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Blue Buffalo Responds to Purina Lawsuit

Blue Buffalo has issued a response statement to the Purina lawsuit.  It reads…

 Dear Pet Parents,

I’m writing to you about the lawsuit Nestle Purina filed today alleging that Blue Buffalo has lied to you about the ingredients in our pet foods. We categorically deny all of these false allegations and will aggressively defend the integrity of our brand and our products.  It is an easy thing to make unsubstantiated claims, put them in a lawsuit and then publish them all over the web to disparage and defame a company.  It is quite another thing to prove those allegations.

Please be assured that unlike Nestle Purina:

Blue Buffalo does not use chicken by-product meal or poultry by-product meal in any of our products
Blue Buffalo does not use ground corn in any of our products
Blue Buffalo does not use artificial preservatives in any of our products

We will prove these and other matters in the court with good reliable evidence, and we look forward to disproving the voodoo science that Nestle Purina relied on to support their outrageous allegations.

We’re disappointed to see one of the largest food companies in the world with over $100 billion in sales launching such a baseless lawsuit against a family-run company and attempting to prosecute it on the Internet. In some ways this attack by Nestle Purina is not too surprising, since pet parents have demonstrated their preference by selecting true natural foods like Blue Buffalo instead of the by-product and corn-based pet foods Nestle Purina has been selling for years. In fact, their inability to compete successfully with natural pet foods is the key motivation for this frivolous lawsuit.

My sons and I founded Blue Buffalo with the mission of bringing transparency to pet foods, and made the True Blue Promise to our pet parents. Clearly, some of our major competitors, who have built their business using lower cost ingredients, are upset. We will always stand behind our promise and our products.

We have a saying at Blue Buffalo: “When we’re right, we fight.” We look forward to seeing Nestle Purina in court.

Sincerely,

Bill Bishop
Founder and Chairman
Blue Buffalo

 

We are all looking forward to this court battle.  Purina and Blue Buffalo – if you really want the truth to shine through – don’t hide the testimony or evidence in the judicial system.  Either of you – don’t allow a gag order to be placed on any evidence.  Allow your customers – all pet food consumers to read all evidence and decide the truth for themselves.  Let the cards fall where they may.

And Mr. Bishop – since you mention transparency – consumers challenge Blue Buffalo (as we did Purina earlier) to provide the true test of pet food transparency – the Pledge to Quality and Origin.  We await your Pledge.

 

 

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

What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
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87 Comments

87 Comments

  1. Wolf

    May 6, 2014 at 9:40 pm

    oh this is going to be FUN.

    • John

      May 12, 2014 at 8:04 pm

      Purina is bully. Their owners in Europe see Purina’s growth slowing down and ask why to the guys in St. Louis? And it is because newer healthier companies like Blue Buffalo are stealing market share. The guys in Europe then say “Let’s spend 25MM to slow them down and tight up their mindshare”. This is how big business works… Purina sees Blue Buffalo gaining market share and now they hire lawyers to find something are Purina is going to try to slow Blue Buffalo’s growth. Big guys attacking the little guys. Purina is the Bully in the school yard.

      • Stephanie

        May 13, 2014 at 10:02 pm

        Puhleez! BB’s false advertising is taking customers from companies that are playing by the rules. Their morally and ethically questionable tactics and foods are taking business from MANY small companies as well as the big guys. Wake up!

        If you feed Blue, you need to:
        1)review the comments on consumer reports!!!!!!
        2)Call the company and ask them if they make thier own food.
        3)Schedule an appointment for your animal to visit a vet.
        4)Quit being fooled by this slick marketing genius!

        These steps may have saved our dogs lives! They both became very ill after changing to Blue on a Petsmart associates recommendation. I’ve quit them both.

        • Jan

          May 14, 2014 at 2:28 pm

          Blue doesn’t make their own food – they have 10 different companies making it for them – I emailed them the question a couple of years ago and that was their reply.

        • Bob

          June 8, 2014 at 1:34 pm

          Stephanie, it 8 obvious that you are a Purin employee. Why not just be honest and say so rather than spread unsubstantiated lies?

  2. Jessica

    May 6, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    “Please be assured that unlike Nestle Purina” – I love it. Someone opened a can of worms here and I cant wait to see what crawls out. Thank you Susan for keeping us up to the minute!

  3. Jennifer

    May 6, 2014 at 10:46 pm

    Buffalo may have been founded by a family… however, who owns it now? a bunch of foreign business men (I believe it’s a financial group)

  4. Lisa

    May 6, 2014 at 10:47 pm

    Family owned? I thought the invus group llc owned them now

  5. Andrea

    May 6, 2014 at 11:05 pm

    I actually did hear about Blue Buffalo having reps in the store telling people that Blue Buffalo is the same as Taste of the Wild (as in the same product) and a bunch of other misinformation to get my friend to stay with Blue. She put them on speaker phone with me so I could tell them that I knew better. Not that Taste of the Wild is all that much better (although I feel better feeding their Southwest Canyon formula than I would any Blue product. Will be interesting to see how this turns out.

    • Ann

      May 7, 2014 at 11:38 am

      Andrea, You know that TOTW is formulated by and manufactured in Diamond’s plants, don’t you? Recall, after recall, after recall, including TOTW.

      • Anne

        May 7, 2014 at 3:31 pm

        Taste of the Wild is owned by the brothers who own Diamond it is produced in a different factory in a different state to Diamond dog food, yes Diamond has had recalls when Taste of the Wild hasn’t,

  6. Pingback: Purina files lawsuit against Blue Buffalo.... - Page 2

  7. Peter

    May 6, 2014 at 11:39 pm

    The suit itself, is an entertaining read. You might initially balk, at 81 pages, but it is a quick read. I would suggest that it is intended for public consumption and media re-reporting. It is written in a very conversational and easily digestible style… quite unlike typical complaints, oddly free of legal-ese and even, “big” words and technical terminology. Lawyers don’t write this way to courts. When have you read a complaint clogged with “pictures”? Comon… this complaint is meant to be “read” by the consumer, it is crafted as an advertisement. So many people use Purina products… many of us were raised on them… the public just doesn’t want to accept that their products are so awful. I doubt that the “Purina is junk, too” aspect of this conflict will resonate… what will, is the posture that Blue’s advertising is false. They’ll probably discontinue or modify it, soon, in response?

    Both of these companies have far too many skeletons in their cupboards which litigating this may inadvertently reveal.

    • Regina

      May 7, 2014 at 11:23 am

      Peter, you make an excellent point. “Real” lawsuit filings are full of obfuscation. Purina is definitely suing in the court of public opinion.

    • Jolie Cosette

      May 8, 2014 at 1:10 pm

      This is just laughable.

      When was the last time you saw “… and just plain wrong” in a complaint, particularly a federal complaint? I’m only through paragraph 7 and have found myself re-writing each and every paragraph. The language is colloquial.

      I haven’t seen a federal complaint in four or five years, so perhaps the rules have changed, but the parties haven’t been identified–in the traditional legal sense– nor jurisdiction established. I’ve seen better written pro per complaints.

      You’re right–this is an ad. As a complaint, it seems subject to dismissal.

