Blue Buffalo Gets Slammed by a **** Storm of Lawsuits
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company (Purina) aren’t the only people suing Blue Buffalo, now consumers have jumped on the litigation bandwagon, and Blue Buffalo is getting slammed by a multitude of lawsuits alleging deceptive advertising practices. The growing number of lawsuits filed against Blue Buffalo keep growing, claiming that the company falsely represented that their pet food does not contain certain ingredients – such as chicken/poultry by-product meals and corn – when it appears as if Blue Buffalo’s pet food might actually contain those ingredients.
Because of the number of class-action lawsuits involved, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation has agreed to consolidate seven false advertising class-action lawsuits filed against Blue Buffalo Co. Ltd. for misleading customers about the ingredients in its pet food. They allege that Blue Buffalo misled its customers by claiming its pet food products did not contain any chicken by-products, corn, or grain and led them to pay premium prices for the pet food. The class-action lawsuit was transferred to another court where several related lawsuits making the same allegations will be heard together.
Smoking e-mails
It is safe to assume that Blue Buffalo was aware, at some point, that their pet food did contain the vilified ingredient they based their marketing claim on, when during pretrial discovery—the process by which litigants demand internal documents and communications that could become evidence—e-mails revealed that Purina claims reinforce its allegations. In May, e-mails between a Blue Buffalo ingredient broker (Diversified Ingredients) and a major supplier (Wilbur-Ellis) suggest strongly that they did indeed sell pet food containing a by-product meal. In an e-mail to Diversified Ingredients, a broker working for Blue Buffalo, a sales manager for supplier Wilbur-Ellis wrote that it did include “some by-product meal” in shipments from a Texas plant intended for Blue Buffalo.
Realizing that the inclusion of by-product meal now has potential legal consequences, Diversified Ingredients expressed alarm to Wilbur-Ellis and a way to respond to the kibble crisis:
“I think if we work together, we can band-aid this situation,” Diversified’s Collin McAtee wrote on May 15 to Darwin Rusu of Wilbur-Ellis. Referring to a “smoking gun,” McAtee added, “If you are going to fill these contracts for any reason, then I’m going to have to go to Blue Buffalo to address the breach of contract and undoubtedly divulge the details of what was shipped and the possibility that Rosser’s material is the smoking gun for their problems. That I do not want to do. If the finger is pointed in that direction and then later verified to have been the cause, then Diversified and Wilbur will both have to answer to this in litigation with Blue. The liabilities in this could be enormous. You are talking about massive product recalls, potential market share loss, etc. That would undoubtedly be in the several million dollar ranges.”
Blue Buffalo then claimed they were duped by their supplier, by publicly revealing that contrary to prior assurances, Blue Buffalo admitted that ingredients from their supplier did contain poultry by-product meal after all — proving that the central allegations in Purina’s false advertising lawsuit against them. Despite Blue Buffalo’s admission, no mention was made about taking steps to recall the mislabeled pet foods, nor to compensate the millions of consumers that purchased the falsely labeled products.
Voodoo science
Purina claims that testing of Blue Buffalo’s pet food was conducted in a “highly sophisticated, independent lab,” while Blue Buffalo calls their testing “junk science” and claims the testing was performed with a rudimentary microscope under less than optimal conditions with questionable methods. Regardless, the results of testing and analysis reveal that, in some instances, 9 out of 10 Blue Buffalo products tested contained poultry by-product meal, even though the packaging indicated otherwise. Instead, tests indicated the products contained several signature elements of poultry by-product meal: eggshell, raw feather, and leg scale. Further, that quantities of grain were found in samples of Blue Buffalo’s pet food that were labeled “grain-free.”
To learn more about each case, click on the case information below.
- Fisher et al v. The Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd. et al, Case No. 14-cv-5937, C. D. CA.
- Teperson et al v. The Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd et al, Case No. 14-cv-1682, S. D. CA.
- Delre et al v. Blue Buffalo Co., Ltd, Case No. 14-cv-768, D. CT.
- Renna et al v. Blue Buffalo Co., Ltd., Case No. 14-cv-833, D. CT.
- Mackenzie et al v. The Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd., Inc., Case No. 14-cv-80634, S. D. FL.
- Stone et al v. Blue Buffalo Company Ltd., Case No. 14-cv-520, S. D. IL.
- Keil et al v. Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd., Case No. 14-cv-880, E. D. MO.
- Hutchison et al v. Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd., Case No. 14-cv-1070, E. D. MO.
