# Blue Buffalo and Soft Stools......



## Tuckers Mom

Tucker's Stool is light brown and really soft. Not Diarrhea per se' but soft. I would think that after 3 weeks that his tummy would have adjusted to it by now, but Now I am thinking that he is just not tolerating it well.... I feed him Large breed adult ( he's a year old) Chicken and Brown Rice. 

Had anyone had this experience with this food? It's **** costly and if the stool quality is like this, I won't keep him on it..... What other good quality food can I put him on instead?

Thanks for any input and/or suggestions....


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## Swampcollie

Tuckers Mom said:


> Had anyone had this experience with this food?


It seems quite a few people have had that experience when feeding that kind of product.




Tuckers Mom said:


> It's **** costly and if the stool quality is like this, I won't keep him on it..... What other good quality food can I put him on instead?


You may want to look into Pro Plan or Eukanuba.

.


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## OrdinaryEllen

*Coincidence*

I buy Piper's food from a small, locally-owned pet store. I was there yesterday picking up Piper's Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural Grain Free dog food. (Kind of a long name, huh?)

The store owner is a very nice guy and he began touting the Blue Buffalo. Piper is very happy with his food presently but when he reaches full maturity, I may need to look for a lower calorie food, or my current plan, when he reaches 22 months or so, just mix in a lower calorie food with the one he likes.

These food decisions are tough. I'm always reading the nutrition thread.

I'll be interested to know if you stick with the Blue Buffalo.
:wavey:


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## Florabora22

I am aware that a lot of people on this form use Blue Buffalo and are very pleased with it. That said, I cannot tell you how many posts I've read from people saying their puppy has loose stools on BB. Flora, my dog, had terrible diarrhea on BB (as well as Solid Gold and Orijen.) And when I say terrible, I mean... like... water diarrhea. It was horrible.

I switched her over to an adult formula of Purina Pro Plan Sensitive stomach when she was 7 months, and have never looked back. Her stools firmed up immediately and she's never had diarrhea (except when I give her rich treats, which obviously has nothing to do with her food.)

My suggestion would be to take your dog off of BB for now, put him on Eukanuba/Purina Pro Plan, and when he's a bit older, if you still want to feed him BB, then try and make the transition. Oftentimes puppies just have extra sensitive tummies and can't handle the richer foods.

ETA: I would also aim for a food that doesn't contain chicken, as sometimes chicken formulas can futher exacerbate an already troubled stomach. Lamb, beef, fish, all are good proteins.


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## Enzos_Mom

Enzo did well on BB as a young pup. We switched him off of it after a sudden formula change that his tummy couldn't handle. We had a hard time finding a food that worked well for him after that. We're now feeding him Fromm's 4-star line and he is THRIVING. When I took him to the vet for a staph infection about a month ago (**** fleas), she kept commenting on how muscular he is, how clean his ears and paws were and how great his coat felt/looked. I'm not trying to tell you that Fromm is what you should be feeding. I'm just trying to show you that you shouldn't get discouraged. It can take some trial and error, but you'll eventually find what works best for your pup and that's one of the best feelings in the world!


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## tippykayak

That seems to be a pretty common problem on BB. I second SwampCollie's advice.


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## Tuckers Mom

Really? Purina Pro Plan Sensitive? What say any other's regarding this food?

Seems like such a " cheaper" food to be considered good..... then again, look at the torrid history with Iams/Eukanuba. Any other positive and or negatives on Pro Plan are welcomed as I try to make a good decision as to what to do.....

Thanks Everyone, I SO appreciate this great Forum!


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## tippykayak

Tuckers Mom said:


> Really? Purina Pro Plan Sensitive? What say any other's regarding this food?
> 
> Seems like such a " cheaper" food to be considered good..... then again, look at the torrid history with Iams/Eukanuba. Any other positive and or negatives on Pro Plan are welcomed as I try to make a good decision as to what to do.....
> 
> Thanks Everyone, I SO appreciate this great Forum!


Torrid? What do you mean?

And BB had its own mystery recall in the last few months, so more expensive isn't necessarily better or safer.


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## Adriennelane

Yeah. Dory had soft stools with it, but she doesn't handle chicken or grain well. So, we eat Blue Wilderness Duck and Blue Wilderness Salmon and have nice, firm poops twice a day. They both do great with it, and we're always getting compliments on their coat, eyes, and such. Their vet called Dory perfect at her last checkup, save the chubbiness. I've had to cut down her portions.


