# Blue Buffalo - CONSUMER REVIEWS - not good.



## x.WOLFiE.x (Sep 1, 2012)

Just wanted to pass this along. I've fed this to my puppy since he was 10 weeks - he's 10 months now. Had no idea how horrible it was, but he often has soft stools out of no where and drinks TONS of water. My girl cat is on BB as well and I am planning on switching. Just wanted to share for those of you who have been feeding their animals this food. Very upsetting.

186 Complaints and Reviews about Blue Buffalo Pet Foods


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My cats get this food and my dogs were recently having bad poop..tested negative for parasites, so I wonder if they got into the cat food? I guess I'll be switching cat foods now to and I just bought two bags of this stuff


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

I saw somewhere --onyx girl?-- that since it was sold its had problems. If it were me I'd switch.


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

Shrug. My dog loves it and does well in it. Good coat. Good energy level. Small firm stools.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I posted it on my fb wall....so glad I feed raw! Company sold/problems arise.

186 Complaints and Reviews about Blue Buffalo Pet Foods


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## louie40 (Mar 7, 2013)

I feed my dogs chicken soup they have gained weight and there coats are beautiful now

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## Rangers-mom (Jan 28, 2013)

Ugh, i was just about to buy my first 30lb. Bag of BB after slowly switching both dogs to BB. Now I don't know what to do?!?!?


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## skew12 (Aug 28, 2012)

No kidding. If this really is the case, I'm not sure what food ill switch to???


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## Adrian (Sep 28, 2012)

Hmmm, my 7 month old drinks do much water. I feed her large puppy BB. Maybe I'll switch it up too. Any suggestions ?


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

Rangers-mom said:


> Ugh, i was just about to buy my first 30lb. Bag of BB after slowly switching both dogs to BB. Now I don't know what to do?!?!?


If your dogs are doing well on it, why switch? You can find bad reviews of anything on the internet.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Adrian said:


> Hmmm, my 7 month old drinks do much water. I feed her large puppy BB. Maybe I'll switch it up too. Any suggestions ?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



yes, switch now, my dog drank to much water on BB and was dead 6 months later from liver disease. Sorry for the scare .


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Adrian said:


> Any suggestions ?


I switched to Fromm early in 2013 and am very, very pleased. My dogs look great, weight has been easy to maintain, and coats feel lush (I do add fish oil supplements though, which also helps with coats). I was motivated to look for a new food because of all the recalls and reports of unresolved problems at certain contract-plants that didn't have recalls but perhaps should have.

Here's why I picked it:
-they own their own plant in Wisconsin (no contracting out and worrying about the contracted plant's quality control, or lack thereof)
-they've never had a recall
-it's a fourth-generation family-owned company, and the family business has been making dog food since the 1940s (very different to me than being owned by a "holding company" or "big conglomerate," where there's less of a sense of personal pride and personal honor in the product)
-the ingredients are all from the USA
-the 4-star is designed as a rotation diet, so you can rotate around protein sources for variety, without having to do slow, gradual transitions
-the customer service reps on the phone are very helpful and knowledgeable, not reading from scripts

The downside: it's expensive (but probably no more so than BB). They do have a buy-12-get-1 free program, where you save the UPCs from the bags to redeem at the store for a free one. It's also not sold in big-box pet food stores (only small independent retailers).


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

I got off the Blue Buffalo train a couple of years ago.

They were switching up ingredients, I found large bright red round kibbles in my last couple of bags.

I wrote them saying they would be better served paying attention to quality not their marketing budget.

They sent me a coupon which I threw in the trash.

The man who started and owned the company started the SoBe beveridge company and did the exact same thing.

Start out with a high quality product. Market the heck out of it while cutting cost (read cutting quality) to improve profit margin. 

Then...just at the right moment, sell the brand to a much larger company.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I guess I'm a bit more skeptical of these complaints. Not that they didn't happen, but they are anecdotal... not empirical evidence that is based on a controlled study. Not to say you shouldn't switch if you want to, but I wouldn't base my decision on testimonials on the web.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Fair point...

Supporting evidence has been in the labeling on their own products...

I observed, on the labeling on their bags that they were changing ingredients. One example, on the lamb and rice they used to have the first two ingredients as deboned lamb and lamb meal. They dropped the lamb meal. A friend of mine worked as a store demonstrator and was well versed in the product and noticed that they were changing up to cheaper ingredients.

It's also a pattern we've seen with a lot of other dog foods, when they sell out a brand to a larger company almost without exception the quality goes down.

