# Blue Buffalo Wilderness linked to excess Vitamin D



## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Wow, I hope everything is ok. DVGRR uses Blue Buffalo, I just sen them the link to this article. Thanks for posting it.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Blue Buffalo has issued a voluntary recall of some products:

Blue Buffalo Recall — Vitamin D


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## Braccarius (Sep 8, 2008)

This is one of the highest rated food's you're able to buy. Thank you so much for this information! Have they indicated that it is related to any specific ingredient?


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Braccarius said:


> This is one of the highest rated food's you're able to buy. Thank you so much for this information! Have they indicated that it is related to any specific ingredient?


Yet another piece of proof that a lot of those ratings are absolute bunk.

They have no idea what caused it. Their recall statement says a supplier included more vitamin D than they were supposed to (which means the supplier is actually formulating major components of the food before it gets to Blue Buffalo's facility?), but that claim is contradicted by what the researchers initially said, which is that they weren't finding excess vitamin D in the samples of food they tested.

Blue Buffalo is well rated because their Wilderness blends conform to the philosophy of those dog food rating websites, not because of any empirical evidence that shows lots of different dogs thriving on their foods.

Look around the forum and you'll see a lot more threads about how Blue Buffalo is making dogs sick and giving them soft stools than you'll find threads raving about it.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

well said Brian.




tippykayak said:


> Yet another piece of proof that a lot of those ratings are absolute bunk.
> 
> They have no idea what caused it. Their recall statement says a supplier included more vitamin D than they were supposed to (which means the supplier is actually formulating major components of the food before it gets to Blue Buffalo's facility?), but that claim is contradicted by what the researchers initially said, which is that they weren't finding excess vitamin D in the samples of food they tested.
> 
> ...


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

There have been some recent threads about some dogs having problems and they were on Blue Buffalo. I hope these people see it and change the food.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

This scares the heck out of me, because I probably would have put my Jacks (when he was a puppy) on this kibble because of their reputation (what other dog owners have said, not rating websites). 

And Michigan is one of the states with reported problems....


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## Pete Townsend (Aug 26, 2010)

tippykayak said:


> Their recall statement says a supplier included more vitamin D than they were supposed to (which means the supplier is actually formulating major components of the food before it gets to Blue Buffalo's facility?),


What the statement said was the supplier produced a Vitamin E supplement immediately prior to producing the a component of the Blue food. Have you ever seen industrial food making facilities? They can and do use the same machines to make a variety of things. Food makers (human and dog) also blend ingredients from different suppliers to make a product. Recently I was on a beer tasting and the hops are prepared and pelletized and delivered in giant bags by an outside supplier, these hops then go into the beer being made. In the case at hand, apparently they are not supposed to produce Blue's needed ingredient right after they make whatever E supplement they make (probably unrelated to Blue food ingredients) because they said it was a scheduling error at the supplier. therefore the Vitamin E from the supplier's previous production run when they made the E supplement tainted the Blue food ingredient.

Sucks, but perfectly understandable. It was an error in scheduling. Glad they fixed it.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Braccarius said:


> This is one of the highest rated food's you're able to buy.


I agree with TK, this is a prime example illistrating that those rating sites are a total load of bunk.


Well here's a little kibble for thought.


There are a number of threads that bash Iams/Eukanuba because they're owned by the giant P&G. (The same is often said of Nestle Purina.) The popular rating sites consistently give kibble produced by P&G low ratings, yet people who's livelihoods depend on the performance of the dogs in their care feed Iams/Eukanuba/Purina products with great success. 


The Iams Company discovered a problem in one of their manufacturing facilities back in July. Their response was to rapidly get the word out and recall the products that were produced there. To date, I don't believe that any dogs got sick from due to the problem that cropped up in that facility. 


Contrast that with Blue Buffalo. The Veterinary Profession noticed a substantial number of clients with sick animals all with similar symptoms. Blue Buffalo was *oblivious* to a major problem in their products. What were the results of their long term feeding trials? Oh, that's right, they don't do long term feeding trials. They let their customers animals serve as guinea pigs for their products.