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## Debles

We try not to put down other people's food choices here and everyone has had problems with one food or another. it just depends on the dog.
Many have dogs that thrive on Purina and Eukanuba.
My dogs have done so well on Nature's Variety Salmon but I am the only person I know of here who feeds it. Their coats have been gorgeous and lush (and Gunner has tons of allergy issues)


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## Florabora22

Tuckers Mom said:


> Really? Purina Pro Plan Sensitive? What say any other's regarding this food?
> 
> Seems like such a " cheaper" food to be considered good..... then again, look at the torrid history with Iams/Eukanuba. Any other positive and or negatives on Pro Plan are welcomed as I try to make a good decision as to what to do.....
> 
> Thanks Everyone, I SO appreciate this great Forum!


Go ahead and try the expensive "better" foods for all I care. I did, and ended up cleaning up liquid craps several times a week. I use ProPlan because it works for my dog, not because I personally find the ingredients appetizing. If BB had worked, she would still be eating BB.


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## daisysmam

I switched Daisy from ProPlan LB to Blue Wilderness salmon on "advice" from a rep in the petstore. Her poops were soft all the time so I opted to try their LB fish and oatmeal thinking maybe some grain would firm it up. She never got diarrhea but her poop was definitely soft all the time. I tried the wilderness duck and the poop stayed soft. I now mix ProPlan sensitive skin and stomach with the blue wilderness duck (half cup of each) and she's doing great. I originally started with just a quarter cup of ProPlan and that was all it took to firm things up. Does anyone else mix 2 differentent brands of food? I am new to this forum and I've read so much my head is spinning. I find myself second guessing everything I do LOL. (Can a person get addicted to the Golden Retriever forum?)


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## Adriennelane

I'm all for finding what works for your dog(s) and your pocketbook. My dog growing up lived on Moist and Meaty patties til the ripe age of 15.


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## Tuckers Mom

Wow, Wait a second folks, NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL.... geesh. I think we all agree that we try to feed out babies the best that we can afford. I fed Frazier, my senior eukanuba for years, and Iams. Then the recall and dog death crisis, and had him on jaxmax after that. Since I have a hard time getting JaxMax, and they won't disclose their ingredients that red flagged me. When I got Tucker I researched food to death and came up with BB. I am not slamming ANYONE's food choices, nor did I intend on it sounding that way..... Lots of folks out there have very strong opinions on grains and what is in their food..... I felt that ProPlan was part of the grains being bad group, not that ANY of you feed your dogs garbage which is what you are all making me sound like..... please take your fangs out of me, and provide me some feedback on how you are feeding your dogs, That is all I am asking. Thank you!


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## tippykayak

Tuckers Mom said:


> Wow, Wait a second folks, NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL.... geesh. I think we all agree that we try to feed out babies the best that we can afford. I fed Frazier, my senior eukanuba for years, and Iams. Then the recall and dog death crisis, and had him on jaxmax after that. Since I have a hard time getting JaxMax, and they won't disclose their ingredients that red flagged me. When I got Tucker I researched food to death and came up with BB. I am not slamming ANYONE's food choices, nor did I intend on it sounding that way..... Lots of folks out there have very strong opinions on grains and what is in their food..... I felt that ProPlan was part of the grains being bad group, not that ANY of you feed your dogs garbage which is what you are all making me sound like..... please take your fangs out of me, and provide me some feedback on how you are feeding your dogs, That is all I am asking. Thank you!


It kind of did sound like a put down at first. Good to know that it wasn't.

Eukanuba and Purina ProPlan are the two brands that seem to be consistently used by highly ranked folks in conformation and dogsports. Though they're not the most expensive foods, lots of people who know what they're talking about swear by them.

There are some dogs on the forum doing really well on BB, but if you decide to try a ProPlan food, it's not really a step down in any way but cost.


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## Jamm

Debles said:


> My dogs have done so well on Nature's Variety Salmon but I am the only person I know of here who feeds it. Their coats have been gorgeous and lush (and Gunner has tons of allergy issues)


Natures Variety is SUCH a great food. I recommend it to almost everyone who comes in my store looking for a new food. If Joey wasn't already doing so great on fromm, i would 100% put him on natures variety.


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## Tuckers Mom

tippykayak said:


> It kind of did sound like a put down at first. Good to know that it wasn't.
> 
> Eukanuba and Purina ProPlan are the two brands that seem to be consistently used by highly ranked folks in conformation and dogsports. Though they're not the most expensive foods, lots of people who know what they're talking about swear by them.
> 
> There are some dogs on the forum doing really well on BB, but if you decide to try a ProPlan food, it's not really a step down in any way but cost.


 Thank you SO much for that response. This is what I am looking for. Just so you all know, it is a bit of a hardship to buy BB, especially with two dogs, even though in Frazier's senior decline, he does not eat very much anymore. I am all too happy to find an alternative that will stop the mudpies. Especially since my pup Tucker does not " go" right away, and often it happens out on our 2.5 mile daily walk. It's really tough to be a respectful and proper dog owner and blue bag poopies like that....:yuck:

Thanks again for the continuing information. It's very insightful.