I think these factors combined give added weight to the observations of the consumers.





Galathiel said:


> I guess I'm a bit more skeptical of these complaints. Not that they didn't happen, but they are anecdotal... not empirical evidence that is based on a controlled study. Not to say you shouldn't switch if you want to, but I wouldn't base my decision on testimonials on the web.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

The problem with "reviews" is that you usually only get bad ones. Not many people take the time to write in about how great something is unless it truly is exceptional. So like...if you had tried 20 different brands and blue buffalo was the only one that helped, you'd probably scream it from the mountain top. But if you switched from one food to blue buffalo and everything was just average/no problems/maybe a slight improvement, you're not going to take the time to write about it on the internet.

From the amount of people probably feeding blue buffalo (millions would be my guess), 186 is a tiny percentage of problems.

kr16...I don't want to lessen the loss of your dog any, but did you actually prove (scientifically) that the blue buffalo caused the liver problems in your girl? Or are you just assuming that it had to be that?

I'll add that I feed Fromm...its made like 20 minutes from where I live, so I support a local product and its probably the "freshest" kibble I can get.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

We'll see if there are any official recalls out of this as an uptick negative reports are usually the leading indicator of a problem. I noticed in the OPs link they are all within the last couple of months. 

I feed 4-Health (Tractor supply brand) that actually is closer to the 'old' blue formulas. They don't have the big marketing overhead and the formulas stay 'more' consistent (I read the label on each bag before I open it)..however I'm going to look into Fromm!


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Rangers-mom said:


> Ugh, i was just about to buy my first 30lb. Bag of BB after slowly switching both dogs to BB. Now I don't know what to do?!?!?


I have the same question. Both girls once I switched them from grain free to chicken and rice(regular not senior) had their stools get solid. The grain free and senior BB chicken and rice when fed coincided w/ pretty explosive diaherra. Lucky has been on BB chicken and rice (not senior) for almost two years interspersed w/ BB Lamb and rice. I tried Verrus and got ear allergies w/ him. I noticed increased water drinking on the part of Lucky after starting BB but when I asked about it from a neighbor who was a vet she said that that seems to be an issue w/ all bb fooods. She suggested keeping an eye on kidney functioning. I asked what she feeds her dogs (GSD and Border Collie) She said Purina Pro Plan and Biljac. Her dogs are in a sense working dogs. The B/C goes to the farm and help the other Border collies herd cattle but is more interested in being w/ her human . The GSD goes to the vet practice daily our vet works at and is a great babysitter.The GSD is 9 and pretty spry. Very good health on the part of both dogs. The Border is 6. 
Im begining to believe I was better off w/ Diamond Chicken and Rice . I didnt have the excessive drinking just the fear of contaminated corn. Perhaps Raw is the way to go but I still have some reservations. Everytime I think I found the right food it turns out to have some health risk or my dog has issues w/ it. I have two 30lb bags as that is 2.5 months worth of food. I think Im a little worried re what to feed now.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> We'll see if there are any official recalls out of this as an uptick negative reports are usually the leading indicator of a problem. I noticed in the OPs link they are all within the last couple of months.
> 
> I feed 4-Health (Tractor supply brand) that actually is closer to the 'old' blue formulas. They don't have the big marketing overhead and the formulas stay 'more' consistent (I read the label on each bag before I open it)..however I'm going to look into Fromm!


 I shop there alot . Im going to check that out. I just thought Blue was better based on the holistic label and the ingredients listed and using the guide to dog food rating.My grandparents fed table scraps and fresh milk as their collies and GSDs lived w/ them on a dairy farm. They lived pretty long lives w/ little vet attention.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Companies avoid recalls. Its about losing money, class action lawsuits against, so they avoid recalls. Just like cars, tire companies and any other products. They are in business to make money. 

Look how long it took Diamond last year to finally recall TOTW and other brands they sell.

How many dogs has Diamond or BB killed already over the years?


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## irickchad (Feb 6, 2013)

The problem that I see is... 188 complaints? THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of people use these products... daily.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

kr16 said:


> How many dogs has Diamond or BB killed already over the years?


And do you have proof from countless necropsies that the cause of death was directly linked to feeding that food? Or are you just making huge assumptions and then trying to harm the company due to your own bias and agenda?

I remember 2 years ago when I just got on this forum people SWORE by TOTW and how great it was for their dogs. Company had some issues, and yes, a recall has hurt them in ways that I can't even imagine. No one even breathes the sound of TOTW on here anymore when a food question comes up.

