[Kritterlady]

4FootedFoodie, thank you for the update. The person I talked to from corporate told me they have taken over the facilities due to the rapid growth of the product while building their own facilities. This would qualify as a copacker though they are making only food for Blue Buffalo according to their standards. That being said, I feed 80% raw and 20% rotation diet between several of the 5 star brands Blue Wilderness included. It’s easily accessible at Petsmart and petcos in my area and the price is within reach.

[Kritterlady]

Blue Buffalo has not used co-packers for a long time. They lease facilities all over the country and are building a huge facility in Joplin Missouri to aid the town after the devastating tornados. It’s an easy target because its a fast growing company, but I haven’t had problems getting answers from them.

[Kritterlady]

Blue buffalo is still owned by the Bishop family. It has not been sold off though rumors abound and I’m sure offers have been made. Checked it out on business sites. I still have it in rotation and keep tabs on the company.

[Kritterlady]

Indeed! According the
the research i’ve done the only dogs who truly need a small breed formula are you’re very tiny micro dogs. Those under the 6 pound range at full growth generally have blood sugar stability problems and can benefit from the higher protein in small breed foods.

[Kritterlady]

I’ve heard it from reps. It’s a marketing gimmick like breed specific formulas

[Kritterlady]

That’s true InkedMarie there are so many good ones. When I started my education back in 2005 I was feeding pedigree to my dogs and science diet to my cats. It’s a wonder they survived. I worked at a big Petsmart managing the equine dept. I knew nothing about dog or cat food quality and after I rescued an allergy dog and kept buying more an more expensive food i was at a loss. My vet recommended Blue and it saved my dogs life and my sanity. My point is that there’s a place for these foods in the process. For so many people they just don’t know where to look. My friend manages that store and they use foods like Blue to start the education process with people who come in and say they’ve heard about Blue from commercials or friends and think they need a better food. It’s a great launch point like it was for me. As my GSD got healthier I wanted to know why and began to do reaserch which lead me to rotational and raw. So many of the really great foods aren’t readily available or advertised to the young family getting their first dog or the granny with her itchy Pom. After all beneful has great commercials so if blue is there as a counter point it may get that person wondering which is best. When I worked in the store every day people asked whats the best food and all we can do was tell them what we feed. Thank god for DFA and the other sites that continue to educate those willing to look!

[Kritterlady]

InkedMarie, I understand,and I’m not an advocate for any particular brand. It’s just that gripe sites masquerading as legit consumer advocate sites tick me off. I’m a huge fan of consumer reports and this other site is nothing like it but a lot of people are fooled into thinking otherwise. I have a ton of friends using Blue and love it and I used it without incident going back to 2006. I’m now using a rotational diet as well as raw, and my friends are so happy with Blue that they think I’m crazy. Though its not for everyone just like any other good brand, I just want both sides presented. Most of what’s on forums is negative and I love all the work you all do on this site to keep it balanced.

[Kritterlady]

Please keep in mind that consumer affairs is a paid advertiser site and not to be confused with consumer reports which is unbiased and take no advertising. Consumer affairs is a complaint forum run by lawyers according to its own page.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Kritterlady.

[Kritterlady]

Interesting. I have had good dealings both with knowledgable reps in Petsmart as well as on the phone with the company. While I hear all kinds of whispers in the shadows about the food, I have had great results with it of and on over 5yrs. Several of my friends use it with no problems though like Donald there are some dogs that can’t use all formulas. The company assured me on the phone about sourcing and where the food is made. Though I am more of a home sourced raw feeder, I will continue to feed blue on occasion to my dogs as well as to my 12 rescued barn cats.

[Kritterlady]

Donald S, i can tell you what’s causing the lawsuit. A close friend of mine manages a large Petsmart and blue Buffalo is killing the other name brands in sales! It is the number one selling product in Petsmart nationally and the other brands are green with jealousy at this upstart brand. While like many here I feed primarily raw, I do rotate and sometimes add blue wilderness. Ask a competitor rep about blue an you will get tons of misinformation and lies about it. Ask the blue rep about the others an they say nothing negative about the others. A company that has to rely on lawsuits and lies about its competitors is not worth my dime. Good for blue buffalo for fighting this out loud. People are getting educated about what’s in pet food thanks to this site and others And at the retail level there is a shift in what people will put up with even from established brands.

[Kritterlady]

Blue diamond is a nut company. Diamond is a pet food company. Blue Buffalo is a pet food company that’s been slandered. They don’t use byproduct and they no longer use copackers. I called the company to confirm this.

[Kritterlady]

Congratulations! I’m so happy for your poor Bella that you have found a solution to her problems. While the Dinovite is likely helping to balance her you would probably have gotten the same results just from the diet change alone. Any of the five-star dog food advisor foods will likely be a great choice for her.

[Kritterlady]

NectarMom, you make some good points but remember, the foods that rate so low now are made completely different than they were 15 or even 10 yrs ago. As they’ve been bought by larger corporations the quality of once good foods has nose dived. Also dog breeds that once were working dogs are no longer being bred to be hardy. As they’ve gained in popularity as pets the immune systems have weakened. Just as city dwellers no longer have the strengthened immune systems as people living closer to the land and working hard outdoors our dog breeds also have lost their vigorous ability to handle the toxins in the environment.