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## walexk (Nov 13, 2009)

Pete Townsend said:


> What the statement said was the supplier produced a Vitamin E supplement immediately prior to producing the a component of the Blue food. Have you ever seen industrial food making facilities? They can and do use the same machines to make a variety of things. Food makers (human and dog) also blend ingredients from different suppliers to make a product. Recently I was on a beer tasting and the hops are prepared and pelletized and delivered in giant bags by an outside supplier, these hops then go into the beer being made. In the case at hand, apparently they are not supposed to produce Blue's needed ingredient right after they make whatever E supplement they make (probably unrelated to Blue food ingredients) because they said it was a scheduling error at the supplier. therefore the Vitamin E from the supplier's previous production run when they made the E supplement tainted the Blue food ingredient.
> 
> Sucks, but perfectly understandable. It was an error in scheduling. Glad they fixed it.


I agree, Pete. It is definitely an unfortunate mistake but they have done the recall and have corrected the problem. That doesn't diminish the quality of their product. There are many, many dogs who have had great success on this product. As is with any product, if it does not work for you, you shouldn't use it. If it does, continue with the success you have experienced.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Pete Townsend said:


> What the statement said was the supplier produced a Vitamin E supplement immediately prior to producing the a component of the Blue food. Have you ever seen industrial food making facilities? They can and do use the same machines to make a variety of things. Food makers (human and dog) also blend ingredients from different suppliers to make a product. Recently I was on a beer tasting and the hops are prepared and pelletized and delivered in giant bags by an outside supplier, these hops then go into the beer being made. In the case at hand, apparently they are not supposed to produce Blue's needed ingredient right after they make whatever E supplement they make (probably unrelated to Blue food ingredients) because they said it was a scheduling error at the supplier. therefore the Vitamin E from the supplier's previous production run when they made the E supplement tainted the Blue food ingredient.
> 
> Sucks, but perfectly understandable. It was an error in scheduling. Glad they fixed it.


I believe it's Vitamin D, not E.

And, my point is simply that Blue Buffalo doesn't make the food themselves on site. Premium dog food manufacturers are often cited as free from the problems that larger companies have because they're "holistic" (as Blue Buffalo claims to be in their materials).

I think people believe that they make the dog food entirely on their own site, out of fresh ingredients and that they're really different from larger manufacturers that don't claim to be "holistic." I encourage you to check out the "Why Blue" section of their site if you think I'm exaggerating. It's like all the pretty veggies on a bag of Beneful.

The reality is evidently that ingredients are being substantially processed offsite by an unnamed 3rd party (on contaminated equipment). So how are they different than any other big dog food manufacturer?

I'm not saying they're worse, just questioning whether they're any better.

And even before this, I was noticing a ton of times on the forum where dogs simply weren't doing well on this very expensive, highly touted, well-rated (by the wrong people) food.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Swampcollie said:


> Contrast that with Blue Buffalo. The Veterinary Profession noticed a substantial number of clients with sick animals all with similar symptoms. Blue Buffalo was *oblivious* to a major problem in their products. What were the results of their long term feeding trials? Oh, that's right, they don't do long term feeding trials. They let their customers animals serve as guinea pigs for their products.


This is the heart of the issue, as far as I'm concerned.

Too many expensive foods are based on philosophies about dog nutrition rather than on hard evidence and extensive research. You pay more, and you may be getting less.

With a dozen confirmed cases of dogs sickened by their food, they finally recalled. I think the P&G salmonella recall is a nice contrast. Not one dog or person got sick before or after the recall.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I don't think the problem is limited to just the three foods they recalled either. We have 9 month old puppy I'm fostering for rescue who has had excessive water intake, diarrhea, and now vomitting. She was being fed BB Large Breed PUPPY, it's not on the recall list but fits the symptoms they stated in the letter. She's at the vet this weekend for observation and medication, I won't be feeding her the BB any longer.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

interesting comment, mylissyk. I have a schnauzer here at the pet hotel who is eating a different formulation of the food and also showing the increased thirst/urination, loss of weight. He has Cushings so the owners/vet have attributed it to the Cushings, but I have to wonder.....