Companies also rarely choose to do recalls, they're usually forced into it by the FDA or another government agency. When a company has a voluntary recall...it pretty much knows that a month from now they'll be forced into one anyways and a voluntary one is much better PR than a forced one.


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## DaniRo (Jan 8, 2013)

I changed my 6 month old GSD over to BB 2 months ago. I noticed his coat isn't a shiny and he is itching a lot more than before. He also had some issues with explosive diarrhea but only a few times. After reading the personal reviews I think I will go back to what he ate before. I just wanted to give him the best and I guess BB is not the best. 


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

martemchik said:


> And do you have proof from countless necropsies that the cause of death was directly linked to feeding that food? Or are you just making huge assumptions and then trying to harm the company due to your own bias and agenda?


She died from the exact symptoms to the tee that was reported and the recalls were based on. I can only assume, not something that I could prove.

You can google those products and make your own assumptions. I would assume when companies are forced to do recalls against their own will and dogs have been reported to die the validity is accurate.

I will go with the safe road and avoid them for what they are. 

And yes I am biased to BB as im sure you would if your dog died from food. 

As far as Diamond goes, all the great reviews here on TOTW. So I switched reluctently knowing their past. 2 months later Diamond started recalling foods. They avoided recalling TOTW than finally recalled it. Why for the life of me would I support either of these brands when good foods like Fromms and other who actually or maybe care exist.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

I have more than half of a bag of BB Wilderness sitting in my kitchen. I made a slow switch (like 2 weeks slow) from Innova to BB with Grim. He ended up with such explosive diarrhea (and the HUGE water intake, too) that I immediately put him back on Innova. That's what I'm going to stick with. I will 'supplement' this with RAW instead of messing with his kibble.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

kr16 said:


> She died from the exact symptoms to the tee that was reported and the recalls were based on. I can only assume, not something that I could prove.
> 
> You can google those products and make your own assumptions. I would assume when companies are forced to do recalls against their own will and dogs have been reported to die the validity is accurate.
> 
> ...


I'm not saying you shouldn't be biased...but making claims like "how many dogs have died from eating food X?" Is ridiculous. Don't spew things that aren't scientifically backed by an accepted process.

I'm not claiming that your dog didn't pass from the food...but you have no proof of it. You just matched symptoms to what other people were seeing and claiming to be from the food. What if all those dogs had the same issue that wasn't actually caused by the food but by something else? Like what if for some strange reason all those dogs were deathly allergic to a small ingredient in the food while 99.99% of dogs aren't allergic to it? So its almost impossible for a company to figure out what exactly is the problem.

I wouldn't feed BB or any food that is tied to any kind of issue...but to claim that countless dogs are dying from the food is just plain ignorant. Thousands and probably millions of dogs are eating it without any problems what so ever. So statistically its a very small percentage that have had an issue...and an issue that wasn't ever linked to the food for sure.

I agree with you that there is no reason to feed a food that has had reported issues when there are so many others out there that don't...but I'm sure if you dig deep enough you'll find that those other foods have issues as well.


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## irickchad (Feb 6, 2013)

martemchik said:


> And do you have proof from countless necropsies that the cause of death was directly linked to feeding that food? Or are you just making huge assumptions and then trying to harm the company due to your own bias and agenda?
> 
> I remember 2 years ago when I just got on this forum people SWORE by TOTW and how great it was for their dogs. Company had some issues, and yes, a recall has hurt them in ways that I can't even imagine. No one even breathes the sound of TOTW on here anymore when a food question comes up.
> 
> Companies also rarely choose to do recalls, they're usually forced into it by the FDA or another government agency. When a company has a voluntary recall...it pretty much knows that a month from now they'll be forced into one anyways and a voluntary one is much better PR than a forced one.


I totally understand why people are "Crazy" about their dog's food, but just as you mentioned, it's all good until a company actually fesses up to their issues. I remember when not only this forum, but a few other dog forums I visit were all about feeding TOTW as well, they had a recall, now they're "bad". Blue buffalo went from a small time company to the kind of company you see advertised on TV every afternoon, now they're "bad".

Just wait until the $80/bag Orijen gets a recall because it changes it's ingredients more than I change underwear, or something like Canidae makes it's packaging look a little more "expensive".. the bandwagons will change again. That's just how it works.

