Blue Buffalo dog food, so does anyone know who manufacturers it?...

[bellabasenji]

I am in the process of changing Bella's food. We have been feeding Nutro Natural and was considering a change and then along comes this awful recall. That was the final straw, when I saw how many foods are produced by that same company... I don't even know if the wet food I gave her a few weeks prior to recall could have any affect on her as I threw away the containers! This worries me because she has vomited a few times this week. Otherwise, she seems fine and occasional upset stomach isn't all that uncommon for her as she has a sensitive tummy anyways. Back to the point (instead of my rambling), I started her on Blue Buffalo because it seems to be a good choice from what I could see of the ingredients, it is readily available @ petsmart, and within my budget. My major concern is Blue will not disclose their processing centers. They say it is because the processing center is not set up for taking phone calls. They do say it is in the US and products are from US, too. Does anyone else out there know more than this about where Blue is made? I feel like I have the right to know where my dog's food is manufactured!:(

[nomrbddgs]

Try this site for independant opinion.

http://www.wysong.net/controversies/bluebuffalo.shtml


This may answer why they won't tell you where their plant is. Apparently, they use a plant that many other dog food companies use as well. This is a very wide subject matter. And ultimately it's personal choice, as well as how well you feel it does for your dog's nutrition. Also watch for the word 'taurine' on dog food additions. You don't want this. Also research for any words you don't understand-a lot of dog foods in the past have used a formaldehyde based preservative. Not so much these days as consumers become more aware. But if it has a long shelf life ask yourself why. Also watch this in commercial dog treats as well. Here is another site that may answer some questions you may have about commerical dog foods-this site ranges from brands, to ingredients, recalls, additions, supplements, raw diets, blah, blah, blah. But, remember, someone wrote this and this may be based on personal opinion.

http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html

Hope this helps you!

This site was updated March 23,2007. So info may be accurate.

[nomrbddgs]

Oh, if you want to print it out to read there are approx. 30 pgs.

[lvoss]

I would not call the Wysong site independent. They are a competitor and will have a biased opinion.

Here is a Top 10 List of dry dog food, http://www.nhratterriers.com/goodfood.htm

Natural Balance which is on the list is available at Petco.

[jmcduff]

We feed Chase ( 21 mos ) a combination of raw diet(meat & rawbones) and Red Barn. Chevy (4 mos) a combination of dry Nutro Natural Choice puppy with Red Barn. We will eventually move Chevy to raw diet and all Red Barn.

Red Barn Distributor
http://rbdistributors-store.stores.yahoo.net/

[red and white furever]

A great resource for learning about all aspects of feeding:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/ It's so worth the $20 yearly subscription.

Also a great independent site that helps answer many food questions:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main

[jmcduff]

We feed Chase ( 21 mos ) a combination of raw diet(meat & rawbones) and Red Barn. Chevy (4 mos) a combination of dry Nutro Natural Choice puppy with Red Barn. We will eventually move Chevy to raw diet and all Red Barn.

Red Barn Distributor
http://rbdistributors-store.stores.yahoo.net/


I should also note that the main page of the Red Barn is www.fedies.com and it has a link to the specific ingredients.

[gbroxon]

... Also watch for the word 'taurine' on dog food additions. You don't want this...

Although I generally feed raw, I do on occasion, for convenience's sake, feed a kibble with taurine in it. Why do I not want taurine for my boy? From the dogsaware link you referenced:

"Things I look for in a commercial food:...Added taurine...Some dog food companies have begun adding taurine to their foods, and this is probably a good idea..."

From what I can find, taurine is a dietary essential nutrient for eye health.

Thanks for any light you can shed. I am always on the lookout for what's best to feed my boy!

[nomrbddgs]

An ingredient of rice bran, found mostly in a diet high in lamb and rice, can deter synthenization of the taurine. So if you feed this type of food, it's kind of pointless to add the taurine. Dogs lacking taurine are also susceptible to a form of heart enlargement called dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM. So dogs do need taurine, but in what form is all I'm saying. The deficiency of taurine is found mainly in dry dog food. Wet or Canned dog food does not seem to have as high a deficiency as dry. So if you feed a combination ask your vet how much taurine your dog should be ingesting. I'm unsure if too much is a good or bad thing. If you would like a little bit of info on Nutrient requirements and mineral requirements I will start a new thread. But remember, Basenji's are a law unto themselves and may have singular requirements.

[Quercus]

My understanding is that added taurine is essential for cats, as they are obligate carnivores, and can't get enough red meat in processed food to meet their requirements. However dogs are more omnivorous, and don't require the high levels of taurine for eye health....though I would imagine they need some.

