Need a new dog food urgently, Blue Buffalo Warning

[Angie]

Yes, sorry, I should add the disclaimer that I have not seen any discussions on raw . It is more expensive but once you have freezer space you can order your raw online which works out really well because you want your food frozen and it is cheaper that way and you can get organic. I have three dogs with a combined weight of about 360 pounds, currently, and use my extra refrigerator freezer in my garage to store until I can get a dedicated freezer. If you are interested I can post some sites that sell raw online. But it's great that you are at least giving them some raw treats. Any raw is better than nothing. Mine get chicken feet and skinless necks as treats and I have gullets too but have not given them yet. I don't buy grocery store meat except for the organic chicken livers. Also, green tripe is excellent for them. I have been feeding raw for over a year now and really do believe it is the best for them.

 

[Smart_Family]

Thanks for the offer but right now we literally have no room to put any raw haha. Once we move one of my stipulations is that we have room whether it be a garage, basement or what not to have a freezer so that we can do raw. Actually you know what I'd love to see some links just so I can get an idea of what's out there. The other forum I belong to has a huge raw community and I'm always so jealous that everyone has butchers and other resources locally whereas here there's literally just the grocery stores and a couple dog boutiques that have a very small selection of raw.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

I actually found raw to be cheaper. I spent about $50 to $60 a month feeding raw vs $150. Its only a pain in the summer due the flies. The only reason I don't feed anymore was because my dog lost interest in it.

 

[Smart_Family]

Raw can be cheap if you have places around you to get it from and the place to store it which I don't haha.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Well I had to travel a ways, on my way home from work I would pick up Thor's food. I agree butcher shops are hard to come by ( in my area at least)

 

[ruthcatrin]

I feed almost completely raw, they still get a little kibble because they seem to like to have a little, but they definetly prefer the raw food for the large majority of their diet.

 

[Smart_Family]

Yea there are literally none around here, it sucks

 

[Angie]

Thanks for the offer but right now we literally have no room to put any raw haha. Once we move one of my stipulations is that we have room whether it be a garage, basement or what not to have a freezer so that we can do raw. Actually you know what I'd love to see some links just so I can get an idea of what's out there. The other forum I belong to has a huge raw community and I'm always so jealous that everyone has butchers and other resources locally whereas here there's literally just the grocery stores and a couple dog boutiques that have a very small selection of raw.

So sorry for the delayed response. I have included a few links below and I am sure there are others. Also you might want to look into raw food coops in your area. I know what you mean about living in an urban setting. You would think there would be butcher shops but there aren't. I am in the LA area and fortunately there is a shop that makes their own raw pet food and have been doing so for quite some time. So we make it out there about every two weeks to stock up. There are some great hiking trails in that area so we combine our hike and food shopping. They get their meats from all over the world and its all organic. In addition to the that I add green tripe which I order online.

I do know there are those whose food costs are less on raw and that is great, I just have not been able to figure that one out I don't really want to get into grinding.

http://greentripe.com/
https://www.hare-today.com/
http://crestonvalleymeats.com/

 

[Smart_Family]

Thanks Angie! I'll check them out

 

[bullyBug]

Have you checked out Wellness core?

 

[girlstang]

I'm having a problem with Blue Buffalo large breed puppy food too. I have an 8 month English Mastiff that's 150pounds. He has loose stool all the time. I was advised to try mixing the puppy & adult. I was going to try that but still concerned...
A lot of the brands you have mentioned aren't available in NC & some have a lot of byproducts...
Help! LoL

 

[Smart_Family]

I'm having a problem with Blue Buffalo large breed puppy food too. I have an 8 month English Mastiff that's 150pounds. He has loose stool all the time. I was advised to try mixing the puppy & adult. I was going to try that but still concerned...
A lot of the brands you have mentioned aren't available in NC & some have a lot of byproducts...
Help! LoL

Where do you usually buy food?

---------- Post added at 12:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------

Also a zip/town closest to you for the purposes of locating retailers?

 

[Smart_Family]

Also a zip/town closest to you for the purposes of locating retailers?

 

[girlstang]

I usually buy at PetSmart or PetSupermarket. Natures Emporium is nearby too

 

[Smart_Family]

Well Nature's Emporium looks like they have lots of good brands including Earthborn (what I feed), Fromm, Nature's Variety Instinct, Innova, and Now!.

 

[girlstang]

Thank you so much!

 

[Smart_Family]

You're welcome. You just have to choose a formula that is appropriate for your mastiff pup. As far as Earthborn you could do the Coastal Catch, Great Plains Feast or Meadow Feast. In general you're best off with a grain free, chicken free formula with a calcium to phosphorus ratio close to 1.2:1 and the highest level of calcium should be 1.6.

 

[girlstang]

I was reading about the Earthborn & it looks like a great food. Thanks again!

 

[Smart_Family]

You're welcome! We've been feeding Earthborn for a couple months now and my dogs really like it and it's not too bad price wise either. Just make sure to do a transition from the old food to the new. Generally the transition should be 3-5 days of 75% old, 25% new, then 3-5 days of 50% old and 50% new and then 3-5 days of 25% old and 75% new before going full force on the new food. Good luck!

 

[girlstang]

When we first got him, he was on Puppy Chow. It took me 3 months to switch to Blue. I have a friend with a pit & she switched to Blue all at once! Needless to say, she had to clean the walls and carpet A LOT! Ewwwww LOL