[Lola]

I recently weaned my 8 year old Belgian Malinois onto Blue Buffalo. I have had her since she was 7 wks. old. I know that there were some issues starting to crop up lately but couldn’t find anything concrete to substantiate them. Some people said that their dogs were getting sick, loose stools, etc. My girl has not seemed to have any problems but I am still concerned about keeping her on Blue. Any advice/suggestions? She is a rescue from a breeder that recommended Pro-Plan Large Breed and that is what I fed her (with some rare exceptions having had to mix with other dry foods) She is very active only when out in our yard but is usually taking it easy when in the house. I am so confused about what is best for her at this stage in her life and worried about so many recalls and problems with Dog food lately.

[dowsky]

we feed our dogs raw and merrick’s grain free, have had no problems. if your worried about blue buf then I suggest you switch to keep your peace of mind. there are lots of good foods to choose from, I suggest you look right here at 4 and 5 star foods. a few suggestion are merrick’s, fromm’s canidae all grain free would be my suggestion. sometimes the grains can cause loose stools. good luck

[Lola]

Thank you so much. She seems to like the fish alot and I always heard the BB was an excellent, premium food. I’ve also heard good things about Merick’s. I remember a much simpler time when there were only 2 or 3 brands of food and no recalls. I had one of my girls for 17 years before there were any premium foods and Alpo was at the top of the list until Pedigree was developed, lol. Why did it have to get so complicated? Thanks again 🙂

[InkedMarie]

I believe Blue has had a recall. I like Annamaet, Fromm, Brothers nd Earthborn.

[Lola]

Thanks,
I can’t find anything linking it to a recall since 2010. I’ll look into those other brands now.

[InkedMarie]

Lola, it may not have been a recall, now that I think about it. Read the Blue thread on Dog Food Advisor; I think people have had dogs sick on it.

[theBCnut]

A lot of people are complaining about their dogs getting sick on BB. I haven’t heard about reports to the FDA, which would probably be essential before a recall could happen.

[Lola]

Okay, so it is true that dogs are getting sick. That is what I had heard and read and why I am concerned. It’s only been 2 days that she is on 100% BB & I hate to have to have to change her diet so soon but it seems the best option. Honestly, I wonder if the old “tried and true” Pro Plan could be the best thing for her. I don’t ever remember these problems in all the years that we used Pro Plan and they have now improved? their line of products. It just seems that there have been many more problems with the newer, holistic, grain free, specialty foods than there have ever been with the premium, older major brands. So confused. Thanks so much for everyones help.

[InkedMarie]

Lola, you have to do what you feel is best. Me, I could not feed a food that has been making dogs sick. There are so many good dog foods out there to choose from; some have never had a recall: Fromm, Dr Tim’s, Annamaet…

[Lola]

Hi again,
I agree that we need to stop the Blue Buffalo but am just having difficulty trusting these newer, holistic foods since so many of them have been having problems. As I mentioned, I had one of my girls for 17 years until 1991. There were no holistic foods and no recalls, sick dogs, etc. I fed her the old standard Purina products and she did great. I want to do what is best for my baby but am really worried about all of the recalls. I had purchased Natures/Natural? Balance at the store mgrs. suggestion and got it home to find that they were having some problems and that’s why I switched to the BB. Have you found that the Fromm, Merrick, etc. have been better than the more standard foods? Thanks so much for all of your help and advice.

[InkedMarie]

Merrick I’m not a fan of but Fromm, Earthborn, Brothers, dr Tims, Annamaet have had no recalls. Brothers has to be ordered; the others may or may not be available local to you. I order all dog stuff, Hesperus, usually no shipping and I can sit home and wait for it to be delivered.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Lola –

I wouldn’t say that holistic foods are any less safe than non-holistic foods and I wouldn’t shy away from higher quality foods just because some have issues or have had issues in the past. For every holistic food with quality issues there’s a non-holistic food out there with quality issues as well. It’s important to research the manufacturer prior to feeding the food. Call the company and ask questions – ask if they’ve had recalls, if yes – ask what the recalls were for, ask if they outsource production, if yes – ask where, ask where they source their ingredients, the grade of the ingredients, etc. etc. Check online forums such as this before feeding a food to read the opinions of people who have actually fed it. It’s important to do your homework. There are many very reputable companies that make natural foods. Also, keep in mind no company is immune to experiencing a recall. A recall can happen to any company at any time and shouldn’t necessarily be grounds for dismissing a company – some very reputable companies experience recalls the important thing is how they handle the recall and what measures they take to ensure the same mistake won’t happen again the future.

[DieselJunki]

I have my 6 month old AmBulldog on Fromms at the moment. He’s done well on it from what I can tell. I add ProBiotics and Digestive Enzymes to it but I can tell he’s already less gassy than when I had him on Natures Variety: Rabbit and was adding the ProBiotics and Enzymes to it. Each dog is different but so far Fromms gets a thumbs up from me.

