# Taste of Wild vs. Blue Buffalo



## pjkelley64

Hi , I recently switched my dogs from Nutro (yes, I never knew how bad a food this was till this forum) to Taste of the Wild Venison. I gradually switched over and now after 5 days of only TOW my 2 Cockers have very bad gas and the craps. At my local tractor supply they only carry the TOW and Blue Buffalo so I am trying to stick to these 2 so I do not have to travel far for their food. Should I try the blue or just give them a chance to adjust? Thanks for any advice,Pam


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## luvMyBRT

I would give it longer than 5 days. When I first switched my GSH Pointer over to a grain free food she had gas too. She also is eating the TOTW bison formula and is doing wonderful on it.

Did you do the switch gradually? Sometimes if you switch foods too fast it can cause some upset in some dogs. 

Also, be sure you aren't over feeding. Feeding too much of a grain free food can cause problems such as runny stool. For comparison, Lucky my 48 lb. GSH Pointer eats about 3/4 of a cup two times a day with two spoonfulls of canned mixed in.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5

totw is better im. how big are your dogs and how muh you feeding?


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## kevin bradley

RC, man, you love those Diamond foods....:wink:


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5

=p
isnt blue buffalo a grained food though?


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## kevin bradley

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> =p
> isnt blue buffalo a grained food though?



I believe Blue Buffalo does have a Grain free line. Can't imagine spending that kind of money on a grain free food that doesn't say Evo, Acana or Orijen on the label...but I'm sure its decent. :wink:


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5

im not familiar with the price, but i know you have trouble imagining non evo/champ food s =p.
there grain free formula looks meh imo.


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## sal101011

is TOTW made by diamond?


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## buddy97

sal101011 said:


> is TOTW made by diamond?


not just made by them (such as Canidae, solid gold, etc...TOTW is actually a Diamon owned line)

to the OP, id agree that since you already started the TOTW id give it a while longer.

if you were comparing TOTW with Blue Buffalo's grainless food (Wilderness) id definitely favor the Wilderness.


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## goujon

Taste of the Wild Pet Foods - Per Diamond Pet Food (manufacturer) “all fish meal, ocean fish meal, and salmon meal ingredients are preserved with ethoxyquin.”

Risk Ingredients Not Listed on Pet Food Labels


I would go with Blue Buffalo.


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## buddy97

goujon said:


> Taste of the Wild Pet Foods - Per Diamond Pet Food (manufacturer) “all fish meal, ocean fish meal, and salmon meal ingredients are preserved with ethoxyquin.”
> 
> Risk Ingredients Not Listed on Pet Food Labels
> 
> 
> I would go with Blue Buffalo.


yes, that is because the suppliers for Diamond use it (diamond doesnt add it themselves, though it doesnt matter--its in the food), as do any other supplier in the U.S. that do not have special permits to preserve with something else.

is there any verification that Blue Buff does not use suppliers that preserve with ethoxyquin?


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## Unosmom

BB is a more reliable company, but I would pick totw over bb because its grain free, unless you compare to Bb's wilderness which is a grain free line. 

But if you chose to stay with totw, I would advice slowly transitioning, mixing in with old food for at least 2 weeks and weaning unto the new food, you can also add some plain yogurt which will help with digestion.


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## goujon

Blue Buffalo Pet Foods
“Fish meal is preserved naturally with Naturox.”


Risk Ingredients Not Listed on Pet Food Labels


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## buddy97

goujon said:


> Blue Buffalo Pet Foods
> “Fish meal is preserved naturally with Naturox.”
> 
> 
> Risk Ingredients Not Listed on Pet Food Labels


being preserved with Naturox does not necessarily mean ethoxyquin free sources. Naturox may be what the manufacturer uses to preserve (and is all a manufacturer will usually willingly disclose). unless they specifically state that their suppliers do not use it and that they test their product to ensure it is ethoxyquin free, then i always assume it is in their food.

i email every manufacturer i use and ask them to state something to that effect in writing.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

Fromm does not use ethoxyquin ( neither do their suppliers). Neither does Petcurean products or Acana/Orijen. Many companies state they do not use it, but are not required to disclose that their suppliers do...... huge loophole. IMO, researching the companies is as important as the foods in today's marketplace. Many of the foods we use I order from doggiefood.com, k9cuisine.com, or pawschoice.com Their shipping is cheap or free depending on how much you order.


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## pjkelley64

They are around 35 lbs and I am feeding about 1 cup twice daily to each one.


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## amm0812

*TOTW ethoxyquin use*

As of last summer, TOTW no longer uses ethoxyquin. Even when they did, the amount used was equivalent to .005%, which is well below the recommended dose. Now they are only using all natural preservatives.