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## Pete Townsend (Aug 26, 2010)

Swampcollie said:


> The Veterinary Profession noticed a substantial number of clients with sick animals all with similar symptoms. Blue Buffalo was *oblivious* to a major problem in their products. What were the results of their long term feeding trials? Oh, that's right, they don't do long term feeding trials. They let their customers animals serve as guinea pigs for their products.





tippykayak said:


> This is the heart of the issue, as far as I'm concerned.
> 
> Too many expensive foods are based on philosophies about dog nutrition rather than on hard evidence and extensive research. You pay more, and you may be getting less.
> 
> With a dozen confirmed cases of dogs sickened by their food, they finally recalled. I think the P&G salmonella recall is a nice contrast. Not one dog or person got sick before or after the recall.


Swamp, Tippy - I think you still have a misunderstanding as to what happened. The food is fine. It was tainted by an outside source. So it has nothing to do with long term feeding trials or extensive research. They KNOW too much Vitamin D is bad for dogs...it was a mistake. And unless I am mistaken, it was 12 dogs. How that possibly be considered "substantial" when there are some 77 million dogs in the US? I think it speaks volumes as to how much Blue DOES care and value their clients that they did a voluntary recall. I applaud them. Compare this response to Toyota or BP recently.

You seem to have another agenda in bashing Blue and maybe you are right and maybe you are wrong...but you shouldn't hijack the production scheduling mishap and subsequent recall to make your point.

Can I ask what food you both recommend? Thanks.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

hotel4dogs said:


> interesting comment, mylissyk. I have a schnauzer here at the pet hotel who is eating a different formulation of the food and also showing the increased thirst/urination, loss of weight. He has Cushings so the owners/vet have attributed it to the Cushings, but I have to wonder.....


I wasn't the one that put the pup on BB, the first foster home she was in did and she came to me shortly after with the food. I decided months ago I didn't like all the reports from people here on the board about BB giving their dogs or puppies diarrhea, so I won't use it. Not to mention that over a year ago my son tried it with his dog and the dog had diarrhea from it.

If you can, it might be a good idea to mention to the Schnauzer's owners there is a recall and the multiple people here that have had trouble with it. I hope he does ok.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

It may have been 12 dogs reported to the company but how many dogs were not reported but are now sick. Not everyone has taken their dog to the vet. Some people will stop the food and put thier dog on hamburger & rice and maybe switch food or slowly start the food again. Never going to the vet or contacting the company. 
I dont like that the company doesnt test the food. I know when Natural Balance had that big problem several years ago, they now do testing all the time on their food and that is how they have found a problem with salmonella and did a voluntary recall. And that was done before dogs got sick. My Beau was one of the dogs that got sick on the original recall and they offered to pay for any vet bills he might have gotten from it. But he didnt get any because I stopped the food and he was fine. So I still trust the company.


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## Rhapsody in Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

walexk said:


> I agree, Pete. It is definitely an unfortunate mistake but they have done the recall and have corrected the problem. That doesn't diminish the quality of their product. There are many, many dogs who have had great success on this product. As is with any product, if it does not work for you, you shouldn't use it. If it does, continue with the success you have experienced.