That's why I tell everyone. Find something with meat as the first ingredient, little or no corn, and if your puppy eats it, and isn't having health issues... stick with it.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

There was a member on the forum once that would pop up and post a thread about food every once in a while. It wasn't a question, it wasn't really a discussion, it was just "I did 3000 hours of research on this dog food and found that they use ingredient X" This ingredient was usually so small and minuscule, it was amazing that the company even put it on their label. I'm talking maybe a couple of PPM! This ingredient (in larger doses) has proven to cause X, Y, and Z to happen.

I'm serious...that was the post. It was pretty much...stop feeding this food because there is something so small in it that your dog probably gets more of this toxin from BREATHING!!! And this happened from time to time ripping apart some of the better, well known, "premium" foods.

The point of the post...usually to convince people to feed their dogs raw, grass-fed, antibiotic free beef tenderloin at $30.00 a pound instead of the higher quality $50.00 large bag of kibble.


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## irickchad (Feb 6, 2013)

martemchik said:


> There was a member on the forum once that would pop up and post a thread about food every once in a while. It wasn't a question, it wasn't really a discussion, it was just "I did 3000 hours of research on this dog food and found that they use ingredient X" This ingredient was usually so small and minuscule, it was amazing that the company even put it on their label. I'm talking maybe a couple of PPM! This ingredient (in larger doses) has proven to cause X, Y, and Z to happen.
> 
> I'm serious...that was the post. It was pretty much...stop feeding this food because there is something so small in it that your dog probably gets more of this toxin from BREATHING!!! And this happened from time to time ripping apart some of the better, well known, "premium" foods.
> 
> The point of the post...usually to convince people to feed their dogs raw, grass-fed, antibiotic free beef tenderloin at $30.00 a pound instead of the higher quality $50.00 large bag of kibble.



Just like with humans, I can understand the benefits of feeding your dogs healthier items. A person who eats salmon steak and baby spinach three times a day is going to be healthier than a person who eats Deep fried chicken nuggets and fries 3 times a day, but there's also a "middle ground" people have balanced diet plans. Dogs are no different. I can't afford to feed myself some of the things that others suggest I feed my dog, lol.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

martemchik said:


> I'm not saying you shouldn't be biased...but making claims like "how many dogs have died from eating food X?" Is ridiculous. Don't spew things that aren't scientifically backed by an accepted process.
> 
> I'm not claiming that your dog didn't pass from the food...but you have no proof of it. You just matched symptoms to what other people were seeing and claiming to be from the food. What if all those dogs had the same issue that wasn't actually caused by the food but by something else? Like what if for some strange reason all those dogs were deathly allergic to a small ingredient in the food while 99.99% of dogs aren't allergic to it? So its almost impossible for a company to figure out what exactly is the problem.
> 
> ...


It was a question not a statement or fact of how many dogs have these companies killed? Its unknown, its dogs not humans its not going to be looked into. It all comes down to money.

I'm not getting into a discussion with you and couldn't care less what you interpret as ridiculous or ignorant. Go on google and fight with all the articles and posts about the topics. Go fight the recalls since no proof exists.

Ill leave my personal thought about you to myself.


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

Almost every company (and not just dog food companies) goes through a recall or a bad publicity thing. You will always find a bad review or a horror story about some product especially is you go overboard with research. Feed what works for your dog, always check for recalls, and pay attention to how your dog is acting/looking. There's no need to change food if your dog is doing great on the one its on. 

It is like Tylenol..they've had a few serious recalls, but doesn't mean their medicine doesn't still work, and some still swear by it. Plenty of fast food restaurants have had recalls and still make billions.


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## Rangers-mom (Jan 28, 2013)

Ya know, i am starting to get really skeptical of all these dog food review sites. I had a dog that lived a healthy 16 year life on Science Diet. Granted, at the time I thought I was buying her the best food, but I have since discovered it was crap. And my parents had dogs that lived long lives on grocery store food and table scraps. I am starting to think I am not going to worry about this at all. I am just going to get a reasonably good food - not super expensive - and then supplement.

So if I am going to give people food in addition to dog food would things like hard boiled eggs and plain yogurt be good? I am not keen on giving my dogs table scraps because then I think they will be at my feet continually when I am trying to clear the table.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

irickchad said:


> Just like with humans, I can understand the benefits of feeding your dogs healthier items. A person who eats salmon steak and baby spinach three times a day is going to be healthier than a person who eats Deep fried chicken nuggets and fries 3 times a day, but there's also a "middle ground" people have balanced diet plans. Dogs are no different. I can't afford to feed myself some of the things that others suggest I feed my dog, lol.


