Blue Buffalo dry food mold & recall: Should I switch puppy food?

He is probably going to be alright. In rare cases he may get a bit of diarrhea or vomit. Make sure there is no more of that moldy dog food around as it can cause a tummy upset. Just observe Zeus and should he get diarrhea more than once or vomit more than once, take him to a veterinarian for an exam.

I'm sorry Hulk has been having problems with soft stool! It could be that his diet was causing the diarrhea, but it could also be that he had a GI illness or ate something rotten. It's good that the bland diet has helped clear it up, and I would find another food to feed him besides Blue Buffalo. I am not a fan at all of it, there are many cases of dogs having GI issues on it. It also have very poor quality control over how it is made, and they have had a number of recalls. Brands of food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. You can get his used to one of these new brands by slowly adding it to the bland diet, and over time, increasing the amount of the new food and decreasing the bland diet until he is eating the bland diet only. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lila. There is a lot of confusion regarding pet food and it can seem difficult to make a good choice. You need to keep in mind that every pet is different and what works for your dog may not work for someone else's. I recommend a food that is certified by AAFCO to start as this means that is meets minimum standards. Next, the puppy need to like it and eat it willingly. There needs to be no vomiting and diarrhea on the diet nor an excessive amount of bowel movements. A dog should defecate 2-3 times per day. More than this is abnormal. Finally, her haircut should be glossy and healthy. If she is meeting all of these requirements on her diet, then there is no reason to change. My only warning is to avoid grain free diets as there is recent research linking them to heart disease. I hope this information helps!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Moldy food can produce serious problems, like uncontrolled twitches, lack of balance, hypersalivation or even seizures. It usually takes 1-6hrs after ingestion of mold for the symptoms to develop. If Indy is acting normal and he is not showing any of these symptoms, you should monitor him at home. However, if he starts acting strange, if he develops muscle twitches and problems with walking you should take him to your vets as an emergency.

It can be difficult to recognize when food has spoiled, and there have been many food recalls lately for various problems like salmonella or other contaminants in food that could make your dog sick but wouldn’t be obviously detectable in the food. I would recommend sticking to foods that are produced by manufacturers with good quality control in place like Hill’s, Purina and Royal Canin. I would also recommend avoiding raw diets since there is potential for salmonella contamination. In general you should keep food at room temperature or a cool, dry place in a tightly sealed metal container or you can place the original bag in a plastic container. Make sure you buy a bag that your dog can eat in 4-6 weeks or the oils could become rancid.

Blue Buffalo has had a few recalls, most recently in March due to possibly high thyroid hormone levels in beef. It was a voluntary recall you can read more about it at https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls/ucm547335.htm. There have been no recalls listed since that time. I would consider it a safe food. Some dogs do well on it, but we also see dogs where this brand causes diarrhea or GI upset. Every pet is different and may do better on one food vs. another, so if you have been feeding Blue Buffalo and your dog does well on it, I see no reason to change his diet.

Blue Buffalo is not a good food despite what all their marketing ads tell you. You will find very few vets that think it's a good choice. She would be better off back on Purina and I'd suggest the Pro Plan Puppy for large breed dogs. I think you should switch her back slowly to the Purina. It is typical for dogs to poop a lot of Blue Buffalo as they don't really seem to absorb/digest much of it. I also suggest you add in a probiotic to aid with digestion for the next couple weeks. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/purina-pro-plan-focus-large-breed-chicken-and-rice-formula-dry-puppy-food https://www.petco.com/brand/tomlyn