Purina vs Blue Buffalo FYI

[nycbullymama]

guess Purina is hurting in sales department

I looked at the ingredients in some of their "better" dog foods. The "Select' category. WOW, just WOW. It amazes me they have the balls to sue Blue Buffalo when their own ingredients suck so bad.

I mean look at their Select "Adult Grain Free Formula".
1. They use so little animal protein, they can't even put which animal the protein is from in their formula name. Hence just the generic "Grain free formula" instead of say "Beef Grain free formula".
For those of you that don't know the FDA regulation for what's allowed in a dog food name, read this: http://www.englishbulldognews.com/f...o-Pet-Food-According-to-FDA-Regulations-A-LOT!

2. The first 11 ingredients:
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.

Not much meat there eh..

Now compare that to Blue Buffalo. I'm too lazy to type out all the ingredients in their Grain Free Beef formula but the first two are Beef, and Chicken Meal. I'm not convinced that most of the protein in Blue Buffalo comes for animal protein either, but it's way better than the crap Purina sells.

 

[2BullyMama]

I looked at the ingredients in some of their "better" dog foods. The "Select' category. WOW, just WOW. It amazes me they have the balls to sue Blue Buffalo when their own ingredients suck so bad.

I mean look at their Select "Adult Grain Free Formula".
1. They use so little animal protein, they can't even put which animal the protein is from in their formula name. Hence just the generic "Grain free formula" instead of say "Beef Grain free formula".
For those of you that don't know the FDA regulation for what's allowed in a dog food name, read this: http://www.englishbulldognews.com/f...o-Pet-Food-According-to-FDA-Regulations-A-LOT!

2. The first 11 ingredients:
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.

Not much meat there eh..

Now compare that to Blue Buffalo. I'm too lazy to type out all the ingredients in their Grain Free Beef formula but the first two are Beef, and Chicken Meal. I'm not convinced that most of the protein in Blue Buffalo comes for animal protein either, but it's way better than the crap Purina sells.

They are like politicians... just a bunch of liars and spinners

 

[MissWaddles13]

I just bought Blue Búffalo treats for Porkie. It said , grain free :/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nubonics]

Before everyone over reacts, let's a remember that we are only hearing Purina's claims. Blue Buffalo have fired back:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/industri...fires-back-at-purina-over-food-quality-claim/

There’s a war brewing in the pet-food kingdom.

Nestle’s Purina PetCare -- a mainstay in the pet-food realm -- sued its smaller competitor Blue Buffalo Tuesday for allegedly misleading customers on claims about ingredients in its foods.

At the kernel of the case is a claim by St. Louis, Missouri-based Purina that Blue Buffalo’s dog foods do in fact contain animal by-products, corn and other items that its advertising specifically says the company forbids. If substantiated, the accusations could deal a powerful blow to the fledgling firm that has based its success on transparency about the ingredients it uses.

In an exclusive interview with FOX Business, Blue Buffalo’s founder and chairman, Bill Bishop, aggressively fired back at the pet-food powerhouse.

Bishop, whose career took roots in the advertising sector, painted a story of David vs. Goliath. In his view, Purina is trying to wreck its much smaller rival by leveraging its size and legal team.

“We became the fastest growing pet food … (and it) really pissed off a lot of bigger companies,” he said in the telephone interview. “We find ourselves at a place where our friends at Nestle are [in] the ‘if you can’t beat them, sue them’” mindset.

Purina, which was founded in the late 19th century as a seed company and then turned into a pet food producer in the 1920s, is a unit of Swiss-based Nestle, which has a market capitalization of around $250 billion. Blue Buffalo was founded about 12 years ago, and while Bishop declined to specify exactly how large the privately-held firm is, he said it’s about one hundredth the size of Nestle’s value.

Blue Buffalo has gone head-to-head against Purina and other mainstream dog brands. The Wilton, Conn.–based company markets its foods as being free of animal by-products, corn, and various other grains that are commonly used in animal foods.

Bishop founded the company after his dog Blue, an Airedale Terrier, was diagnosed with cancer. He previously had success as one of the founders of the SoBe beverage company. Blue Buffalo’s claim isn’t so much based on the nutritional quality of the food, but about the transparency of the ingredients.