- Andacky et al v. The Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd., Case No. 14-cv-2938, E. D. NY.
UPDATE: A number of my links to the individual lawsuits against Blue Buffalo that are pointing to Truth in Advertising (great site, BTW!) have all been consolidated into one post on their site: https://www.truthinadvertising.org/blue-buffalo-company-pet-food/.
Pet Food Safety News publishes reader-supported investigative reporting on commercial pet food, industry practices, and regulatory issues affecting consumers. It has no financial ties to pet food companies. Donations help fund the research, writing, and publishing costs behind this work and support continued reporting on transparency, accountability, and consumer protection in the pet food industry. If you value this reporting, please consider donating.
Discover more from Pet Food Safety News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
218 Comments
pit bull
So, as a vet tech I’ve seen lots of issues with diarrhea in dogs that eat blue, and I’m not a fan at all of their food, but for those of you who’ve fed it for years… If your dog or cat is doing well on it, why would you switch? I personally feed Purina Pro Plan to my dogs, and I credit that food to my dogs’ longevity (they range from 9 to almost 16 years old and they’re all large breed dogs) but really, like the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. There is nothing wrong with by products or grains. They actually hold nutritional value when fed in regulation. In the wild a dog would eat the entire chicken, he wouldn’t leave the by-products. And as far as grains go, it’s very rare for dogs too be allergic to grains. They’re allergic to the protein source like chicken, beef, lamb, duck, etc. Again, I don’t like blue’s food but thanks to the likelihood of GI upset they help keep food on the table for those of us in the veterinary field. I personally don’t recommend it but we won’t tell people to switch if the pet is doing well on it.
Anonymous
I agree with pit bull. If your dog is doing well on his food, don’t change.All I have been hearing about lately is, raw chicken, bones and all. Even vets encourage it. Think about when your parents were little. Back then the dogs and cats were given scraps, including bones. Perhaps some of these allergies are due to the water they are drinking, or the air they are breathing. Pit bull is right when dogs were wild, they ate the whole critter.
Sara
I’m disappointed to see this. I feed my own dogs and my fosters Earthborn Primitive Natural, which is grain-free. That said, I have a foster bullmastiff whose gut wasn’t doing well on much of anything. He had good skin, but soft stool. Usually that’s attributed to them changing foods rapidly as they go from home-to-shelter-to-rescue. Fecal tests negative. I tried 2 different Earthborn flavors and then tried CA Natural (which made him worse). I refuse to feed anything by Science Diet, so I cooked for him using potato as the carb. That made him formed, but not solid. I carefully read all the labels in the premium dog food aisle and decided on Blue Buffalo Freedom. Pricey? yes. However, by the second day of being on it, his poop finally was firm! He’s been doing great on that food for weeks now. I don’t know what his specific problem was, but I’m not switching again! Again – disappointed that even this food’s ingredient list isn’t reliable. So many other foods list “Bison” or “Fish” as their protein source but then down the list there is in fact still chicken or lamb. BB was the only one that didn’t. ::sigh::
Sarah
You are right about grains rarely being the cause of allergies, but they are completely unnecessary in a dog’s diet. They are in the food because they are cheap, period. And, yes, dogs eat by-products in the wild, but they are also eating MEAT. When you see chicken by-product meal on a dog food label, it means they are using ONLY the by-products – feet, beaks, feathers, etc. They are using what is left over after the meat is gone. This is in no way healthy.
My dogs are on a raw diet. They eat meat, bones, and organ meat with some organic vegetables a couple of times a week. I supplement with coconut oil and raw goat’s milk. Your dogs might do well on Blue Buffalo or Pro Plan, but think how much BETTER they could do on a diet of real food. Just because it isn’t “broke” doesn’t mean it is working at it’s full potential.
If you feed kibble – I recommend Orijen, Acana, Annamaet, or Innova EVO. There are also freeze dried and dehydrated foods like Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, and Sojo’s that are healthier than kibble, but still just as convenient.
Anonymous
Actually AAFCO defines all of these, please get your facts straight before posting erroneous information. http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food is the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially de-fatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs. It shall be suitable for use in animal feed. If it bears a name descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto.” They are only By-products because they are not preferred by humans. They are nutritionally dense and DO NOT include feathers. Also, I hope you are aware of the risks of feeding indoor pets raw. They are likely spreading salmonella and other bacteria via their saliva, fur, and feet all over your home. Major human health concern. The FDA, CDC, AVMA, and various other public health agencies recommend against feeding pets raw.
coconutkris
I bought this food under the assumption that it was one of the better dry foods out there to supplement the raw food diet I was feeding my cats (I typically use dry as a sort of filler since feeding three cats raw food can get expensive). I had previously been using Spot’s Stew grain-free dry food. The blue cat food made 2 of my cats incredibly ill. I had to take them both into the vet. They became bloated and lethargic and one cat began vomiting. I have now switched over to making them homemade food because I want to heal them from whatever the Blue food did to them. Scary!!!