Spinach has been recalled more than anything I can remember for e.coli lol...just messing around though, I know what you mean. I'm planning on moving into a bigger place, with space for a separate freezer that will hopefully be used for RAW feeding, if I can figure out how to get the cost down. But until then, Fromm it is.

kr16...why do you take this so personally? But thank you for keeping your thoughts about me to yourself...it would have crushed me to read what a stranger thinks about me based on my opinion of dog food companies and manufacturers.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

By the way...I do think that this is a very good thread to start. People need to know that there are a string of issues with a food they might be feeding or considering feeding. It just needs to be more scientific and factual than the ripping that usually goes on with a bunch of hearsay and secondary research from other INTERNET sources.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

irickchad said:


> I totally understand why people are "Crazy" about their dog's food, but just as you mentioned, it's all good until a company actually fesses up to their issues. I remember when not only this forum, but a few other dog forums I visit were all about feeding TOTW as well, they had a recall, now they're "bad". Blue buffalo went from a small time company to the kind of company you see advertised on TV every afternoon, now they're "bad".
> 
> Just wait until the $80/bag Orijen gets a recall because it changes it's ingredients more than I change underwear, or something like Canidae makes it's packaging look a little more "expensive".. the bandwagons will change again. That's just how it works.
> 
> That's why I tell everyone. Find something with meat as the first ingredient, little or no corn, and if your puppy eats it, and isn't having health issues... stick with it.


I dont change often. I will get flack but I really liked the higher grade Diamond Naturals Lamb and rice . However the fat content was too high for my senior dogs. I switched . Thought BB was a much better choice based on ingredients and reviews. I did try Verus but the ear irritation was a definite problem which so I couldnt continue w/ that.Thefact that Lucky had a problem was somewhat surprising as he has the ability to tolerate just about anything.It seems that the higher end dog foods have alot of allergy issues w/ individual dogs or maybe just my three. Lucky likes BB and he eats it w/ gusto. The girls will scarf any kibble put in front of them. I want to buy the best possible dog food for the best possible price and feel safe in what I chose. Im alot more concerned about kidney functioning as my dogs are 11 and 10 years of age. They need as much protection as possible so I wonder "what do I feed".The vets around here go nuts when you say you want to try raw. I cant find any reviews on the dog food guides that is more recent then sept 2012. When was BB sold and to whom was it sold?


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

It's a decent food but always read labels....it was subject to a voluntary recall just this last summer and they pulled stock off the shelves fast to protect consumers pets. As others have mentioned, just about every food brand runs into troubles now and then. The positive is it's Tractor Supplies in house brand so there's more control of the supply chain and they don't chuck a ton of money into marketing it. 

I consider it a decent middle of the road food with now better quality ingredients overall then Blue. 

Why pay more $$$ for Blue when they keep downgrading their ingredients while still increasing their prices? That's why I switched off of Blue two years ago.

btw- I understand a company needs to raise prices from time to time to maintain quality but to reduce quality AND raise prices? Not cool.




Daisy&Lucky's Mom said:


> I shop there alot . Im going to check that out. I just thought Blue was better based on the holistic label and the ingredients listed and using the guide to dog food rating.My grandparents fed table scraps and fresh milk as their collies and GSDs lived w/ them on a dairy farm. They lived pretty long lives w/ little vet attention.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

True but the other side of the coin is a lot of people don't write reviews at all, negative or positive.

Really one can only go by averages. For example; A product usually gets about 10 complaints a day on average, then they see a sudden spike of 30 complaints a day. That would be a leading indicator that there maybe a problem. 

I read through several pages (admittedly not all of them) but I did note that of the pages I read they were recent (going back to January this year).

Additionally the complaints are very similiar in the symptoms described, not to mention people on this site are having similiar problems too.

I think it's fair to call this a 'red flag' at least.





irickchad said:


> The problem that I see is... 188 complaints? THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of people use these products... daily.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Gynhwyfair Thanks for the info. This is definitely a better idea w/ three dogs. Thanks


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

You're welcome. 

btw, speaking of feeding three hungry dogs-

One of the first things you'll notice is their large bag is 35 pounds, not 30 like Blue.

 





Daisy&Lucky's Mom said:


> Gynhwyfair Thanks for the info. This is definitely a better idea w/ three dogs. Thanks


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## SukiGirl (Aug 31, 2012)

What I feed my dog and what my neighbor or friend feeds their dog is going to be based on what is best for the individual dog. We tried several kibbles before we found one that (1) Suki liked and continued to eat for more than 2 weeks (2) Didn't upset her stomach (3) Contained no by-products or corn (4) Improved her coat and itching and finally, (5) We could afford. 

We feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness because she does WELL on it. Just like my neighbor might feed their dog Purina (which I might find disgusting...) because their dog THRIVES on it. Each dog is different. 

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I'm not going to freak out and dump my freshly opened bag of BB in the garbage. I've done my research and frankly, I don't see any PROOF that any of the dogs that have gotten sick in these reports have been so due to BB.

It's a shame that some people have lost their dogs - but to immediately blame a food company seems rash. Just use common sense...do what is best for YOUR DOG and stay off the bandwagon.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Daisy&Lucky's Mom said:


> When was BB sold and to whom was it sold?


This is what I'd like to know as well. As far as I can tell, Blue Buffalo is still owned and run by the same person that founded it. I keep reading that 'after the company was sold' everything went south, the ingredients changed, quality when downhill, animals started getting sick, etc. ... But I find no evidence or documentation that Blue has been sold to anyone. 

When Natura was sold to Proctor and Gamble it was a hot topic, and there is plenty of documentation on the sale. When Merrick bought Castor and Pollux the acquisition was well documented. There is even easily searchable evidence that Ohio Pet Foods recently purchased and took control of Chenango Valley Pet Foods (both much lower profile players in the pet food market than Blue Buffalo to be sure). Yet there is no evidence that I can find that Blue Buffalo has ever been owned by anyone other than Bill Bishop and his family.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

Ken Clean-Air System said:


> This is what I'd like to know as well. As far as I can tell, Blue Buffalo is still owned and run by the same person that founded it. I keep reading that 'after the company was sold' everything went south, the ingredients changed, quality when downhill, animals started getting sick, etc. ... But I find no evidence or documentation that Blue has been sold to anyone.
> 
> When Natura was sold to Proctor and Gamble it was a hot topic, and there is plenty of documentation on the sale. When Merrick bought Castor and Pollux the acquisition was well documented. There is even easily searchable evidence that Ohio Pet Foods recently purchased and took control of Chenango Valley Pet Foods (both much lower profile players in the pet food market than Blue Buffalo to be sure). Yet there is no evidence that I can find that Blue Buffalo has ever been owned by anyone other than Bill Bishop and his family.


Blue Buffalo is now controlled by the private equity firm Invus. Bill Bishop has been moved from the position of CEO to Chairman. The new CEO, Kurt Schmidt was brought in from Nestle Nutrition. The CFO has been replaced by Mike Nathenson of Dean Foods.

When a private equity firm takes over, they always look for ways to reduce costs and increase profits. 

Blue Buffalo Company Appoints Kurt Schmidt, Former Head of Nestle Nutrition, as CEO


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

There's a lot of chatter on different dog related forums about Blue being sold.

An earlier post on this thread intimated that as well.

EDITED DUE TO ZOOKEEP'S POST - now this makes more sense- Mr. Bishop is starting a new company....



> Heartland Pet Foods is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Blue Buffalo Co., which is headquartered in Wilton, Conn. CEO Bill Bishop helped found the SoBe (South Beach) Beverage Company that was purchased by Pepsico for a reported $370 million


Blue Buffalo Builds Heartland Pet Products in Joplin | Corporate Connecticut The Magazine

I don't know which third party they use to manufacture their food though. Blue may have changed the third party they use to manufacture their foods. In the past they used several different companies for their dry, canned and cat foods including American Nutrition and C&J foods.

Having shared the above, I can attest to the fact that Blue has changed the ingredients on it's products.

I detailed one of the changes to the Lamb & Brown Rice formula the reduced the amount of meat protein. My friend who was product demonstrator for Blue also noted changes over the last few years. She no longer works for them.

I switched off of it two years ago for that reason, why pay more $$$ when they were cutting corners? They ramped up their marketing big time.

The owner of Blue has followed a similiar strategy in the past, business model-wise.

I don't feed it any longer so I don't have any skin in this, but in researching this I did notice a lot of people on the other dog forums (due to problems w/ the food and recalls) were switching to Fromm.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

...and Nestle owns many pet food brands, including Purina!

So that's very interesting they go with former head of Nestle nutrition.



