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Purina vs Blue Fight Continues

Purina has produced their test results on Blue Buffalo pet food. Blue Buffalo has hired their own expert to refute it. The Pet Food Fight continues.

Chewie from Oregon

Purina has produced their test results on Blue Buffalo pet food. Blue Buffalo has hired their own expert to refute it. The Pet Food Fight continues.

Purina hired their expert – James V. Makowski Ph.D. in February 2014. Dr. Makowski charges $250.00 an hour.

Not to be outdone, Blue Buffalo hired their expert Vinayak P. Dravid, Ph.D to refute Dr. Makowski’s findings. Dr. Dravid charges $300.00 an hour.

Purina’s Dr. Makowski provided his “Curriculum Vitae” – 8 pages in length.
Blue Buffalo raised with Dr. Dravid’s “Curriculum Vitae” at a whopping 66 pages.

Purina’s Dr. Makowski stated he was hired by Nestle Purina to analyze several Purina pet foods and several Blue Buffalo Pet Foods, but he “was not provided with any reasons, hypotheses, expectations, suspicions, or goals associated with my analysis.”

Blue Buffalos Dr. Dravid knew exactly why he was hired, “to provide a preliminary opinion about the scientific adequacy and reliability of the conclusions set forth in the Expert Report of James V. Makowski…”

Purina’s expert provided detailed explanation of his testing procedures and findings. Dr. Makowski stated he found “small fragments of egg shell, raw feather and leg scale” – which would indicate by-products.

Blue Buffalo’s expert seems to tear down every aspect of Purina’s report calling Purina’s science “rudimentary”, “inappropriate methodology” and found that Purina’s expert lab is actually located in a residence.

Even if you don’t speak ‘science’ (I don’t speak science) – when you read Purina’s report and Blue Buffalo’s rebuttal, it appears Blue Buffalo’s expert has the upper hand. Did Purina base a massive lawsuit on this evidence alone? Or do they have more cards up their sleeve they are not disclosing yet?

These two companies are dueling for market share. What a shame they aren’t fighting to see who can feed more shelter pets – or who can use the highest quality ingredients in their pet foods. Nope – this fight is simply about money. That’s the real crime.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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23 Comments

23 Comments

  1. Dr. Joyce Miller

    September 23, 2014 at 10:27 am

    Best to feed a healthy diet of raw meats purchased from the same places we buy meats for ourselves. Dogs love it; dogs thrive; and they live long long lives, some going to 20 years, larger dogs going to 15 years.

    • Dr. Joyce Miller

      September 23, 2014 at 10:28 am

      Oops, meant to say that they need human grade meats and they also need bone in their food.

    • Rebecca

      October 2, 2014 at 7:15 am

      I am feeding my two kids, more and more, just home-cooked or raw foods. They get a little from some companies I found from Susan’s “LIST” but that’s more when I’m in a hurry. This ridiculous bickering between these two companies is crap. Susan’s right……they should be arguing over who helps more of the homeless out or something like that.

  2. CV

    September 23, 2014 at 11:36 am

    I don’t think it’s fair to vilify Blue just yet. They’ve been attacked by one of if not the largest companies producing pet food. What are they supposed to do? Ignore it? Roll over and take it?

    I’ve been following the suit with interest, and in certainly no Blue fan, due in part to personal experience. If information proving Blue has been lying comes to light, I am ready and set to tear them down. Until then, I’m not gong to throw them under the bus for taking reasonable steps to protect their company against a petty, lying monolith like Nestle.

    • Susan Thixton

      September 23, 2014 at 11:44 am

      I’m honestly not taking sides. Blue had to know this (or something similar) was coming with two different issues of their advertising from the decisions of the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division. This battle has been going on for years. They could have stopped their advertising claims, but they didn’t. To me, many are guilty of false advertising. And it’s regulatory authorities – State and Federal – that have had the authority to stop it, but didn’t.