  8. Roseanne Coggan

    May 7, 2014 at 12:34 am

    I Come from a family who has proudly fed Purina for 62 years,I too feed Purina my aunt fed her German Shepherd mix Purina Dog Chow her whole life she(Mitzie) lived to a ripe old age of 22 yrs.old.My family dogs I grew up with all Poodles 2 Standard 1 miniature all lived long health lives too.1 Standard Ace of Spades(Ace) lived to 15 yrs.Standard Celeste of Hilltop(Leste) lived to be 15 1/2yrs.And Miniature Pepe Left Pew(Pepe) lived healthy and happy till 19 yrs.old.My Pekingeselived to be wealthy 18 and 20 yr.olds.My Border Collies Mia 7 3/4 yr.old and son Capell 5 yr.old eat Purina’s ProPlan. Along with 1 3/4 yr.old Chihuahua /Shih-Tzu mixes Sophie and Chloe .Proudly fed Purina for life.

    • Kim

      May 7, 2014 at 7:52 am

      Roseanne, are you at all familiar with this website, The Truth About Pet Food? It’s about what’s really in pet food and the unhealthy and dangerous ingredients. I’m not sure if you’ve actually read the I ingredients in ProPlan or understand how bad they are, but you should really look into that. This website and dogfoodadvisor.com are great sites. Just because your family has been feeding this food for a long time and some of your dogs have lived a long life, doesn’t mean you’re not feeding them garbage. It’s like saying smoking isn’t bad because it hasn’t killed anyone in your family yet.

      Purina ProPlan is based on cheap grain byproducts (waste) because it’s cheaper for the company to boost the protein levels with grain waste than real meat. Amongst other horrible ingredients and meat byproducts which are simply slaughterhouse waste, your dog food also contains animal digest and animal fat. These generic “animal” products do not have one animal source and are the waste from rendering. It can come from almost anywhere – roadkill, spoiled supermarket meat, dead, diseased or dying cattle and euthanized animals. They also use a cheap, synthetic form of vitamin K which is controversial due to its carcinogenic effects and about to damage the liver.

      People really need to research what’s in the food they are feeding their beloved pets. Just because it’s been in the family for a long time and is a big name pet manufacturer, doesn’t mean it’s good for your pets.

      • Roseanne Coggan

        May 7, 2014 at 10:01 am

        Kim, are you aware that Pro Plan makes a grain free product also?This is the one is what I feed.

        • Stephanie

          May 7, 2014 at 1:57 pm

          Please for the love of your pets read the ingredients on the bag & do some research. It’s not just about grain free, styrofoam trays & plastic bags end up in rendering vats because no one wants to hire a person to actually remove the OLD meat from it’s package. You really need to do some research & learn what each thing is so that you at least know what you are feeding your animals.

          The sites that Kim suggested are good places to start & have lots of useful information. Please do this, it’s not about what we think, it’s about what you are feeding your pets. If it’s not good enough for you to eat do you really want to feed it to your animals?

          • Roseanne Coggan

            May 7, 2014 at 4:03 pm

            Stephanie, Have you even been to the Purina Pro Plan site?
            I also suggest you do your homework on Purina’s Website on their quality control process.

    • Linda H

      May 8, 2014 at 9:47 am

      Ruth, just because your dogs lived a long life doesn’t mean they thrived. It just means they survived.

      I learned a valuable lesson when I switched my fifty three pound twelve year old mix from Purina to Canidae(before their formula switch). My elderly girl had the bare edges on her ears that I thought were from old age. Outside of her ears, I thought she looked good.

      After the food switch, the fur grew back on her ears. Not only did her fur come back, but it came back much thicker, softer and a richer color. She was an old yeller girl, but her fur actually had reddish tips to it that I had never seen before. Never in her twelve years of eating Purina and Purina. One had ever coat even come close to looking like it did after two months on a quality food.

      Stormy died at fourteen with hemangiosarcoma, but I’ll always wonder how long she would have had if fed a quality food from day one of my bringing her home.

    • Sistaelle

      May 9, 2014 at 4:20 am

      If u think the formula u feed now hasn’t changed a million times in 22 years to make use of the cheapest ingredients you are delusional. I’d love to see the ingredient list from a 22 year old bag of Purina dog chow.

      • Sistaelle

        May 9, 2014 at 4:24 am

        Pardon me.. A 62 year old ingredient list…

      • Pet Owner

        May 9, 2014 at 11:53 am

        Look up Vintage Pet Food Labels (1920’s thru 1960’s). There were an awful lot of poultry by-product and soya ingredients being used. One cat food though listed “fresh fish”. Another label showed only a10/2 ratio. Difference is of course, farming and production processes weren’t as tainted with chemicals and GMO’s back then!

        .http://pixyrosebud.blogspot.com/2006/11/vintage-pet-food-labels.html

  9. Tag

    May 7, 2014 at 1:19 am

    Just feed Raw. Make it yourself from local farmers that raise grass fed, drug free animals or find a company that sources from the same. Kibble in any form is devoid of any nutrition due to high heat process, as is most human food found at your local grocery store. They are ALL about profit and don’t care about your animals health (or yours!). I have worked in the pet care field since 1969. I see daily the animals suffering from Cancer and other diseases when under 10 years old. Diseases unheard of 30 years ago. I see animals on drugs for anxiety, depression. WTF?
    As I grew up, our pets ate from the left overs on the farm. Raw milk, meat scraps and veggies from the garden. Not unusual at all to have them live healthy lives for 20 years. No Vaccinations! Purina or Blue. Probably best to avoid both, as well as the rest of the Corp. owned companies. Follow the money!

    • Bill

      May 7, 2014 at 7:37 am

      Where are your credentials for the dozens of claims you make? I know a lot of people who “work in the pet care field” and claim to know things that they are simply emotionally responding too. There is a difference between science and allegations based on anecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, nutrition isn’t fully understood, along with cancer and other diseases that many people claim to occur because of it. I agree that if you follow the money many companies are misleading consumers, but I also think that saying kibble is devoid of nutrition or that vaccinations are wrong just makes everything you wrote seem entirely emotional and unjustified.

    • Lois

      May 7, 2014 at 7:45 am

      Right on Tag! The best response so far!

    • Michelle

      May 7, 2014 at 9:39 am

      I’m with you Tag!! Prozac for dogs… just because they are so distressed from what they are being fed :-O Lost my last 3 Goldens from cancer… I didn’t know any better about what I fed. Believed the ads. New puppy on raw.

    • Peter

      May 7, 2014 at 10:16 pm

      Dry “kibble” pet foods are a relatively recent invention. And there has been a corresponding rise in disease/injury rates along with a parallel decline in life expectancy of companion animals since the advent of dry “convenience” dog and cat foods.

  10. SarahB

    May 7, 2014 at 1:20 am

    As much as I don’t like Purina, I’m kind of hoping they win this one. I’m so sick of Blue’s schtick about being a small, family run business that just makes great quality “natural” foods. Their commercials and advertising are just as bad as the Mars, P&G, etc run companies.

  11. Heather

    May 7, 2014 at 1:34 am

    A quick search of “who owns Blue Buffalo” shows this from TheDeal.com regarding a potential 2014 IPO: http://www.thedeal.com/content/consumer-retail/blue-buffalo-could-see-ipo-sale-in-2014.php

    In Nov. 2012, Blue Buffalo named Kurt Schmidt, the former deputy executive vice president of Nestle Nutrition, as chief executive. Shortly before that, it brought on Mike Nathenson as CFO who was formerly CFO of Dean Foods Co.’s dairy division.