J.E.Wolfe
Purina gets a taste of their own poison! The FDA has now warned them!!
http://www.dogingtonpost.com/nestle-purina-commits-significant-violations-at-pet-food-canning-plant/
Kim Russo
How do I join this and does anyone have any other food change suggestions? I’ve been buying this food for about 9 years…
Anonymous
I switched from Blue Buffalo to Orijen about 4 years ago. My dogs absolutely love Orijen. The dog food is made totally in Canada and is grain free and garbage free. A little expensive but well worth it.
Laney Grubbs
I love my vet but he doesn’t know the first thing about pet foods. I did a lot of research after my first Sheltie developed kidney disease. I love FROMM–excellent food but can be hard to find. I also feed Nature’s Variety. When we adopt out, we give a list of good foods to the adopters and ask they not feed anything they can buy at the grocery store. Petsmart has started carrying better foods but Pet Supplies Plus carries more. California Natural has a good limited ingredient food. We’ve had lots of success with their food and Natural Balance (yes, they’ve had recalls in the past) Limited Ingredient Fish and Sweet Potato. After doing research, those two lines are the only readily available foods we’ve been able to find without white potato, carrots, or fruit but with fish as the protein–a diet that helps dogs with severe skin and/or ear issues. Helps eliminate anything in the diet that feeds yeast.
Glenda
I bought a very tiny Yorkie and was told to feed him BB so I did along with a very tiny female that I already had. I had never had any problems with her and I was feeding Nutri Source and raw diet that consisted of venison and chicken that I ground myself. I was gone and my Son had just given them the BB food because he did not deal with the raw food. He left one night and came back the next morning and they were both dead in their exercise pen. I did not get them checked, but there was no reason for 2 healthy dogs under 3 years old to die especially at the same time. The only change in the way they were being treated was the fact that they were forced to eat only BB for the week that I was gone and they had both thrown up the food before they died. I knew that they would throw up when they ate dog food with corn in it, but it never occurred to me that BB would have corn since if was not listed in their ingredients. It really makes me feel guilty that it might be my fault that they died because they were forced to eat food that made them sick because of the corn that they could not tolerate. I lost 2 very loved members of our family and they were also very expensive pups being fed what we believed to be a very good dog food. Very sad situation for our whole family.
Anonymous
I am soooooo Very sorry for you! Don’t you or any family feel guilty! You did not know and bought them what you thought was a high quality one of the best food. You Go After Them! Hope you can handle the stress of it. Hope it is worth it. Remember who you are fighting for. Your babies and others! Cybe Huggs to you and yours! Jackie
Donna Molchan
I went to a Specific Formula from Blue Buffalo that our vet recommend for a cat with a very sensitive system. It was supposed to be as ‘clean’ as possible for what the vet suspected was causing the problems but they cat actually became even more ill. Knowing what the vet was looking for us for avoid, I switched to the Purina Sensitive formula… now it still had some things like corn gluten the vet wanted out but it was close to ‘clean’. It did the trick and was clean enough. Truth in labeling matters, even for pet food people. At least the big guys know from experience that they need to inspect and validate their suppliers or they could lose big.
Amy
It’s funny how most people on here say they wouldn’t trust their vets opinion when it comes to dog nutrition, yet they look to the internet to do their own ‘research’. Reading posts online isn’t research. I’m not saying that your vet will be the #1 dog nutrition expert, but they likely know more about your pet’s health and wellness than any internet site.
Sara
I would trust a vet’s opinion more if it extended beyond what prescription foods (usually Science Diet) they sold on their shelves. Those foods may be OK for the very short term, but they’re not able to sustain a dog’s weight and healthy coat over time. Plus Science Diet is the only canned food I’ve seen dogs turn their noses up at. It looks like ground erasers! If the vet has had more than the Science Diet-Sponsored nutrition class in vet school and had a more open mind about clean and nutritious options, I’d be completely inclined to listen to him in that regard!