[gbroxon]

Hmmm. I wonder. Guess I'll have to do more research on taurine being that, although I respect others' beliefs, I am of the opinion that dogs are carnivores (I know, contrary to popular belief), especially our dogs, who are so close in the evolutionary tree to wolves.

It sounds like, though, nomrbddgs, that it probably won't cause harm, but that it may be ineffective if added to kibble?

[Quercus]

Well, I agree that dogs and wolves are mainly carnivores...but cats are 'obligate' carnivores, which means they must have meat to survive. Most canids can and will eat other things, like berries, roots, eggs, if they must.

[bellabasenji]

Thank you all for the response! Bella is not adjusting well to the Blue Buffalo food, she has runny stools now and tummyache. I had to break over and get more Nutro dry until I figure out what to do next. That list of top ten looks to be a good rescource. My delima is availability, I live close to a Petsmart and then a little further from a Pet Supplies Plus. That's about it, other than the grocery stores which sell brands I don't much like the ingredients of... I certainly hope to find a quality food which is reasonably priced that my Bella can tolerate, and soon! Keep the suggestions coming!!!

[bellabasenji]

I don't think I am ready for the Raw diet yet. I might start to cook a little for her, though...

[nomrbddgs]

If you do change her food please do so over the course of at LEASTone-two weeks, although 3-4 is better. If you change from one food to another immediately (finish one bag go to the next) she will most likely have an upset stomach, runny stools, stinky backend. The usual formula for changing food that I use is wk #1- 75% old food/25 % new food. Wk #2 50/50. Wk #3 25/50 and full new food Wk #4.

As to the Taurine in kibble, if they do add it I'm just wondering if you'll have to float the food to release it. Taurine seems to be present in the wet form, but not in kibble so what is making it dissappear in dry food? The Baking process? May be not enough protein?

What puzzles me is dogs need 10 essential amino acids and they're (the powers that be) are just figuring out now that it's missing from dry kibble? What took them so long to figure this one out? Or, are they just playing on another aspect of additions that don't need to be done??. There are studies out there that show dogs can tell if there is one of the amino acids missing in their food. They will consistently avoid that meal. (Dogs are smarter than we give them credit for) So, if this is the case, apparently the taurine is not missing as much as they think!

Sorry to ramble-I have a lot of questions but no answers when it comes to nutrition for my dogs! And again-don't discount the need dogs have for fruits and veggies. See if you're dog will eat veggies. Not only does this provide nutrition they need, it fills them up without added calories, and I've found giving them pieces of fruit and veggies during the day helps relieve the B's throwups sessions! (something in the tummy gives the bile something other than the lining to work on)

[Quercus]

<<As to the Taurine in kibble, if they do add it I'm just wondering if you'll have to float the food to release it. Taurine seems to be present in the wet form, but not in kibble so what is making it dissappear in dry food? The Baking process? May be not enough protein? >>

Why would you do this? I can't find any research that indicates Taurine will hurt dogs...they just don't NEED it like cats do. Or at least not in the amounts that cats do.

[Quercus]

Thank you all for the response! Bella is not adjusting well to the Blue Buffalo food, she has runny stools now and tummyache. I had to break over and get more Nutro dry until I figure out what to do next. That list of top ten looks to be a good rescource. My delima is availability, I live close to a Petsmart and then a little further from a Pet Supplies Plus. That's about it, other than the grocery stores which sell brands I don't much like the ingredients of... I certainly hope to find a quality food which is reasonably priced that my Bella can tolerate, and soon! Keep the suggestions coming!!!

The Blue Buffalo food might never agree with Bella. Personally, I would try not to freak yourself out over food TOO much. Some people like to feed as natural a diet as possible to their dogs...some people like to feed something as cheap as possible to their dogs. In both instances, and everywhere in between, dogs die young, and dogs die very elderly, dogs get cancer, dogs get kidney failure. I doubt there is much argument that feeding a food with less preservatives, and more meat is healthier, but you CAN find foods like that at PetSmart.

If you just look at the list of ingredients you can find something you and Bella are happy with. Just remember, more meat than grain; try to stay away from corn and soy. And also check how long the shelf life is for the food...the shorter, the better.

All that being said, it does take a few weeks sometimes for a food to settle with a dog...if you really like the Blue Buffalo, stick with it for a while...and make sure you aren't overfeeding her on it.

Good luck! I hope you find something you are happy with :)

[gbroxon]

...What puzzles me is dogs need 10 essential amino acids...

Wikipedia contends that taurine, although often called an amino acid, is not, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine

...And again-don't discount the need dogs have for fruits and veggies. See if you're dog will eat veggies. Not only does this provide nutrition they need, it fills them up without added calories, and I've found giving them pieces of fruit and veggies during the day helps relieve the B's throwups sessions! (something in the tummy gives the bile something other than the lining to work on)...