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## MyBentley

A few observations: 
IMO, I wouldn't classify the BB Large Breed Adult Chicken and Rice as a "rich" food - whatever that means. It has a very average 26% protein and almost low fat at 12%.

I often hear people concerned because their dogs have soft stools on BB. It could be for a variety of reasons; but a couple of things to consider: it has fairly high fiber at 5% (more average is 2.5-3.5%) and that can cause loose stools for some dogs. Some dogs also don't seem to utilize barley or flaxseed well which both are in BB.

I would think a 3 week trial is a fair amount of time to judge if a particular kibble is going to agree with a dog in a digestive sense; although coat, skin condition, weight, etc. takes more like 3 months to show difference. With any food a dog can have loose stools if overfed even by a little bit, but that's probably not the case for you.

As far as other kibbles to try, I do rotation kibble feeding and have found a handful I'm very pleased with and continue to use. Others didn't work out as well and dropped off our list. Some I've had success with are Fromm's products, Nature's Variety, and especially the Acana line (made by Champion Pet Foods). I have a neighbor who loves the Avoderm Puppy formula (available at Petco) for her older dog. 

It's worth the time it takes to find a food that works well for your dog, fits your budget and you feel happy with feeding.


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## Tuckers Mom

Thank you MyBentley. 

Tucker is being fed 1.5 cups twice daily. He is scrawny puppy looking right now, bounces of the walls with energy, ( hence the 2.5 mile walk daily) and eats his bb like it's his last meal at each sitting. It has also changed the consistency of the stools with Frazier, although not as bad. Budget is definitely a concern for me, but more importantly, a quality food that has a sound nutrtition profile that I am comfortable feeding him long term. I think I have not found that yet. A Happy and Healthy Boy is what the end result should be, and a dog that looks forward to his meals. right? 

More research to be done I guess! I have to purchase some food this weekend, and I am perplexed as to what to buy and try. I don't want to further irriate the situation with his tummy if he's sensitive. Could it possibly get worse if I switch him again?


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## mylissyk

I've also experienced loose stools with BB. Pro Plan does well for a lot of dogs, and there are quite a few on this board that show their dogs, and are winning, who feed them Pro Plan. I think it's a decent food, and may be less expensive so easier on the budget. I use it for my foster dogs and foster puppies, they've all done well on it.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

Another option is Precise. Like Fromm, they are a family held co., never involved with a recall. They have 3 product lines.... the new holistic lines look very nice. All have grain and are what I would consider moderate foods. www.precisepet.com


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## MyBentley

Tuckers Mom said:


> Thank you MyBentley.
> 
> Tucker is being fed 1.5 cups twice daily. He is scrawny puppy looking right now, bounces of the walls with energy, ( hence the 2.5 mile walk daily) and eats his bb like it's his last meal at each sitting. It has also changed the consistency of the stools with Frazier, although not as bad. Budget is definitely a concern for me, but more importantly, a quality food that has a sound nutrtition profile that I am comfortable feeding him long term. I think I have not found that yet. A Happy and Healthy Boy is what the end result should be, and a dog that looks forward to his meals. right?
> 
> More research to be done I guess! I have to purchase some food this weekend, and I am perplexed as to what to buy and try. *I don't want to further irriate the situation with his tummy if he's sensitive*. Could it possibly get worse if I switch him again?


If you think he might have a really sensitive tummy, trying a more limited ingredient formula may help. Lots of people have had good luck with the California Natural line. They typically have one meat protein, one carb and a short list of ingredients. The puppy formulas with 26% protein and 16% fat and 466 kcal/cup hit kind of a sweet spot IMO. Eliminate Pet Food Allergies – Hypoallergenic Dog Food & Cat Food – California Natural Pet Food


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## Tuckers Mom

Thanks Again everyone. The Advice that you get on this forum is so awesome. Even though this is my 2nd Golden, I truly believe that every dog is different, with different needs. I ended up with ProPlan Sensitive. Will report back as I see changes. I WILL say that Tucker loves it.... right now mixing just a small amount with what is left of the BB. Thanks Again All. Certainly Appreciated!


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## clairer

Lola was on the weight control BB and after time her stools were soft and about 6 months ago I switched to the Wilderness Duck and her stools are perfect now. I also put her on that for more protein and less carbs and she has lost 5 pounds in the past few months. She is a big boned girl and did weigh 85 pounds now she weighs 80. She loves the BB wilderness.
Claire


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## amazingjs89

I have my 4 month old on Blue Longevity Puppy and he seems to be doing very well on it. I have been thinking about switching to Purina Pro Plan simply because BB seems so dang expensive compared to almost everything else. Seems to be tons of people who love BB and Pro Plan. I say make the switch if BB isn't doing it for you.


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