# Blue Buffalo Puppy Food?



## GsdLoverr729

Hey everybody. Dakoda is currently on Purina puppy chow (with chicken and a puppy vitamin in the morning and steak mixed in at night), but I was at Petsmart and saw a brand that looked interesting. It's called Blue Buffalo (Blue Natural). I was wondering if anybody ever used this brand and if so how it was with their shepherd? I want to try it but I'm not sure what all the dietary needs of a shepherd are and if it would meet her needs.


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## chicagojosh

everyone here loves Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy. I've been back and forth on it because it gave Cody the runs... I tried Eukanaba (which i thought was good) and that helped him. Now after reading a thread on here like a week ago I learn Eukanaba basically lied on it's label, so im trying to gradually steer Cody back onto BB.


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## GsdLoverr729

Ah thank you . It looked like it would be good and the ingredient list I found was very impressive. I just wanted to be sure it would be good for her. My lab mix and my brother's beagle are on Ol' Roy and it's great for them, but it's a gundog food and I just don't think it would meet her needs. I may switch her over gradually to it once we get home from vacation lol.


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## chicagojosh

definitely switch gradually haha


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## GsdLoverr729

Ya wouldn't want to upset her stomach!


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## roxy84

GsdLoverr729 said:


> My lab mix and my brother's beagle are on Ol' Roy and it's great for them, but it's a gundog food .


i have to ask. what do you mean when you say Ol Roy is a gundog food?


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## DJEtzel

Ole Roy is not a gun dog food. It's a terrible food for all dogs period and no, your gsd would not do well on it. 

Same thing goes for purina, iams, eukanuba, etc. etc. 

BB is a great food, but make sure you're getting the large breed puppy formula, as a GSD puppy needs very low amount of calcium to ensure proper growth. If it doesn't work out you can find other foods that will suit your GSDs needs at dogfoodanalysis.com

Make sure you switch slowly over a week or two, then start adding the supplements. Don't start all at once. Good luck!


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## GsdLoverr729

My bad, I have yet to research Ol' Roy. My parents have been buying it for the boys. Is there any food I should try for them? They are a lab mix and beagle mix. 45 lbs and 65 lbs. I was told it was for gundogs. I'll look it up in a minute. Lol.


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## GsdLoverr729

roxy84 said:


> i have to ask. what do you mean when you say Ol Roy is a gundog food?


 I was told by my parents it was meant for hunting breeds. But they were wrong lol. Sorry!!


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## DJEtzel

It's okay, a lot of people are uniformed or wrongly informed about good dog food. 

Are your parents on a budget, or are they just buying this food because they think it's what's best?

Any brands such as blue buffalo, taste of the wild, evo, innova, canidae, natural balance, wellness, solid gold, and orijen would be great, along with the cheaper, yet decent brands of diamond naturals and 4health for people on a budget. 

There really aren't certain brands for certain breeds or types of dogs, unless you count small bite dog foods and such. Most dogs can do well on any brand, though some do need to go through a few before finding the one they do best on.


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## Lucy Dog

Ol Roy is the absolute worst of the worst. I'd rather go to mcdonalds and pick up quarter pounders and chicken mcnuggets every day than feed Ol Roy. I'm not kidding either.

As for blue buffalo, I've never fed it, but I've heard nothing but positive reviews. It has a solid ingredient list just make sure to feed either the large breed puppy or adult formula to your pup. Do not feed the regular puppy formula.


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## PupperLove

GsdLoverr729 said:


> My bad, I have yet to research Ol' Roy. My parents have been buying it for the boys. Is there any food I should try for them? They are a lab mix and beagle mix. 45 lbs and 65 lbs. I was told it was for gundogs. I'll look it up in a minute. Lol.


Whoever told you that is probably under the impression it is for gundogs because they frequently have gundogs on the bags. Advertising in the pet food industry is VERY misleading. Ol'Roy is a TERRIBLE dog food. There really isn't anything worse- Kibbles N' Bits and Pedigree are right there with it. This really sparked my interest... Consumer complaints about Ol Roy Pet Foods these are all complaints from people using ol'roy which I found very interesting. Whether it's ALL food related, I don't know, but there seems to be alot of commonality in the stories which scares me.

You can click on "Pets" in the grey bar at the top of that page to see complaints on other brands. Seeing this website really inticed me to start researching dog food.