 
I agree. My three goldens have done very well on Blue Wilderness. They have had very good health (ages 4,3 and 2) and no upset stomachs whatsoever with this brand. I am not going to get into the politics of this; however, I will say from personal experience that their coats are beautiful and they are satisifed after eating it. We initially tried Innova and Fromms - those were good, as well. I did my own research and was advised by my trainer to check-out these products. She has an excellent background and has mentored me - particularly in nutrition. I feel comfortable with Blue - and yes, it is more expensive but that never influenced me one way or the other.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Pete Townsend said:


> Swamp, Tippy - I think you still have a misunderstanding as to what happened. The food is fine. It was tainted by an outside source. So it has nothing to do with long term feeding trials or extensive research. They KNOW too much Vitamin D is bad for dogs...it was a mistake. And unless I am mistaken, it was 12 dogs. How that possibly be considered "substantial" when there are some 77 million dogs in the US? I think it speaks volumes as to how much Blue DOES care and value their clients that they did a voluntary recall. I applaud them. Compare this response to Toyota or BP recently.
> 
> You seem to have another agenda in bashing Blue and maybe you are right and maybe you are wrong...but you shouldn't hijack the production scheduling mishap and subsequent recall to make your point.
> 
> Can I ask what food you both recommend? Thanks.


There's no misunderstanding. I just don't buy BB's explanation entirely because it contradicts what researchers initially found. They were unable to find any more vitamin D than normal in all the food samples they tested. That directly contradicts BB's claims. If all you read is the press release, then you might think we were confused. If you read about this issue from the beginning, you'd find some holes in the press release.

Also, I don't think it was a quick recall because the pattern was noticed days and days before the recall was made. Instead, they waited until well after the pattern was noticed and then blamed it on a supplier.

12 dogs have confirmed hypercalcemia and vitamin D toxicosis. Those things are very hard to diagnose or connect to the food. You can imagine that many, many more dogs may have some level of issues that are either below the threshold of a vet visit or that aren't being diagnosed properly.

And it wasn't tainted by some random "outside" source. Even if what BB is saying is 100% true, it was tainted by their supplier, which means that their quality control and food testing is inadequate. And their supplier's practices are really, really awful, if so much vitamin D residue could get into the unnamed mystery ingredient just because the equipment was used in the wrong order? Do they not clean it off?

The reason I'm going after them is nothing personal. I don't make or sell dog food and don't profit in any way when people choose the kinds of food I think are best (beyond the happiness of knowing dogs are healthy). I just think it's important for people to realize that when a company calls itself "holistic" or is highly rated by these ridiculous dog food websites, it doesn't make that company any different from the routinely reviled big companies (P&G/Iams, Nestle/Purina, Diamond, etc.).

I recommend Eukanuba LBP for GR puppies, and I feed Eukanuba Premium Performance to my dogs. I don't recommend the PP for all adult dogs since it could cause weight gain in dogs that aren't very active. However, I think there are many other kinds of food that are just as good as Eukanuba, so I don't recommend their particular foods so much as I recommend sound, evidence-based approaches to dog nutrition.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

mylissyk said:


> I wasn't the one that put the pup on BB, the first foster home she was in did and she came to me shortly after with the food. I decided months ago I didn't like all the reports from people here on the board about BB giving their dogs or puppies diarrhea, so I won't use it. Not to mention that over a year ago my son tried it with his dog and the dog had diarrhea from it.
> 
> If you can, it might be a good idea to mention to the Schnauzer's owners there is a recall and the multiple people here that have had trouble with it. I hope he does ok.


If the dogs are showing any signs of hypercalcemia or vitamin D toxicosis (like excessive water drinking), I'd switch them in a heartbeat. They'd probably recover very quickly if it really was the food. No dogs have died, and long term damage wouldn't be caused quickly.


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## Rhapsody in Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I would also like to point out that those who seem to have problems with Blue, or any other food, are having problems because they are not patient with the transition. They see loose stools, and they switch to something else, and then that doesn't work and they try another product. Every time I read a complaint like that I just shake my head. I don't think there have been any reports of serious illness from Blue here. It always disturbs me when someone bashes a brand or a breeder when the problems they are having are often from a lack of knowledge and/or experience - but those people seem to be the most vocal. Its just unfortunate and I can't pay attention to it - I'll take responsibility for my own learning when it comes to my pup's nutrition, thank you.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Marty's Mom said:


> I would also like to point out that those who seem to have problems with Blue, or any other food, are having problems because they not patient with the transition. They see loose stools, and they switch to something else, and then that doesn't work and they try another product. Every time I read a complaint like that I just shake my head. I don't think there have been any reports of serious illness from Blue here. It always disturbs me when someone bashes a brand or a breeder when the problems they are having are often from a lack of knowledge and/or experience - but those people seem to be the most vocal. Its just unfortunate and I can't pay attention to it - I'll take responsibility for my own learning when it comes to my pup's nutrition, thank you.


