal stress…
There’s a really good group on Face Book called “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” a Dermatologist is in the group, Dr Karen Helton Rhodes DMV DACVC, after changing kibble & giving weekly baths in Malaseb shampoo & there’s no improvement with the itchy skin I’d join the F/B allergy group your dog may be allergic to dust mites or storage mites found in food or something in the environment, there’s a lot of new things on the market like Apoquel & CADI injections…
Here’s the Canidae formula’s… http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[shannon c]

I am new to the site and wanted some insight on dog food. I have 3 pugs 10,9, and 4 years old. My 4 year old itches constantly and I have taken her to vet 3x with no answers. I think my first step may need to change her food and I am at such a loss on where to begin. I feed them dry blue buffalo now.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Shannon

[Kevin U]

Hey guys,
I’m switching my German Shepherd’s food from Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Puppy to Orijen Large Puppy. I just want to know how can I do it? How much of Blue Buffalo and Orijen should I mix?

[samlab]

First let me begin, this website that Mike Sagman has set up is superb. As you read my experience please don’t get caught in minutia of thought..just read this and hopefully this can and will help others. I love dogs, all dogs…cats too. I have been showing and breeding top Labrador Champions for over 30 years. So with to this I will assume that my input will be really about the large breed dogs and yes you may consider all dogs for that matter. I have tried all of these foods. Many work, some results are ok and others well just didn’t go well. Many dog foods since their really are just a few manufacturers, some are private branded under that specific companies ingredients, for their specific brand. I read many posts about this or that, and raw versus X.Y.Z, form of foods. Every time I try to go to the “other side”, well I end up, rather baffled at the terrible results. Therefore, I will let all of you know, grains, corn, etc. are not the cause of your dogs allergy’s, its all about the genetics. It you have a dog that has allergies, its about, the breeding. Same for cancer in dogs, it could be environmental, but less than 1%. It is indeed genetic. The longest lived dogs in the US have been on the following foods, this is research fact direct from the Doctors that did the research: Purina, Science Diet and Eukanuba Brands. To those that profess to Raw diets and rotating foods I will mention frozen or fresh raw foods (frozen still has salmonella once defrosted and eaten) is well your on your own. Rotating foods is not good either as it completely screws up the stomach and intestinal flora in a dogs digestive tract. No your not going to get good advice from the local specialty food store as these people have no idea about the foods they sell. Zero. Every dog is different and you will need to find out what works best for your dog…I will now share what typically works for Large Breeds and especially Labradors Retrievers and many others. But beforehand I will explain. I just went with another brand of puppy food T.O.T.W. over time it did not go well..at five months old and recently the same bag, the last 1.5 weeks, it reared its ugly head. Not Giardia either. I switched that 47lb boy straight onto Eukanuba Puppy Large breed yesterday, problem over best stool in his life so far. As I write this 1X more this morning per wife, that one perfect too. Grain free is not always the best way to go…..its really marketing b.s. and has always been. Even I get lectured by the top show Veterinarians! This is not knocking you or any other brand that works for you…but the finest show stock in the US are all on those three major brands above…blue buffalo duck and potato limited ingredient, grain free may be your best bet for skin allergy issue dogs. Also chopped or baby carrots, blueberry’s, strawberries, cantaloupe and even watermelon are fat free treats that dogs love too. Will add for those following: Especially Labs and watch their weight…for older dogs drop to 28% or then even lower 26%.. the in their prime Eukanuba 30/20 add 1/2 tablespoon each of Nupro Gold Label Supplement/ and then both of each the Silver Label Container for older dogs for arthritis with 1 tablet both meals of Cosequin tablets (250 count Bottles) its the a show/wellbeing secret obviously now for all of you. Also for my older dogs they get Dumor white 5 lb container with red lid a 1/2 teaspoon of MSM at Tractor supply or online (this brand only, measuring cup is inside, use the lower line mark on the measuring cup) some warm water mixed in morning meal only and boom in two weeks your going to be very happy indeed. Also for those that have a dog with surgery the MSM will heal them in two weeks and fur already growing back. The Vet will give you a strange look on the follow up…I assure you they will give you a weird look and be thinking boy this dog heals fast. Then you say its the MSM and he/she will laugh of course and say “I shoulda known”. Then they will know your in touch with the knowing. All the best always to everyone here and I hope this helps anyone that can use this information.