I have fed Blue Buffalo. It took my dog about 2 months to really get used to it (he's got a sensitive system), but after that he was doing well on it- and it's very healthy for ALL dogs, just make sure to get large breed.


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## GsdLoverr729

My parents thought it was best for them, they've been doing well on it. They have sensitive stomachs though. But I will talk to them and switch them over to something natural and better for them gradually while I'm switching Koda. Thanks for the advice guys! I'm switching Koda to Blue Buffalo. And Motomo and Tattonka will just have to see lol. Now, should I continue feeding her chicken mixed in with breakfast and steak mixed in her dinner?


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## Lucy Dog

GsdLoverr729 said:


> Now, should I continue feeding her chicken mixed in with breakfast and steak mixed in her dinner?


Sure, why not, just as long as it's not hurting your wallet. Nothing wrong with adding some extra protein to a kibble based diet. Just make sure the steak is a nice lean cut and not too fatty.

Some things I like to add to lucy's diet are steamed chicken, yogurt, cottage cheese, raw eggs, green tripe, and canned pumpkin. All healthy and dogs go crazy over that stuff.


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## GsdLoverr729

It's not hurtin my wallet at all . And my main priority is to keep her healthy and happy. I've heard that vegetable oil is good for their coats (once a week, barely dribbled on food)... is that true or just a lie? Lol.


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## DJEtzel

I don't know about vegetable oil, but fish oil definitely is. 

I buy my GSD and beagle both human grade omega 3 fish oil capsules and drizzle them over their meal once a day, and it does WONDERS for their shedding and coat. 

I also use bug off garlic, yorgurt, and canned food in most of their meals. Then a whole raw egg once a week.


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## GsdLoverr729

Alright, thanks. I figured the vegetable oil thing sounded fishy lol. I love this site haha! So many helpful people


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## DJEtzel

I'm glad you're enjoying it, it's definitly a source of great information, that's for sure!


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## GsdLoverr729

I couldn't agree more!!!


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## tjestice

We use solid gold wolf king, my dogs love it. Great coat and less mess in the backyard to clean up.
Has anyone used this site? Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble I've found it to be pretty helpful.


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## Dawn

Raven is on blue buffalo dry and canned...she loves it
I cringe alittle when I go to the cashier at petsmart when food shopping for her but when I look at her she is so so worth.


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## LaRen616

Sinister is on Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness it's their adult grainless brand. He loves it and looks fantastic on it.


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## paulag1955

Question about the Blue Buffalo.

We were looking at it yesterday at PetSmart and they had bags labeled as "Puppy" and bags labeled as "Small Breed Puppy." Am I then to assume the bags labeled as "Puppy" are for large breeds?


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## LaRen616

It should say Large Breed Puppy on it.


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## Ryder&SophieSue

i loved bb but i could not afford it, so we went with one called Autority...Dogs love it and i have not had any issues with it...


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## paulag1955

LaRen616 said:


> It should say Large Breed Puppy on it.


There weren't any bags that said Large Breed Puppy. Only Small Breed Puppy and Puppy. Weird.


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## Mika

GsdLoverr729 said:


> Hey everybody. Dakoda is currently on Purina puppy chow (with chicken and a puppy vitamin in the morning and steak mixed in at night), but I was at Petsmart and saw a brand that looked interesting. It's called Blue Buffalo (Blue Natural). I was wondering if anybody ever used this brand and if so how it was with their shepherd? I want to try it but I'm not sure what all the dietary needs of a shepherd are and if it would meet her needs.


The best thing you can do is look at the ingredients corn and wheat are not good for dogs in most cases. If the first two ingredients are meat and rice then you really can't go wrong. I feed my pup all natural food with no corn, wheat, or soy.


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## roxy84

Mika said:


> If the first two ingredients are meat and rice then you really can't go wrong. I feed my pup all natural food with no corn, wheat, or soy.


at a minimum, i have to see a named meat meal before any non meat ingredients..otherwise, i expect very little meat content and mostly grains. a named meat is ok, but being water inclusive means it offers little meat to the product.

for example: chicken, brown rice, white rice, barley.....this is just a bunch of grain with chicken far down the list.


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## GsdLoverr729

Alrightyy


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## sable123

roxy84 said:


> i have to ask. what do you mean when you say Ol Roy is a gundog food?


I know exactly what he means. Hunters are notoriously cheap when it comes to feeding, and its sad, really sad.