That's hardly a fair accusation against everyone who ever had trouble with BB foods. There are plenty of people, and you'd know this if you had gone back to read their stories, that switched very, very slowly and gave the food a long, long time to settle, and never had any luck.

It depends on your definition of serious illness, because there are multiple people in this thread and elsewhere whose dogs did not thrive on the food.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who fit the bill you've described and gave up on the food too early. And there are plenty of dogs that thrive on Blue Buffalo; I've read a couple of those threads too.

My main point is simply that this food isn't substantively different from any other rich food. The world "holistic," as I've long contended, is meaningless when applied to dog food, and BB has not acquitted itself particularly well here. In the short term, I'd have significant concerns if I were feeding my dog BB, and I'd check the recall carefully and keep an eye out for symptoms.


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## Rhapsody in Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I can only speak from my experience. I have three very healthy dogs here. The oldest was on Purina as a pup. He was underweight and I sought nutritional counseling. His coat was like straw. He did not have a healthy start. 

The difference with brands such as Innova, Fromms, Blue, and a few others, was impressive. It made a difference for him.

And I am not discounting anyone's claim of having problems with Blue - but I don't recall anyone reporting signs of hypercalcemia or vitamin D toxicosis. There is a big difference between loose stools from flip flopping between brands and these other illnesses, which I consider serious.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Marty's Mom said:


> I can only speak from my experience. I have three very healthy dogs here. The oldest was on Purina as a pup. He was underweight and I sought nutritional counseling. His coat was like straw. He did not have a healthy start.


And please don't take my questions about the company as anything against the folks who feed their dogs BB. Anytime a dog thrives, I'm happy. If my dog was thriving on BB, I wouldn't change away because of the recall. I'd keep an eye out for signs of trouble, but since the problems are easy to see if know what you're looking for and not dangerous if caught early, I wouldn't be terribly worried (just as I wasn't when some blends of Eukanuba were recalled).



Marty's Mom said:


> The difference with brands such as Innova, Fromms, Blue, and a few others, was impressive. It made a difference for him.


I guess I'm just skeptical that there's that big a difference when potato is used for starch instead of a grain and chicken muscle meat is given a higher proportion than organ meat. And I certainly don't think "holistic" means anything when a kibble maker uses it.



Marty's Mom said:


> And I am not discounting anyone's claim of having problems with Blue - but I don't recall anyone reporting signs of hypercalcemia or vitamin D toxicosis. There is a big difference between loose stools from flip flopping between brands and these other illnesses, which I consider serious.


mylissyk and hotel4dogs both mentioned examples of dogs on BB showing signs of what could be those conditions. It takes very extensive vet care to diagnose definitively, but those symptoms would have me concerned.


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## Rhapsody in Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> And please don't take my questions about the company as anything against the folks who feed their dogs BB. Anytime a dog thrives, I'm happy. If my dog was thriving on BB, I wouldn't change away because of the recall. I'd keep an eye out for signs of trouble, but since the problems are easy to see if know what you're looking for and not dangerous if caught early, I wouldn't be terribly worried (just as I wasn't when some blends of Eukanuba were recalled).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I agree with everything you're saying TippyKayak. As always, I will pay close attention. I don't believe anything a public relations office puts out - or well, any agency for that matter. If we want to get to the truth, we're going to have to talk to the people they won't let us talk to. Those are the people who really know. The best we can do is observe our own dogs, take them in for wellness check-ups, do our own research with the issues that come out, and share what we know, think or feel with others (like we do here.) 