“We advertised very aggressively on the basis of you should really know what’s in your pet’s food,” he said. “We tapped into a broad-based trend ‘if you love your pet like family, you want to feed them like family.’”

‘Weird Science’ or Searing Indictment?

Purina’s allegations that Blue Buffalo has misled customers about its ingredients strike at the very core of the company.

Bishop alleged Purina’s laboratory results were “based on some kind of weird science.” He categorically denied Purina’s allegations and said the pet-food company didn’t reach out to Blue Buffalo before hitting it with a lawsuit in federal court.

“We haven’t purchased one kernel of corn, nor have we bought one ounce of by-product meal,” he said, noting that he can’t imagine how Purina’s independent lab tests found any of the substances in the foods.

Blue Buffalo uses third-party co-manufacturers to produce its foods, but Bishop said the company provides all of its own ingredients. Bishop said, however, that he trusts his manufacturers and that his firm has “people watching the manufacturers” closely for quality-control purposes.

Still, Bishop wouldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of a small-scale snafu at the manufacturer level.

“Could anything happen with one isolated incident?” he asked, “Possibly, but it’s really unlikely.”

He also noted that the company is currently working on developing its own manufacturing facilities.

Keith Schopp, a spokesperson at Purina, shot back at Bishop: “This is exactly what we expected from Blue Buffalo, which isn’t being honest about the quality of the ingredients in its pet foods,” he said in a statement.

Schopp also responded to Bishop’s assertion that Purina’s lab results represented voodoo science, saying “we are confident in our independent testing and we look forward to proving our case in court.”

Bishop vowed to “respond aggressively” to Purina’s legal suit, although he didn’t say whether the company would counter-sue.

Stuck in the Middle

Another side of this war in the pet space is that it places pet-store chains in an awkward position between two feuding suppliers whose items they stock. For now, it appears the major brands are sticking on the sidelines.

Lisa Epstein Stark, a spokesperson for Petco, said the firm prefers not to comment on the matter. While Erin Gray, who represents PetSmart, said, “as a practice, PetSmart does not comment on pending litigation.” She added that the firm will be “monitoring the litigation closely and will take next steps as appropriate.”

Incidentally, Petco is teaming up with Blue Buffalo on Pet Cancer Awareness Month in May, in which the duo is looking to gather $2 million in donations for research on the subject. And Blue Buffalo actually initially launched its brand in PetSmart’s stores, according to Bishop.

The market for pet food has blown up in recent years. Nestle saw sales of about $12.83 billion in its pet care division globally last year, with organic growth of 6.8%, according to regulatory filings.

The American Pet Products Association estimates $22.62 billion will be spent by Americans on pet food this year, up from $21.57 billion last year. The trade group’s data show total U.S. spending on pets has surged some 244% to $58.51 billion over the past 10 years.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[brutus77]

Before everyone over reacts, let's a remember that we are only hearing Purina's claims. Blue Buffalo have fired back:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/industri...fires-back-at-purina-over-food-quality-claim/

There’s a war brewing in the pet-food kingdom.

Nestle’s Purina PetCare -- a mainstay in the pet-food realm -- sued its smaller competitor Blue Buffalo Tuesday for allegedly misleading customers on claims about ingredients in its foods.

At the kernel of the case is a claim by St. Louis, Missouri-based Purina that Blue Buffalo’s dog foods do in fact contain animal by-products, corn and other items that its advertising specifically says the company forbids. If substantiated, the accusations could deal a powerful blow to the fledgling firm that has based its success on transparency about the ingredients it uses.

In an exclusive interview with FOX Business, Blue Buffalo’s founder and chairman, Bill Bishop, aggressively fired back at the pet-food powerhouse.

Bishop, whose career took roots in the advertising sector, painted a story of David vs. Goliath. In his view, Purina is trying to wreck its much smaller rival by leveraging its size and legal team.

“We became the fastest growing pet food … (and it) really pissed off a lot of bigger companies,” he said in the telephone interview. “We find ourselves at a place where our friends at Nestle are [in] the ‘if you can’t beat them, sue them’” mindset.

Purina, which was founded in the late 19th century as a seed company and then turned into a pet food producer in the 1920s, is a unit of Swiss-based Nestle, which has a market capitalization of around $250 billion. Blue Buffalo was founded about 12 years ago, and while Bishop declined to specify exactly how large the privately-held firm is, he said it’s about one hundredth the size of Nestle’s value.