    Invus LLC in Europe is their equity provider.

    I wouldn’t purchase their products given their exec’s past positions.

  12. Deanne Kimmitt

    May 7, 2014 at 7:15 am

    I have 3 rescues, of which 2 came directly, from death row. Starved, sick and broken. I slowly worked them into Blue food since heaven only knows what they were eating before. In no time they had a sparkle in their eye and spring in their step. Not to mention just plain healthy.

  13. Tracey

    May 7, 2014 at 7:30 am

    >Roseanne Carrigan Back in the 60s & 70s Purina was a top dog food. I fed it. Then in the 80s things started changing. I almost lost a litter of puppies feeding them Purina puppy chow. Others were having the same problems at the time. I fed Iams during the 80s and 90s and my dogs all exceeded their normal lifespan (cats too) I didn’t have a dog during much of the 2000s when I got my new puppy 2 years ago I started checking the label on foods and I was SHOCKED. Purina’s (and Iams,etc) first 2 or 3 ingredients out of 5 were corn or grain! Since when are dogs herbivores or poultry?? Cat food is the same way. Too much cheap corn in this country. It’s not just Purina its Iams and all the big retail brands. Roseanne, people wouldn’t be paying outrageous prices for better food if their animals are healthy on Purina/Iams/etc!!! They only change because their animals are getting sick. Vets are expensive and good food is cheaper then vet bills and the misery of sick animals. So if you can feed a pure Purina diet and your animal remains healthy, Great! But some day you and your family will have dogs with health issues or shortened lives and will start looking at what you are feeding them. I am a vet tech with a degree in animal science and the the food issues in this country with animals AND people makes me sick thinking about it. Your diet is as unhealthy as your dogs and you are being lied to left and right. For me, Purina dog chow makes an excellent supplemental chicken feed for hens raising chicks (when I buy it on sale).

    • Roseanne Coggan

      May 7, 2014 at 9:51 am

      Tracey,why would you feed your chickens Purina Dog Chow when Purina already makes Chicken Feed?If Purina was so bad then why feed it to chickens when as you say it can shorten their lifespan and cause health issues?,Everything chickens eat is passed into the eggs you probably eat from them ,Aren’t you just passing that on to you?

  14. Jennifer

    May 7, 2014 at 7:56 am

    This is about $s (think BB no. 1 in the States?) and a corporate ego. Nothing else. Petfood consumers won’t win anything from this.

  15. Leannan

    May 7, 2014 at 8:13 am

    There was a class action lawsuit filed in 2007(?) against false advertising claims made by (23 named) pet food manufacturers, Nestle/Purina was one of them. I saw the “evidence” that was to be presented at trial on the legal firms website: it broke down advertising claims/commercials, line by line. I’m looking for the relevant links now. This lawsuit never made it to trial because lawyers for companies being sued due to the melamine holocaust argued, and won (something to the effect that) their companies couldn’t be sued twice for the same thing (which this class action lawsuit clearly was not)
    I’m not a lawyer, but the courts decision to dismiss this class action lawsuit, on those grounds, ???????
    http://voices.yahoo.com/class-action-lawsuit-settlement-pet-food-companies-1362987.html
    I’m still looking for links to this case, will post as I find them.

  16. Bob

    May 7, 2014 at 8:44 am

    This explains why there was a Blue Buffalo rep in PetCo the other day when I was looking for some natural dog food. The guy had nothing good to say about any other product. I thought he was a PetCo employee at first but later discovered that he was there as an ‘advisor’ working with PetCo.

  17. Anna

    May 7, 2014 at 10:04 am

    Wow is all I can say!! A can of worm is opened ad I can’t wait to see how many worms come out!!

  18. eve

    May 7, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    Both companies provide good products. I had a cat that lived 21 years on Purina products and a daily dose of table scraps and leftovers. I currently am the proud pet parent of an awesome Boston Terrier and 3 beautiful cats. I noticed that my dog was scratching her face on the carpet and chewing on her paws. She had redness in the folds of her nose. I switched her to Blue and within a month her coat was shinier and softer than normal. The redness on her paws and nose were gone. My cats are also eating Blue. One cat loves the grain free so much, he will chew through the bag to get to it. We recently took another of our cats to the vet and we were told that Blue might have too much protein for a cat his age. The rescue told us he was 2 but he is really about 9. Too much protein can cause problems in his organs because he is a senior pet. My dog is a senior too so I am currently looking for more suitable choices. I work for one of the retail pet stores: My reason for posting is to show that different brands work for different pets… I’ve learned this more than ever now. The supermarket brands are fine for a pet that doesn’t have allergies. Premium foods are made with healthier ingredients. Of course any pet (especially those with specific dietary needs) can benefit from eating healthier. The only thing that should matter is which food suits a pets needs.

    • Jo

      May 7, 2014 at 1:44 pm

      Eve,
      You wrote: “…The supermarket brands are fine for a pet that doesn’t have allergies.”…

      Wow. Have you taken the time to read ANYthing on Susan’s website? To have made such an uneducated and, IMO, ridiculous statement, it is obvious you have not.

      I’m sick of all these companies deceiving the public. I’m very close to buying Susan’s cookbook and start preparing home-cooked meals for my 4 senior cats. I’m beginning to think that at the very least, feeding lightly cooked meats supplemented with a high quality vitamin/mineral supplement, including taurine and a proper amount of calcium, is the smarter way to go.

    • Peter

      May 7, 2014 at 10:32 pm

      Dogs, for example, are genetically “programmed” to live more than 20 years. The question is, why don’t they? Yes, there are many animals who may live incredibly long lives while fed what may be considered “junk grocery store brand” foods. But its not necessarily appropriate to conclude that the food is the source of their longevity. Dogs and cats, like people, are generally “pre-programmed” genetically in terms of health, including cancer, arthritis, diabetes, etc. Some, are programmed, to not. You can find “healthy” people who’ve never eaten a green vegetable… George Burns smoked and went to 100 years… but of course, that wouldn’t be a good tack for the rest of us to take, would it?

      On balance, it’s fair to conclude that better ingredients combined with better processing (for example, working to limit vitamin/nutrient losses during heat processing) should be better for our pets and likely lead to better life expectancy. That doesn’t mean that feeding top quality foods will automatically equate to better life expectancy. A dog or cat that is programmed, or pre-disposed to cancer or other illness on a genetic level (s/he inherits the parental “health genes”) will still likely develop the ailment/disease, no matter what s/he is fed. Mostly, we don’t know the genetic history of our pets when they aren’t “purebred.” But given the variables, starting with quality foods that are free of grains (for so many reasons) and additives and all those terrible things… just makes more sense, doesn’t it?

      • Kenneth Kalligher

        May 8, 2014 at 8:50 am

        Well said and YES! it does.

  19. Ronn

    May 7, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    What we eat now isn’t what grandma gave us back then, all food source has “evolved”. Will we continue to be entertained into a false sense of product security? The legal arguments won’t solve the real problems that we all face with deception. Let’s eat from the can of worms at least they are what they are.
    Glib…yes, thank goodness for the likes of Susan.
    Eat healthy my friends.

  20. Lillian

    May 7, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    I was in a PetCo near the Delaware – Maryland bordet last October looking for organic treats for a rescue I was picking up. The Blue Buffalo rep that was in the store that Saturday told me that all Blue Buffalo products are “organic”.