Zookeep said:


> Blue Buffalo is now controlled by the private equity firm Invus. Bill Bishop has been moved from the position of CEO to Chairman. The new CEO, Kurt Schmidt was brought in from Nestle Nutrition. The CFO has been replaced by Mike Nathenson of Dean Foods.
> 
> When a private equity firm takes over, they always look for ways to reduce costs and increase profits.
> 
> Blue Buffalo Company Appoints Kurt Schmidt, Former Head of Nestle Nutrition, as CEO


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks for the clarification. I guess I didn't find it because they weren't technically sold - just took in a bunch of money from an investment firm. No wonder their advertising budget seemed to go through the roof all of a sudden.

It's never been a food I would consider feeding simply because I don't care for the company. I guess this is all the more reason to not care for the Blue Buffalo Company.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

Anyone who feeds this should keep a close watch for changes in the ingredients list. They are likely to start making changes to reduce the cost of production.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

well, even if the ingredient list doesn't change, they could still get their food from sources that are 'cost cutting'. CHINA!?


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

From Blues FB page

Hi pet parents. Recently we have seen a rash of FB posts expressing concern about information you have read about Blue Buffalo on other web sites. Some of these other posts are on sites that claim to contain “independent” reviews of products. Some even have names that might be read to suggest the sites have official government functions. And the posts tell some very negative stories about Blue Buffalo. We have also read these posts, and we are very concerned, because of their total lack of accuracy with regard to the quality of BLUE food.

They may claim that BLUE sources its meat from China. Absolutely false. Or that we get grains from China. Also false. Or that we have been sold to a “conglomerate”. Yep, you guessed, it: totally false...we're an independent and family run company.

Some of the posts tell distressing stories about pet illnesses, and describe BLUE’s alleged refusal to respond to inquiries about the pet illnesses. Nothing could be further from the truth. We take all claims about the integrity of our products very seriously. Every single claim that comes into our Customer Care Center, either by e-mail or telephone, is fully investigated. The medical records are reviewed by our veterinarians, our manufacturing records are pored over, to look for any indication that an error has occurred. And, we keep very detailed records of all claims. So we know when a post on another site matches up with a claim we have received at Customer Care. They almost never do. If the “consumers” who write these posts really do exist, the stories they tell have almost never been brought to us in a way that would allow us to investigate, verify, and respond to the claim. These claims are unsubstantiated, and we firmly believe that it's their design because competition is not always friendly, and the web can be used to start rumors without the need for any support.

The important thing to take away from all of this for you, as pet parents, is to be very suspicious of any of these “review” sites. And certainly do not rely on them for information about Blue Buffalo, or any product for that matter. If you want to know anything about Blue Buffalo or its products, please contact our Customer Care Team using the tab above or by calling 1-800-919-2833. Our Customer Care associates, who are employees of Blue Buffalo here in the United States, are there for you and will help resolve any issues you may have. The integrity of our products is the lifeblood of our brand, and the relationship of trust we have with you and all companion animals, and is something we will never compromise.


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## DaniRo (Jan 8, 2013)

Does anyone have their own experience with Authority brand dog food? 


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Blue was part of the Gluten/melamine recalls in 2007. They sourced from China.

They may not have known they were sourcing from China since they use multiple third party contractors to actually make their foods. 

They may not currently source from China but it's not like it hasn't happened before.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Nestle nutrition is kind of a oxymoron. I understand the need to make money and hopefully create jobs but China's products from animal treats to Baby formula and then the drywall fiasco makes me even more reluctant to buy dog foods where they cant sAy where the ingredients are from. I fed diamond (I know boo hiss hiss0 but i fed my dogs alot cheaper for what may be some of the same issues that caused the huge recall and issues w/ Diamond. At 53 to 56 bucks a bag I want the ingredients from here in the Wester Hempishere for the meat and I perfer the USA for grains but how will I know exactly where its from ? Smaller companies who dont third party contract sounds like the most likely option.Well its nice so Im gonna go outside w/ the dogs.


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## skier16 (Feb 21, 2013)

My coworkers dog has been on blue buffalo since a puppy. as of last august the dog developed loose stools, nasty breath, gas, and a noticeably dull coat. Most distressing of all she started losing hair on her tail. He had her tested for allergies and a whole bunch of other things and the vet said she was healthy. He switched to some cheap brand of food (think its some lady on the food network maybe?) anyway within a week her hair started to grow back and the gastrointestinal issues went away. If blue buffalo works for you thats great but for me the risk is not worth it. Next month when I get my pup I will not be feeding it blue buffalo wilderness puppy as I had originally planned.


