Blue Buffalo Food vs. commerical food.?

Blue Buffalo is a good product as is Wellness.

Compare the ingredients...the differences are more than obvious from the Purina's and Iams...even the Nutro's.

They are worth every penny of the extra cost. Blue Buffalo includes what they call "Life Source Bits" and many dogs tend to skip eating those initially simply because the texture and taste is different from the kibble. After awhile though, they get used to them.

Both Blue Buffalo and Wellness do not have the by-products and grains/fillers that the commercial brands stuff their foods with (the crap). Because of that, dogs tend to have a regular elimination...not a reduced elimination. Better for your dog...not better for you. But the bottom line is, healthier for your dog.

Also, the food does not "last longer". You'll end up using the same amount you use now.

One thing to note about dog foods. Those that have no or fewer chemicals are not intended to have LONG shelf lives -- that way, the food stays fresh and healthy for your dog for an appropriate amount of time. Would you want to eat something that has been sitting around for 3 months? Why would your dog? If they don't finish the bag within a month, get a smaller bag.

I've had my dogs on Nutro and Avo-Derm and others but switched them over to Blue Buffalo quite some time ago...both adult and puppy. I'm glad I did and have no plans to change!

The best thing to do is to start the puppy out with whatever the breeder was feeding it, even if you hate the brand. This prevents stomach upsets and diarrhea. Then, when you take the puppy to the vet for a check-up within the 72 hours most states allow you (so that if the pup is ill or has serious problems you can return it for a full refund), ASK YOUR VET for some recommendations. Veterinarians have studied canine nutrition. People who write advertisements, or who work in feed stores, or who work in pet stores, or who recommend this brand or that to you online most likely have NOT. At this time, almost every brand of dog food I ever used has been recalled for some reason or another and others simply aren't made anymore. I have to hope and assume that since the recalls have ended on those brands that are still being made, that the problems have been solved. I never had a single problem with any of them. If you want to make your own puppy food, I'm sure that you can find recipes for that online or in books. If you go to a feed or pet store, you can spend as much time as you like reading the ingredients panels of sacks of dog food. Many stores offer small free samples. If you want a totally grain free dog food, you can try Abady dog food. You can find the website online and read more. Or go with the Fromm if that's what you want to do.

check dogfoodanalysis.com

Blue Buffalo is a great food. It's grain free and has no fillers. You could also try Taste of the Wild or EVO as those are awesome foods as well and may be within your price range. The food does last longer.

With Science Diet we would be paying $40 for a bag that wouldn't last very long. We pay $20 for EVO (the small bag) and it lasts us for about a month. You feed less of it because it's more filling and nutritious.

The serving for a dog like ours (50lbs) with Science diet is 4 cups a day, but with EVO it's only 2 cups a day!

And purina and commercial dog foods are equivalent to you eating a cheeseburger every day. It may taste great, but it's not good for you at all. Same with your dog food. And free feeding isn't a great idea as it can lead to weight gain. We feed our girl at 7:30 every night. It helps us to know how much she's eaten and we can time her bowel movements.

Also, when transition to a new food, do it slowly. Mix in a little of the new food with the old to prevent diarrhea and you may want to add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling, but it is usually found in the baking section) to your dog's food to help firm things up.

Hope this helps!

Blue Buffalo is a commercial dog food. It may be a better quality one than some others are, but the truth about commercial dog foods is that they oftentimes use some of the same ingredients but use different amounts and/or sometimes one food adds ingredients that the other does not. Much of the base product is the same. I believe Orijen and Acana are both Canadian foods and it is said they use top quality product and are grain free. I know they are both very expensive. You have to consider what you can afford and get the best product that a brand sells. Not all Purina or Iams foods have corn and or wheat in them. If my dogs were eating dog food, I'd likely opt for Orijen or Acana if I could afford it. If not, I'd go with a median grade food that has no artificial dyes, no wheat or corn and preferably no soy or beet pulp. Then I'd supplement that with fish oil capsules and sometimes feed some fresh meat or scrambled egg. It's important to consider what you can afford and go with the best food in that category. Also, go to this site and type in the dog food you are considering and see what their recall history is:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/R...

As far as the nutrition the dog gets, virtually no difference except Nestle has more resources to put into quality control. Any meat based food will give smaller, firmer, easier to clean up stools, but that is an advantage to you, not your dog. And you could get most of the benefit of that by moving up no further than Purina 1 or Iams. Go through what you have read about Blue Buffalo. You will find anecdotes, but no real, controlled studies supporting it.

The dog will need a little less on Blue Buffalo or other meat based food. Most dogs will eat what you give them and look for more. You need to go by a dogs ribs, not its appetite. See http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog... Keeping your dog lean will do more for its health than any expensive food.

Purina and Iams are terrible, terrible brands of food for your dog. It will be worth it to pay a few extra dollars for good food. I have not personally used Blue buffalo but have heard that it is good.

I personally use Natural Balance, for a 30lb bag the price can range from 45-55$ depending on the recipe/ingredients in the food. Venison and Benson are higher priced. For the 30lb bag it lasts my two dogs(large and medium-two to three weeks depending if they are fed the correct amount). It's worth the money, because my one dog who was fed Purina her whole life, until I got my new pup, has gotten so much healthier and has a lot of energy her coat and overall appearance has such a giant improvement.

I'm not endorsing any brand, but I have fed Purina type foods to my dogs for years and they all have lived active lives for about 15 years (one MinPin made to 18 on Iams). Is the quality and advertised benefits of the premium foods really worth twice the price?

I have to disagree with the person above about Purina and Iams being great dog foods. They are junk food for dogs. Iams is one of the WORST dog foods. I've put my dogs on many different foods and the best I've givent them is Blue Buffalo.

Blue Buffalo has several lines of food. Wilderness is grain free. Other good grain free brands are Orijen, EVO, Taste of the Wild, Canidae Grain Free and Wellness Core. Canidae Grain Free is a much better product than their grain inclusive ASL food. Canidae Grain Free is more cost effective than the other grain free brands.

Go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ to compare ingredients and learn why products such as Purina and Iams are poor quality.

Go to http://www.dogster.com/forums/Food_and_Nutrition/t... to obtain basic information on dog food ingredients.

Check www.jbpets.com and amazon.com for prices if you cannot find the food you want locally.

you should definately go for the blue buffalo if you can afford it. it uses real chicken/chicken meal (which is just chicken with the water removed), and higher quality ingredients like brown rice and oats. purina is mostly corn or other low quality ingredients that dogs just don't digest that well. it would be like you living on fritos corn chips...the poops are ginormous due to the amount you have to feed (and stinkier too). with blue buff the poops are smaller, and less smelly. hope i was helpful :)