Blue Buffalo dog food vs. 4 health dog food

[bock]

Thanks stgmom52, I will check that out. Cmjust0, I feed my chickens Layena, and they lay lots of good quality eggs, plus there are not many other choices around here. I realize that this food is corn based, but the difference is I love my dogs to death, I don't love my chickens, I like them. I really want the best for my animals, but my dogs are like family. As my lab mix gets older it is becoming more apparent how low quality food is affecting her health. My chaweiner is also a bit on the chubby side, despite her daily walks. Sometimes after a meal they would eat grass after eating and end up puking. And they had itchy skin and dull coats. They also went #2 a LOT! I think it is worth it for us, but if I had 7 dogs, I would probably have to feed Purina to.

 

[halo]

I feed my guys raw several days out of the week, but some days I run out, or didnt defrost, so I keep a bag of Taste of the Wild for them. They inhale it. It is one of the most reasonably priced premium dog foods out there.

 

[bock]

Halo, I have heard of the BARF dog recipe, and even considered feeding it to my dogs. The thing is, it seems very time consuming to prepare, and I worry about them getting sick from it. I considered feeding Taste of the Wild, but it is grain free, and since they have been fed grain based food their entire life, it would be a hard switch. I might SLOWLY switch them to that after a while.

 

[halo]

I dont feed BARF, I feed raw. It couldnt be easier. I just feed chicken parts, and raw hamburger when on sale, chicken livers and gizzards, eggs. I buy in bulk and freeze individually so I can just pull out pieces to thaw out. I even have a young rooster out there that is going to be my first victim to learn how to process; the puppies will get it. I do feed TOTW a couple of days a week. Switching to raw and TOTW made my guys healthier, not sick. But at any rate, any of the premium non-grain feeds would be better than Purina Dog Chow. I know dogs do fine on it, and billions of people feed it and their dogs are just fine. I worry about so many cancers in dogs, and have to think that feeding so much treated grains to our puppies is part of the cause. So far (knock wood...knock knock) Ive not had any cancer in my dogs, aged 11, 5, and 2.

 

[bock]

Oh, I didn't know their was a difference.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I have three herding dogs and have always fed what some consider premium food. Nutro to Max. They would all have boughts of the runs and eating grass and then throwing up because of upset tummies.

Last month, I switched to Taste of the Wild - High Prairie Formula - Roasted bison and venison. They LOVE it (though they have loved all their food) but they seem to REALLY love it. And it smells great. I add a little hot water and let it sit to make a little gravy.

Since switching over a 3 day period because I didn't have much of the Max left, they have not had any runs, have not eaten grass, or thrown up. I just bought my 2nd bag yesterday at my local feed store for $45.00. Well worth the price to me.

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
Well, like I said...if the dog does well on Purina, it gets Purina. Clearly, your dogs weren't doing well on Purina...so they'll get something else.

It's not about the money, really. We spent over $1,300 on surgery for one of our dogs recently -- we do what's necessary to ensure they're being taken care of.

We also have a white GSD with a condition called megaesophagus.. She has to have her food ground to a powder, mixed with water to form 'gruel,' and then fed on a steep incline. She also has allergies to almost everything.. Right now, she's getting TOTW Pacific Stream, but we've tried DVP and several other high-$ foods...she still itches, on pretty much all of them. We'll keep at it until we find something that works for her, and I can pretty much guarantee it won't be a Purina product.

Still, if the dog does well on Purina, and the vet thinks Purina is actually an OK food, I guess I just don't see any point in switching foods just because Purina's recently taken on a reputation as being bad.

 

[Wifezilla]

Still, if the dog does well on Purina, and the vet thinks Purina is actually an OK food, I guess I just don't see any point in switching foods just because Purina's recently taken on a reputation as being bad

It doesn't have to do with reputation, it has to do with the fact that corn is not a biologically appropriate food for dogs.​

 

[gritsar]

At the TSC we go to at least, the 4health is more expensive than the blue buffalo yet the ingredients are nearly identical.
Doesn't matter now since we were able to locate TOTW locally. No more one hour drives to OK to buy dog food. Our younger GSD has to have a grain free food or he has it squirting out both ends.

ETA: I should correct myself and say that I have compared TOTW ingredient to ingredient against the 4health; not the Blue Buffalo against the 4health.

 

[bock]

4 health is more expensive than Blue buffalo?

Around here 4health is $30 for a 35lb bag and Blue Buffalo is almost $50 for a 30lb bag.

Maybe as 4health gets more popular in some areas they raise the price.