[BJSalz]

We are just finishing the transition from Iams to Blue Buffalo. It has been just near 2 weeks but for the past few nights, I've noticed our boy's tummy bigger. I wonder if we should be cutting his food back since the ingrediants are different? We were feeding 1 cup 3 times a day. I didn't know if it was bloat or fulliness. I thought of feeding him a 3/4 cup 3 times a day instead. I'm not sure. He is 5 and a half months now.

Also, not sure if ear irritation is a sign of allergys. He has been to the vet recently for it. His ears are clean but has irritation in one ear so we're giving him drops. Would changing food cause this? I chaulked it off as water getting in his ears while playing with the hose.

Any thoughts? I'm still learning about all this so any advice or imput would be appreciated.

I know everyone has different thoughts on their food choices. I just want to make sure he is healthy and has a long life. Our last pup (mixed rescue) died just before her 2nd birthday from all sorts of health issues.

Thanks!

 

[Bock]

I doubt the fullness in her belly is from bloat, because she would more than likely be dead by now if that were the case (sorry to be blunt). At 5 1/2 months I would probably continue to feed the 1 cup 3 times a day. Does he finish it all every meal?

Irritation in one ear is usually not a sign of food allergies. Food allergies will GENERALLY affect both ears, among other places.

Stick with the Blue Buffalo for at least 4-6 weeks before making any judgements (unless you're having serious issues) as it takes that long to see any true signs of the BB being a good or bad food for you.

Goodluck

 

[BJSalz]

I have no complants with BB. His coat has gotten soft and smooth. He loves the taste and eats it all. No problems at all - so far so good.

I'm not fimilar with signs of certain allergies so that is why I asked.

I was just looking at different websites:

Blue Buffalo
Orijen
Merrick
Solid Gold
Fromm

There's alot of choices of quality brands. Hard to choose!!!

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

Compare cals to make sure you're not overfeeding. From your list, I'm a huge Fromm fan.

 

[LilTuffGirl]

I use to sell Blue Buffalo at Petsmart. Man that was a boring job....

You need to go by what the bag says to feed. Every brand is different since as you said the ingrediants are different.

BB has made their food free of most things dogs are allergic to. Granted there are some dogs that can only eat duck meat because they are allergic to every other meat... It's not all that commen though.

If your pup eats all of it's BB then i'd keep him on it! While I worked it seemed a lot of pups wouldn't eat the "good" stuff since the smaller bites of food is where all the vitimins and such are. They would go around those bits lol. Reminds me of most kids eating lucky charms...

Check the pups stool too and make sure there are no worms. Those buggers will also cause a bloated stomach. But most pups look like they have a big tummy on them.

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

I use to sell Blue Buffalo at Petsmart. Man that was a boring job....

You need to go by what the bag says to feed. Every brand is different since as you said the ingrediants are different.

BB has made their food free of most things dogs are allergic to. Granted there are some dogs that can only eat duck meat because they are allergic to every other meat... It's not all that commen though.

If your pup eats all of it's BB then i'd keep him on it! While I worked it seemed a lot of pups wouldn't eat the "good" stuff since the smaller bites of food is where all the vitimins and such are. They would go around those bits lol. Reminds me of most kids eating lucky charms...

Check the pups stool too and make sure there are no worms. Those buggers will also cause a bloated stomach. But most pups look like they have a big tummy on them.

I would go by calorie count. Most find the recommended amounts on the bag are WAY too much for goldens.

 

[Bock]

You need to go by what the bag says to feed. Every brand is different since as you said the ingrediants are different.

Going by what the bag says is not the correct way to go. Go by how the dog looks. Rule of thumb is you should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. If you happen to feed what the bag says so be it, but don't go based solely on what the bag says.

 

[Ash]

Sounds like he may be in need of more exercise as well. Are you cleaning his ears regularly? Has he been swimming or in the water? If he not finishing his meals you may be over feeding him. Although, at 5 months I have had puppies eating over 5 cups a day. He may be getting rolly on top and thats why you think he is bloated? If so cut him back on food and get him more exercise. Growing babies need good food, activity and sunshine to grow BB is a good food. I am quite fond of the canned foods and feed it often. I usually buy 6 or 7 flats when they are on sale. As Bock said try to stick with it another month and see how it goes. Two weeks is not enough time you need atleast 6 weeks.

 

[Scarletts_Daddy]

I know the blue buffalo Adult chicken and rice is 462 calories/cup It's done our Scarlett wonders. I even fed it to our fosters. Its good stuff. I will warn you though its pretty calorie dense so you might pull back on the amount fed, If you think your pup is getting fat.

 

[BJSalz]

Thanks for the replies. As for his ears, his irritation started during our last splash in the pool before shutting it down for winter so I'm pretty sure it was from water. He is fine now because of the drops from the vet.

He's no longer bloated/big. I think that particular day he had gotten too many tricks along with his food.

I have to say how much different his coat is. His hair seemed coarse and now it is soft and smooth. His eyes are clear and he looks great. I'm finishing the transition this weekend and taking my leftover old food to Adopt-a-pet on Sunday.

Does giving canned and dry food (even though from the same brand) cause diarreha? I'd love to treat him to canned food once in a while. Also, can you change the flavor from the same brand with no problems or do you have to do the transition for only a flavor change?

 

[Bock]

Thanks for the replies. As for his ears, his irritation started during our last splash in the pool before shutting it down for winter so I'm pretty sure it was from water. He is fine now because of the drops from the vet.

He's no longer bloated/big. I think that particular day he had gotten too many tricks along with his food.

I have to say how much different his coat is. His hair seemed coarse and now it is soft and smooth. His eyes are clear and he looks great. I'm finishing the transition this weekend and taking my leftover old food to Adopt-a-pet on Sunday.

Does giving canned and dry food (even though from the same brand) cause diarreha? I'd love to treat him to canned food once in a while. Also, can you change the flavor from the same brand with no problems or do you have to do the transition for only a flavor change?

Anytime you add anything new you run the risk of causing stomach problems-especially to those dogs with sensitive stomachs. Canned food is generally fairly safe though.

I would transition just to be safe. Some dogs have iron stomachs and don't need a transition at all, but some have very sensitive stomachs and even a slight formula change could cause problems. I generally make like a 1 or 2 day switch when I change out "flavors."

 

[flbellebaby]

blue buffalo??

I had my two goldens on Nutro ultra and just started tonight the switch to BB. I would love some imput on the switch and if I should. They have been on Nutro Ultra for over two years and no complants, but was told that the Bb was better for them. I just want to make sure that it is a good food for them. I don't want to give them anything that would hurt them. They are my babies. Please advise!