[Kritterlady]

Love your well thought out questions Lilmonster! In my experience feeding raw to 2 older dogs and one 2 yr old I vary the diet so so as not to cause the problems you mention. As natural scavengers dog benefit from variation. So they eat a variety of fruit and veg in season, eggs when my hens produce well and quality meats with bones in. By feeding clean quality foods, and yes, on occasion quality dog food I have healthy active 11 yr old German shepherd and 12 yr old pit shepherd mix and 2 yr old Doberman. All alergies cleared up and they run the farm like puppies. Also since their food changes regularly there is no pickiness. I continue to read extensively and ask many questions and refine my efforts but the proof is in the vitality of my dogs.

[Kritterlady]

I spend about 1$ per pound on my raw ingredients. My grinder was an investment that paid off in the first 6 months. My 11 yr old 70lb shepherd eats 2lbs per day. 50lb 2yr old Doberman eats the same. A lot of chicken and beef heart is under 1$ per lb on sale. A used small chest freezer was another great investment. I shop sales all month and then grind and store back in the freezer using containers that hold 2 lbs.

[Kritterlady]

The lid versions have very little meat. They are legume based so not a very good value

[Kritterlady]

I use Wilderness mostly, sometimes Merrick or wellness core. I rotate. Kibble with coco oil for breakfast, raw meat and egg for dinner.

[Kritterlady]

LOL do any of us plan?

[Kritterlady]

crazy4cats, I’m with you! I use a 5 star kibble that I can afford (barely) and grind fresh raw meat. The meat, chicken thighs and beef heart mostly, along with my farm raised eggs is cost effective for 3 large dogs and 12 cats. The kibble gives balance. I add coco oil for my seasonal allergy dog and I spend considerably less money than if I just bought these wonderful but too pricey foods. Thanks to Dr Mike and his team we can choose from great foods in the 4 to 5 star range. He’s laid out the details for us in such a user friendly way!

[Kritterlady]

Good to know. Thanks Case

[Kritterlady]

Thanks for trying to follow up Case, and for updating us!

[Kritterlady]

theBCnut- I had the same experience with my dogs. The many fosters I’ve had that came from rescues free feeding cheap stuff have sometimes taken a little persuasion. Lol, they don’t want healthy, they want their junk food.

[Kritterlady]

I think the lesser quality taste issue is best compared to a child being served corn dogs or broiled chicken breast and broccoli. The child, like our dogs, have their behavior and taste buds retrained.

[Kritterlady]

Just turned this thing on an have to chime in. We are all victims of marketing and hype!

[Kritterlady]

Michele M, please look into a home made raw diet if possible for your Irish setter. You have every thing to gain and this diet has completely turned around so many dogs with these problems by putting back the nutrients stripped away by meds and incomplete foods. It’s not a cure all for sure but has changed the lives of my allergy and foster dogs and may give your friend relief.

[Kritterlady]

Thanks again for all the feedback. I had success last night. I mixed it a few hours early with some kibble and warm water and let it soak for several hours so that the food dried out a bit. He ate that fine. His diet is mostly raw so I havent figured out how I’m going to incorporate it into the raw yet. Hopefully if I get him used to the taste of it in some kibble he won’t mind it mixed into the raw.

[Kritterlady]

I don’t know if it will work for you, but with 30 yrs in rescue I’ve found oatmeal to be my best option for tummy troubles. A little added to each meal can help balance digestion. Over the yrs I’ve used yogurt, pumpkin, sweet potato an all the rest but oatmeal seems to work best with a wide range of probs.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Kritterlady.

[Kritterlady]

Thank you all for the suggestions! Some of these I have tried and some I have not. I will update as I put them in the practice.

[Kritterlady]

So I’ve tried adding the coconut oil and my 11 yr old GSD will not touch it. Same with the raw honey, which I use. He has severe seasonal allergies and I know this would help. I’ve tried adding tiny amounts and even getting him to lick it off my hands. He just gives me the look! Any suggestions would be appreciated

[Kritterlady]

Keep in mind Tina, that none of the Rx diets have any medication in them and are made of very low quality ingredients. Find out exactly why the vet wants the dog on it and you may find that a high quality limited ingredient food or home made is the best way to go.

[Kritterlady]

My GSD, pit bull, and Doberman are doing great on Wilderness kibble and home ground raw meat.

[Kritterlady]

Thank you Case!

[Kritterlady]

Can you tell me what a troll is? I’m brand new to forums.

[Kritterlady]

I’ve used Blue since 2007 for my cats and dogs with only fantastic results. I’ve been in rescue for 30 yrs an haven’t had a pet food deliver such good results.ive recently added raw meat to their diet due to financial consideration with so many animals. However I too share the copacker concerns and look forward to Blue finishing their process plants. They say they will be making all of the wilderness line in house by 2015.

[Kritterlady]

Blue isn’t a diamond product though I’ve heard that rumor before. It’s just that. According to the company customer service line, Blue is a private company owned by the Bill Bishop family.

[Kritterlady]

What will it take for Blue Buffalo to make the list?

[Kritterlady]

While you have a very good point that there are many excellent choices, I would argue against readers choice. People are often so content in their ignorance that since they or their parents fed a low quality food and their dog did fine 20 yrs ago then that’s a good choice. In pet retail the changes come constantly. Every single time theirs a package change there’s a formula change. Even when the package says ‘same great taste’. That’s marketing speak and doesn’t mean anything. Let’s face it 20 years ago science diet was one of the best products you could find. Now none of us would feed it if you gave us a lifetime supply!

[Kritterlady]

I’m new, I was wondering why Blue Buffalo Wilderness was not on recommended list since it gets very high ratings?

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