Susan Lynn
I started to feed my little healthy female MalteseBlue Fuffalo Co Life Protection formula with LifeSource Bits with Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Small Breed Adult Formula in September 2014. She would eat the food but spit out the little LifeSource Bits. It thought what a waste of money if a lot of the food is not eaten. I kept trying other foods but kept going back to this food as she liked it and I felt it was healthy for her. She started to love the Natural & Delicious healthy kibble that I cut into 1/4’s of each piece for her. Then I tried to go back to the Blue food as I am running low on the other and I have so much left of the Blue food but she had diarrhea for two days. Back to the Natural & Delicious and she as firm poops again with energy. I want a refund of this very expensive dog kibble that I was lied about having no corn or by-products as these ingredients are not listed on the label on the bag despite the lab finding them in the food and they falsely pretend the food is so healthy. I am very upset. My tiny little Maltese needs only nutritious food. I am willing to pay more but only for healthy ingredients.
Anonymous
She is an idiot
Susan
Our dog was quite sickened by Blue Buffalo and it was from the food that was recalled. We got absolutely no compensation from them. You can read the whole sad saga here: http://thoughtsfromthebarkside.com/?p=353 Blue Buffalo obviously will try to get away with what they can. Thanks goodness, our lovely Shelby is fine.
J.E.Wolfe
Are you ABSOLUTELY sure it was from the ONLY recall they have had? That ONE recall was for too much Vit. D. October 8, 2010. The Blue Buffalo Company of Wilton, Connecticut has announced a dog food recall of certain batches of some of its popular products due to potentially toxic levels of vitamin D.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/blue-buffalo-dog-food-recall/
“While the potential of increased Vitamin D presents no serious health risk, and any negative reaction to these products has been confined to a very small segment of the canine population who appear to be sensitive to higher levels of Vitamin D, we have a zero tolerance for any product that does not meet our specifications.”
J.E.Wolfe
Vitamin D Poisoning in Dogs
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/toxicity/c_dg_vitamin_d_toxicity
Seems your dog had a bladder infection that simply happened at the same time you switched foods.
Anonymous
She is an idiot
Anonymous
Now that this byproduct “outbreak” is trending, everyone is going to find something wrong with their dogs and blame it on BB. I fed my dogs BB with no adverse effects. I switched to Wellness and then to 4Health — again with no adverse effects. My dogs are extremely healthy. I can’t feed a raw diet because one of my dogs is registered with Pet Partners and they don’t allow a raw diet, but I wouldn’t do it anyway because I don’t take that much trouble with my family’s diet. Soooo, I think it’s a shame that you all didn’t get what you paid for (whole meat protein) but your dogs are not going to die from byproducts. Lighten up, people.
Anonymous
http://bluebuffalo.com/about-us/whats-new-at-blue/nestle-purina-lawsuit-response-4/
Kim Lindsey
Anything I’ve found about dog nutrition I’ve found via research. I think the comment about asking your vet is nice, but I wouldn’t trust my GP with my own nutritional needs, so why would I trust a regular vet with my dogs. Not to say I don’t trust my Vet. With my dog’s general health because I do, but I think his training on nutrition has its limits, and I’m not buying Hills.
I would feed raw if I had better access and could get over the gross factor.
Sarah
Kim – Food Lion actually has good deals on meat a lot of the time. I buy a lot of split chicken breasts and whole chickens for my dogs there. I also really like haretoday.com, but it can get a little pricey with shipping. Best to save up and order a lot at once.
As for the gross factor, it depends on what you are feeding. If you are doing prey model – yeah, that’s gross. I know plenty of people that give whole dead carcasses to their dogs. That’s not for me. I essentially give them the same type of meats I would be preparing for my own meals, so it’s no different than making dinner to me. I use mostly chicken with one dog because it’s cheap and he does well on it. The other dog eats duck, beef, and lamb because he doesn’t do well with chicken. That one also has a hard time with bones, so we do mostly ground bone. I add ground sardines to both every few days for the fatty acids, both get coconut oil and raw goat’s milk daily for fatty acids and probiotics. They’ve done great on it and it rarely takes me more than 5 minutes to get their meals ready.
J.E.Wolfe
Who is the REAL liar?
https://www.facebook.com/doctor.karen.becker/posts/10152527201002748
izabel
I’ve been buying this brand for over 10 years. How do I join the lawsuit?
