# Looking to replace my Blue Buffalo dry food... Need help ASAP



## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Hey guys,
Im looking to replace my BB food that I feed my dog. I recently heard about the diarrhea issue and sourcing from china as well. I will not feed my dog chinese food and its pretty misleading that it says manufactured in USA... They should state that it contained foreign sourced food too..

Anyway,
I was wondering what I should be looking for? He is pretty tolerant to try new things and honestly I dont have any Holistic food stores around me that I know of. Im in Maryland, pretty much he Baltimore area.

No TSC near me ( well within about 1 hour ) but yet I dont want to feed him something thats "just as good". Id rather feed him something that I would eat myself, ya know? 

So any recommendations on something that I can get at PetsMart, or even Holistic dog food places ( maybe there is a way to search that I dont know of? ). Thanks!


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Just noticed that I have access to Fromms Gold adult food pretty local ( about 20 mins away )... Is that an option?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I like Fromm. I often feed just the basic Adult Classic since even though it is lower in protein then I like, I supplement with real meat. But all the dogs have done well on it and enjoyed eating it.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

What are some other brands I can look for at the store? I would assume that since they have Fromm's they would have other brands worth while...


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

Acana, fromm, go!, merrick are some of my faves.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

So anything from their line up is going to be good? Also when I feed him the new food, what am I looking for in terms of if it works for him?


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

stick with 4-5 star foods from this list if you can:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/

you can go grain inclusive or grain free for the foods (some dogs work better on one or the other, some it doesn't make a difference)

buy a small bag of whatever to start and transition him slowly over the course of a week or so. Mix the new stuff in with the old stuff otherwise he'll likely just end up with diarrhea because of the change

if he likes it, go for it...if not, plenty of other choices to keep trying.

In terms of knowing if the food works for your dog...are there any problems he is showing on his current food? If he isn't showing any current problems, as long as he appears happy on the food and readily eating it, then I guess its working for him.

For our pup, he was on a grain inclusive food and had horrible gas and retching on it...switched him to a grain free and its worked wonders and corrected those 2 issues. So in that case it was a successful switch. If your dog didn't have problems on Blue though and you just want to switch brands "just because" then you'll likely see no changes if the new food works (the changes might only be in terms of overall health throughout his life which is a good enough change  )


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

I'm also in the Baltimore area. I'm not sure where exactly you are located, but you might want to check out Bark! http://barknatural.com/ They have several different locations in the surrounding area and are opening a new store in Catonsville this spring. They carry a lot of well rated brands. They are on the pricey side, but all their products seem to be quality focused. 

I recently switched from Blue Buffalo to Dr. Tims for the exact reasons you mentioned. I couldn't find the brand carried anywhere locally but it was well priced online at chewy.com so I went that route. Bark! does carry Fromm and Acana so I'll probably add those into rotation when Dr. Tims runs low.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Thanks. I found a place that sells Fromm's that isn't far. I will check out Bark as well. I want to not feed him BB since I've read things about it that I do not like. I'll use some of his food just to transition him... Looking for more suggestions too!


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## Alapaha_Lover (Feb 21, 2014)

You may what to research Nutro brand to see if it's something you'd be interested in. What breed of dog do you have?


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Its a rescue dog and we think he is lab husky mix. But small built at 50#


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Wellness has both grain inclusive and grain free foods and has its own manufacturing plant now, I know a few people that quite like it.


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## Alapaha_Lover (Feb 21, 2014)

NattyBoh74 said:


> Its a rescue dog and we think he is lab husky mix. But small built at 50#


I'm feeding my 50# bulldog nutro lamb and brown rice formula for large breed dogs after trying 3 or 4 other brands. I find that she's shedding less and she loves the taste. It's a bit expensive but so far so good.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

So I went there and they have a huge selection. I ended up getting Fromm's gold and Merrick beef+sweet potato. We'll see how he does and I may change again.


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## mcdavis (May 1, 2012)

My dog had major tummy problems with BB too so we changed to Fromm Gold. I wanted something that was easily available as we travel quite a bit.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

What got me a little nervous is that Fromm's gold is only rated at 3.5/5 stars...


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

NattyBoh74 said:


> What got me a little nervous is that Fromm's gold is only rated at 3.5/5 stars...