    I guess I don’t quite understand their definition of organic…

  21. Flick, Dot & Buzz

    May 7, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    A pet food manufacturer suing pet another pet food manufacturer may POSSIBLY help bring public attention to the issue of pet food quality, or perhaps a debate over ingredient definitions. But since Purina’s lawsuit and Blue Buffalo’s reply both read more like ad copy than legalese, I doubt this legal action will have much positive impact on the quality of food these companies sell – or their transparency with consumers either.
    If you use the products of either of these companies, please write to them and encourage them to take the pledge: http://associationfortruthinpetfood.com/the-pledge/ … and if your pet-food-mftr won’t commit to that standard of quality, please write to them again… in this particular lawsuit/ad-campaign, both mftr’s are making product quality statements that they are NOT willing to back up with a pledge to their consumers!

  22. Kenneth Kalligher

    May 7, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    Since when is it within a corporate giants purview to sue another company for misleading claims? I thought it was up to the FCC to handle truth in advertising and the FDA to examine labels for accuracy of ingredients. I do not use Blue Buffalo nor am I a fan of their foods, but this looks and sounds to me like an unprovoked attack on a smaller company for the sole purpose of casting doubt in consumers minds on a brand that is impacting both the sales and profitability of the giant. Of all companies to be questioning the ingredients of Blue Buffalo you would least expect the most egregious polluter of dog food, Purina, to be asking the question. It smells, at the very least, like a Goliath taking on a David and may be an unabashed attack on Blue Buffalo by Purina. Purina is a junk food company and I can only hope that Blue Buffalo will come out of this both exonerated and enriched by this attack. Too bad the money expended on these ridiculous lawsuits will never find its way to improve the quality of the dog food.

    • Roseanne Coggan

      May 7, 2014 at 10:00 pm

      Kenneth,I take it that you have n’t been on Puri as web page lately.Purina Pro Plan has come up with a grain free version that I’ve been feeding for quite awhile now and my dogs are healthy as horses according to our town vet and past family dogs have lived long lives the oldest(Mitzie) lived until age 22,she was a German Shepherd mix.She exclusively ate Purina Dog Chow.

      • Kenneth Kalligher

        May 8, 2014 at 11:22 am

        Hi Roseanne, you are right, I have not been to a Purina web page lately and so, to try to be as fair as I can, I did make a trip to the Purina web site and looked specifically at Pro Plan. Initially I was struck by the sheer number of products available. Thinking about the ancestral diet I just couldn’t get to a place in my mind where those ingredients made any sense. This is what I found on your recommended ProPlan grain free: Chicken, canola meal, cassava root flour, chicken meal (natural source of glucosamine), pea starch, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), fish meal (natural source of glucosamine), dried egg product, pea fiber, dried beet pulp, pea protein, natural flavor, fish oil, salt, calcium phosphate, potassium chloride, L-Lysine mono hydrochloride, zinc proteinate, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, DL-Methionine, manganese proteinate, calcium carbonate, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), copper proteinate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium iodate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. Again, thinking about the ancestral diet, I wondered where wolves would get “canola meal, cassava root flour, pea starch, pea fiber, dried beet pulp, pea protein, natural flavor?, salt and the enrichment products too numerous to name. I know you know that these are nothing more than “fillers” and of no nutritional value to dogs or cats. Nobody can deny that! I can tell you that I have owned multiple animals for most of my life, which now is in its 76th year. I currently have 3 German Shepherds, 1 Yorkie and 1 cat. I have had as many as 9 dogs and 6 cats at one time, but just cannot provide that many with the time and exercise they need. I say exercise fully realizing that an animal’s longevity is not only determined by the food it eats. I try to provide as much mental stimulation as I can. Our daily walks cover about 4 miles through wooded, field and swimming opportunities (in summer). Genetics, I know, is an awesome factor in longevity and may be the most important. So, I realize food alone is not the deciding factor in longevity. But I think the answer Peter provided @ 10:32pm on the 7th is spot on. I currently buy USDA inspected human grade meats, which I grind myself, to which I add raw eggs, a variety of fresh vegetables, fruit, yogurt and additionally, I provide them with artesian well water. I get to pick out my own supplies, with my own eyes. I am very fussy about sanitation of the utensils I use and with the vessels they eat and drink from. All that said, I still can’t predict how long my pals will live, but it is comforting to me to know that whatever their lifespan is, I did the best I could to give them fresh nutritional food, fresh untreated water, ample exercise and mind stimulation and the love of a human who gets more from the pets than he gives to them. That is what guides my decisions and…so far, so good. I don’t argue with anyone on their choice of animal welfare unless asked. I spent over 40 years in the food manufacturing business and could tell you a lot about the foods manufactured for human consumption. Over these many years of animal contact I have used virtually every brand of commercial dog foods including Purina. My experience in caring for my animals has led me to my decisions and I have made a mission of researching both the scientific and anecdotal evidence. Given the current ongoing dialogue over climate change science it is not surprising that there is and always will be doubt that can be raised by specious reasoning, slick advertising and outright lies. So, do what you will, my path is clear and firm.

      • Donna

        May 12, 2014 at 10:35 am

        Roseanne,

        Do you work for Purina?

        • Roseanne Coggan

          May 13, 2014 at 4:48 am

          Donna,no I do not work for Purina but my ex does.What does this have to do with this forum?My choice in dog food is my choice, not all of us can afford Blue Buffalo or other comparable brands and we do what we can to do the best for our pets.

          • Regina

            May 13, 2014 at 11:18 pm

            Roseanne, the reason Donna asked (and many others here might wonder) if you work for Purina is because you keep coming here praising Purina, when most people who subscribe to this “Truth about Pet Food” site are more interested in feeding a more natural diet to their pets and feel that Purina puts so much “unnatural” stuff on the market that we are not fans of Purina.

            And your comment about not being able to afford Blue Buffalo or other comparable brands shows your lack of taking all things into consideration. The price on the bag is not the only factor. With the better, more natural foods, your pets will eat less, because the food is more nutrient dense – no fillers. My pet’s coat got so soft and silky once I switched to the food I use now, which means I don’t have to spend a lot on shampoo or skin care. His joints are better, so no supplements to add. And, I spent a LOT less on vet bills. The lower cost foods use a lot of low-cost fillers, to keep the food price lower, but, I’ve found that it is just worth it to spend more up front to save more in the long run. Oh, and less fillers means less poop to pick up!

          • Reader

            May 14, 2014 at 11:06 am

            So well said Regina. TAPF is also supposed to be about mutual support and sharing experiences! People thankfully do share through the process of reading many articles over a very long period of time! The evidence just keeps compiling. Turing to better PF is not a quick process by no means, only unless your pet has suffered a catastrophic event. For people just being introduced to the subject of commercial PF, and coming from their own perspective and history – it is SHOCKING to think that a PF company isn’t doing the best by its consumers. And worse that it doesn’t even have the desire to do so! ESPECIALLY those big name brands.

            The irony is they are the very ones who have the most money for advertising. And they therefore have the greatest capacity for manipulating perception! After all I’ve read, this issue is about waay more than defective ingredients and negligence. It’s a willful industry. And all about False Advertising because it prevents people from making informed choices! Period. There are people who will choose lower price points. And products that serve their own interests for all kinds of reasons. Their dogs have survived. But if anyone is going to put their money into any product whatsoever, then they have the RIGHT to know what that invest is for! They’re capable of living with the risks. But don’t LIE to those consumers!