  3. Jane Alexander

    September 23, 2014 at 12:32 pm

    I feed my dog Blue Buffalo and I know the owners. I truly hope Purina’s allegations prove to be false. Blue Buffalo is a big supporter of our local animal shelter. They are also a supporter of the Petsmart Rescue Wagon. They are do owners and love them like family.

  4. Jane Alexander

    September 23, 2014 at 12:33 pm

    I meant to write dog owners.

  5. Jan Beardsley-Blanco

    September 23, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    well the option is clear for my crew of kitties – they all bury Blue Buffalo………it oftimes smells funny coming out of the can
    mine do very well on the classic/pate Purina varieties.

    • Pamala Hall

      September 24, 2014 at 12:35 am

      Jan, you know how kids love potato chips & candy? Well that’s what the crappy canned foods are to animals – junk food! You don’t let your kids eat potato chips & candy for every meal do you? So why would you let your animals? I am not advocating for BB, I’m just saying that there ARE plenty of good foods available that aren’t crap. “The War” isn’t just between Purina & BB, it’s between ALL brands & it’s our responsibility to do our own research & LEARN what is best for our animals. There are at least 25 brands that don’t lower themselves to the shelves of Petco, Petsmart, Walmart, Target or grocery stores but you can find them at small, quality pet food stores & the employees can usually tell you everything you need to know about each brand ie where they get their ingredients, where it’s processed, etc. One that I like & my dogs love is http://www.nutrisourcepetfoods.com/ so to anyone who reads this, please do your pets right & do some research & provide them with the appropriate type of food for them & the best quality you can manage. 😉

  6. BC

    September 23, 2014 at 12:57 pm

    I agree with Susan- I would much rather Purina and Blue put the money for this law suit into better quality food.

    I have had many really bad experiences with Purina food. I have had less bad experiences with Blue – probably because when I finally had had enough with Purina Blue was a good non- grain choice.

    However when I did have problems with Blue their customer service was awful. Purina has customer service politeness and appropriat response down to a science. That said I don’t believe for one moment they did anything about my reports or sampling return for testing.

    I also do not find Blue Rescue Friendly. Purina is.

  7. BC

    September 23, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    Oh and I use 20 bags of wilderness Blue a week- so it’s not like we don’t spend a ton on their product. You would think a coupon or two here and there would show appreciation. When I tried to sign up as a non-profit Blue was difficult and frankly UN-inviting.

  8. Jo

    September 23, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    I have 2 BIG issues with Blue: 1) They refuse to provide nutrient info on a dry matter basis. This is what many if not most veterinarians require to determine if a food is appropriate for feeding any given pet. Guaranteed analysis data is useless. Blue CS reps will actually argue with you and question why dry matter info is so important! REALLY? And you’re in the pet food biz? It convinced me that they have much to hide! 2) The pate food inside the last several cans of Blue cat food I opened was COVERED in bone fragments! It was shocking to see! It was a real eye opener to just how much excessive ingredients were being used as filler to bring down the cost of their food. It actually made me want to ship one of the cans to Purina for analysis as part of their lawsuit against Blue (not that I’m pulling for Purina to win)!

  9. Gitta

    September 23, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    I think we all could be the winners here. I do not really trust any company (pet or human food) 100%.

    No matters which side can prove they are right – we consumers can benefit. None of us has the financial means to take on a large or even a smaller pet food company.

    If Purina loses – the world will know about it and other similar companies will think twice if they want to use that approach to squash the competition.

    If Blue loses – the world will know about it. It will force everybody to embrace transparency. It will make it clear to us consumers, that we can’t trust anybody but must insist on PROOF.

    Aside from motif – aside from the outcome – we all benefit. We just need to sit and wait and not assume anything.