• This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by samlab.
• This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by samlab.
• This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by samlab.

[samlab]

Try Blue Buffalo Duck and Potato Limited Ingredient Grain Free dog food it is superb for dogs with allergies especially dogs with severe allergy issues.

[alberta H]

Hello Have a 13 mo old mini dachshund. She cannot tolerate kibble. So we have tried numerous wet foods with still some problems (not as much as kibble) Have tried Blue Buffalo, Fromm’s and Addiction. She still vomits periodically. NO other symptoms. Vet cannot figure out why. No mega esophagus, everything appears normal. He thinks the foods are too rich which is why we got off Blue Buffalo and tried the other. We think she has problems with corn..and chicken. They have suggested moderate fat, no chicken and no grain. I have a personal problem with carageean too. She gets about 1.6 oz. 4 x a day (Oh yes she will get a sour stomach in the a.m. if she doesnt get food about 9 pm Thinking about Wellness Stews but help is appreciated thank you so much!

[Kevin U]

Hello, thank you for taking your time to answering my concern. My puppy is 2 months old and we got him 4 days ago. They were feeding him the blue buffalo formula so we bought the same food, I already made an appointment to the vet next Thursday and I just wanted to get help in the mean time. I will collect a stool sample and bring it to the vet.

[Kevin U]

I’ve been feeding my puppy some Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula for puppies. And lately his stool been very mushy for the past 3 days. And when it very first started his stool had mucus on it and then it went away and now it just has been mushy. We tried giving him canned pumpkin and nothing seems to get better.
Please help..

[Acroyali]

I am a raw feeder, so I can’t suggest much in the way of kibble but I have noticed that there have been some tummy-related complaints with Blue Buffalo. This isn’t to say it’s a horrible food, it’s just that some dogs seem unable to utilize it as they should.
I know that Wellness has a very limited ingredient line (4-5 ingredients only) that can be of a big help when it comes to food intolerances. (I believe most of the line includes novel protein sources like duck, etc.)
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/categories.aspx?pet=dog&cat=3#Simple Dry Limited Ingredient Diets Dog Recipes
I don’t believe it’s formulated for seniors, but it’s just my (personal) opinion that senior diets are kind of gimmicky unless there’s a serious medical reason that specifies a low(er) protein diet.
Fromm is an excellent company that, if I fed kibble, I would feel 100% comfortable feeding. They have a beef formula, no chicken.
https://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/dog/dry/#beef-frittata-veg

Also, it might be worth checking into giving this dog some probiotics and/or digestive enzymes to help digestion. The metronydozale is a helpful drug in this instance and can stop the problem in it’s tracks, but re-feeding her gut with beneficial bacteria might help even out the occurrences of diarrhea. Both probiotics and D.E’s can be VERY helpful when transitioning a dog with a sensitive gut over to a new food, too, so that might be something to consider.

I don’t know if you’ve ever given her pumpkin, but many people swear by it to help with chronic diarrhea and firming the stools.
Hope this is helpful.

[Matthew R]

Hey all,

I am hoping I can get a bit of help. New to the forum. I have an older great dane, she just turned 11. Over the years she has had the occasional bouts of colitis or irritable bowl. My ex and I have always cleaned up the subsequent mess got her on metronydozale and that would be the end of it for a few months. This past spring and summer, the problem has been becoming more frequent. It was only once every 5-6 months and it has progressed to almost monthly. My now current living situation is less then ideal as I rent rooms from a friend who has a big house. My dog has free range of the house during the day while i’m at work, and has made a disaster area of my friends room.
I need to get this under control. I took her to the vet today, and aside from going on the metro and tylan powder, he also recommended going to a different protein based food. she is currently on the Blue Buffalo Wilderness chicken and grain free senior diet. There is a possibility that she may have an allergy to chicken. I was thinking of trying the red meat version of the same brand, but when I looked at the ingredients, it still lists chicken meal and chicken fat. Does anyone have any high quality recommendations that I can switch her to? It would have to be a chicken free (no salmon either), senior based, large breed diet. I think grain free as well. Or should I stick with the Wilderness red meat?