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## Jackielyn

5 days is not long enough to say "yay" or "nah" on a food. You have to give it at least 6 weeks. Try a little yogurt to settle the upset and pumpkin will firm up the runs. I'm unsure how much to feed a 35 lb dog but overfeeding can cause the runs as well. Give it a little bit before you try something different.


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## Savage Destiny

pjkelley64 said:


> They are around 35 lbs and I am feeding about 1 cup twice daily to each one.


A cup twice a day? That is WAY too much, and I don't care what the bag says. Food companies, heaven bless them, want to sell dog food, and they all VASTLY overestimate how much to feed. My very active 55lb dog would eat 1 cup twice a day! 

Try cutting them down to 1 1/4 cups for the whole day and see if that doesn't make a difference.


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## BoxerMommie

I agree I'd give it longer than a few days. It can take a couple of months for a dog to adjust to a new food. I also agree overfeeding can be a huge culprit. My 67 pound dog eats 2 1/2 cups of TOTW and my 80 pounder eats 3 cups (just as a reference). Both are EXTREMELY active. Oh and I also like TOTW better than BB. Good luck!


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## meggels

Savage Destiny said:


> A cup twice a day? That is WAY too much, and I don't care what the bag says. Food companies, heaven bless them, want to sell dog food, and they all VASTLY overestimate how much to feed. My very active 55lb dog would eat 1 cup twice a day!
> 
> Try cutting them down to 1 1/4 cups for the whole day and see if that doesn't make a difference.



My hound mix is 35lbs and can eat 1.5 cups of food a day. But I think her metabolism might be high LOL.


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## Savage Destiny

meggels said:


> My hound mix is 35lbs and can eat 1.5 cups of food a day. But I think her metabolism might be high LOL.


I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but in a high calorie food like TotW 1/2 of a cup difference can mean a lot! 2 cups a day is just way too much for a 35lb dog, even a really active one.


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## meggels

I thought TOTW was pretty low in calories compared to other grain free foods? She's been on foods that are the same or even more in calories lol. I agree 2 cups would be too much, but I think 1.25 cups a day for a 40lb dog, which was suggested somewhere in here, is too little.


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## BoxerMommie

It depends on the dog. Some will gain weight on that and some won't. It's an individual thing. Very easy, if they're gaining weight or have loose stools cut back by 1/4-1/2 cup a day and see if it helps. If they're losing weight increase by 1/4-1/2 cup a day and see if that helps. When my female was alive, she was only 5 pounds less than my male yet she ate a good 1/2-3/4 cup less food per day, she just gained weight really easy and we had to be careful not to pack the pounds on her. Every animal is different, what is good for one may not be good for another. Decrease to 1 1/4 cup a day, if they're losing weight then increase by 1/4 cup and see if that makes a difference over 3-4 weeks.


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## SamWu1

I was doing 2 full cups of High Prairie with a raw egg and her ribs are still protruding a bit too much and she's only 38 pounds. That was for two full months so I think every dog is a bit different.


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## rmonta1

pjkelley64 said:


> Hi , I recently switched my dogs from Nutro (yes, I never knew how bad a food this was till this forum) to Taste of the Wild Venison. I gradually switched over and now after 5 days of only TOW my 2 Cockers have very bad gas and the craps. At my local tractor supply they only carry the TOW and Blue Buffalo so I am trying to stick to these 2 so I do not have to travel far for their food. Should I try the blue or just give them a chance to adjust? Thanks for any advice,Pam


Just a little tip---(I just recently switched to TOW salmon and am excited to see what kind of results i get with my dog.) He is a English Bull Terrier that has lots of skin allergies but he has ALWAYS had terrible gas and I've found that anti-gas chewable tablets by lipiderm (available) on amazon work wonders! It takes a week or so to kick in but once it does it is a miracle because my dog had gas that would clear rooms often and now I never notice him passing gas.


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## Khimaera

Last year I switched my 10y/o Blue Tick Hound over to Taste of the Wild because her health was deteriorating at an alarming rate on the food she was on. The first week she had gas mostly because of the slow switch in the food but since I have placed her on Taste of the Wild (I use the bison as that just works and it was the first one that sounded good to me so I figured she would like it as well) she has picked up immensely. I recommend it to anyone, really. I have not actually be able to find a chart online that allows me to compare Blue to ToTW but from what I saw while looking at them in the store, I prefer the grain free food. I would just say stick with it and enjoy the results.

Also, for those debating the feed amount that all depends on the dog. It really does. I have two dogs of different backgrounds and different weights and it really does depend on the dog. I mean...if you have an active dog then they are always going to need a little more (I have found actually making a bit of a mash to help with the food encourages weight gain) but I have seen my roommate's cocker spaniel who is very active can only eat very little because elsewise she gains far too much weight too quickly. How much you feed your dog is always dependent on the dog itself.


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