            I’m not a fan of Diamond and gawd knows Costco has its own share of “down the garden path” issues. But if you’re looking for the most economical price point for a protein based kibble, check out grain free Nature’s Domain at about $.91 lb. You can beat the value for feeding large, multiple dogs. Add to it fresh, whole, pure foods …. and the deal is going to be a lot better than trusting Nestle Purina. Alternate with some raw feeding (not on the same days) NP – which should always have been the leader in the market (but honestly) through decades of research, legitimate testing and evidence documentation.

            And yet – chose to spend all their money on deceptive advertising instead.

            Very sad.

    • CC

      May 11, 2014 at 12:12 pm

      Kenneth Kalligher wrote:

      May 7, 2014 – 6:38 pm
      Reply
      “Since when is it within a corporate giants purview to sue another company for misleading claims? I thought it was up to the FCC to handle truth in advertising and the FDA to examine labels for accuracy of ingredients….”

      Nobody regulates these crooks. They only exist in the first place because of all the waste being $$$$$ profited on — as opposed to ending up in landfills which couldn’t begin to hold it all anyway. Do a search on here about how the PFInstitute itself had to hold brainstorming meetings to come up with a “consumer-appealing” term to put on the ingredient labels for the expired waste “Hot Pocket” and such junk frozen foods which WalMart & groceries throw away by the ton — no, scratch that– they are *picked up* by the ton to be subsequently profitted on MANY times over. They “had” to invent a creative term because it is (alleged) “Law” that they list everything in the “foods” **rolleyes*

      Let’s see how “regulated” they really are:
      http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/10018997/Patrick06.html?sequence=2

      Also:
      http://landofpuregold.com/petfood-hodgkins.htm Expert testimony before the Senate by DR. E. Hodgkins, DVM, ESQ who was a higher-up for Hill’s Nutrition…

  23. Laura

    May 7, 2014 at 9:32 pm

    I’ve been browsing TAPF for several months and almost always read all of the comments on every post, and I’ve never really seen any kind of negative remarks about the article or other commenters, save 2 occasions. Needless to say it’s astounding how many shills have been posting here and on the first article about the lawsuit. I guess TAPF is getting really huge if Purina and Blue Buffalo are unleashing hordes of dupers to lie and get nasty with the other readers. I’m not sure if you can see their IP addresses, but I imagine a lot of them would have some kind of connection to Big Pet Food.

  24. Patty

    May 8, 2014 at 12:40 am

    Ms. Coggan I find it hard to believe that someone so dedicated to Purina products would even be a fan of Truth About Pet Food. Hmmmmm…….

    • Regina

      May 8, 2014 at 4:23 am

      Patty, I had the very same thought. If you’re following Susan’s efforts on behalf of our pets, you would not be on here repeatedly praising Purina. An earlier commenter suggested that some of the comments seem to be shills . . . I think that’s quite possibly the case. The reason I started following this site is because it didn’t have a lot of biased (seemingly gung ho fans of specific big name foods) comments. Those types of comments really do not add to the real conversation about Susan’s hard work on behalf of our pets.

      Admirers of Susan’s work would not be a fan of Purina products because Purina stands for everything Susan and her followers are working against.

  25. Pingback: Intetesting...Purina Sues Blue Buffalo - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

  26. Old Timer Cat Mama

    May 8, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    Speaking from over 45 years of experience with cats, I can tell you definitively that the Purina Cat Chow of today is not the same as it was back then. I can also tell you definitely that renal disease in cats, flea/food allergies, hyperthyroidism, dental disease etc, were literally unheard of back then. At that time my cats were easily living into their twenties in good health, and with all their teeth, on Purina Cat Chow. BUT, they also hardly ever saw the vet except for a rabies vaccine. Incidentally, back then we never saw ANY vaccine induced sarcomas, seldom ever heard of ANY chronic illness in cats.

    Whatever is destroying the quality of life for our pets today, and killing them early, it is probably more complex than just poor quality food. Nonetheless, we have a moral duty to supply them with the highest quality, most vetted and tested food we can afford. I thought I was doing that by feeding Blue Wilderness Indoor kibble. Now I wonder, especially after finding out who the new leadership is.

    Last year I started noticing that my 4 cats were rejecting some bags of kibble. I’d return that bag to the store and try another bag, and they would eat it. When one cat does that we can tentatively conclude he’s in finicky mode. But when 4 cats do it, it’s a data point, and an alarm.

    I have no evidence, no first hand knowledge of Blue lying to anyone, but based on my cats’ behavior, I do know that their quality control seems to have slipped from where it used to be. I’m looking for a new kibble.

  27. Pacific Sun

    May 8, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    Whether Shills, Brand Loyalists, or simply new Readers …. It’s pretty futile discussing the relative merits of the brands in dispute here. The lawsuit isn’t and could never be about, PF quality itself, but is instead about the veracity (legitimacy) of advertising. BB uses assumed logic (meaning that no by-products and grain) “proves” the point of its brand superiority – and by inference pointed at “big-name brands” – except without using any evidence! Few ads ever claim “always” or “never” because few things are absolute. Yet “The True Blue Test” column-headers states “always.”

    But that’s how Purina will stop them.

    Certainly before the reciprocal muck-slinging evidence starts flying, and especially before it becomes public record. Yes they will settle quietly, forcing BB to change Ad strategy. I do believe Purina’s ONLY intention here is to reign BB back into the PFI Fold (meaning to make it subordinate to industry pressure.

    What IS astounding is that for all the years the original Ralston Purina Co. was in the business of making animal feed (incl. PF) that it didn’t, or it chose not to, publish feeding trials PROVING its product superiority! It would’ve taken hundreds of generations and controlled line breeding to accomplish this of course. But it could’ve “distinguished” their reputation hands down! They certainly had the profits to do so. Purina once tried to say its PF “added” 2yrs.” to a dog’s life but that “experiment” was shot down too. Look at how the feeding trial was done!
    http://www.mouseprint.org/2007/06/25/purina-dog-chow-adds-up-to-2-years-to-your-dogs-life/

    For a brief History of Dog Food see http://www.neatorama.com/2013/05/20/Kibble-Me-This-The-History-of-Dog-Food/#!K6DXS This is one reason why the market is so widely fluctuated today. Bottom line is, dogs are opportunistic food scavengers, from road kill to horse meat to yesterday’s family meal! It doesn’t much matter as long as the food is wholesome and balanced long term. The real danger in PF (unless you have a company pledging to quality and sourcing) is the FDA’s Compliance Policies that allows “food industry refuse” (most particularly protein) to be contaminated and diseased, which requires chemical altering to correct it. See here https://truthaboutpetfood.com/disturbing-and-illegal-fda-compliance-policies

  28. steve

    May 8, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    I think PacSun is right on in regard to the legal dispute!

    I’m willing to bet you that Nestle-Purina has hundreds of pound of this BB product in question. I personally do not think a multinational corporation that is traded on Wall St would be so aggressive in a lawsuit if they did not have very solid science to back them up. I don’t hear BB screaming that the claims are slanderous.