[just_dogs02]

I have two dogs, a year-old lab and a poodle puppy. Several months ago, my lab started eating her poop. I’ve used Forbid, pumpkin, pineapple, and even “Yuk” pills to no avail. She eats very good food (Fromm’s large breed currently, but she’s also eaten Blue Buffalo Large Breed). And the only snacks I feed her a carrots.

I’m not thrilled about feeding her a raw diet, but would if that was the best thing to stop the habit. Thus far, the only thing that works is picking up her poop immediately and giving her a carrot (treat).

I’m thinking about going grain free and high protein. Any suggestions? She’s a fifty-five pound lab in excellent shape. (She doesn’t need to loose weight.)

And what are the “digestive enzymes” I’m seeing listed in this thread. Do you mean something like probiotics?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

jazz

[Michael P]

Blue Buffalo?

[Gregory W]

He was 8 weeks when I got him. The breeder fed him blue buffalo and had no issues. He was eating with 8 other pups, and they have no issues that I know about. That same food did not work for him here after about 2 weeks, that coincided with a trip to Petco (I thought it would be good to socialize him a bit while getting him some food and toys).

Besides some hunger aggression, he’s a very well behaved dog. Endlessly friendly and an incredible companion. From what I’ve read here and chewy, I am going to ask the vet about Fromm and Victor dog foods. If it’ll help, I would feed him boiled chicken and rice. Really, anything that helps him out.

[Ryan B]

Hello. We don’t free feed. The dogs get two bowls a day, one morning and the other in the evening. She is going to need something for joints and have to get her weight down a little.
I had her on blue buffalo basic once, her weight went down… Currently has been on Nutro Small Breed. Again need something for joints and weight management.

[Gregory W]

Hello and thank you for the reply. He’s been tested for both and parvovirus. He was fine on blue buffalo for about 10 weeks and then he developed this issue.

His tests were negative but they put him on antibiotics anyway. He’s had a series of deworming too. At this point, it’s either some uncommon condition or he developed a sensitivity to certain foods… the one constant from the food is chicken. I was considering a fish or meat diet as an attempt to make him feel better or at least absolve chicken as the cause (or confirm it).

I really don’t know what to do right now.

[Gregory W]

I have a puppy that does not behave sickly, but has had soft/runny poop for almost 3weeks. I took him to the vet, a few times and we’ve changed his food (from blue buffalo large puppy), to Purina Pro HA…which requires a prescription and 3 bags in, has done nothing. Besides a new vet (which will be Monday), could someone please recommend a better food? I do not like the ingredients or reviews of the Purina that the vet put him on.

[Martha G]

Such a tough issue….I read and read when trying to choose my current dog, as I’d had Dalmatians for 20 years and with the awful chronic renal failure of the last one, had plenty of time while doing her subcutaneous fluids 5X/day to consider I needed something smaller if it needed carrying around at times since I’m already 60 w 3 back surgeries.

My oldest at 14 was a female Dalmatian, adopted at 2 from a show breeder as she was a “failed show dog” due to a super minor conformation issue…what great luck for me! She was spayed after her first heat, which came late at 2, and I fed her Science Diet (1990’s) and some frozen Bil-Jac. These foods were probably simpler then.

Youngest was a German Shepherd at 8 who I had to put down from lymphoma. She had been my father’s dog, was spayed at 1 year, and he fed her WalMart Old Roy’s of some kind until I moved home and put her on Blue Buffalo Wilderness and also Cosequin for arthritis for years 5-8. She had autoimmune issues as a young dog, requiring steroids for 2-3 years, so I think the lymphoma probably came from that condition and/or treatment.

[Samantha P]

Hi,

I have a 6 month old Lab/Australian Cattle Dog mix. She consistently turns her nose up at dry dog food and will get bored of a new dog food after 2-3 meals. I initially had her on Royal Canin Maxi Puppy (the large bag was given to me when i first got her), and then she got bored of it after about the 2nd bag of it. I wanted to move her onto a better food anyway so i got her Wellness Core which she liked for a day or two. Now, I’ve just gotten the Blue Buffalo Wilderness (the one with the baby wolf on the front) and she thoroughly enjoyed it the first 2 times she had it and now she seems over it. I want to try the tough love approach with her but I feel bad (go figure aha!). When I just tried feeding her lunch she wasn’t having it so I took the food away and will try again at dinner. I know that if she was given something (like table food) she’d eat it with no issue! Her energy levels are still great, stool is firm and doesn’t seem to have any sores etc in her mouth.