I personally don't believe dogs need fruits, veggies or grains. I believe they may eat them opportunistically but wouldn't eat them on a regular basis if meat was available. No disrespect intended, JMHO. I occasionally offer my dog veggies (I haven't found one yet that he'll eat) and fruit (he'll offer a perfunctory lick at a piece of apple or orange, but won't eat it) as rewards or treats, but do not use them as a staple of his diet.

[lvoss]

I suppose it depends on the dog. Mine love veggies. A favorite treat in the summer is frozen veggies. They also love to share baby carrots and apples with me. They also really like watermelon. Refrigerated carrots are very soothing for sore gums of teething puppies but Rally will steal them if I don't make sure she has some of her own.

[nomrbddgs]

I didn't say taurine will hurt dogs, I simply stated that basically how much is too much? I will try to stay out of the conversations from now on.

[Quercus]

I didn't say taurine will hurt dogs, I simply stated that basically how much is too much? I will try to stay out of the conversations from now on.

I don't think you should do that. I didn't mean to offend you, I just didn't know why you would try to remove the taurine.

[bellabasenji]

Okay, okay, the taurine issue is interesting, really... But not the only thing to consider here. Let's play nice, LOL!!! Just kidding...:D ;) I am finding the veggie debate quite intriguing, also! I should try to incorporate them into her diet, not that they are crucial. I think it would be nice for her to have variety. I do know she hates raw carrots!!! :rolleyes: However, Bella does like cooked peas and carrots, even potatoes. That's about all we have tried. Maybe I could fix boiled chicken (boneless & skinless) shredded and add cooked carrots, Peas and potatoes and mix this in her evening feeding? :cool:

[JazzysMom]

>>personally don't believe dogs need fruits, veggies or grains. I believe they >>may eat them opportunistically but wouldn't eat them on a regular basis if >>meat was available

When Jazzy was a puppy she wouldn't eat veggies, but then she started "asking" for them when I cooked 'em. She loves steamed brocolli and will sit by the counter when it's cooking. She also likes cooked green beans. And she likes cooked carrots, but not as well.

BOTH my dogs {1 B, one mutt} will pick the raw green beans, snow peas, and blueberries out of my garden. And that's with no lack of meat available!
It's hilarious to watch the two of them gently working over the blueberry bushes! They daintily pick each berry and eat it if it's ripe, or drop it it's too green.

[gbroxon]

I'm not saying dogs won't eat veggies and fruits (although mine won't), I'm just saying, in my personal opinion, they don't need them.

[bellabasenji]

Green beans and broccoli sound good, too! That story about your dogs dropping the unripe berries is funny. They know what is good!!! I don't think I have tried any fruit with Bella except for canned pumpkin and that didn't work out too good. She does love other people food, though. Her all time favorite is peanut butter! She also loves many different cheeses and will go crazy for pizza crusts. The latter is not that healthy, but a nice treat.

I am currently compiling a list of some possibilities for dog food that will be good options. I think I will use a spreadsheet and rate them by ingredient, cost, availability, etc. And then after that... if I try a food on her I will rate her on how she likes it and if she tolerates it well. I swear, I am not "dwelling" on this... I am just one of those "project people" who likes to research! I find it interesting and it can't hurt to learn more about the subject. It will take a while since I have to take it slow with her due to her sensitive stomach...

[nomrbddgs]

I wouldn't want to eliminate the taurine either, I just don't see the point in the addition of it in kibble if something they are doing is eliminating it in the processing of it. I would prefer to see it in food if it's going to stay in. Again I ask why is it in wet food, but not in kibble?

As to the veggies, Shadow hates carrots-spits them out-unless the other dogs are there. He doesn't like strawberries very much either. Sugar will eat anything-she's a varocious eater. Anything and everything that resembles food will be eaten!! Even down to grinding her teeth on the floor to get the last little lick out of something spilt!

My husband feeds them a banana every night (between the four of them) and they literally start to drool when they see the yellow skin!

[alkite]

Neither of my dogs will touch a raw carrot with a 10 foot pole, but they both will scarf down frozen veggies. When I am making supper we run through some training drills and Giz will definitely respond quicker for a frozen veggie than a meat treat. :D
We've recently switched foods (we feed dry) and when the recall happened, I was ready to switch again. DH was the voice of reason and said I really needed to be a little less rentitive about the whole food thing.

[Quercus]

[QUOTE=nomrbddgs]I wouldn't want to eliminate the taurine either, I just don't see the point in the addition of it in kibble if something they are doing is eliminating it in the processing of it. I would prefer to see it in food if it's going to stay in. Again I ask why is it in wet food, but not in kibble?

QUOTE]

If I remember (and it has been a long time since I studied this stuff) something about the extruding process of the kibble makes the taurine that is present in the meat unavailable to the carnivore....so they add it back in.