    Something that BB does not promote in their commercial efforts is that they do not make any pet food. They are building a plant, but to my knowledge it has yet to produce one piece of kibble, one can of food, or one treat. Blue Buffalo does not make pet food, they market it. If you call the 800 number on their bag, they will tell you this. They have over 10 different co-packers make their food for them. BB is not a pet food manufacturer.

    I will not be surprised if they do indeed find the accused corn, by-product, and rice hulls in the BB foods. It will also not surprise me when the owner of BB will say that it was a third party that make the food for them that was the guilty party and that they will not use this manufacturer any more.

    If BB does not gather the ingredients, mix these ingredients, actually make the food, or do the final quality tests……what do they do?

    Hey, I’m no fan of Purina but let’s face it, there are people who cannot afford a product with better nutrition than a grocer brand can provide. Is it better that these financially strapped families turn their loved four legged family members over to our crowded shelters because they can’t afford to feed them a premium brand? Oh, guess what they will eat in the shelter….Diamond brands or grocery.

  29. Bonnie

    May 8, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    I have seven cats and a limited budget. I try to feed my cats the best quality that I can afford. Unfortunately, about the best I can afford is Purina One Beyond chicken and rice. At least the main ingredient is chicken. I do have an 19 year old who will only eat Blue. She looks good and does well on it.

    My vet feeds ProPlan to his three dogs and two cats, by the way.

    • Cathy

      May 8, 2014 at 2:31 pm

      At some point, reading labels is the best we can do. I, too, am on a limited budget and have several pets (four dogs, two cats). All I can do is read labels and feed the best quality I can reasonably afford.

    • Linda H

      May 8, 2014 at 9:57 pm

      Bonnie, I am sorry, but chicken is not the main ingredient in your food. That’s just what Purina wants you to think. The first ingredient, chicken, is inclusive of water which is approximately 80% of the weight. Once dehydrated into kibble that chicken is only 20% of what it began as and that would in actuality place the chicken much lower on the ingredient list below the fat with the lesser ingredients.
      That leave you with chicken meal, which is a good ingredient, but it is only one if six ingredients before the fat, where all the main ingredients are listed. By law pet food ingredients must be listed in equal or decsending weights on the foods ingredient label. This means that lone chicken meal is at best only slightly more than one sixth of the main ingredients or thereabouts…far from being the main ingredient that you thought.

      • Peter

        May 10, 2014 at 8:30 am

        Companies will also split ingredients (such as grains) into components for the listing on the label, so that they appear farther down the list, where they are less noticeable. Dividing ingredients in this way will make the desirable ones, such as “chicken” (that the consumer is looking for), rise to the top. The chicken, however, isn’t “split,” and as Linda notes, also captured in its raw form (with water and bones), so it would be “first ingredient.” The “chicken” will weigh more than dehydrated ingredients which are actually a more important part of the recipie. I regard “first ingredient” claims as worthless, and frankly, would automatically avoid a product that makes that claim.

      • CC

        May 11, 2014 at 12:37 pm

        When product waste is being picked up by the “Animal Feed” trucks out back, trust me, NOBODY is seperating the “food” from the boxes, trash, and plastics it’s in. It ALL goes together.

        All the people who are led to believe that their pets are “allergic” to meat proteins such as chicken — think for a moment what these chickens themselves are eating. And WHY is it so easy to believe SO many carnivores are allergic to meat proteins? Because the PFI and the mainstream vet Assoc’s. being funded by it are ALL FOR carnivores not eating meat!! Cardboard, plastic, corn junk foods being picked up out back of Big Food Business USA, right there at the DUMPSTER areas, by the “Animal Feed” trucks is soooooo much more “economical” for EVERYONE but sucker pet owners who only see the deceiving commercials!

    • Regina

      May 9, 2014 at 1:06 pm

      Bonnie, Linda H. makes an excellent point. I see so many brands now hawking “chicken is the first ingredient” but they neglect to point out that since chicken weighs a lot more in its raw form, losing a lot of water weight after cooking, that claim is pretty meaningless. I realize price matters, but serving size also should be a consideration. I was talking to someone who switched back and forth between Blue Buffalo and Royal Canin, depending on what was on sale. She said that her cat likes the RC better though. I asked her how she knew that, and she said that her cat didn’t eat as much of the BB food. I told her that a higher quality food will be more nutrient-dense, and thus fill the cat up with less kibble. She looked at the serving size recommendations on the bags and was shocked to see that the serving size recommendation for RC was double what it was for BB. (heck, I was shocked too!) Cats are carnivores, and meat is the best source of protein, they digest/process it better, and they need less meat to reach the right level of protein than if they were eating corn, soy, wheat and other plant-based sources of protein. If you find a food that has chicken meal as a top ingredient, your cats will need less of the food, thus saving money.

      As for costs, they don’t make it easy to compare costs, because different brands use all different size bags, plus serving size differences. And not every store will list the “price per ounce” for all of the products.

      The fact that your vet feeds ProPlan, well, vets don’t get a lot of nutritional training in vet school. I have a good friend who works at Petco, and they get more nutritional training than vets do.

      • SarahB

        May 9, 2014 at 1:39 pm

        Exactly, Regina. As an example: I have been feeding my vizsla the Acana singles foods for a bit over two years now, since it came out in the US. He poops exactly once a day, sometimes once every other day, and it is always firm. I can tell the second he’s had something different because I am able to spot any little change. His breeder feeds his relatives Eukanuba. Her dogs poop 3+ times a day and it’s usually mushy, loose stool. Per meal, her food costs more than mine, because she has to feed so much more. And the dog is getting a lot less out of it – my dog poops so little because most of the ingredients end up elsewhere in his body, with little filler to poop out.

        With the vet, one feeding Purina would be a bad sign for me. Companies like Purina and Hill’s are the ones that financially back a lot of nutrition programs in vet schools. They also give vets huge discounts, knowing that they will get a lot of business from a vet saying that’s what they feed. All it shows to me is that they can be easily bought.

        • Stephanie

          May 13, 2014 at 10:36 pm

          Regina

          A dog pooping once a day does not mean the food, or your dog, is healthy. Acana is an All Life Stage food, which means it has to meet the nutritional requirements of a puppy. This food very rich and may be providing too much protein, fat, minerals etc, which can contribute to chronic conditions.

          You think our regulations are bad? You should check out Canada’s. They have VERY limited oversight. Don’t let the nice bag fool you.

          I hope this helps

      • Reader

        May 14, 2014 at 11:28 am

        Well sorry … to enter the more “gross” aspect of this discussion, but frequency isn’t the measurement. Dogs vary just like people. What makes the difference is a combination of factors. Includingeating schedules (once, twice a day, free feeding?). The condition (the range of firm to sloppy) of the stool is symptomatic depending on your dog’s normal. Bulk and content is the final measurement (again depending on your dog’s normal) which is based on what the digestive process can handle and break down. Chunky ingredients are more evident than finely ground up (like fresh food based) mixes. Most useless fillers will be expressed and a pure diet of kibble just produces more mass anyway because that’s the way it was designed. Yet an exceptionally rich (dense) protein diet (like Champions) absolutely ran through both my dogs at a very high frequency (so would that be considered wastefulness?) because – as I had to find out on my own – they stopped using psyllium husk as a binder and others. And because changed around the protein to non-protein ratio itself.

        Yet, feed your dog RAW and a higher proteins that work for them, and waste will be nominal. But whatever it happens to be that your own dog for whatever internal reasons, just can’t metabolize, it will be observed in the “output.” Your dog may still be perfectly healthy.