You are wise . . . and what you say matters . . . I will watch closely.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

Marty's Mom said:


> I would also like to point out that those who seem to have problems with Blue, or any other food, are having problems because they are not patient with the transition. They see loose stools, and they switch to something else, and then that doesn't work and they try another product. Every time I read a complaint like that I just shake my head. I don't think there have been any reports of serious illness from Blue here. It always disturbs me when someone bashes a brand or a breeder when the problems they are having are often from a lack of knowledge and/or experience - but those people seem to be the most vocal. Its just unfortunate and I can't pay attention to it - I'll take responsibility for my own learning when it comes to my pup's nutrition, thank you.



I had Enzo on Blue Buffalo for a LONG time. The transition from Eukanuba to BB was a very slow one. He did well on it for awhile, then all of a sudden it was giving him constant diarrhea. The next time I went to buy a bag, it had on the label that it was a "new enhanced formula". When I called BB, they said that the bag previous had likely been the new formula and that they used up the old bags before getting new ones. That in itself was enough to make me switch. I feel that if a brand is going to change their formula, they need to let owners know ahead of time so that the transition can be done carefully. Sometimes it's not because someone isn't being patient with the transition. Sometimes, it's because they're given no other choice.


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## Rhapsody in Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

How frustrating that must have been for you. I haven't had the same experience - but I know it could happen. Thats why I read labels - I smell things - I look at the condition of the bag and the date - oh, I'm very annoying. Its good you probed for answers - gosh, we have to be proactive about everything : )


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## walexk (Nov 13, 2009)

I certainly would have stayed on Eukanuba if they were not having the current supply shortage until spring. I have had Gable on Blue for a week and a half and have been doing the slow transition. I have had no problem with him. I agree Marty's Mom that transition is an important part of new foods. And it regards to the Vitamin D issue, they said that as soon as the dogs transitioned to another food, the problem cleared up. I am not discounting that Blue made a terrible error but they have identified it, recalled the food and are moving on. It is the public's decision whether to remain with them or move on.


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Shoot, Finn is on BB Basic Salmon for suspected food allergies. I need to go and check the dates.
Alright, just checked and our bag wasn't on the recall. Neither was previous bag. I've noticed that Finn Drinks a lot, but I believe he had prior to BB anyway. It also seems to be after he has had his kong.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Marty's Mom said:


> You are wise . . .


I agree with you on everything but this part.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

FinnTastic said:


> Shoot, Finn is on BB Basic Salmon for suspected food allergies. I need to go and check the dates.
> Alright, just checked and our bag wasn't on the recall. Neither was previous bag. I've noticed that Finn Drinks a lot, but I believe he had prior to BB anyway. It also seems to be after he has had his kong.


If it's just one bout of water drinking after the kong, I'd assume it was the salt in the kong filling.


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## Pete Townsend (Aug 26, 2010)

tippykayak said:


> The reason I'm going after them is nothing personal. I don't make or sell dog food and don't profit in any way when people choose the kinds of food I think are best (beyond the happiness of knowing dogs are healthy). I just think it's important for people to realize that when a company calls itself "holistic" or is highly rated by these ridiculous dog food websites, it doesn't make that company any different from the routinely reviled big companies (P&G/Iams, Nestle/Purina, Diamond, etc.).
> 
> I recommend Eukanuba LBP for GR puppies, and I feed Eukanuba Premium Performance to my dogs. I don't recommend the PP for all adult dogs since it could cause weight gain in dogs that aren't very active. However, I think there are many other kinds of food that are just as good as Eukanuba, so I don't recommend their particular foods so much as I recommend sound, evidence-based approaches to dog nutrition.