Blue Buffalo has gone head-to-head against Purina and other mainstream dog brands. The Wilton, Conn.–based company markets its foods as being free of animal by-products, corn, and various other grains that are commonly used in animal foods.

Bishop founded the company after his dog Blue, an Airedale Terrier, was diagnosed with cancer. He previously had success as one of the founders of the SoBe beverage company. Blue Buffalo’s claim isn’t so much based on the nutritional quality of the food, but about the transparency of the ingredients.

“We advertised very aggressively on the basis of you should really know what’s in your pet’s food,” he said. “We tapped into a broad-based trend ‘if you love your pet like family, you want to feed them like family.’”

‘Weird Science’ or Searing Indictment?

Purina’s allegations that Blue Buffalo has misled customers about its ingredients strike at the very core of the company.

Bishop alleged Purina’s laboratory results were “based on some kind of weird science.” He categorically denied Purina’s allegations and said the pet-food company didn’t reach out to Blue Buffalo before hitting it with a lawsuit in federal court.

“We haven’t purchased one kernel of corn, nor have we bought one ounce of by-product meal,” he said, noting that he can’t imagine how Purina’s independent lab tests found any of the substances in the foods.

Blue Buffalo uses third-party co-manufacturers to produce its foods, but Bishop said the company provides all of its own ingredients. Bishop said, however, that he trusts his manufacturers and that his firm has “people watching the manufacturers” closely for quality-control purposes.

Still, Bishop wouldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of a small-scale snafu at the manufacturer level.

“Could anything happen with one isolated incident?” he asked, “Possibly, but it’s really unlikely.”

He also noted that the company is currently working on developing its own manufacturing facilities.

Keith Schopp, a spokesperson at Purina, shot back at Bishop: “This is exactly what we expected from Blue Buffalo, which isn’t being honest about the quality of the ingredients in its pet foods,” he said in a statement.

Schopp also responded to Bishop’s assertion that Purina’s lab results represented voodoo science, saying “we are confident in our independent testing and we look forward to proving our case in court.”

Bishop vowed to “respond aggressively” to Purina’s legal suit, although he didn’t say whether the company would counter-sue.

Stuck in the Middle

Another side of this war in the pet space is that it places pet-store chains in an awkward position between two feuding suppliers whose items they stock. For now, it appears the major brands are sticking on the sidelines.

Lisa Epstein Stark, a spokesperson for Petco, said the firm prefers not to comment on the matter. While Erin Gray, who represents PetSmart, said, “as a practice, PetSmart does not comment on pending litigation.” She added that the firm will be “monitoring the litigation closely and will take next steps as appropriate.”

Incidentally, Petco is teaming up with Blue Buffalo on Pet Cancer Awareness Month in May, in which the duo is looking to gather $2 million in donations for research on the subject. And Blue Buffalo actually initially launched its brand in PetSmart’s stores, according to Bishop.

The market for pet food has blown up in recent years. Nestle saw sales of about $12.83 billion in its pet care division globally last year, with organic growth of 6.8%, according to regulatory filings.

The American Pet Products Association estimates $22.62 billion will be spent by Americans on pet food this year, up from $21.57 billion last year. The trade group’s data show total U.S. spending on pets has surged some 244% to $58.51 billion over the past 10 years.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was upset initially when I saw this because Brutus has had a lot of allergy issues, hospitalizations, and that lead to him being put on Royal Canin RX food. It is very expensive and not the best food quality, so I searched for something equivalent to the RX food and Blue sensitive solution was what I came up with. It must be as advertised because he has not had any issues thus far, so I will continue to believe that Blue is indeed being truthful and continue to give it to my Brutus.

 

[nubonics]

[MENTION=9370]brutus77[/MENTION] I fed my dogs Blue for years (one Boston terrier/pug and one Boston terrier/French bulldog mix who is allergic to everything under the sun including cats). Both did extremely well on it.

I mainly switch to Fromms because the dogs were eating the puppy food, the puppy was eating dogs food - it was such a disorganized process. Since Fromms 4star can be given to dogs at all stages of life it made more sense to take them off of Blue.

I did notice an improvement in the fart department though from my Frenchton with the switch. Curly never did take to Blue well but I am not sure if it was the food or the fact that he kept eating puppy food then adult dog food and then puppy food again.

