# Diarrhea, Blue Buffalo, and a Food Change



## dyzir13 (Jan 9, 2009)

I have been feeding my 8 month old lab mix Blue Buffalo for the past month. I have felt he was doing alright on it and was pleased with the quality and price of it. He did always have some on and off again diarrhea. I never really thought much of it until recently when he began having uncontrollable diarrhea.

We went to the vet and to sum things up quickly, the vet put my dog on some medicine just as a precaution and also urged me to consider changing his food from Blue Buffalo. He said he has had many problems with dogs getting diarrhea from it. I always thought Blue Buffalo was a good quality food.

Anyways he recommended I feed Innova, Wellness, Eagle Pack, or California Natural. These 4 brands seem to be a bit more expensive then Blue Buffalo which makes me hesitant to switch. So if you were in my situation, would you switch foods? What would you switch to? I don't know much about those 4 recommended foods so any info would help a lot. Thanks!


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## saintnoel (Mar 11, 2009)

I'd go with California Natural, less ingredients, good quality and the most economical of the bunch.


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## valsh (Mar 9, 2009)

I feed Innova and my pup went from occasional diarrhea to nice healthy stools. Was feeding Canidae. It is a bit on the pricier side though, I pay $22 for 15 pounds. It can't hurt to switch foods as long as you can afford it. Sometimes though the price does not guarantee your pup a happier tummy, you just have to see what works.


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## Independent George (Mar 26, 2009)

When evaluating costs, don't just look at price/weight - look at calorie density. Base your feeding estimates on metabolizeable calories, not weight or volume.


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## dyzir13 (Jan 9, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. It seems that all four brands are very good. George, thanks for the advice, because the first thing I was doing was looking at the weight. It makes sense though, with a quality food you would not have to be feeding as much so it would last longer.


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## Donna5503 (Mar 13, 2009)

May I ask what the Vet said about Blue Buffalo?....was it the Dry Food or Canned Food?.....

I switched my dog to Blue Buffalo 3 weeks ago - (the Dry Food)....and he seems to be doing great.....I've read so many pros and cons on almost every brand out there....it is very confusing --- Years ago when you had a dog it was canned Kennel Ration and the dogs did fine --- now you need a degree to figure it out!


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## dyzir13 (Jan 9, 2009)

Donna, the Blue Buffalo I am feeding is dry food. The vet just told me that he has had a lot of dogs on Blue Buffalo that have had diarrhea. He said that Blue Buffalo is junk compared to Wellness, Innova, California Natural, and Eagle Pack.


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## CorgiKarma (Feb 10, 2009)

I fed Bailey Blue Buffalo for awhile and she did fine on it. I wouldn't call it junk, either. Dogs react to foods differently, so it really depends on the dog. I recently switched her to Wellness just to try something different and she's been doing great on that also. Wellness is a bit more expensive, but if you wanted to try it you can always email the company for a free sample or a coupon.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

dyzir13 said:


> I always thought Blue Buffalo was a good quality food.
> 
> Anyways he recommended I feed Innova, Wellness, Eagle Pack, or California Natural. These 4 brands seem to be a bit more expensive then Blue Buffalo which makes me hesitant to switch. So if you were in my situation, would you switch foods? What would you switch to? I don't know much about those 4 recommended foods so any info would help a lot. Thanks!



First of all, Blue IS a good quality food. Just because it gives your dog diarrhea doesn't mean it's not a good food, it's just not the right food for YOUR dog. 
Second, what would I do in your situation? I'd change food. If you don't want to change food because of the price, then stick with the diarrhea. I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like a jerk but you're posting about your dog having "uncontrollable diarrhea" and you don't know if you should switch? Yes, you should switch. All four of those foods are high quality foods, IMO, they're "better" than Blue but that's JMO. My dogs had loose stools on Innova but that doesn't mean your dog would. Of those foods, I'd start with California Natural. It may be the most reasonable priced of those foods but it's also for sensitive dogs. As far as Wellness, they have three lines: the regular Wellness, the Simple Solutions and the grainfree Core. What one was your vet speaking of? If you vet advised you to feed those foods, I think I love your vet!


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

InkedMarie said:


> If you vet advised you to feed those foods, I think I love your vet!


