# Blue Buffalo vs. Science Diet



## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

Hi all,

So before i got my puppy, I did a lot of research and I found that i SHOULDNT get science diet. Instead I got blue buffalo wellness for puppies. At the vet today they basically told me I was wrong and blue buffalo isn't very good because they arent appoved by affco (sp?) like science diet is. They were pushing science diet on me with a brochure and stuff.

I just want to feed my puppy the best food possible. Any advice for me? Thanks!


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## Averyismypei (May 24, 2010)

Vets get paid to promote science diet. I suggest you stick to the blue, its much better.


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

Averyismypei is right, the vets are supported by Hills/Science Diet and thats why they promote it. They get HUGE discounts for themselves when they sell the Science Diet products. That being said, many vets know nothing about nutrition. Vets don't learn abut nutrition in Vet School past whatever information that the food company that supports the school gives them (these companies would be Iams, Science Diet, Purina, etc... the BIG companies). It's very rare for a vet to know about good dog nutrition because to learn it they have to do the research on their own.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Agree re. Science Diet. I also wanted to add that I'm pretty sure Blue Buffalo products are AAFCO certified, and if you are curious about it, there should be an AAFCO certification statement right on the bag. I would stay the course, don't worry about the vet's dubious food advice.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

Your vet lied to you to make a sale. BB foods are AAFCO certified. Not that AAFCO certification means much considering that WalMart brand Ol' Roy meets their nutrient profile requirements.
I'd search around for a vet that isn't going to be looking for an unnecessary up-sale every time you walk in the door. I'm not taking my dog back to Banfield now that her wellness plan is finished for the same reasons only it is Royal Canin instead of Science Diet that they push. Granted, Royal Canin is a little better than Science Diet but that's not saying much. Most varieties of Science Diet are no better than grocery store brands. Check out dogfoodadvisor's reviews.


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## Lindbert (Dec 12, 2010)

Wow, BB is DEFINITELY AAFCO approved. I wouldn't trust anyone that would act like a know it all giving out "facts" that aren't true.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Lindbert said:


> Wow, BB is DEFINITELY AAFCO approved. I wouldn't trust anyone that would act like a know it all giving out "facts" that aren't true.


Yeah, that. I'm OK with vets pushing Science Diet (within reason), but a professional giving completely false information is just plain wrong. If he wanted to give you his opinion that SD is the best food out there and BB is crummy, fine. But to say that. . .hehe, I'd cut out that part of the bag and bring it back to him.


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## a7dk (Mar 30, 2011)

Willowy said:


> Yeah, that. I'm OK with vets pushing Science Diet (within reason), but a professional giving completely false information is just plain wrong. If he wanted to give you his opinion that SD is the best food out there and BB is crummy, fine. But to say that. . .hehe, I*'d cut out that part of the bag and bring it back to him*.


Please, please do this!! And post pics of the vet's face!


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

thanks everyone you have successfully reassured me and now i can prove it to my boyfriend. the vet totally talked my boyfriend into it and im like no, you dont understand. ive heard about this. blue buffalo is better than science diet. so obviously i didnt let my boyfriend buy it. i have an old blue buffalo food bag and just cut out the affco part. cant wait till the vet tries to sell it to me in 2 more weeks, lol. also unfortantely ive already switched vets and theres only 2 in my area. (jamestown, ny....very small town) so this is the best of the two. hopefully moving this summer to a bigger city so im sure ill find a better one there!


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## polizei (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi, I just joined and also posted a similar situation, check out my thread:

http://www.dogforums.com/dog-food-forum/106601-dry-food-quality-brands.html

In there, are two articles I suggest you read, it gave me a lot of insight. I believe Science Diet is probably better than a lot of generic foods out there, but in NO way is it better than Blue. If you look at ratings and reviews, Science Diet isn't recommended, if you scroll down on my thread there is a list of "top rated" dry food. Look at that and shop around, see if you can get those brands (or stick with Blue).


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## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

That's just down right wrong... I would be angry with my vet for throwing out false information just to sell Science Diet.

You should also take the ingredient list along with the AAFCO statement. Ask him why he thinks it's okay to feed a dog a food which gets its meat content solely from by-products?


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

I am not a fan of science diet or hill's but I work at an animal hospital and have spoken to most of the vets about nutrition. Yes many vets have taken courses sponsored by hills and other such companies but consider that they learn the biology and how the body processes certain nutrients So they can diagnose disease. They have to learn about the prescription diets because these diets are specifically formulated for various diseases or conditions such as kidney failure. They learn why those foods work for whatever disease or condition. Just as they learn about all the medications used for animals. They are not paid to sell these brands but yes they get good prices. But So do the pet stores that sell 'regular' food. No the ingredients leave much to be desired but if you are balancing individual ingredients vs the end result (I.e. prolonged survival time of Cats and dogs with kidney failure for example), then I would opt for the rx diets.