I’ve tried high grade, low sodium chicken stock when she was eating the Wellness Core which would work 75% of the time, but I’d rather not have her reliant on that.

Any other suggestions? I’m pretty open to anything.

Thanks!

[Catherine W]

Long background story:
I have a 2 year old Bernese mountain dog who never had great stools from when we got her. She was on blue buffalo and we always had issues, especially between new bags. But last may we had to evacuate our home from a fire and we ultimately moved, then had a new baby in September, and her stools have just been on and off ever since. They were good in July/Aug on Kirkland salmon but then a mess after new baby and my husband wanted to change foods at the same time to Kirkland turkey because of bad fish breath. Well since September she hasn’t been on 100% kibble, started with a blend of rice/boiled meat/kibble, but the rice started to go right through her so we tried oatmeal. Now she’s on an oatmeal/kibble blend. I supplement with carrots, and a probiotic, and recently I’ve been giving her a multivitamin because I’m concerned. In December I managed to get to 70:30 kibble to oatmeal ratio with great stool then explosive diarrhea for days. Basically it’s been the worst since May, midnight outings every 2 hrs. Oh and I took her to the vet in December who did a deworming and stool sample and put her on Hills prescription w/d canned which made her constipated and bleed, which we then blended back to kibble which didn’t work. I’ve tried adding pumpkin and bran buds (vet recommended) but it’s hit and miss.
Last week I researched all sorts of dog foods and decided on Hills large breed light because of the high fiber and low fat content. She can’t eat anything fatty, raw bones just cause diarrhea, and never gets meat scraps because they just cause upset.

Basically I’m wondering if I’ve tried it all and my dog is just destroyed inside and is hopeless. Thanks.

• This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by Catherine W.

[Danielle B]

Hello, I am new to this forum and am hoping to find answers. We recently brought home our new puppy. The breeder was feeding Blue Buffalo fish and oatmeal “adult breed” with royal can in puppy mousse. After coming home we stuck with the exact same regimen and changed nothing. Our puppy developed horrible diarrhea for about 3 weeks. After putting him on a prescription diet, vet recommended along with a digestive supplement, cooking for him and adding pumpkin, it seems that his gut has normalized. It is now time to slowly get him off of the prescription diet however I am still overwhelmed by the choices here. I am looking for a dry kibble in the medium price range. I went into this thinking Blue Buffalo was a decent brand but after reading this website it doesn’t seem to be the best choice. Any suggestions on where to start my bulldog. Being a breed prone to health issues, skin irritations, joint issues, etc,, I would like to get a jump on feeding him properly now before things get out of control. I am looking for any and all suggestions on food, suggested supplements, additives, routines, etc… I also am not clear as to why the breeder feeds his puppies adult food instead of puppy food, any thoughts on this. Also, are english bulldogs considered large breed or medium breed on this website? Thank you for any and all help.

[Erin Z]

Hi all,

So i’ve been lurking this site for a while. I apologize if this question has already been answered but I am too tired to take the time to search through the forum. I’ve always been confused about what to feed my 10 year old, 7.5 lb female chihuahua. I currently feed her blue buffalo senior small breed and she’s been fine on this. However, I have read bad reports and I want to change it to something more high quality. My dog Chloe is very healthy and has no health problems. I take her to regular vet visits (i’m a vet tech) and I’m planning on getting her senior wellness blood/urine panel as well as yearly dental done in the next several months. She might be a TAD bit overweight but not by much. She isn’t very active but has spurts of energy. On a daily basis, I take her on 10 minute walks (or go hiking with her) and will play with her and her toys.