Lynn
Why is chicken byproducts bad for dogs? Foxes and coyotes that kill and eat birds eat the “byproducts” from them – the feet, a few feathers, the “innards”, etc. In fact, the pieces that are “byproducts” such as the heart, gizzard, liver, etc. contain high levels of nutrients essential to life that are not included in the muscle meat (thighs, breasts, etc.). Egg shell is an excellent source of calcium – as are ground bones. I don’t like corn, soy, or oats in my dogs’ foods because of the skin issues that can be caused by them, but other grains? Grains can provide calories for energy and fiber to aid in digestive tract health. So…I’m not sure what the issue is other than false advertising. I’m not sure that one can make the leap that the ingredients included will result in health issues for dogs, unless a dog is allergic to a particular item that isn’t listed.
That said, I feed my dogs raw chicken and a grain-free natural dog food and their treats are dehydrated pieces of chicken meat or gizzards sold for human consumption. Although, they do get an odd piece of pizza crust now and then and other “goodies” from time to time. :-) It doesn’t harm them.
J.E.Wolfe
By products, no matter the of the source is listed, are NOT good for pets! Meat MEALS are fine, but not by-products or by-product meals.
http://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_pet_food_for_your_pets_sake
Sarah
Because “chicken by product meal” means ONLY the by-products and none of the meat. A healthy diet consists of mostly meat with some organ meat and bone – not just organ meat, feathers, beaks, and feet.
Grains may not cause issues for most dogs, but they are there as fillers and nothing else. They are not a necessary part of a carnivorous animal’s diet.
False advertising is the issue. I don’t think any animals got sick, but people aren’t getting what they thought they were paying for. They trusted the company and spent the extra money to buy what they thought was a premium diet for their pets and they were lied to.
Barb H
A raw food diet is actually cheaper than buying specialty dog food – my sister feeds her two dogs raw turkey, oatmeal, kefir/yogurt and egg yolks with a few supplements and some turmeric. She also has some dehydrated food that she uses if she is in a rush. Your best bet it to consult with your vet and get a raw food diet/supplement recommendation from them and then tailor that as you see what your pet likes. If you want to use kibble, all of the folks above have good suggestions. DON’T use what your vet has in their office as many times they are not grain free and just cost more.
Becky Lohr
So upset and confused. I have 3 Rottweilers, 1 Pitt and 1 Pug. The youngest rottie (22mo) came as a rescue with severe stomach and bowel issues. After trying multiple brands we tried BB Wilderness Salmon and he has excelled. Now what?? I honestly don’t know what to do. I’m disabled and can’t do a raw diet. Help!!
Sarah
If he’s doing well on it and you’d have a hard time changing, don’t worry about it.
If you do decide to change brands, I recommend Orijen, Acana, Annamaet, or Innova EVO. The EVO herring and salmon is reasonably priced and similar to the BB food you are using (only much better quality).
J.E.Wolfe
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/07/07/purina-blue-buffalo-pet-food.aspx?x_cid=20140707_lead_facebookpets
Amber
Does anyone know how to get in on this lawsuit? I fed my cats bb for the last decade (give or take a couple years, but I know my vet has documentation of it), and they both developed kidney disease unexpectedly. I just lost one of them a week before Christmas. She was my best friend and now she’s gone. I fed them this garbage and trusted this company. How dare they make a sub par food and claim it’s so much better.
Michael Clayton
You would all do well to stop trying to figure out veterinary nutrition on your own and talk to a veterinarian about these issues. As I read the comments, I am amazed at how many people are doing their pets a huge disservice while trying hard to provide the best nutrition for them. Of course blue buffalo has been deceiving you, but so are all of the people selling you raw food, grain free, and other so called natural diets. They may not be purposefully lying, but they are misinformed regarding what is good or bad for our pets. There is a large body of literature regarding veterinary nutrition, but people who accept these ideas choose to ignore it, and claim that we are all in on a big conspiracy to get their money and kill their pets. That is not true.
Here are some resources that actually have merit for those of you that insist on reading for yourself.
http://www.acvn.org this is the American college of veterinary nutrition. These are the actual experts on this subject.
http://www.aahanet.org also has some helpful links.
Please try to open your minds and stop buying into the crazy theories comparing your dogs to wolves. They are not wolves, and they will hopefully live for much longer than a wolf. Stop listening to the craziness regarding carbohydrates. Wheat, barley, rice, potatoes, for most pets it does not make a difference. But they absolutely need carbohydrates. They also need fat and protein in the right balance. More protein is not necessarily better.
I realize that I have just wasted 15 minutes writing this because none of you will listen. These crazy ideas have become like a religion to many of you. But oh well, I tried.