Fair enough Tippy. I've never been one to believe marketing hype either, I just want my dog to be happy and healthy! That said, I do believe Blue is different than say, Purina. People have a lot of views on this I am learning....I know a guy who makes wet dog food totally fresh...comes in wrappers like Jones sausages and lasts only 3 or 4 days...unless you freeze it...and you therefore have to rotate stock from freezer to fridge (unless you buy it every 3 days I guess) and he swears it is the only way to go. He's quite evangelical about it..says dry dog food was created for convienence only and isn't in the best interest of dogs. I said "well my vet says..." and he says "Vets are the worst! most of them push whatever food the sales reps from the various companies foist on them". I know nothing about this and I am sure there are many great vets who don't do this. But there you go....some are skeptical of companies touting "holistic" others are skeptical of vets recommendations etc . etc. I am sure his food is great...but who has the time to do all that with freezing and rotating stock? We have 5 kids to feed also! In the end you gotta do your own research and most importantly look at your dog! Is she healthy? Is she the right weight I saw your comments on weight in another thread and that was wonderful information (about life span correlations with weight).


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I was another puppy owner who tried BB because I heard good things about it. Unfortunately, my puppy had severe colitis for the 3 months she was on it. Did I not transition her slowly enough? I think I did. I just don't think her stomach tolerated it well enough. And even though diarrhea isn't a "serious issue," cleaning up liquid diarrhea from your carpets several times a week is not very fun! :

That's not saying that the food is bad, it's simply saying that the food did not agree with my dog. She does better on Purina Pro Plan, and so that's what she eats.

Feed your dog what it thrives on, be it Puppy Chow (like the woman I met last week whose golden lived for 18 years) or a raw diet. If it works, it's the best food for your dog.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Pete Townsend said:


> Fair enough Tippy. I've never been one to believe marketing hype either, I just want my dog to be happy and healthy! That said, I do believe Blue is different than say, Purina. People have a lot of views on this I am learning....I know a guy who makes wet dog food totally fresh...comes in wrappers like Jones sausages and lasts only 3 or 4 days...unless you freeze it...and you therefore have to rotate stock from freezer to fridge (unless you buy it every 3 days I guess) and he swears it is the only way to go. He's quite evangelical about it..says dry dog food was created for convienence only and isn't in the best interest of dogs. I said "well my vet says..." and he says "Vets are the worst! most of them push whatever food the sales reps from the various companies foist on them". I know nothing about this and I am sure there are many great vets who don't do this. But there you go....some are skeptical of companies touting "holistic" others are skeptical of vets recommendations etc . etc. I am sure his food is great...but who has the time to do all that with freezing and rotating stock? We have 5 kids to feed also! In the end you gotta do your own research and most importantly look at your dog! Is she healthy? Is she the right weight I saw your comments on weight in another thread and that was wonderful information (about life span correlations with weight).


I think vets get a bad rap. I've never met a vet who hocked a particular brand. My vets have typically gone in for evidence-based nutrition, but they haven't been more specific than making sure it's AAFCO approved food. My current vet thought LBP foods were important for GRs because she's seen some growth-related issues, but she said healthy weight was more important than anything else.

She did give me a big "you're not going to feed raw, right?" speech, but that was her only really specific comment on something to avoid (she says as an ER vet, she's seen too many obstructions from raw bones and too many salmonella and E. coli cases among raw feeders). I think I could probably deal with the handling and the freezing/thawing schedule of raw, but I was very convinced by her experience and by what I've read from the Tufts vet school profs.


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## uscgirl (Apr 19, 2010)