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## GsdLoverr729

sable123 said:


> I know exactly what he means. Hunters are notoriously cheap when it comes to feeding, and its sad, really sad.


 That is actually sadly very true.


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## onyxboy

I just put my Onyx on BB wildreness duck and he is going crazy over it. I would try other brands two of them and found the Blue and check out them out online check the ingrediatnts and you will be surprised when you read them. Onyx was not eating well for the pass month so this pass week i switched over slowly with his other food and BB Wilderness. I highly recommend it for your pup. I will also get the salmon for him to make it different and not the same thing over and over again. That's the good thing about Blue you can switch different flavors with no problems. Its easy on their stomachs. I bought a 24 lb bag and it should last for 1 month. Longer than your grocery store bought dog food. Petsmart has the best price anywhere. Petco is about $9 difference.


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## GsdLoverr729

Well Koda is now on BB Largebreed Puppy with chicken in the am and steak at night, and she adores it!!! Such a piglet


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## LaRen616

onyxboy said:


> I just put my Onyx on BB wildreness duck and he is going crazy over it. I would try other brands two of them and found the Blue and check out them out online check the ingrediatnts and you will be surprised when you read them. Onyx was not eating well for the pass month so this pass week i switched over slowly with his other food and BB Wilderness. I highly recommend it for your pup. I will also get the salmon for him to make it different and not the same thing over and over again. That's the good thing about Blue you can switch different flavors with no problems. Its easy on their stomachs. I bought a 24 lb bag and it should last for 1 month. Longer than your grocery store bought dog food. Petsmart has the best price anywhere. Petco is about $9 difference.


A bag of Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness lasts me about 6 weeks and every time I go get a bag I alternate between Duck and Chicken. Right now he is on the Duck Recipe and in about 2-3 weeks I will buy him the Chicken Recipe. I do the same thing with my cats. All 4 of my animals are doing fantastic on BB Blue Wilderness.


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## spyla

Tried BB large Breed Puppy with shadow when he was 8 months, he was passing a lot of gas, so stopped it. Before that he was on science diet.

Right now he is 13 months old. He gets TOTW 1 1/2 Cups and Science Diet Large breed adult 1/2 cup twice a day.


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## rushum86

Hello friends,
So I am new on here and I am trying to find out what to do with my GSD food. We adopted her yesterday from the animal control center here in town and I am wanting to get her started on Blue Buffalo because I have heard good things about it, but I am not sure what she was eating while at the control center. Is it ok to switch her to the BB? We pick her up from the Vet tomorrow...


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## Countrymama

Ziva's on BB and hardly eats in and it seems to cause blisters in her ears so I'm thinking to switch he back to the food the breeder had her on..Purina. I'd rather her have BB but it doesn't do any good if she won't eat in and is allergic to it.


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## lovethebreed

I can't speak for their puppy food but the rest of their food is too high in cal/pho. They only post the minimun levels as opposed to both min/max (ie like Orijen does).

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/145562-blue-buffalo-what-they-hiding.html


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## Countrymama

lovethebreed said:


> I can't speak for their puppy food but the rest of their food is too high in cal/pho. They only post the minimun levels as opposed to both min/max (ie like Orijen does).
> 
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/145562-blue-buffalo-what-they-hiding.html



She was on Purina large breed puppy when we got her and didn't have any issues..that's why I'm thinking to go back to it at least until her allergy goes away and I can sort of whether or not she's allergic to chicken like our last pup. She'd rather throw her food out of the bowl than eat it so at this point I'll be happy just to have her eat and not itch until I can find her perfect food.


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## n2gsds

Jenny likes the Large Breed puppy BB. Be sure to gradually introduce any new food to your puppy.


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## Countrymama

n2gsds said:


> Jenny likes the Large Breed puppy BB. Be sure to gradually introduce any new food to your puppy.


I weaned her from her Purina to BB over the a week span and as the month progresses she's eating less of it and breaking out more..picking up new food tomorrow. I originally thought it was something outside that she'd gotten into but I'm sure it's not that now. Our last pup had the same reaction to a chicken based food and a food changed solved it.


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## n2gsds

Good luck! Hope you find the right food for him.


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## sable123

GsdLoverr729 said:


> My bad, I have yet to research Ol' Roy. My parents have been buying it for the boys. Is there any food I should try for them? They are a lab mix and beagle mix. 45 lbs and 65 lbs. I was told it was for gundogs. I'll look it up in a minute. Lol.