While the dogfoodadvisor is a helpful one-stop-shop for grabbing ingredient and formula info on a wide variety of food, it doesn't take into account a company's history for recalls (or lack thereof), source of ingredients, cost/value, etc. 

It is listed at 4/5 stars on that site which puts it in good standing there anyway.

The Classics from Fromm is only listed as 3.5 stars but I find it to be a very affordable, easy on the stomach food with no red-flag ingredients. A little high in the carbs but since I feed partially raw and supplement with eggs, fish, etc it works very well. The ratings aren't the end-all, be-all by any means but more a starting place for research.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Good to know. So Fromm's may end up working all around then.


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

Shell said:


> The Classics from Fromm is only listed as 3.5 stars but I find it to be a very affordable, easy on the stomach food with no red-flag ingredients. A little high in the carbs but since I feed partially raw and supplement with eggs, fish, etc it works very well. The ratings aren't the end-all, be-all by any means but more a starting place for research.


exactly. While I do read the reviews on dogfoodadvisor, I tend to more often flip through the actual comments from customers at the bottom to see what they've observed about their dog while on the food


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Honestly what I'm concerned about is USA only food and sourced ingredients. Then right along that is a good profile that will give him what he needs. Can I cycle two foods so he gets a mix of nutrients etc?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

NattyBoh74 said:


> Honestly what I'm concerned about is USA only food and sourced ingredients. Then right along that is a good profile that will give him what he needs. Can I cycle two foods so he gets a mix of nutrients etc?


Sure. Some people rotate every bag or two. Other people mix the foods together or feed one AM and one PM. Unless you have a large dog or several dogs that will go through the food quickly, having two bags open can lead to them going off from being open for too long. Generally easier to just switch at the end of a bag. 
I switch around out of convenience sake since some foods I buy are available only at one store, another only at another and such. If a dog doesn't have a sensitive stomach, I just finish one bag and start the next with no transition of mixing part of one and part of the other gradually. If the foods are all of about the same quality, the dog is getting basically the same mix of nutrients from both so there may not be much nutritional benefit to switching around, but its nice to have several foods as options that you know your dog likes and does well on just in case you run out, the store doesn't get a delivery or you're travelling etc.


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## Boleyn (Aug 25, 2008)

I recently switched my gang to Fromm Gold from a grain-free food, and so far they are doing really well on it! They actually have better stools now than on the grain-free, which I think had a lot of peas and pea protein in it. There are no stores near me that sell it, so I get it from Chewy.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Okay thanks.. Makes sense . how does Merrick texas beef and sweet potato fair?


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm just guessing your location from your user name, but Beaverdam is a localish pet food company that might be an option for you.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Thanks. I'll look it up.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

These are the 4 and 5 star foods that they carry:

Annamaet, Applause, BFF, By Nature Organics, Canidae Grain Free, Canidae Single protein, EArthborn Holistic, EVO, Go!, Holistic Blend Grain Free, Hounds & Gato, Merrick Classic, Merrick Grain Free, Natures Variety Instinct, Nutrisca, Orijen, Stella & Chewys, Tiki, Wellness Core, Wellness Reduced Fat, Weruva, California Natural, Canidae Multi protein, Dogswell, Fromm Gold, Fromm Four star, Grandma Maes Country Natural, NAtural Balance Synergy, Nature's Select, Now! Natures Variety Prairie, Party Animal, Royal Canin Starters, TOTW, Vets Choice Extensions, Wellness Super 5, Whole Earth farms.


Any out of those that I should be looking for, Or pretty much any of the brands above and any of their blends?


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

cookieface said:


> I'm just guessing your location from your user name, but Beaverdam is a localish pet food company that might be an option for you.


I see that they are carried not too far from me neither. The thing that has me iffy is that its only 99% sourced USA food. I know I know its only 1%, but I can easily get another brand that is 100% USA. I did email them asking what falls under that 1%, and I'll report back when I hear.