Sonny had been on BB since we got from the rescue in late spring. We switched him to the Life Protection kibble by accident, but he did so well on it (firm stools,beautiful coat) that we kept buying it. He started having diarrhea after the last bag we purchased in Aug. We thought he had picked up a parasite or infection, and took him off the BB, put him rice and chicken for a week while he was on flagyl. He had improvement, so we gradually started him back on the BB. Again, he started having loose stools, and so i took a sample in to be analyzed , and it was neg. So we started putting 2 and 2 together and our dogwalker told us about the recall. I checked the "used by" date and it was not a bag listed for the recall.... but I know that the food was making him sick.... he was drinking 4 bowls of water a day! we just attributed it to the diarrhea, even though he has had diarrhea before and never drank that much. I am suprised that my vet wasn't alert to it.... I am sure that if we had had blood drawn to test for it would have been positive to high levels of vit D. Poor guy... I feel so bad that it took us so long to figure it out. I returned to BB to the store and they gave us a total refund. But I am going to call BB tomorrow and report this bag. We started him on another food and he is doing fine, no loose stools at all. I don't know what to think that a ly high quality product doesn't have better quality controls. I am sure that they won't reimburse me for the vet bills because the bag we had wasn't on the recall list, even though we know that it was tainted. Vit D is a fat soluble vitamin that stays in the system for longer than the other water soluble vitamins, and therefore takes longer to develop symptoms, and longer for the body to metabolize it out of the system. What's scary is that he could have damaged his kidneys if he was extra sensitive.... and what vet randomly tests for vit.D? Sorry so long.... just upset about it.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I've tried several foods for my goldens, mainly worrying about cancer prevention. On Canidae, they had mild anemia on their CBCs which corrected after 6 months back on Eukanuba Premium Performance. With Eagle Pack, before Wellpet bought it, it was too hard to keep weight on the dogs. Innova is great, but Fromm 4 Star gave us dry coats. Paw NatureRaw did not agree well with tummies. In the end, I am staying with Eukanuba Premium Performance because of the glossy coats and perfect CBCs, the excellent muscle/weight, the years of live feeding trials, and the hope that bc all the breeders/vets who use it expect the best, the company will prioritize its safety. I do sneak them Honest Kitchen sometimes as a topping and use lots of real food for treats like chicken breast. They are insane with joy over the new Honest Kitchen food "Zeal". My golden Joplin lived well into his 15th year eating Eukanuba, so that makes me a little biased in its favor.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

just a little update, the dog I had here on the blue buffalo formula that was NOT on the recall list, who drank a lot etc., was taken off the food.
He has improved dramatically. (he's on a homecooked diet for now)
FWIW


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> just a little update, the dog I had here on the blue buffalo formula that was NOT on the recall list, who drank a lot etc., was taken off the food.
> He has improved dramatically. (he's on a homecooked diet for now)
> FWIW


Oh, that's scary as hell. Doesn't prove anything, but boy does it make you think.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

uscgirl said:


> Sonny had been on BB since we got from the rescue in late spring. We switched him to the Life Protection kibble by accident, but he did so well on it (firm stools,beautiful coat) that we kept buying it. He started having diarrhea after the last bag we purchased in Aug. We thought he had picked up a parasite or infection, and took him off the BB, put him rice and chicken for a week while he was on flagyl. He had improvement, so we gradually started him back on the BB. Again, he started having loose stools, and so i took a sample in to be analyzed , and it was neg. So we started putting 2 and 2 together and our dogwalker told us about the recall. I checked the "used by" date and it was not a bag listed for the recall.... but I know that the food was making him sick.... he was drinking 4 bowls of water a day! we just attributed it to the diarrhea, even though he has had diarrhea before and never drank that much. I am suprised that my vet wasn't alert to it.... I am sure that if we had had blood drawn to test for it would have been positive to high levels of vit D. Poor guy... I feel so bad that it took us so long to figure it out. I returned to BB to the store and they gave us a total refund. But I am going to call BB tomorrow and report this bag. We started him on another food and he is doing fine, no loose stools at all. I don't know what to think that a ly high quality product doesn't have better quality controls. I am sure that they won't reimburse me for the vet bills because the bag we had wasn't on the recall list, even though we know that it was tainted. Vit D is a fat soluble vitamin that stays in the system for longer than the other water soluble vitamins, and therefore takes longer to develop symptoms, and longer for the body to metabolize it out of the system. What's scary is that he could have damaged his kidneys if he was extra sensitive.... and what vet randomly tests for vit.D? Sorry so long.... just upset about it.


When vets were first figuring this out, every dog they switched off of it recovered completely within a couple of weeks. I'm sure that will be the case for your boy.


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