  30. Pet Owner

    May 8, 2014 at 4:27 pm

    Whenever this discussion is underway the comment I see most often is from people who’re doing their best, but say they can’t afford what they assume is better PF. But that’s really the essence of this entire issue, isn’t it? Perception.

    Honestly a good way to make a decision about PF – AND – which price point works best for you, is to subscribe to the Petsumer Report. At least it lets you compare what you can afford. The best thing about the Petsumer Report (PR) is that it’s an educational process! Because questionable ingredients are further detailed (hyperlinked) as to why. In the end, it comes down to which PF is the lesser of all evils, as no food is perfect, or even close. For example, maybe you can live with all the variables listed, but canola oil or sodium selenite is being called out. If that PF has the kind of whole protein you’re looking for (among the first 5 ingredients), for the price point, then that makes for an informed decision.

    The reason for this lawsuit is that perception without evidence (facts) means claims are worthless.

    So then, the next level of discovery becomes making sure that what the label lists is accurate. That’s where “The Pet Food Test” will make the difference. People may find out that their perceived lower quality food is actually labeled more accurately than a “premium” brand (or not). But the importance of this effort, is that TAPF Followers are tired of all the hype, and now they’re taking action. In a big way!!

    If you’re new to TAPF and just dropped in because of the high profile lawsuit discussion, then that’s great. But also check out this link at https://truthaboutpetfood.com/the-pet-food-test and also go to the funding site at at igg.me/at/thepetfoodtest

    PF consumers are serious! In only 2 weeks (with a month left to go) over $11,300 has been donated. This is a chance to put the PFI on notice that even though they’re tempted to challenge one another, WE pet owners are even more serious. We only want the truth. We can deal with everything else.

    So please share this opportunity with others!

  31. Jim

    May 9, 2014 at 11:26 pm

    Please with the big bad company picking on the little company crap. Blue is a $500 million dollar business, not Nestlé but certainly not a small mom and pop shop they like to portray.

    As for not having any bad ingredients the president of BB really has no clue because they don’t make any of their products, they are all co-man. They are just now putting in their own factory. Up to now they are relying on the quality standards of a 3rd party manufacturer and have no direct control of their products. So you know the co-man is purchasing the ingredients going into the extruder, coming from bins that have held who knows what. No way to completely purge the bin and since BB is produced right behind other pet food products that the co-man does business with, it is entirely possible corn or rice hulls could be present. BB may be unaware this happens, but does your pet care?
    That’s why Blue can spend $50 million a year ramming their brand down your throat, because they spend little to nothing on quality, as they rely on their vendor. Rest assured the vendor is a custom manufacturer and their #1 priority is running as efficiently as possible and maximizing their profit, not producing the best quality product.

    • Jan

      May 14, 2014 at 2:46 pm

      Yes, they have a lot of $ to spend on advertising because it wasn’t spent on a manufacturing facility; ten other companies make the food for them. Good to hear that they are finally making their own facility!

  32. Pat P.

    May 10, 2014 at 3:43 am

    Personally, I would not feed either Purina or Blue Buffalo. What would be really interesting is that if the law suit showed that both companies were unhealthy, and that both companies lie a lot. I doubt that will happen, not with high-paid lawyers who will find a way to cover up the truth. I can hope, anyway. It is one thing to note the poor ingredients on the can label, and another to actually discover the quality of ingredients; i.e., actual by-product contents, toxic chemicals, diseased animals, bacteria, fecal matter, GMO’s, etc. Since there are few AAFCO standards (except for nutrient profiles), the quality can differ considerably and can only be determined by actual analysis. Of course, another issue is the often extreme variance among batches.
    The only way the truth will prevail, is that if unbiased third-party analysis is made. Susan Thixton is one of the few persons I would trust to do the job.

  33. Pacific Sun

    May 11, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    The back-up kibble I once used (returned the Pledge) is no more. This caused me to do a price/value comparison among commercial brands. Its desirability (obviously) depends upon actual quality and safety while ignoring co-packers’ track records. The first 5 ingredients, feeding per averaged weight (20 lbs) and dollar per lb are compared. Formulas are grain-free, blended fowl. I am not an employee of any company or reseller and don’t do any website advertising or selling at all, being just a regular PF consumer. First one to return the Pledge …. gets my business! Other suggestions welcomed!

    • Costco’s Natures Domain – $.91 lb, 24/14, 1.75 cups, Turkey Meal, Sweet Potato. Peas, Potato, Canola Oil
    • Wellness Core – $2.15, 34/16, 1.25 cups, Turkey Meat, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Potato
    • TOTW – $1.60, 32/18, 1.33 cups, Duck, Duck Meal, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potato, Peals
    • BB – $2.25, 24/14, 1.75 cups, Chicken Meat, Chicken Meal, Peas, Potato, Pea Starch
    • Purina Pro Plan – $2.38, 26/16, 1.33 cups, Chicken, Canola Meal, Cassava Root Flour, Chicken Meal, Pea Starch
    • Fromms – $2.58, 29/17, 1.75 cups, Duck, Duck Meal, Peas, Turkey, Potato
    • Evo – $2.25, 42/22, 1.25 cups, Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal, Manhaden Meal
    • Orijen – $2.64, 38/18, 1 cup, Chicken Meat, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Whole Herring, Turkey Meat
    • Victor – $1.97, 42/22, 1.5 cups, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat, Peas, Sweet Potato Meal, Beef Meal

  34. Kelley

    May 11, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    These links are the heart of the matter.:
    http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/10018997/Patrick06.html?sequence=2 Also: http://landofpuregold.com/petfood-hodgkins.htm Expert testimony before the Senate by DR. E. Hodgkins, DVM, ESQ who was a higher-up for Hill’s Nutrition.

    Leannan, CC, Peter, Regina, thank you for furthering this discussion, and especially for all the great arguments and links. People who make it this far into the thread, and continue to follow it (because it can be really draining) should focus on the entire discussion. The document “Deconstructing the Regulatory Facade” is dated 2006 but might as well be 2014 because of FDA Compliance Policies! And unless there’s a headline (like NP vs. BB) attracting the media’s nano-brief attention span, then who’s even aware of what goes on behind the scenes? That’s the problem!

    Deceptive advertising no matter the company, means it’s not about “opinion” or “internet hearsay” or “publicity seeking” anymore. It is the reality of what the PFI has to hide! Otherwise PF companies would be reveling in their fantastic evidence based reputations! They would be topping over * one another * in order to PROVE their own products beyond a doubt. Not wasting money to disprove the competitor.

    Not quite the case, huh.

    What logical industry really does good business in that way??

    These links are the heart of the matter. If you’re mad enough being deceived and prevented from making an informed choice, then refer to
    https://truthaboutpetfood.com/the-pet-food-test. To date $12,000 has been donated by consumers who care. Because they aren’t fooling around anymore. No matter what you can afford, please join over 100 Funders who are making the statement that “we don’t trust you.”

    We CAN reach 200 people by June!

  35. YoshiBluedevil

    May 21, 2014 at 11:15 pm

    Purine used Menadione in their foods. It’s even in the “natural” Party Mix cat treat. Menadione is a SYNTHETIC Vitamin, Vitamin K3. How is a synthetic additive in a “natural” pet food or treat? Stay away from Purina all together.

