Need Help-- Need to Change Food NOW Daisy has had a rough time at night with tummy aches/gas. She sleeps fitfully and wakes up panting with scared look in her eyes. This has been going on for a couple of weeks. We have eliminated food/treats one at a time until all that is left is her Blue Buffalo dry kibble (lamb and brown rice). The onset of her tummy aches seems to coincide with the time we opened the latest bag of dog food. I called the blue buff company today and asked them if it could be the food. I told her that we noticed that there are a LOT more life source bits in this bag than usual. (I have been picking a bunch of the life source bits out of their bowls before I give it to them). I told her that the ratio of kibble to life source bits seems to be about 50/50. She told me that she is sure that this is DEFINITELY, WITHOUT a DOUBT, the reason for her tummy aches/gas. I was shocked that she admitted this. She told me to return the bag to Petsmart and get another bag that has a different BEST BY date. (12 Sep 15)... She is sorry for Daisy's tummy aches and she is going to send me some treats. What??? Daisy has been in pain and distress almost every night for about two weeks and you are going to send me some treats? She explained to me that the bag of food is filled from two separate spouts, one has the kibble and one has the life source bits. I believe that she said that the life source bits should be about 7 or 8%. She said when the food runs out of one side, the bag fills up with whatever is on the other side.....in our case, life source bits. This seems so irresponsible that no one is catching a mistake like this and my pup had to suffer because of it. I am pretty upset about this....I will for sure be returning the bag of blue buff but I WILL NOT be buying any more of this food. That seems to be so irresponsible of a company to not inspect or monitor food that is leaving the line. My poor baby has been up at night with a tummy ache and gas and I have been up with her, distressed and not knowing what to do for her. Can someone PLEASE suggest a kibble that my 10 and 11 year old pups will like.... preferably one that I can get at Petsmart. My husband and I don't want a new bag of Blue Buffalo because we don't trust them now. I don't want to transition her to the new food, but want to start them on a new food today. Because I feel the need to get them on new food today, I don't think I have sufficient time to do a lot of research on this. I was reading a thread about Royal Canine and I was thinking that might be a good place to start but I don't know if they will like it. They are so used to lamb and rice but I will be willing to try something else. I mainly want a food/company we can trust will have some quality control or something. My husband suggested Nutro but it looks to me like they have had a lot of problems with recalls in the past. I feel at a loss right now and so disappointed that a company that we trusted let us down in a big way. Thanks for any help. |
Smaller companies with limited quality control are of concern. this is what can happen easily... Royal Canin would be fine, but a fast switch is usually not a good idea. I would go with a tummy diet for three days and slowly transition from there (chicken and rice or somerhing from the vet). |
Thank you for your quick response! Do you have any suggestions for something better? They are older and I always wonder if their digestive systems might be a little more delicate now. But they are pretty picky so I need something tasty for them. Thanks so much for your comments. |
Food I found Wellness to be similar in quality and composition to BB. You would perhaps like to look at the Wellness website for the most suitable food as they have quite a range ( no black bits. LOL!) Could you try a sample before you get the big bag? If you need to transition slowly you could use some saved kibble minus the black bits before you take the BB back. There are of course many good food choices, but I chose the one I found similar to BB......as a start anyway. |
Thank you for your suggestion, We do give them Wellness treats and they love them. I hope people who are feeding Blue Buffalo will read my post and take into consideration their lack of quality control on their food. My poor baby has been in pain and scared to death (and me too) not knowing why her tummy was hurting. I have talked to the reps from Blue Buff in the stores and at the Pet Expos. They always seem to be so concerned about providing a great diet for your dog. Now I see that they don't care about your dog, or they would be doing quality control and not sending out bags of food like this. The company is well aware of this problem with the food because the person at the company tells me that it happens every so often. I feel like it shouldn't happen at all. There is no excuse for ever sending out a bag of dog food that will cause your baby to be in pain. And this took me over two weeks to figure out what was causing the problem. Also, one of my vets told me she does not recommend this food because they do not do any scientific research on their food. Guess I learned my lesson the hard way. I am soooo very disappointed in Blue Buffalo. |
Food Yes it is scary that such a huge variation should be allowed to happen. I have found that most foods leave a lot to be desired in the QC department. A new bag of the same food can look and taste ( to the dog!) different. Even with Prescription food I notice significant variations in kibble appearance and sometimes my dog will not eat from a new bag. QC in dog food sure needs improvement! |
I like Royal Canin. I don't know how you feel about Wellness but they came out with a new toy line that the pieces are pretty small and it actually smells pretty good and Callie loves it. http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/produ...49&dm=toybreed |
Natures Variety Insinct is also an excellent food and PetSmart started carrying it recently. it comes in kibble or raw and canned. Mine are on it and have no tummy upset, gas and nice firm poops. |
We are trying Wellness Core Weight Management formula (turkey). We are going to give them chicken and rice for a few days and transition the kibble into their chicken and rice. I hope they like it. Thanks for your suggestions. Any more suggestions are welcome. |
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At Petsmart, Wellness is one of my top picks but you might also look into some of the Hill's Ideal Balance formulas as well in the future...I know they have a lamb and brown rice one that your pups might like if they're partial to lamb kibbles. |
I am a fan of Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance. My pups who don't have RX diets are on it and doing fine! I trust the company. Natural Dog Food - Hill's Ideal Balance Dog Food |
I use royal canin as well my older dog (shih tzu) loves it my puppy (yorkie) eats the brand breed specifically for yorkie pups, as someone said the boiled chicken and rice (bland)diet for now until the tummy Settles down. Good luck :) |
If you want to do I dry food I would go for Wellness or Taste of the wild Sierra or Pacific Stream I am feeding Galen Primal and Stella & Chewy Freeze Dried foods. . . He just love them |
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I am really appreciating all of your input. I never expected to be put in a position like this with needing a quick change. It isn't fun. |
I've switched recently to wellness core small breed and my 14 yr old and 14 month old boys love it! My older boy is becoming a little tummy sensitive and he's had no issues with this food. I was debating between wellness and the blue buffalo and I have no regrets picking wellness. You might have some tummy issues if you switch and don't gradually mix in but honestly I switched straight over and didn't see any changes in stool. |
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