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Vet says no to Blue Buffalo GI food. What are affordable alternatives?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bernese Mountain Dog | Male | unneutered | 5 months and 25 days old | 30 lbs

Sir/Ma'am Hello, my vet is telling me my dog has a possible GI problem. They are trying to sell me Royal Crown GI dog food and told me to stay far away from Blue Buffalo GI dog food which is more affordable. My questions are should I stay away from Blue Buffalo GI dog food and if so do you have any recommendations for a more affordable GI dog food. V/r Andrew and ARES

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 25th, 2020

Blue Buffalo is terrible! It is one of the worst foods on the market, and you'd be hard pressed to find any vet who would recommend it. Royal Canin is a great food, I highly recommend it. Eukanuba has a Daily Care Sensitive Digestion food that I recommend. Also look at Hill's Science Diet, and Purina Pro Plan. I hope this helps, Andrew!

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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I’ve always fed my cat Blue Buffalo, but recently I found out that people were having problems with the brand and some pets were even dying. Should I be concerned feeding my cat Blue Buffalo? What would be a good and healthy alternative?
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I been feeding my dog Caesars Wet Food & Blue Buffalo Wildness Cut and he has diarrhea, took him off & been giving him chicken and it went away . I want to know what type of wet food should I give him since he doesn't like dry food.
I'm sorry that Prince has been having problems with diarrhea! I personally am not a fan at all of Blue Buffalo for a number of reasons, and many of my colleagues have seen dogs with GI problems from being fed Blue Buffalo. There are a couple of brands of dog food that I typically recommend which have canned food options such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I hope this helps :-)
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What is a good and recommended dog food brand that is similar to blue buffalo? I was feeding my German Shepard Puppy purina one smart blend puppy food is that good? What about for Great Danes what brand is recommended other than wellness and blue buf
You can ask 3 different vets and probably get 3 different answers when it comes to food recommendation; however, I personally am not a fan of Blue Buffalo because of their high protein content and also their unwillingness to list their complete ingredient list to AAFCO. I trust a couple of brands including Royal Canin (by far my favorite), Hills Science Diet, and California Natural (Innova). I would recommend either of those and it has to be puppy large breed until Timmy turns 1 year of age, at which point he can be switched to the adult food. Purina puppy is ok and is a little lower on the list of high quality brands to choose from. Iams is a step above the Purina in my personal opinion.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog has had some digestive upset the past few months. He has been on ghiardia meds, a simple diet and antibiotics. The diarrhea stopped but last night he threw up (some food un chewed) he's on blue buffalo limited ingredient and drank a ton of wat
I have had a lot of problems with my patients eating blue buffalo. I would off Howie plain boneless skin chicken breast white and rice for about 3 days then slow transition him from the chicken and rice to a new diet. I would look into natural balance, science diet, royal canin or iams. These are all great foods that are less likely to upset him stomach. If they have a sensitive stomach formula, try that. I would also keep him on his probiotic non-stop. Finally, before finished the giardia meds, I would have your vet recheck his poop sample to ensure it is completely gone. If he continues to vomit or if he starts having diarrhea again, I would have your vet take another look him. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Benji was put on grain free food by his vet but I don't really think he needs grain free food or that it's a healthy choice. I have him on Blue buffalo grain free and want to switch to regular Blue buffalo is this a good decision and a healthy one?
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my sisters cat was told to give her cat BB Hydrolyzed dry food--she has had diarrhea ever since --think she might have iBD any other Hydrolyzed can u suggest please
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Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog was having extremely soft stools and going often throughout the day and night. I have put him on a bland diet as I believe it has to do with his food. He was eating Blue buffalo wilderness large breed puppy dry food. I feel like it was too muc
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My dog has been very persistent on trying to eat grass the last couple of days.I tried giving him some wet food with his dry food to try to relieve whatever it is but he still wants grass.His eyes have also been a bit red for about 2 month, I dont kn
Frankly, I'm not a fan of Blue Buffalo since they have been cited for lying about the ingredients in their foods more than once. My personal favorite brands of dog food are Science Diet and Royal Canin. Both are excellent quality, made in their own facilities so there's less chance of contamination with other foods and all are extensively tested for effectiveness and palatability. If he hasn't been to the vet in a while, I recommend getting him checked to make sure there isn't some underlying medical condition causing his upset stomach.
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Bambi vomits on a daily basis. She has already been to the vet and everything is fine. She has food allergies. She itches and vomits up food. I've tried duck and potato (nutro brand) then switched to blue buffalo just the duck. She is still throwing
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Is blue buffalo a good Great Dane puppy food? Or what is the best food for my Dane puppy without coming too much out of pocket for a small bag.
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