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

Well its nice so Im gonna go outside w/ the dogs. "Quote" You are 100% correct on this. I am waiting to get out of work and me and Jonas are going for a walk...Woohoo!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Once met an 18 year old Bassett hound who has been eating Iams his whole life. He was blind and deaf but still healthy. Not every dog has problems with the super market foods but I avoid them anyways. Just got two bags of BB. Mine do well with it. I rotate several brands and raw food a few times a week. Doing too much research drives me crazy. I look at my dogs and they look great.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

I love BB and have been using it for both the dogs and cats. I've not noticed an increase in water consumption and their stools have been just fine, even during the "switch" from K&B to BB. They've done much better than the food they were originally on.

The only thing I can say is that their Duck formula seems to have changed a bit. Finn eats anything that comes out of a BB bag, but for some reason, he didn't really like the Duck formula much this last time. Fortunately, it was just a hold over until they got the larger bags in. He ate it and never had any gastro problems, it just seemed like he just really didn't want to eat it unless he had to.


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## x.WOLFiE.x (Sep 1, 2012)

For those asking about returning, nearly all big pet stores like petco will return the food if you explain your concern. I returned both opened bags. 


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## NietzschesMomma (Jan 20, 2013)

Lovely. I JUST started my pup on Blue large puppy yesterday. So far she seems fine, but now I am second-guessing my choice!!! So now what should I feed her? The last thing I need is a sick puppy.


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## BAN-ONE (Feb 26, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> I rotate several brands and raw food a few times a week.


I read about people changing brands frequently, but was under the impression the changing food process should be gradually over like a two week period?



x.WOLFiE.x said:


> For those asking about returning, nearly all big pet stores like petco will return the food if you explain your concern. I returned both opened bags.


In my experience Petsmart is great at returns with open bags of food, and pretty much everything.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

BAN-ONE said:


> In my experience Petsmart is great at returns with open bags of food, and pretty much everything.


Sadly mine isn't and has lost a customer for life.

2 years ago over black Friday they had large bags of chicken jerky 50% off. I hadn't received the warnings yet and purchased a bag when I was in there. A day later I saw the warnings about chicken jerky treats coming from China and although the company on the bag wasn't one of those listed, I'm not taking the chance. Sadly when I went back to return an open bag (with like 4 treats missing), they read me a statement about how this brand hasn't been tied to the recall...and that they couldn't take the treats back.

I would've been fine with store credit and would've purchased something else that day, instead I walked away and left the treats on the checkout counter. They even had the gusto to let me know that I had "forgot the treats on the counter." I told them to do with them what they wanted and haven't stepped foot in a petsmart since. Sad really, do they not realize there is a Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, and a variety of others right down the street from them that pretty much sell the same products? Oh...and that other thing that's usually cheaper than all stores, the internet.


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

NietzschesMomma said:


> Lovely. I JUST started my pup on Blue large puppy yesterday. So far she seems fine, but now I am second-guessing my choice!!! So now what should I feed her? The last thing I need is a sick puppy.


Do your own research on the brand, and try not to follow reviews as a source. If your pup is doing well on it, I wouldn't change. If the stools are big or really soft, or it's causing an issue then change.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Some perspective - if you look at OTHER reviews on that site you see a similar pattern.....the only dog foods with a "consumer affairs trusted" whatever that means are iams and natural balance though their reviews seems as bad as many of the others. Blue Buffalo does not stand out in negative comments.

ConsumerAffairs.com Pet Care and Supplies

Would I personally recommend BB? I have never fed it because of the melamine recall, the vitamin D3 recall, and primarily the lack of transparency - not knowing *who* makes their food, the source of their ingredients etc. Is it a good or bad food? Don't know.

Figure out what you need to know. Call the company and request the information you need. Make your decisions from their and how your dog is performing on the food.


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## TommyB681 (Oct 19, 2012)

GusGus said:


> Shrug. My dog loves it and does well in it. Good coat. Good energy level. Small firm stools.


 
Mine as well, very pleased w/ BB no reason to switch


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## DaniRo (Jan 8, 2013)

Dogfoodadvisor.com has every brand and type of dogfood ingredient broken down. It was very informative for me!!! 


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## Helgie8 (Feb 27, 2013)

The breeder had my puppy on BB. I've had her on BB Wilderness grain free (puppy) and I've had no problems. She seems to like it, her stools are good and her coat is nice and shiny. I would recommend BB grain free.


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## alphadogfood.com (Nov 12, 2013)

Advertising is not allowed on this board except in the paid vendor areas. Please contact the administration if you are interested in advertising. 

Thank you.


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