Lately I've read some scary info on leading brands of dog food that are poor quality and can cause health issues. I've recently switched my Corgi from Iams to Blue Buffalo and hope I made a smart choice. Does any one feed their dog Blue Buffalo and what is the quality compared to Iams the previous food I fed her?
Thanks!!
I saw a documentary called "Pet Fooled." It was an eye opener for me! There's a woman in it that lost her dog due to cancer caused by the dry dog food she was feeding him. That woman's name is Susan Thixton. She has a website TruthaboutPetFood.com. you can purchase the list of best dog and cat foods that she updates every year. It's $10 and she depends on that income as they are 100% consumer supported. I feel it's well worth the money as she thoroughly checks out these manufacturers. She's also now on the board of AAFCO. I highly recommend you check out the documentary as well as her website.
I know this a very old thread at this point, but when searching Google for Blue Buffalo reviews it comes up so I wanted to drop this link detailing a class action lawsuit against them. Apparently, our 4 yr. Pittie mix included, Blue Buffalo consumption has resulted in vet ER visits for gastro upset sometimes resulting in death. Please educate yourself and be aware that this brand has also been involved in other questionable events.
https://m.facebook.com/nikki.barker.589/posts/10107255556628432?d=m (https://m.facebook.com/nikki.barker.589…)
As a vet tech I've had the opportunity to hear vets opinions about Blue buffalo dog food. Most vets do not recommend it because it is not consistent. They are a brand that is known to change ingredients and and not label the changes. Dogs with food allergies can suffer from this problem. The top 5 brands are Hills, Royal Canin, Iams, Purina pro plan, and Science diet.
I don't know how Iams makes the top five. I fed my boxer iams and he contracted a kidney disease at five yrs old and died in December. I have been feeding my other boxer blue buffalo ever since.
Those aren’t the top five, those are just the ones that pay Vets to promote their food. I have NO clue how IAMS would ever be on the top five of any list, except in the worst quality list.
Of course the vets would promote the foods from companies that pay them. Just as human docmare not trained in nutrition, either are vets. They recommend what they get paid to recommend.
I have heard good reviews on it however Nutro Lamb/Rice is what we have had all our dogs on, keeps the coat shiny and excellent poop health!
I am trained in holistic pet diets and Blue is one of the best.
Lower grade foods are cheap, but they have mostly no nutritional value. Your pet will eat more of the cheap food faster - because they aren't getting the nutrients they truly need. You'll find that higher quality foods satisfy them, so they won't eat all the time (which is more cost effective for you!)
Always read the ingredients. If it doesn't sound like something you would eat, you probably shouldn't give it to your pet. Cheap foods are mostly gluten, dyes and other things I won't disgust you with here. :/
When switching foods, remember to mix them at first, gradually reduce the old food and add more new food so their tummy can adjust easily. You might find your pet will then pick out the old food and spit it out on the floor and go right for the better brand. They know better than we do sometimes - their sense of smell for "bad" is amazing! :D
Blue is a good food, but I think it is overrated. I feed my dogs Taste of the wild which is a little cheaper and I think a better food. The makers of Taste of the wild also make the Kirkland brands for Costco. Natures Domain is almost identical to Taste of the wild at a 40% discount. A couple of minor changes to the ingredients. You can switch between Taste of the wild and Natures Domain if you just can not get to Costco.
Awesome! I didn't know they made the Kirkland stuff! I've used both and have always really liked the Taste of the Wild foods (or rather, my dogs all have), so that's pretty cool.
Just so everyone knows Taste of the Wild food is made by Diamond. Diamond makes Blue Buffalo. So they are made in the same factory. I don’t personally recommend Blue Buffalos to any clients/family because Blue Buffalo / Diamond is notorious for having recalls and unsanitary processing facilities.
Blue Buffalo is not owned by Diamond. They're owned by General Mills.
We tried Taste of the Wild and my dog got skin allergies and sick. I changed to Blue for Digestive Care and she improved immediately.
I've subscribed to Whole Dog Journal since they first came out. They don't allow ads in their publ'n., so it's always impartial. Once a year, they put out their dry dog food review and show most prominent cos. that fit their criteria. Certainly Blue is on the list, but so are many others. None are inexpensive, but some are more reasonable than others, and they're big proponents of mixing it up. I could mail you a copy of this year's review if you want to email me your address. I'm at "emailnancycohen@gmail.com". They also explain how they arrive at their conclusions, and how you can make your own decision(s).
I agree with everyone. Iams to Blue is a huge improvement. There is lots of false rumors but some true. Do your research. Ask advice. And be careful which sites you use for your research. I also like http://dogfoodadvisor.com Personally I switched to Blue grain free cuz my puppy has loose stools on regular Blue sm. Breed puppy. Now she doesn't. I didn't see the need for grain free but now I do. All dogs are Different and you need to see what works for each one.
Blue is one of the best foods! Switching to that from Iams is day and night. I second Jessica - read the rover link about dog food and how to choose a good one. I hope you switched the food gradually over a week-long period, by the way, to avoid her stomach being upset.
Here is a great blog post on Rover's Daily Treat Blog about the secret ingredients in dog food: http://www.rover.com/blog/the-truth-a...
Thanks for everyone's comments. I feel much better now about the new food and will use Dog Food Adviser for research.
Blue Diamond makes Blue Diamond Blue Buffalo makes Blue Buffalo. Both have a blue diamond on the packaging, which only adds to the confusion. They are not the same. Blue Buffalo has their patented life source bits, which are a key component to the foods' success.