Sincerely Dr. Michael Clayton, DVM.
Anonymous
Thanks! I am listening.
Ingrid Bock
Dr. Clayton, I’d have liked your post even more if you had refrained from donning a martyr’s hat for that last paragraph. I agree that many of us in the U.S. have gone pretty nuts over pet nutrition. I’ve tried to stay out of any arguments on the subject, and so far that’s working for me. I clicked on your first link above, to do my bit so that your time hadn’t been wasted. I found this sentence, which made me pause and think: ‘Your veterinarian is the best source of information regarding the appropriate diet for your specific pet.’ I think very highly of vets in general. I think very highly of my own vet. I’ve got a houseful of dogs and cats, and my vet’s statement re. pet nutrition suited me very well. I had asked him about feeding raw to one of my dogs. He said, ‘Dogs have evolved to eat a wide variety of foods and to thrive on them.’ Possibly I like that statement only because it’s what I think, myself, but I don’t believe so. I think it’s true, and I was very glad to hear him say it. But what if he’d said, like many vets do in reply to a general food question, ‘Well, this office recommends Hill’s Science Diet’? In that case, that vet is not the best source of information regarding a pet’s appropriate diet. What does that say about your link, then? Considering the financial relationships between some food companies and many vets, we would be just as foolish to have complete faith in vets’ dietary recommendations as we would be to have no faith in them at all. Until there are no financial relationships and we can have faith, what you’ll see is what you’re seeing–a bunch of people trying to find other owners they can trust, to ask for the truth about pet nutrition. I’d work on reforming from inside, unfastening those veterinary/food company relationships. Try not to take it personally, that pet owners in America are searching for themselves.
Adam
The response from your vet sounds like a carefully crafted statement so as to not lose your business. If he had told you that studies have shown no I’ll effects from feeding dogs a diet content of over 50% cooked corn, he likely would have lost your business, or at least your trust on nutritional matters… ’cause internet.
Sarah
Agreed, Ingrid. I have worked in veterinary medicine for over a decade now and I’ve worked with at least 20 different veterinarians during that time. My current vet isn’t super crazy about the idea of the raw diet, but has admitted to me that his concerns are based more in “what if’s” because he’s never actually seen any of the problems he worries about in his 25 years of practicing medicine. I do work with a holistic vet who feeds raw to her own dogs. She practices acupuncture and is certified in chinese herbs. She also isn’t afraid to use traditional western medicine to treat her patients. She has done a lot of research on nutrition (much more than any of the other vets I have worked with) and she chose to do a raw diet with her own pets. That says a lot. Most vets I have worked with seem to put very little thought into what they feed and recommend and, yes, Science Diet is often high on their list. Many claim this is because of kickbacks from the company, but it’s not. It’s just that the very few hours spent on nutrition in vet school is often taught by Hill’s and Purina.
Now, I’m not saying that feeding Dog Chow is going to kill your dog. Plenty of dogs lead long, healthy lives on crappy kibbles. Plenty of humans live to be 90 years old while chain smoking or eating junk food. It doesn’t mean it’s healthy, but it just isn’t going to affect every animal the same way. If your dog is healthy and happy and eating Ol’ Roy, great. I’m sure they’d be doing BETTER on a better food, but whatever. If your dog is having issues, though – anything from allergies to digestive issues to kidney or liver issues to joint problems – why not start with a better diet?
And to the vet that posted – do you not think I know that it is important to feed a balanced diet? I researched on my own and talked with multiple vets and experienced raw feeders before deciding to switch. I plan out meals based on meat to bone to organ meat ratio. I select vegetables based on what they can provide for my dogs and what issues they are currently having. Feeding kibble would not give me the option to add and subtract single ingredients from my dog’s diet based on their exact nutritional needs.
And it’s not a “crazy theory” that dogs are wolves. They were descended from wolves and feeding kibble wasn’t even a thing in the US until about 60 years ago. If you can explain to me how feeding something that has been cooked and processed and loaded with preservatives to the point that it can sit on a shelf for a year is healthier than feeding whole, fresh meats and vegetables, please do.
Anonymous
Hi, I did care about your info and read it. I went to the site. All the links I needed for food info for my dog were dead links. 404, Sorry not here. So thanks anyway.
Sarah
Seems like he needs to read his own links…
Marcia
Thanks, I do listen and read what I think is good for my precious Westies, one who has severe skin allergies. I spend hours looking at the dog food bags because they never seem to have the same thing or are out of it, so I have to switch. I am so careful about anything that she gets.