And here is the email response:

Anthony...........................All of our ingredients are from the USA except the selenium which is not available in this country. We use Organic Selenium Yeast which is made by a company call Alltek from Kentucky. Selenium Yeast is proven to fight k9 cancer cells. Most all dog food companies are using sodium selenite which is toxic and causes many harmful effects to pets organs. 
The trace mineral used making Organic Selenium is not avalible from our country but Does Not Come From China



Now if thats the case the sodium selenite is in both Fromms and Merrick that I bought... How much validity is in that statement above?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Well, it is "Alltech" to start with not Alltek, and they are a well known animal nutrition, feed and agricultural research company so the production once in KY seems like you could be confident in it. I'd still be curious what country it is sourced from if all they can say is "Not China"

My understanding though is that like other minerals, sodium selenite can be toxic at high doses-- same as zinc, copper, etc and even vitamins such as Vitamin D 

Selenium yeast may have a greater margin of error before reaching toxic amounts compared to sodium selenite but at a proper doses as a trace mineral, sodium selenite should be working as a required nutrient rather than a toxin. If a food uses selenium yeast, that's probably a plus for that food but I'm not going to freak out over sodium selenite in an otherwise well formulated and well sourced food.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Thanks shell. Did you happen to see the post/list above that I posted?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

NattyBoh74 said:


> These are the 4 and 5 star foods that they carry:
> 
> Annamaet, Applause, BFF, By Nature Organics, Canidae Grain Free, Canidae Single protein, *EArthborn Holistic, EVO*, Go!, Holistic Blend Grain Free, Hounds & Gato, Merrick Classic, Merrick Grain Free, Natures Variety Instinct, Nutrisca, *Orijen, Stella & Chewys*, Tiki, Wellness Core, Wellness Reduced Fat, Weruva, California Natural, Canidae Multi protein, Dogswell,* Fromm* Gold, Fromm Four star, Grandma Maes Country Natural, NAtural Balance Synergy, Nature's Select, Now! Natures Variety Prairie, Party Animal, Royal Canin Starters, *TOTW*, Vets Choice Extensions, Wellness Super 5, Whole Earth farms.
> 
> ...





NattyBoh74 said:


> Thanks shell. Did you happen to see the post/list above that I posted?


I don't recognize some of those brands- I prefer to shop in person and my options are slightly limited compared to some areas. I'll highlight the ones I've tried and make a comment or two. Overall though, it looks like basically any of those would be pretty darn good. Out of those, I'd probably try Annameat, Wellness and Fromm Gold for their moderate price and good quality but I hear Now! and Go! are good also but aren't cheap where I am. Evo has some nice ingredients but is high in ash and didn't impress me for the price, Orijen also didn't impress me for the price. I can feed a 4 star food 50/50% with locally sourced real meat for the same price as Orijen so that strikes it off my list but maybe not off your list, ya know?

While I love the option of grain free foods for dogs that simply do better without grains and have seen them work great, for a dog that has no issue with rice or oatmeal or such, I will pick a grain inclusive food over a GF most of the time. Generally, you're going to get more of the protein from animal sources vs vegetable sources and you're going to get lower ash in a grain-inclusive vs a GF. "Generally" of course

I look for a food with at least 30% protein and 15% fat if I'm not going to be feeding partial raw or supplements. That's what I have found works for my dogs, YMMV. I like the 30/20 formulas a lot of brands are putting out there and with a little meat on the side, even better.


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## NattyBoh74 (Feb 26, 2014)

Thanks for the response. It helped me out to understand a little bit more... Thanks again.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

I can say that Annamaet is a good dog food. I am feeding Zoey the Extra which is 26% protein. Zoey's coat has gotten softer since she is on Annamaet, I am waiting to see if it stays the same when she has her summer coat.

I was thinking about trying the Ultra which is 32% protein but she is doing well on what she is eating now and we don't do very much in the way of exercising so I don't think she needs the extra protein and fat at this time.


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## Benjismom (May 19, 2013)

I am outside the Philly area not to far from Baltimore. I feed my boy Annamaet as well. He is on the lime green bag low fat "lean" which only has 7% fat. It is also low ash. All there foods are as I recall. They are local and made in the U.S in Pa. My only complaint would be he itches quite a bit, and he could use more fat for his skin particularly with the dry heat in the house during winter. Fromm is also very good, and your high end stores sell these products. You won't find them at Pet Smart.


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