[loveall]

Hello…i adopted a now 6 month old…what we think is a rotti/shepherd mix…we found him abandoned under a car outside my daughters school…after battling worms/giardia….he has grown to be approx. 51 pounds…my vet estimated he will be approx. 80 pounds at maturity…i started him on nutro natural…but have switched to blue wilderness…i’am wondering if anyone could give insight to this type/brand of food…since it is confusing with all the diff. Foods…i have remained on dry kibble only…i am hoping someone could give m some advice on what food is best for my lovely mix breed…thank you all

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi loveall –

You’re on the right track by feeding a 5 star grain-free food. My only suggestion would be to rotate foods – don’t stick with just one. There is no “best food” – this is why it is important to rotatate, it compensates for the shortcomings of each food. Pick at least two or three different brands (or more) with different protein sources and switch every so often. Rotating foods with strengthen your dog’s digestive system, provide variety and provide you with alternative choices in the event of a recall or formula change. I’d also recommend topping the dry food with a high quality canned food, raw food or healthy leftovers (lean meat, eggs, etc.). Good luck!

[Naples_vidiot]

First time here and thanks for having me. Purchased (dry pellets) Blue Buffalo several months ago and noticed that my Sheltie was getting sick once or twice a week in the morning then not eating till early afternoon. She’d drool first then vomit stomach fluids and sometimes the actual Blue Buffalo. This went on for months. Thought of all reasons why she was getting sick from low sugar levels to alergies. Tried feeding her treats at night to keep her belly full but that failed. The BB never crossed are minds as being the culprit because of its reputation. Just recently, my dog was getting sick every morning for a week straight…we finally took action. After feeding her the dry pellets from Blue Buffalo for months, we changed to a canned wet food. Miraculously she stopped getting sick. It has been 72 hours now. Wife googled Blue Buffalo and a whole page of articles populated about BB making dogs sick. She informed me and then I called the store that sold us this product then the BB headquarters. They did not pick up their phone in any department. The store that I spoke with claimed they knew nothing about the articles….you’d think they’d be aware because the multiple articles were from last March 2013. Were they protecting BB? All I know is, if I was selling food that was potentially getting pets sick, the product would be pulled immediately. We use a store swipe card everytime we buy product so maybe the seller would have looked up what we / everyone were buying and notified us about possible tainted food from BB? Waiting on BB to email us back so will check back later. Love my dog and it killed me seeing her vomotting every morning. Take her to a vet you say? Who can afford a vet these days? Or am I being obtuse. Happy Holidays!

[jcosler]

what the heck is a “holistic food???”

[theBCnut]

Usually they are made out of ingredients that you would recognize as food ingredients rather than things that you have to look up to know what you are feeding. The term is not regulated though, so anyone can claim it.

[Luna Bear]

So I have been dog sitting for Luna for a couple of weeks. When her regular food ran out, I did not know what it was so I went to Pet Smart and got Blue Buffalo for older dogs. She is a hearty eater and usually will eat anything she can find…and she ate the BB food for about a week and then started getting sluggish and then stopped eating. She is old so I was worried she might be on her last legs. Then she ate a little and started throwing it all up. She laid in bed for two days hardly eating a thing and having diarrhea. I stopped putting it in her bowl and fed her some chicken broth and chicken meat for a couple of days and she started looking much better. In the four days since I stopped feeding it to her, she has completely turned around and is back to her old self. Who can say…but I am going back to get my money back and will never feed another dog this food again. I am no scientific expert but this just seems way too coincidental. Good news is that she has her energy back and definitely her interest in food!

[Naples_vidiot]

This is what Blue came back with:

Hi Christine,

Thank you for contacting us. We are sorry that BLUE did not work out for your pet. When switching foods, there is always a possibility that the food will not agree with your pet or they may not like it. Which Wilderness formula were you feeding your dog? Wilderness is a higher protein and fat diet for active, sporting and working dogs. Due to the higher protein and fat, it is not always the best fit for some pets. Whenever you purchase BLUE it comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you find that BLUE is not a good fit for your pet, you can return the unused portion to the retailer for a full refund or exchange with your receipt.

We do not have any current recalls. In the unfortunate event of a recall, we would work with each of our retailers to immediately remove affected product as well as post signage alerting consumers of a recall. In the case of our larger retailers, such as PetSmart and Petco, we are able to work with them in contacting customers that purchased a recalled product based on information obtained from their Pet Perks and PALS program. We would also post the most up-to-date information on our website as well as work with veterinary websites (such as Veterinary Information Network) to educate veterinarians across the country of the issue so that they can share it with their clients.

We are aware of the postings and blogs that are unregulated. Unfortunately we can’t control what is posted in an online forum and unless the Pet Parent contacts us directly, we can’t investigate their claim fully. We always encourage pet parents to contact us if they feel there is an issue so that we can gather all of the product information for our QA Team and investigate. Product quality is our #1 priority. We have strict controls in place to make sure that our ingredients meet the highest quality standards.

These controls include the following:

Certificate of origin for all ingredients
COA’s (certificates of analysis) on all our ingredients prior to accepting
Testing of each ingredient for known toxins prior to accepting
Testing during production to ensure that our formulas meet our nutritional specifications.
Testing after production to ensure product stability and freshness.

We use a government certified laboratory to test for normal analyticals, toxins, bacterial contamination, and spoilage.

Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.

Take care,
Tracy

Blue Buffalo Co.

Yada yada yada

[Author]

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