Mary
Thank you for your advise. I did ask my vet about a raw diet and he did not act positive about it. I don’t mind the fruits and veggies but not sure about the raw meat>
Tiffany K
Honst Kitchen – Kindly. We use the base and add in lean turkey, kefir and coconut oil. It took us a while to find the perfect combo but we’re there now. I love the ingredients compared to everything else we’ve tried. Our sweet guy just couldn’t properly digest kibble and everything made him sick. So glad for companies like The Homest Kitchen.
Sarah
Honest Kitchen and Grandma Lucy’s are great!
Stephanie
Life’s abundance has no recalls and is rated 4.5-5 stars at dog food advisor!
Have it shipped to your home
Life’sabundance.com/vonwards
Beth Thursby
Please stop feeding BB…if you’re looking for a high quality dog food produced in the U.S. with American products and a family-owned business, please check out
http://www.lifesabundance.com/beththursby
Kim Lindsey
This makes me beyond angry. We’ve been buying BB Wilderness and albeit, I know it’s not the best, but we have six dogs and I do research to ensure my dogs are eating grain free and by product free food; I guess I will start looking at my other options now. I expect crap ingredients from Purina, but we spend over $100 a month on dog food. I hope they do the right thing by their customers.
Boxer2pack
What about BB salmon dog and cat food?
Veronica Andler
I’ve had my two Aussies on blue Buffalo since they were born. My Max developed seizures two years ago. And now Maverick developed seizures two months ago. We don’t know where it came from. Talk to the breeder no other puppy from 2 separate litters or the parents have any seizure problems. People keep asking me what are you feeding them. I continue to tell everybody I feed them one of the best dog foods which costs a lot of money. Now I don’t know?? Feeling sad and helpless. Have to give them both medication twice a day and still deal with seizures. It is an awful thing to go through, would not want anyone to have to deal with this. Have spent so much money on this expensive dog food, vet bills, and medication. Don’t know what to do now??
Shelley
Blue Buffalo isn’t the best food money can buy. I think you should look up a true holistic pet food store and go there to do some research. I feed my dogs ZIgnature- it’s a limited ingrediant dog food. Fromm is a great brand also. If you want even better Evo or Orijen is a great way to go if you can’t afford raw.
Barb
EVO is owned by P&G not so great anymore
Bonnie
I’ve switvhed to Raw Instinct. He eats it all up and no more poop problems or throwing up. Met a woman in a local pet store who has researched it fully. In fact she told me several months ago not to use Blue.
deb
My dog became so I’ll on BBC that I she had bloody stool and throwing up. She now lives on brown rice boiled chicken and chicken consomme.
Barb
Our 8 wk old maremma is on bb wilderness large puppy. Is that type food involved also? she had horrible runs and we switched her to boiled chicken and rice,and the runs stopped. We started her up on the dry again and the runs are staring again.
I’m so glad I saw this posting.TY very much for the info.
Anonymous
Our 8 wk old maremma is on bb wilderness large puppy. Is that type food involved also? she had horrible runs and we switched her to boiled chicken and rice,and the runs stopped. We started her up on the dry again and the runs are staring again.
I’m so glad I saw this posting.TY very much for the info.
Dayle Connolly
I have 4 cats who were all throwing up every day when I was feeding them Friskies. Now that I am giving BB Chicken, none of them are throwing up. What to do now.
Ada of Hirscheez cattery
I have used it for my show cats they do very well with it. But to know that you are paying top dollar for something you think is of natural products is very sad.
Sharon gooch
I started feeding my puppy BB because she had stomach problems, she hasn’t had any problems since. I told my daughter to give her new puppy BB I feel really sad that BBC has lied to us. What will BB do?
Anonymous
i have never had a problem
marjoriebphotos
Very sad to think that I still cannot find a reliable high-quality dog food at my local grocery or pet store at any price. I suppose it’s like so many things, if you want it done right you simply have to do it yourself. When I got my first dog, the vet cautioned me not to feed table scraps. I do it now, though–not as the entire diet, but a small supplement. At least I know what came off my plate is fit for consumption.