  10. Bugg

    September 23, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    I fed my cat BB (the wilderness and Freedom varieties) for several years and she kept picking through each kibble… literally turning up her nose at at least half of which got to be rather costly. I thought it was her finickiness and odd ways because she had been a junkyard feral cat for the first six months of her life. I figured she wasn’t used to eating from dishes. Also, fhe fact that she had allergies that without extensive testing, we can only speculate and rule out, led me to reconsider her food after ruling out litter varieties. At someone’s recommendation, I tried Fromm (am not promoting this, btw) and Fromm was the first dry food she ate from the dish kibble for kibble. She inhaled it. Point being with all due respect to BB, I am not so sure I trust them based on the experience with my cat now that I know it isn’t her idiosyncrasies. I am reaching a point of cooking for her after all of this. I must confess, I really hope this is blown wide open and the truth eventually revealed across all pet food brands. Maybe what is occurring is a good thing and the truth will prevail. At least that is what I hope.

    • Whitey

      September 26, 2014 at 10:12 pm

      I work at a holistic pet foods store and picking through BB is not uncommon. Fromm is a great food though, I’m glad you’re having luck with it. That being said, I can not wait to see these findings.

  11. Wolf

    September 23, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    Susan is right – this is all about money, and I don’t believe either party is in it for the honorable reasons of disclosing quality issues. Big Pet Food lies, and we have evidence of this time and time again. This fight between the two companies is shameful in all its aspects…neither one of them can be defended. Purina’s blaming and accusing does not mean their own food is safe or healthy. And if BB really is not lying, and is a quality food, they would be able to prove this and take the high road without this kind of drama. Taking the high road only works if you are right, though.

  12. Concerned

    September 23, 2014 at 10:57 pm

    Have you heard of the test results called “Have you been buffaloed” by Science Diet?

  13. Tina Clark

    September 24, 2014 at 12:16 pm

    I believe that Blue Buffalo had a part in killing my dog. When she developed pancreatitis, the first thing my vet said is, “you’re not feeding her Blue Buffalo, are you?” I was. She then told me that an inordinate number of her patients that developed pancreatitis ate Blue Buffalo. I even heard talk of a class action lawsuit.

    • Pamala Hall

      September 24, 2014 at 5:50 pm

      Tina, what exactly was wrong with the food that was causing the pancreatitis?
      Did the vet say what ingredient(s) was the problem?

      • Tina Clark

        September 24, 2014 at 6:55 pm

        Yes, she said that there is some way that they are able to get around regulations about the way they disclose the fat content, so that there is a much higher fat content than it appears.

  14. valkyriekee

    October 28, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Faraday, You have a very strong viewpoint. Perhaps, you could actually put your thoughts into context. I know that cholesterol is in fact relative to an animals activity level and breed. In humans, a persons cholesterol, fat distribution, and body type is in fact due to age old genetics. (no excuses, just distribution)
    As my pets were growing older, I switched from bb kibble to core kibble. I was concerned about the salt in the food. My dog developed the itchies from the core and my cat and dog were looking lackluster. I did notice that without the fats in the blue kibble, they were not as healthy. I switched back, and currently use blue kibble.
    I was also concerned with the fat, salt, and carrageenan in the wet food. I switched brands and after several months have continued on with a couple of items. I feed my dog instinct duck (not raw, as I did not see the raw meat) in the morning, and a can of against the grain pulled chicken at night. (they have two small portions of kibbles between) I do know who owns against the grain. One time I found a bone in it, and another two flies. I like the ingredients. If my dog loves it as much as he does, at 12 yrs old, and is thriving, I will keep it in the pantry. I just look at it for a long second before giving it to him. I stick with these two brands, because they are currently (today) in the us. Meats for the instinct have been sourced more from the us. I do not know if instinct is currently using duck from china, but that sounds normal to me. I have had many a duck in a Chinese restaurant. They know duck. US knows beef, etc. I would not feed my animals any other meats sourced from elsewhere. The cans of instinct and against the grain have far less fat, salt, and 0 carrageenan. I definitely feel they are benefitting from that.

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