:spittingcoffee:

Another one bites the dust. I'll let others say why...

 

:spittingcoffee::spittingcoffee: I double down you!! This should be good...opcorn:

 

I may not know a lot about the science behind all the dog food but the ingredients in Blue sound a heck of a lot better than Science diet and Purina, both of which would make my dog crap like he had parvo.

 

agreed, i feed my cats a dogs BB and have not had a problem.

 

and CRASH!

 

:wub:

 

Is there are findings on this food to make one not use it? The vets do get a kick back from Science Diet for pushing their food

 

I'll be the first to admit i do not know the research behind this, but my vet from what i've seen, is a very honest person. She's great at what she does, and she's had quite a bit of experience. Of course you all can have your own opinions on the matter and continue feeding them Blue Buffalo, but as i said, i figured it was something worth sharing. We all want to feed our animals the best food out there.

 

She recommended Science Diet and Purina.

WELL! your vet lost me right there.

 

I agree, that food is crap. I will NEVER feed my dogs that stuff....

 

Please do not take nutritional advice from your vet. Vets are not nutritionists. If your dog is doing well on the food and likes it then stay on it.

Purina's food trial.. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/152803-purina-dog-chow-puppy-chow.html

 

Your vet doesn't happen to sell Science Diet and/or Purina by any chance?

 

No she doesn't. I can't remember which food she has in there...but i do remember being surprised that they didn't have science diet in their office! Most vets seem to have it.

 

I hope this food is ok, Frodo eats the BB Wilderness and is doing pretty good on it. The only issue I've noticed is he seems to be more thirsty.

 

Science Diet, Purina, Eukanuba, Ol Roy, Dog Chow, Kibbles N Bits etc They are all bad. I would never feed any of that junk to my boy.

My Vet isn't the BEST but she even told me not to feed that crap.

 

My Vet isn't the BEST but she even told me not to feed that crap.

She's a keeper!!! :wub:

 

Well, I think Blue Buffalo is pretty dang good, I'd also recommend Taste of the Wild, and Orijen.

 

Blue Buffalo has had its share of problems and not all vets are ignorant on nutrition. Though to suggest SD or Purina is showing ignorance....
blue buffalo problems? - Google Search
If you are concerned about the diet you feed, then do research regardless of the brand.
RAW is best in my opinion, but that is just my opinion, not my vets recommendation.

 

Science Diet Adult Large Breed Ingredients

Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Iodized Salt, Dried Chicken Cartilage, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, Potassium Chloride, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Blue Buffalo Large Breed Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Ingredients

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Tomato Pomace (source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Chicken Fat ( preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Potatoes, Peas, Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Garlic, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Turmeric, Dried Chicory Root, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Dried Yeast (source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Which one would you rather eat?

 

*Raises hand* Oh me me me me me... Pick me...

 

:rofl: You crack me up Erich!

 

I've recently switched to mostly raw, but I would recommend Orijen first, Wellness, or Taste of the Wild. I can only order Orijen online, but Petland carries both Wellness and TOTW. You can go to their sites to find local retailers that carry it. Really you have to look at the ingredients and go with what works best for your dog.

 

I feed my 3 dogs Taste of the Wild, Pacific Stream formula. We made the switch almost 6 months ago (switched from Nutro Choice) and have noticed a HUGE improvement in all the dogs. We went with Pacific Stream because Gunnar has a chicken sensetivity.

You'll get a lot of anwers..........it's kind of like asking "what's the best place to eat".
Everyone has their own opinions, but you have to do the research and find a food your dogs will do well on and that they'll eat.

 

Acana Pacific Stream?

 

Acana, Orijen, and the like are awesome foods, but they're also more than 3 times the price of what the OP is feeding now. Many people aren't going to be willing to make that big of a jump, which is why I threw in foods like Kirkland, TOTW, and 4Health.

 

I STILL say Orijen has em all hands down and is worth ordering online if you can afford it.

INGREDIENTS Fresh boneless chicken*, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon*, turkey meal, herring meal, russet potato, peas, sweet potato, fresh boneless turkey*, fresh whole eggs*, fresh chicken liver*, fresh boneless lake whitefish*, fresh boneless walleye*, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), organic kelp, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium.

Now THAT's a good Sunday Dinner!!

 

Not really a fan of the diamond products, but if I were to recommend trying one, it would be the Kirkland brand you get at Costco.

At $25 for 40 pounds of good ingredients, it pretty hard to beat in terms of value. Just don't expect to go too long without hearing about some kind of diamond recall.

 

Ok well i checked out that website that one of you gave me...from the looks of it, none of the 5 and 6 star foods are carried in pet stores near me...but i saw a brand called "By Nature" (and of course Blue Buffalo) in the 4 star ratings, and these are both sold in a store near me. Sound better???

 

i recommend 4health myself. I had my dogs on Purina brand dog food, my cats too and then switched everyone to 4health. Coats are better. WAY less itching all around. Its within our budget and the smell doesnt make me gag when i feed them. They're all happier to eat. Anything higher than that messes with our budget but i dont think i'll ever go back to purina. I'll hunt down a costco before that were to happen and i would NEVER EVER feed Science Diet. They'd be back on Purina before i'd even consider Science Diet. My boy has a corn allergy and since being on 4health, he's got more energy and doesnt lay around scratching all day.

 

Orijen
Acana
Wellness
Wellness Core (adult dogs)
Blue Buffalo Wilderness (adult dogs)
Blue Buffalo

Those are my top picks(there are other good foods out there though).

Wellness and Blue Buffalo are available at Petsmart and Petco.

Taste of the Wild and Innova/EVO are good foods but I do not trust the company behind them.

 

I think both are very good choices. :thumbup:

 

So far i'm liking the "By Nature" brand. I really cannot afford the prices of Wellness and Blue Buffalo. It's a little much. The By Nature brand is more affordable and still looks like a good food. Any Thoughts on that one?

 

Good stuff. You'll want to double-check the MAX calcium/phosphorus percentage on the puppy food to make sure it's suitable for large breed pups. You're looking for less than 1.5% calcium, less than 1.3% phosphorus or thereabouts for a large breed. If the max values aren't on the bag you can email the company.


Good for you for wanting to do what's best for your pup! :thumbup:

 

Is ordering online not an option? I always order my food online. You get the best prices and there's always coupons available to save even more money or at least shipping costs.

ETA - 5 pages worth of responses in under an hour... i guess food is a pretty hot topic around here.

 

Is ordering online not an option? I always order my food online. You get the best prices and there's always coupons available to save even more money or at least shipping costs.

Lucydog, the online food companies I've seen (petfooddirect and doggiefood.com) charge a lot more to deliver to the South and West than they do to deliver to the northeast.