Ole Roy is not something I would use but a few suggestions in this thread are what you would expect from what I call dog food elitists. People that have given themselves PHD's from reading crackpot ratings websites and generally don't know a thing about raising dogs. They are mouths for a few websites. Dogfoodanalysis.com has 100's of factual errors on it and Dogfoodadvisor.com is run by a human dentist. None of the ratings reflect any kind of testing just reading the bag.

I have met quite of a few of these characters at shows and events and some have the nerve to come up to you and critique what you feed. I remember being at show with a Grand Champion & NAVHDA Versatile Champion that could sire two litters a day if you asked him, and some single woman starts ranting about the bag of Pro Plan under the bench. 

Most Champion dogs eat either Pro Plan, Eukanuba & Royal Canin or the smaller working dog foods for a good reason, they work and are tested.

Is Canidae a good food? Yes. Is Blue Buffalo, Yes but in no way are they better than Pro Plan. 

Since you live down in Georgia, let me recommend Loyall. Good food and a very good value. Pro Pac is also a very good food.

Forget all the boutique foods that appeal to what humans like to eat. People are just getting ripped off.


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## GSDLongTimer

_*Sable123:* People that have given themselves PHD's from reading crackpot ratings websites and generally don't know a thing about raising dogs. They are mouths for a few websites._ [/QUOTE]

You are a perfect case in point with the internet bunk you promote:

Annamaet Petfoods <http://www.annamaet.com/about.php>


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## Jax08

sable123 said:


> People that have given themselves PHD's from reading crackpot ratings websites and generally don't know a thing about raising dogs. They are mouths for a few websites.


You manage money in NYC, right? Just wanted to clarify your education in dog foods vs. a hedge fund manager since I've seen you post information straight from a manufacturer's site without any science behind it. Or worse yet, not reading the manufacturer's website, and advising to use a horse dewormer on dogs when the manufacturer specifically states otherwise. :crazy:


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## Jax08

GSDLongTimer said:


> _*Sable123:* People that have given themselves PHD's from reading crackpot ratings websites and generally don't know a thing about raising dogs. They are mouths for a few websites._
> 
> 
> 
> You are a perfect case in point with the internet bunk you promote:
> 
> Annamaet Petfoods <http://www.annamaet.com/about.php>
Click to expand...

What is wrong with annamaet? I've looked at their formula's before and don't see anything wrong with them. Even their foods that are not grain free look decent.


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## GSDLongTimer

I have not knowledge of the food, though I think they use beet pulp which is controversial. He has posted that link before so my point was he gets his 'knowledge' off websites then blasts everyone else that gets their knowledge from websites he doesn't like, ie dogfoodanalysis.com.

Pot calling the kettle black so to speak.


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## ChancetheGSD

I'd feed Annamaet. :shrug: I'm not sure why people dis some of the foods Sable recommends but then turn around and recommend things like Taste of the Wild or Kirkland Signature or any Diamond product at that. But of course, people would rather feed a GF recalled food from an unpredictable company than feed the "scary" ingredient known as corn. (Not that all the foods he recommends even HAS corn in it)


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## GSDLongTimer

I don't think anyone (self included) has an issue with him recommending any particular foods. It's his slamming of people that feed what he doesn't like, what he thinks is too expensive, AND his bashing anyone that gets info from the 'internet' when that is exactly what he does.

More people might take seriously what he has to say if he were respectful, instead people blow him off because of his attitude. 

Being old isn't an excuse for being a ... fill in the blank.


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## Countrymama

Ziva was on BB until just the other day. She was allergic to something in it and broke out in blisters all over her belly and in her ears. She's now on Purina Prp Plan and not only does she love it, she's not itching anymore either. It all depends on the dog's system..just because you'd eat it doesn't mean their system can.


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## kgcali

GsdLoverr729 said:


> Alright, thanks. I figured the vegetable oil thing sounded fishy lol. I love this site haha! So many helpful people



Just brought my GSD to get spayed the other day and was worried about her skin because she's been itching more often and the first thing that came out of her mouth was please tell me your not sprinkling olive oil on your dogs food and I did say no, but the vet went on to say dogs cannot process plant oils, so vegetable oil, flax oil tablets are not good for any dogs, if she recommends anything it is a fish oil pill once a day..


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