Blue Buffalo dog food vs. 4 health dog food

[bock]

I have always fed my 10 year old lab and 4 year old chaweier Purina dog chow. I recently discovered how horrible this dog food is for them, so I began the switch to Blue Buffalo chicken and rice adult formula dog food. Today, 4 days after we began the switch they are eating 50% Purina and 50% Blue Buffalo. I was sitting on the couch next to my Chaweiner when she vomited up a big brown glob of dog food. This is the first time she has puked in the house, and usually there is usually a lot of grass in their vomit. My lab has been itching a LOT lately, and I don't think it is from fleas because we give them Advantage flea medicine every month. I looked around the yard for more vomit, diarhea, or bloody stools, but didn't find any. I grabbed a handful of Blue and a handful of Purina, and they both ate out of the hand with Blue Buffalo in it.

They prefer to eat Blue Buffalo, but I think it is making them sick. Should I switch them back to Purina or a different food and return the Blue Buffalo? And is there maybe a good dog food that doesn't cost so much? Thank you, I am really worried about them.

 

[Dar]

they may have tender tummies or there may be something in the food that they are allergic to


it may be trial and error for a while until you find a food that agrees with them (and your wallet) some foods can be very expensive...

with that said... my dog had an unknown allergy, we could never pin point it.... but she did really well on Natural Balance... and it was good for my budget

 

[BLaBauve]

No, Blue Buffalo is a good food, I actually sell it in my store. All dogs are different and have different sensitivities. Pay attention to what protein you're feeding him, a lot of time they have issues with the protein. Blue Buffalo may have been too rich for him coming off of Purina. Just remember to do a reallllly slow transition to the new food (try adding plain yogurt too). I'm glad you're switching off of Purina! There are so many better foods for the same price!

 

[torilovessmiles]

Just would like to throw a bit in, I don't think Blue Buffalo is much healthier than Purina. Blue has been linked to serious kidney and other urinary problems in mainly cats, but dogs as well. Some of the ingredients in lower quality dog food is not as bad as Blue claims. It's a marketing ploy to create a problem and offer a solution, which they sell. Makeup companies use the same strategy. For example, meat by-product is meat. It is the organs and "undesireables" that humans could, but don't want to eat. Blue makes it sound like this is made in a laboratory and will kill your dog. The only thing that they are right about is the poor nutrition from grain, such as corn and wheat, but there still isn't proof that it will hurt your dog or shorten it's life. There are plenty of grain-free foods that are less costly than Blue. People like to think one brand is the answer, but there are a lot of different brands, and different dogs may need different foods. Never accept information from the company that is trying to sell you something!
If you go raw diet, remember that dogs are not "true" carnivores and need some vegetables. My dog likes peas and carrots! With small dogs, raw feeding isn't very expensive, but can be pretty costly with larger dogs.

 

[BLaBauve]

Look up california natural by natura. Good natural, simple food for sensitive stomachs. Do not go back to Purina!,

 

[bock]

Thanks, I will do that.

Do you think Blue Buffalo is really bad, or am I just over reacting?

 

[bock]

Thank you.

I will transition them more slowly, and if it still doesn't work out I will buy them a different food.

Oh yeah, and do you think my lab mixes itchy skin is related to the food? She scratched her face so hard she ripped out 2 of her whiskers and scratched up her eyebrow.

 

[BLaBauve]

Most likely a food or seasonal allergy. Purina uses really low end ingredients like corn which most dogs can't tolerate. I'm sure their skin will improve once they've been on a good food for awhile. Make sure you feed good quality treats too.

 

[Riocotesei]

I just wanted to throw in that I agree lol. You need to do a very slow transition because it is a more rich dog food. If you read the label some dog foods have directions on how to transition to their food from the dogs current food. Blue Buffalo is a very good brand, but some dogs have sensitive stomachs and there are other brands that have sensitive stomach variations that you look into.
Most of the popular dog food brands are trash and even the vet acclaimed Science Diet is junk. Also, another thing to remember is that canned dog food almost always has better ingredients than dry food. Just like reading lables for people, read them for your dogs.

Good luck!

 

[Crazyland]

You could also try blue buffalos lamb and brown rice formula(419cal) or their fish and sweet potato formula(440cal).
BB also has a grain free line that is called wilderness (410cal and 415cal).

Purina dog chow has 430cal so it is a good switch as far as calorie difference.
If they are reacting to an allergen then try the fish formula.