Shelley
Not to sound like a jerk, but I’d never feed my pets blue buffalo. Never have. Never will. I heard awful things from the start. Pretty good theory is if you can buy it at Petsmart or a Grocery store it’s not good enough and likely is fake “grain free” ——– Try finding a holistic pet store close to you and going there. I can’t afford raw which is obviously the best choice for our pets- so we feed Zignature (made in the USA)- limited ingredient- it’s also a rotation diet. It’s GREAT! We’ve also given them Fromm Gold, which is good as well and family company owned from Canada. Evo and Orijen are wonderful brand as well :) Store like Pet people are Krisers are amazing Natural pet food stores :)
Lynda
Is there a pet food company out there you can trust anymore with your pets health any more?! When did the bottom line (profits) out way the health and well being of our animals. Why won’t a company actually step forward and be what we need the to be, it’s not as if they would lose money. Considering what we all would do for our animals, I know i would spend a great deal knowing that my pets are getting the actual best.
lenore
I feed my small dog Castor and Pollux Organix small brred kibble mixed with 1/3 of a can of different varieties of their canned food. I also add 1 1/2 teaspoon of USA made canned pumpkin puree
Cindy
Is profanity necessary.
Richard Brakebill
I tried alot of other brand of food including purina with my bassett hounds, and by far BB has provided them healthier lifestyles. Purina gave them the runs, stinky ears, oily fur, and bladder infections. Purina is butthurt that their sales suck, and the vast majority of their foods are by products. This article is half witted written and proves nothing other than it has chicken by products in it. Quit being blind sheep and look into it deeper, lets see just what by products are in kibble n bit’s
Kara
This is why I feed my shepherds a RAW diet too many foods recalled and pets being sick and worse.
barb evans
i make my own with brown rice boneless skinless chicken breast and carrots
as it takes so long for the rice to cook i throw the frozen chicken in at the start
along with the frozen carrots
Angela Brown
This is truly scary. My pittie was on the Blue Freedom for almost her first year. It wasn’t cheap either. I switched her to Orijen puppy until she was 18 months and she has been on Orijen Regional Red for the last year. She seems to be healthy and gets good checkups at vet. You try to give your pets the best even if this means you do without and something like this happens and you feel terrible.
Ronda
Now I see why my baby has had constant diarehha since he’s been on this. I’m not happy BB. IDIOTS!!!!
eileenxq
Corn is an added ingredient in most pet foods, which has sometimes been chemically treated with a substance that is lethal over time and repeated usage. I have often wondered if it wouldn’t be better to feed our animals a mixture of rice/chicken/sweet potato (or carrots), cooked and then served lukewarm. I know that my cats and dog love that mixture. Whenever there are skin or digestive problems, this mixture helps to eliminate those issues. In other words, natural food stuffs are better than chemically manufactured, repurposed, recycled, manipulated foodstuffs.
ANNE
PLEASE make sure, if you make food for cats, to be certain they’re getting TAURINE for their eyesight !!!!!! It’s supposed to be part of their diet.
Read up on what cats or dogs HAVE TO HAVE in their diets.
{ Sorry for using caps, it’s not meant as “yelling”. I’m just trying to make it noticeable for anyone who happens across this website } .
Stacy interrante
Make your own just make sure you do it right. If your not sure how just make sure you research and give a complete, natural muti vitamin. Look into small companies.
FROMM is excellent for people that don’t have or knowledge to make their own and dogs & cats typically love it. It’s a really good company & a great product.
James Malone
Not sure of your point with article. Based on the info above, it sounds like the broker and Wilbur Ellis did not share this info with Blue Buffalo. Sounds like Blue Buffalo has a case against the broker and Wilbur Ellis.
geena
Mollie I’m sure you have told us before, but I forgot. What dog and cat food do you feed your pets? Can you share this or would it possibly be a conflict?
Anne Bailey
My first & best Chihuahua died from Innova dog food!! So i switched to Blue Buffallo!!!!!! NOW WHAT??????
Judy Perry
I feed my chihuahuas Flint River Ranch. It is available via mail order and I believe they have small sample bags they sell at a very reduced rate. Never any problems.
Anonymous
It’s pet food, feed them scraps from your food, no lets sue!!! ridicules
Emily
“Ridiculous.” And table scraps give dog’s pancreatitis. Read something or talk to a vet before you give out bad and misspelled advice.
Karen
That’s the reason I switched foods in the first place knowing that there wasn’t garbage in there like most brands of dog food. Even though spending high prices, I thought my dogs were getting quality food and all along they weren’t. Give us our money back!
Peter
I agree: excellent reporting. We wouldn’t even be aware of this without your essay.
Gura Lashlee
What a bunch of scoundrels. No doubt all this will take years and years leaving only the lawyers with any satisfaction.
Good reporting.