Having said that, one cannot expect a vet to know all the foods available on the market. So it is up to you to do research and find what is best for your pet. I have a cat with kidney failure and since I don't care for the rx foods, I researched and found some foods he can eat. He is the pickiest cat ever So I cannot feed two of the same brands in a row. His kidney values are now stable. I do feed some of the rx kidney foods but they are part of a rotation of other foods. You can ask your vet why he thinks SD is better than all the rest. Keep in mind that not all hill's and SD foods are tested by the AAFCO. And there is a distinction between being tested and meeting AAFCO standards. An AAFCO feeding trial consists of feeding a group of dogs the test diet for six months and if the dogs are alive and their Bloodwork meets certain parameters, the food is considered to be safe and tested. Many companies do not do these feeding trials as they are very expensive. Sometimes the bag will say 'meets the nutrient profiles of AAFCO...' this means that the food meets the minimum requirements set out in the AAFCO nutrient profiles. All they need to do is formulate the food so that it meets those requirements. The AAFCO doesn't even need to test that they meet them. I personally believe that, from what I have read, which isn't a lot but enough to make me skeptical, thé AAFCO is in a political position where it has to satisfy both the needs of the pet food industry and the consumers. But right now, it's all that we have. Whether a food has no grain, corn, wheat or whatever, if of meets the AAFCO nutrient profiles, the stamp can go on the bag. 

All I am saying is to select your pet's food with a critical eye. Right now, the pet food industry has capitalized on humanizing pet food making it organic, holistic and natural, words that have no official meaning in the pet food industry. And no regulation. I read the forums on which vets discuss cases or issues, mainly to research nutrition. One thread was about Blue Buffalo. One vet called the company to request nutrient information. The vet was refused information. So if a company refuses forgive nutrient information, then you have to wonder. I don't know how specific the vet wanted the information to be but if the food is good then there really shouldn't be a problem. 

On the other hand, it does irk me when vets automatically strike down all foods other than hills or other rx diets. I realize they too have to make a profit but they should be more open to accommodate their client's wishes and research some of the pet foods on the current market. There is this one vet who just graduated recently and she goes on and on about Medi-cal and the high level of quality yet her cats are fat and one has kidney failure. Most of the vet techs feed hill's dry foods to their cats even though they year every day that cats need moisture from their food. They get a nice discount. Which is why I am broke because I don't buy much rx food! But I find that many veterinary staff are brainwashed. So the key is to be skeptical but open-minded. 

Ok enough of my raNt. Continue...


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## luvmyboyz (Nov 9, 2011)

Like others have said, I would take the AAFCO stamp from the blue buffalo bag and show your vet, ask why he lied about it, or divulged information that wasn't factual/he was unsure of. Tell him you want to trust his opinion and knowledge. Also ask him why he would recommend Science Diet over Blue Buffalo based on their ingredients.

I understand that most vets are just not trained properly on nutrition, but this vet flat out lied to you to make a sale, that's above and beyond not knowing better...he/she has other priorities than your dogs health, and that's scary!!!


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Maybe it is that most companies just formulate the food to AAFCO standards but don't do feeding trials? If Orijen had done feeding trials in Australia before releasing the cat food there maybe the issue with irradiating the food would have been caught sooner and fewer cats would have died for example. Since SD and some other brands use combinations of grain fractions to make up a food for carnivores they might need those trials more than a food made of actual food type substances.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

luvmyboyz said:


> Like others have said, I would take the AAFCO stamp from the blue buffalo bag and show your vet, ask why he lied about it, or divulged information that wasn't factual/he was unsure of. Tell him you want to trust his opinion and knowledge. Also ask him why he would recommend Science Diet over Blue Buffalo based on their ingredients.
> 
> I understand that most vets are just not trained properly on nutrition, but this vet flat out lied to you to make a sale, that's above and beyond not knowing better...he/she has other priorities than your dogs health, and that's scary!!!


Ask the vet why he lied? Wow, talk about confrontational. Having misinformation is not the same as intentionally giving misinformation. That may be what the Hills people told him, and he didn't check any further. My vet sells Science Diet. I just don't buy it. I don't know how much they recommend it, because they don't bother me about it. I don't go to a vet for nutritional advice (except my holistic vet) but if the vet is skilled, I wouldn't dump him (or offend him,) based on the dog food he recommends.