Agreed! Any vet that doesn't peddle Science Diet is a friend of mine!


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## dyzir13 (Jan 9, 2009)

Marie, sorry if my question sounded dumb. I'm just new at being a dog owner and want what is best for my dog. The board is a great source of information and has helped me a ton already. 

But anyways, I just bought the California Natural Lamb and Rice dry food today. It was priced very reasonably and I am excited to try it out. I'll let you all know how it goes. Thanks for the help. 

Oh...by the way, yes my vet recommended all of those foods to me. He seemed very passionate about it because he went on and on about it, but it was some great advice.


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## Donna5503 (Mar 13, 2009)

I've done some research on Blue Buffalo and asked my Vet and both came up with the answer that Blue Buffalo is a good food --- one one of the websites it's rated a 4 star food - which I believe is good --- 

The ingredients on the package are very impressive along with the vitamins and omega oils...

Those other dog foods are also good -- but I believe Blue is just as good. 

But like everyone is saying -- the dog is not agreeing with it -- so change the food!....it doesn't make it junk

How many people do you know that can eat something healthy over and over again with no problems -- and then a friend eats it and it runs right through them!


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## murphse8 (May 27, 2010)

One of my dogs (retriever, lab mix) was having dry skin issues on IAMS so I switched to Blue Buffalo after researching it and talking to the people at PetCo. Both of the dogs LOVE it! At first I switched them too fast and one threw up but I backed off and switched them over a month time span. Now they have been fully on blue for a week or two....I just came home this evening to a huge pile of diarrhea...I guess I'll give it a few more days but if it continues I guess I'll have to try one of the other brands too, California Natural maybe... I really hate that it hurt their stomach because they really love it and it has made their coats shine and skin less itchy. These are my first dogs but this food thing is frustrating!


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

I just started switching my dogs to Blue Buffalo a few days ago.

Went into the holistic pet food store today to talk to the owner about allergies & tummy troubles with my frenchie. 

He said Blue Buffalo's mills/warehouses whatever are disgusting LOL  This is a guy who has worked in the industry for years, has worked for some big name (good companies), I was sorta shocked to hear this about BB


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

you should be happy your vet knows what food is good, instead of just promoting the usual science diet/eukanuba they usually promote because of the kickbacks/discounts they get.

wellness, innova, innova evo, orijen, california natural, acana, holistic select are all good.
innova, evo and cali natural are made by natura.
wellness, holistic select and eaglepack (dont really recommend eagle pack) are made by wellpet.
acana and orijen are by champion pet foods.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

dyzir13 said:


> Donna, the Blue Buffalo I am feeding is dry food. The vet just told me that he has had a lot of dogs on Blue Buffalo that have had diarrhea. He said that Blue Buffalo is junk compared to Wellness, Innova, California Natural, and Eagle Pack.


While I don't agree that "blue buffalo is junk compared to X, X, X and X brand", I do think it's neat that your vet actually recommended Wellness, CN, EP, etc. 
I have fed Blue. (Oh man reading this board it sounds/looks like I've fed every friggin' food on the planet, lol). My dogs did fine on it. It could be coincidential that your vet is seeing so many averse digestion problems with the brand, or it could be over-feeding, etc. 
But I agree--if YOUR individual dog isn't thriving on a food, by all means switch. Auz didn't thrive on raw like he did on kibble; and I'm pro-raw in every sense of the word. Good diet is one thing, but it all boils down to the individual looking back at you!  (PS: For example, I'm very allergic to sea food...most sea food is good for [general] you, just not for *me*...)


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## maquignon (Oct 21, 2009)

This is a very common problem when someone moves to one of the higher quality foods. I consider Innova, Blue Buffalo, Wellness etc all about equal quality foods. The big mistake so many people make is in overfeeding when they move up to one of the higher quality foods. They are so much more nutritious and generally higher in calories that your dog needs much less of these high quality foods. Most people keep feeding the same amount as they have been feeding and it is way too much. The amount suggested on the bag is also usually too much. I have seen so many people switch from one food to another to another in search of the "right" food when all the time they are just feeding TOO MUCH. They are not too rich; you are feeding too much. Much better that your dog be a little thin than overweight.


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