    I’ve seen night an day differences in pets, first hand, that have switched to Blue products. I don’t care what BS Purina is throwing out there about Blue, the results speak for themselves in years and years of healthy pets, that I see first hand, on a daily basis, including my own 2 dogs and 4 cats.

    I’m sorry, I just can’t choose a company like Purina, when I see hugely noticeable differences on Blue. If Purina gave a crap about consumers, they would stop making their garbage Beneful (let’s not even begin to start the discussion about false advertising with them, starting with their bags themselves), ONE, and Chow. Why do they produce them? Because uneducated and cheap people own pets and think its good food.

    That new Kibbles n Bits commercial really makes their soy filled bag of crap look and sound awesome, doesn’t it? See the point?

    When Blue is the size of Nestle Purina, or Mars, or del Monte, the. I would expect several manufacturing plants… But name one company that has made it 11 years with their own facilities like that from day 1…

    Enough is enough… Let the results of the pets on the food speak for itself

    • John

      May 31, 2015 at 6:36 pm

      Your last sentence tells it all! Let our PETS prevail!

  36. John

    May 31, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    Hard to know who to believe. Web research is often a little misleading given personal preferences and priorities. We use BB Indoor for our 5 cats who love it. I’m inclined NOT to believe “BIG business” in general because they and their advocates have the most to loose in such arguments. I’m not a big fan of either Nestle or Purina and would trust my cats behavior following meals before either! Those arguing that BB doesn’t even make their own pet food products need to stick to the issues. The important thing is that BB tells the truth and exercises sufficient power to control how their products are made as well as various marketing statements. We will wait to make judgement. If BB is found to have lied we will sue them ourselves in our local court for an amount not to exceed 300 percent of what we estimate our BB expenditures to be over the time of use.

  37. Pam

    December 28, 2015 at 8:27 pm

    We changed our puppy to BB and the rep from BB, told us this food was much better, we almost lost our puppy. I want you all to read consumer reports about BB and over 1500 customers have had problems with their food! Some lost their pets. I am proud of Purinia standing up to them, for false advertising and I hope people like me get our day to say something too! I will be contacting the two pet smarts in my area and the two petco’s and I am going to let them know it is in their best interest to post the consumer reports link by their dog food. I will not shop at either place, because they don’t care about your pets nor does BB, otherwise none of this would have happened.

    • Regina

      December 29, 2015 at 10:28 am

      Pam, are you actually referring to the “consumer affairs” website? That is pretty much an online site where people can complain about anything. You will see just as many complaints about almost every other brand of pet food.
      Please do not confuse those two very different websites.

      The comments are not always factual. When I first discovered that site, I read a LOT of comments, and I can tell you some of those comments were not factual. I’m in no way referring to just the comments about Blue Buffalo, but any brand.

      I consider that site useless, because nothing on it can be verified. It is just a place for people to complain. It is littered (paid for) with advertising links.

      SUSAN’S site does not accept any outside advertizing. Oh, and neither does “Consumer Repoerts”. I trust what Susan Thixton tells us, but any unvetted comments on a site like those on “consumer affairs” are to be taken with a very large grain of salt.

      So, obviously, any comments on Susan’s site should also be taken with a grain of salt as any unvetted comments should be.

  38. I love my dog

    December 29, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    Since “advice” is being thrown out into the Forum (and we all do it) please add this to the record. To “vet” is to “investigate” (a verb). To be “vetted” (adj.) would imply that something has been “investigated” except that “vetted” is not a word. “Consumer Affairs” is a collection of consumer comments, most of which are negative. It is a site where it’s been said that (1) competitors post bogus remarks to bias consumers. If so then it would still be pretty difficult to “guide” consumers to a particular brand instead. So it would seem to be a pretty big waste of time for “Trolls” to bother, unless they have nothing better to do with their time. The (2) second point is that (it’s been said) manufacturers can pay to correct their maligned reputation, or to at least provide a rebuttal on a consumer by consumer basis. Few do however, Probably because unless there is some factual evidence to the contrary, then what’s the point either?

    Here’s the real problem. There are a LOT of dog food brands out there, thus there is an opportunity for a LOT of things to go wrong, and for a LOT of pets to be affected. It’s an open site so everybody is going to be making a comment about something. While the site may be useless to an individual (depending upon what is expected) it is still a way to read about many different experiences. Unfortunately (and to the discredit of the FDA) while PF reports are encouraged, a consumer can’t read about other reports made. There is no mandate for a manufacturer to respond. There is also no anchor point for EVIDENCE. Meaning you are not required to submit your complaint verified by the diagnosis or comments of your attending Veterinarian. All it can do, by way of collection, is develop a pattern of a manufacturer issues. The FDA will only act on those that fall within its jurisdiction (permission). And those are pretty minimal. This does NOT mean however that every adverse event shouldn’t be reported!

    Keep in mind, one reason for so many PF complaints to exist in the first place, is that every pet can react differently (or more seriously) to adverse conditions in the product. Batches of PF vary greatly because of mycotoxins, endotoxins, exposure to toxic chemicals (cleaning agents, pesticides) filthy transport and storage systems. It would only take the putrid scrapping off of the manufacturing plant floor to be incorporated into a food batch (whether accidental or intentional) to detrimentally skew an entire “Lot” (location/date/pallet) of food. And to end up making a sensitive, puppy, elderly, or fragile pet even worse!

    Until there comes to be an evidence based system of required reporting, tracking and manufacturer accountability, the ONLY thing that can be useful at all, are consumer experiences, in order for every pet owner to judge whether the brand under their attention, is or is not worth a certain level of risk. But know that the comments which do come into the author of this website (particularly on a personal, not necessarily published basis) are NOT driven by any other agenda than for helping to prevent another owner’s sad experience. And this is done by adding more background context to a developing issue which the author (in a future article) may write about.

    Consumer Reports (which does accept reader comments in print) which “may” be useful for some product reviews in general, has no channel for collecting PF complaints, and NO interest in reviewing the honest status of PF manufacturing. In fact the 2011 article (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/august/money/pet-costs/dont-pay-a-premium-for-premium-pet-food/index.htm) which they DID publish, pretty much reveals their ignorance, or at least failure to be thoroughly educated. We have absolutely no way of knowng whether Consumer Reports “accepts” advertising or whether it can be pressured or warned against making whatever conclusions they arrive at. Any so-called study can be influenced by the nature and conditions of the effort, and the interpretation of results, and how those results are written up. I am not accusing CR, but neither would I trust my pet’s welfare to their analysis either.

    It is (by the way) the nature of any public exchange of comments on a website for all information to be “taken with a grain of salt” in that everyone’s experience is personal and subjective. I would suggest that it is the INTENTION behind sharing the information which really counts most. And “most” people (the Followers of TAPF) having been involved for such a long time “usually” present the intention of helping one another. There would be no other kind of motivation that makes any sense! In fact, “Trolls” are usually and quickly identified, and given the “boot!”

  39. Mick

    March 1, 2016 at 7:01 am

    Trust for a product can only be as good as the owners trust. Anything involving the owners of Blue Buffalo is a red flag to me. Direct past experience has shown me their is nothing above board with the motives of the owner listed in the memo above. I would suggest you learn as much as you can about the ingredients in any pet product from outside test prior to buying. What’s on the label is only as trustworthy as the individuals behind the product.

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