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## luvmyboyz (Nov 9, 2011)

Pawzk9 said:


> Ask the vet why he lied? Wow, talk about confrontational. Having misinformation is not the same as intentionally giving misinformation. That may be what the Hills people told him, and he didn't check any further. My vet sells Science Diet. I just don't buy it. I don't know how much they recommend it, because they don't bother me about it. I don't go to a vet for nutritional advice (except my holistic vet) but if the vet is skilled, I wouldn't dump him (or offend him,) based on the dog food he recommends.


ask him why he lied *or divulged information that wasn't factual/he was unsure of.*. If he didn't check any further, and then advised the OP not buy Blue Buffalo (or any other food for that matter) because it's not approved by AAFCO, well a professional such as a Veterinarian should not be divulging information that is false, and if they do, its best that the OP tell him he was wrong so he doesn't continue misleading people. This vet wasn't JUST selling Science Diet, he was advising Science Diet vs Blue Buffalo based on false information, whether he knew it or not. If he knew it, he's wrong, if he didn't know it, he's still wrong...so if the vet is offended because you've proved him wrong, or can't admit to being wrong, that's not a good thing, how can you put further trust in someone like that? 

You have to be able to trust your vet, your pet's lives are in his/her hands. Being confrontational isn't a bad thing when it comes to how important Vet's are in our lives and our pets lives. And I most definitely didn't say "dump your vet", but if you offend him because you've proved him wrong...well that shows a lot about him doesn't it???


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## Cobalt (Jul 27, 2007)

I was in line behind my vet. I was buying Fromms and she bought Purina. I don't think I'll ever ask her for nutrition advice again! Guess even she knows not to use SD! I admit it, I judged her a little :}


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## dinobuckli (Oct 7, 2013)

AAFCO- Although AAFCO has no regulatory authority, the Association provides a forum for the membership and industry representation to achieve three main goals:
◾ Ensure consumer protection
◾ Safeguarding the health of animals and humans
◾ Providing a level playing field of orderly commerce for the animal feed industry. 

These goals are achieved by developing and implementing uniform and equitable laws, regulations, standards, definitions and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, distribution and sale of animal feeds - resulting in safe, effective and useful feeds by promoting uniformity amongst member agencies.

They are responsible for what info must be displayed on the label. They have nothing to do with the actual nutritional value of the products. look a little deeper in to what the ingredients actually are and what they mean. It may not be what you think. Chicken by product meal ( dried powder chicken)actually has more protein than actual whole chicken (lots of water) Your vet is their to guide you not do the research for you.


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

Ingredient-wise blue is much better but they don't disclose where they source their ingredients from so the assumption is china. Personally, I'd rather feed american by-products than Chinese "holistic" ingredients. That being said, neither one are what I'd consider a good food. I'm really big into companies that are 100% canadian or American and get their ingredients domestically. Acana and Go would probably be my top two. If you're stuck shopping at Petsmart I'd go with Wellness or Nutro Natural Choice.


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## Bumper1 (Jul 14, 2013)

NicoleIsStoked said:


> Ingredient-wise blue is much better but they don't disclose where they source their ingredients from so the assumption is china. Personally, I'd rather feed american by-products than Chinese "holistic" ingredients. That being said, neither one are what I'd consider a good food. I'm really big into companies that are 100% canadian or American and get their ingredients domestically. Acana and Go would probably be my top two. If you're stuck shopping at Petsmart I'd go with Wellness or Nutro Natural Choice.


Ingredient standards in Europe are much better than here with a few exceptions. Something that is 100% American or Canadian won't be as good as ingredients sourced from most of Europe, like Italy, France, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Serbia, Czech Republic, etc. Unless you have traveled there you wouldn't be able to comprehend this point.

Petsmart has it own house brands that are every bit as good but if that is where you shop, Pro Plan would be my pick because of quality and value.


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## Bumper1 (Jul 14, 2013)

dinobuckli said:


> AAFCO- Although AAFCO has no regulatory authority, the Association provides a forum for the membership and industry representation to achieve three main goals:
> ◾ Ensure consumer protection
> ◾ Safeguarding the health of animals and humans
> ◾ Providing a level playing field of orderly commerce for the animal feed industry.
> ...


This is not true in reality. Each state has AAFCO board members and enforces what AAFCO says at a minimum.

What they don't do very well is enforce the rules about what ingredients are permitted and what aren't.


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