I just want the BEST brand of dog food for senior small breed dogs. She isn’t prone to health issues and isn’t sensitive to different brands. I don’t mind the cost and I want to give her the best food I can possibly give to prolong her life and maybe give her some more energy in her step (she’s not lethargic, but has been getting less active as the years go by which I know can be normal ). What are your recommendations? Thanks!

• This topic was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Erin Z.

[Alexander L]

Hey, all.

I was surprised when I was getting notifications about my post from last year.

To AmBuer E., my dog was originally on the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck (shiny green bag). He has been on it ever since my first post last April and doing amazing. I can’t see I see much of a difference in him now versus on the Blue, other than I have saved a few hundred dollars with all of the in store and online coupons specifically for the week (on top of the $10-$15 less per bag compared to the Wilderness!).

If that helps any?

[AmBuer E]

Hi, my 9 and 6 year old golden retriever girls have been on Blue Buffalo since we brought them home and they never had a problem. We just brought home a baby sister golden retriever for them, and have her on the blue puppy formula. She is having loose stools and going poop about 6 times a day, I’m finding piles all over the places. Makes potty training so hard! My question is I’m not willing to give up on a premium blend, and my girls are picky. So would Redford’s natural be a little easier on my little ones belly because it doesn’t have the life source bits, but still enough to appease the older princesses?? And I see all the protein, calories, fat, etc. is exceptional, but what about the vitamins? Is it maybe a vitamin overload my little one is not liking? And with three babies I like the lower price, and other flavors! Anyone have this issue with Blue? Or switched from Blue to Redfords? Thanks!

[Ray K]

I feel your pain. I’ve got a now three and a half year old Boston that I rescued at just under a year old and that sounds like our first six months or so, although in her case it was more
Vomit then watery stool. Went through several foods including blue buffalo, nutro, science diet and finally on Taste of the Wild Bison and Venison mixed with their Wild Boar flavor on occasion. Vomit épisodes are down to a rare thing and usually cause by over excitement rather than upset tummy.

[Acroyali]

I’m not in this to bash Blue Buffalo, but I have noticed a lot of people have dogs with digestion problems while on this particular brand. IIRC, they changed formulas not too recently so hopefully they will take complaints into consideration and make some more changes.
If you can get Fromm, or are willing to order, I’d go with Stacy’s recommendation. Another option would be a dehydrated food, some dogs don’t like it but others do and many seem to have less gastric complaints than they do on a diet of pure dry.
If the symptoms continue no matter what, a thyroid test might not be a bad idea. Low thyroid is surprisingly relatively common.

[Matt G]

Hi all! I have a 7 month old Boston Terrier and she is such a sweetheart. Unfortunately we have been battling a sensitive stomach problem and the only suggestion she’s given me was for her to get her thyroid checked, or to give her Reglan, both I’m not comfortable with at this time. I would like to find a new food for her to try, but I’ve been having trouble finding one for her. She currently gets 1/2 cup of Blue Buffalo puppy food twice a day. Most of the time she is fine, but once or twice a week she has diarrhea and vomits, so it is concerning. Also she is very gasy and the fur on top of her head and behind her ears is quite bald (no redness or skin noticeable to the eye coming off though.) Other than those symptoms she is completely fine! Does anyone have any suggestions on a new food or possible vitamin regiment to try? Thank you all so much for your time and consideration!

[Amanda L]

Hi all. Currently employed at a pet supplies plus, so I’ll let you all know what’s up with redford. Pretty much this is a low cost high quality food. Ingredient wise, it compared almost word for word to blue Buffalo and other high quality brands of food. Redford is produced in the USA, and the #1 ingredient is always the first meat listed on the bag. Per pound Redford is the better buy, and more options and flavors will be coming out some time this year, as well as a cat food line. Glad to hear it’s working out for your peppers:)

[Bea K]

While doing research on Orijen I came across this about Blue Buffalo. Admittedly I fed my pup this brand for a year or so and found it didn’t work for him which was when I switched to Orijen. Regardless hers a link I found about Blue Buffalo and now realize it’s just another brand to not trust. Surprisingly it was Purina who caught them. Talk about calling the kettle black….

Blue Buffalo Admits to Bull****ing Pet Parents; Lawsuit with Nestle-Purina Heats Up

Another interesting website

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/category/pet-food-regulations/