[jys1011]

they literally start to drool when they see the yellow skin!


Arlene are you sure they're not monkeys :D :D :D :D LOL OL

[jys1011]

My dogs won't raw fruits & veggies...bummer! However in their food (Merricks kibble & wet) there's cooked fruits & veggies in it which they scarf down in about....oh less than 2 minutes!! :D :D So when I make some steamed veggies I'll add it to their food.

My dogs are strange...NO raw fruits/veggies, NO PB, NO Cream Cheese BUT Yogurt they absolutely LOVE!!! :) :)

[nomrbddgs]

Arlene are you sure they're not monkeys :D :D :D :D LOL OL


Probably are!!! Considering how they climb, leap through the air with graceful ease to land on the dining table to get to whatever is there!! (maybe I should stop feeding them bananas??):p

Andrea, I sure would be interested in knowing more about the extruding process. I'll have to look it up. I do use Nutro-chicken, lamb and rice. I have good results from it, and I know they add taurine as well.

[bellabasenji]

That's funny, monkeys... LOL!!! So, Arlene, you are a Nutro feeder too. Is it the dry Natural Chicken Rice and Oatmeal for sensitive stomachs? This is what I feed Bella. I have not completely removed the Blue Buffalo from the dry mix. She hasn't had anymore diarreah yet, but I am being very cautious whith the canned food. I am thinking this may be where the problem lies. This is unfortunate since she seems to love Blue's canned food. I tried again tonight to add the wet back for eve. feeding (just a couple tablespoons). I mixed it in the dry, I hope she does well this time!

[nomrbddgs]

I'm just changing over to that one. I think??? I was using Nutro Max Chicken, Lamb and Rice. But decided since I have the puppy now,and was on Evolve (up here it's about $60 a bag-but I can get it from my Boxer breeder for about $15 a bag, only problem is she lives 4 hrs away in NY and then there's the import problem-I can usually hide a couple of bags on my way back), but I thought I'd like to change to something a little more Natural. I liked the ingredient list-no wheat or corn (although the girl at the store kept telling me rice is wheat-I told her basically she's nuts) and the fact the preservatives are more natural as well. I'll have to look at the bag more closely as I was more concerned with the ingr. than the name of the bag!! It's in a light green stripped bag-does that help-hahaha. I do believe it is the same food though.

[Quercus]

I always like Nutro, but I heard they recently (the last few years) sold to a giant company. Anybody know if that is true? Maybe they did like Iams and sold the regular line, but not Eukanuba?

[nomrbddgs]

I believe Nutro is owned made by the Menu foods line. A couple of years ago the bain group bought them out. But I believe the whole company was bought out.

[bellabasenji]

Well, the wet foods are made by Menu Foods, but the dry... I don't know. The Menu Food recall thing is what caused me to try a new food. This is why I tried the Blue Buffalo.

[bellabasenji]

I'll have to look at the bag more closely as I was more concerned with the ingr. than the name of the bag!! It's in a light green stripped bag-does that help-hahaha. I do believe it is the same food though.

Yes, that's it. I originally picked it for the ingredients and the fact that it is for sensitive stomachs. Bella tolerates it well.

[nomrbddgs]

Generally, I don't give them wet foods anyway. I make my own baked pork liver treats, have used some new commercial PB treats that look like cheese slices, and sometimes give them homemade boiled chicken and rice, as well as homemade yogurt (it's got a lot more good bacteria in). Since I can't use wheat and corn because of the boxenji, I've found this kind of food the best for all of them. I've just started to add fish oil to their food as well as Sugar seems to have a dry spot in the middle of her back.

[bellabasenji]

Thanks, I may just stay w/Nutro dry and cook for her instead of the canned food. I would still like to find a canned food that works for her so if we are traveling or I can't cook... I just posted to recipies, maybe you have some suggestions?!?!?;)

[youngandtired]

I have been giving Sahara Blue Buffalo for months now and she loves it. She is picky about what she likes to eat, I use the dry in the blue bag, and mixed alittle wet with it. Read those labels on the cans, lots of veggies, and antioxidants for good health. I have tried many foods and she eats this the best. While I was reading the labels a lady and her husband bought one of those huge bags and I asked about the food. They told me they had lost one of their dogs to cancer and now with a new dog they only buy Blue Buffalo. If you try a new food the girl there told me to start out with only a small amount mixed into their regular food. You then over a few days mix more and more until you end up with only the new food. I do this and Sahara hardly has any bowel problems. She had never been a big eater, she weighs 22pds. and the vet told me today that her coat was beautiful and she weighs exactly what she should for a Basenji. I was happy she is healthy and sassy!!!!! Good Luck with finding a food you like.:D