I hope you didn't think I was targeting you on the last post. Purina has monetary gain if they are able to take out one of their top competitors.

As for Brutus - I too hope the claims are false too. But as other members mentioned if it is working for Brutus you shouldn't worry about it. I am assuming he is doing fine since the switch?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[brutus77]

@brutus77 I fed my dogs Blue for years (one Boston terrier/pug and one Boston terrier/French bulldog mix who is allergic to everything under the sun including cats). Both did extremely well on it.

I mainly switch to Fromms because the dogs were eating the puppy food, the puppy was eating dogs food - it was such a disorganized process. Since Fromms 4star can be given to dogs at all stages of life it made more sense to take them off of Blue.

I did notice an improvement in the fart department though from my Frenchton with the switch. Curly never did take to Blue well but I am not sure if it was the food or the fact that he kept eating puppy food then adult dog food and then puppy food again.

I hope you didn't think I was targeting you on the last post. Purina has monetary gain if they are able to take out one of their top competitors.

As for Brutus - I too hope the claims are false too. But as other members mentioned if it is working for Brutus you shouldn't worry about it. I am assuming he is doing fine since the switch?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did not feel like you were targeting me. I was just so upset initially because Brutus was so sick and I had tried a few different foods before putting him on the RX that I was nervous that I would have to switch again if the food wasn't what I thought it was. So far he is doing well on it. No vomiting, itching, ear infections, or cysts, which is what he was experiencing before. Everyone here is so helpful and informative, it is really great to get all different opinions and advice from everyone. It really does help keep our babies healthy and happy.

 

[dolphin]

WOW! It is a war! This is going to be interesting, Purina disgusts me.

 

[HTX Bully]

Very interesting...I think this highlights that Purina and Royal Canin are owned by large multi national corporations that have the wherewithal for stuff like this. Sounds like they are actually worried about Blue and want to bully them with lawyers and atleast drum up some negative PR. Good luck, still not interested in your product.

 

[Rural mystic]

Thanks for posting this. Although I don't feed either Blue Buffalo or Purina this has me wondering how many other so called top of the line kibble producers are actually being honest about the ingredients

 

[2BullyMama]

being honest

Does this really exist any where when it comes to sales and making a profit? so so sad... no matter the product there are lies somewhere along the way

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

Don't freak, I would stick with it if it works. If this is true that Purina actually put this out makes me think that the pot is calling the kettle black here.

yup your right Phil. here's another take on that lawsuit.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.co...d79c5380ef420a699d6805ebc7d33318bc0f2723d60a7

 

[Bruiser11214]

Purina is one to talk......

 

[RaRett]

If your Pup is thriving on Blue Buffalo...and its having no allergy issues. I personally would *STICK* to Blue Buffalo..... unless they have a major recall that is. Purina in my opinion is just garbage.

 

[honeybun Cooper]

I am a proud mom of a 12 week old bully! The past few weeks have been very trying! I have had her to the vet three times with Gastrointestinal issues! Let me start with on day one the breeder tells me she is starting her on Panacur as a preventative and it needs to be given for three days but after the first dose my bully had perfuse bloody diarrhea so I rushed her to my local animal hospital who tells me her fecal test is negative but to continue the panacur and then gave me a prescription for metronidazole and to return in 7 days! After the treatment her poop was formed and had a well visit and was given probiotic sprinkles and we were sent home! Sure enough after 2 days the diarrhea returned so back to the vet we go and they order her special food science diet ID I started to wein her from her regular purina proplan to the new food and she started vomiting so I stopped the science diet and have been keeping her with purina proplan! The vet also started her on another round of the metronidazole! The vet tells me my bully just has a underdeveloped Gastrointestinal system due to her age! I started giving her cooled boiled chicken and rice daily and banana in the morning! im not sure what else to do for her! So far the breeded was giving the pups science diet then switched to something called nature nuggets then I got her and started the purina proplan now my vet wants me to give her science diet Id! Personally I think my little one has had too many changes in a short time? Any suggestions right now she is on hold for vaccines until her Gastrointestinal issues resolve but I want her to be safe and healthy! Please help! Is my vet just looking to make money at the expense of my furkids health? Am I doing the right things for her?