Wellness or Blue Buffalo puppy food??

[Dawn]

I am getting my new Goldendoodle puppy on November 1st from a breeder and I have been researching puppy foods like a mad woman---to the point of a headache! She is on Puppy Chow currently, so I know I will have to leave her on that for a couple of weeks and then wean her. I have read the archived disscussions on food and this is where I am so far. I (think) I have narrowed down my choices to Blue Buffalo and Wellness. I am looking for any suggestions as to which food is better in your opinion. And also, if I should just go with a standard puppy formula like the lamb and brown rice or the large breed puppy formula? Please help! Attached is a picture of one of the little (female) darlings we will be choosing from!

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Dawn ~
Congrats on your little doll, you must be very excited! I have used Blue Buffalo in the past, but just wanted to point out 2 things to give you more information in your decision. First it is not much more economical than a super premium food. Second it is manufactured by a Diamond plant.

On the wellness I can tell you that they were recently aquired by Eagle Pac. Eagle Pac is an awesome food BUT until it is revealed what direction they will persue ie. maintain the two brands or merge and have formula changes you may want to wait until the dust settles. Otherwise you may find yourself with yet another change to adapt to.

I have also done more research than I care to admit ~ thought I was going to have a rogaine moment. If you would like a glimpe into any of those postings hop over to the Trinity Doodles 'tails' from home page.

Good luck!

[Dawn]

Thank you for your reply! Yes..all this research is definately enough to make you tear your hair out. I am looking for a good quality, but affordable food. If have some brand suggestions I would love to hear them!

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Dawn ~

One of the things to consider is that if you look at the portions with a super premium food, they usually do not eat as much because it provides more of what they need without having to digest all the filler garbage first to get it. So when thinking in terms of affordability do not just look at the price per pound. I have seen this same issue discussed many times here and I am sure if you ask, those on super premium foods would confirm that.

[Dawn]

Thank you for that...that is a very good point. :)

[Marcia Stevens]

Hi Dawn,
Look into "California Natural" dog food....a very simple food without a lot of fillers your pup doesn't need. My doodles do great on it...they eat less...poops seem to be firmer, more compact, and seems to have a "better odor"...( if that's possible)..but, you know what I mean.......
Take Care! Love the group of pups you are choosing from....!

[Tegan]

My girl was on Wellness for a while and it seemed to be a good food. The only downside I found was that he stool was a little on the runny side (from the research I did this seems to be normal with the Wellness food). The only reason I've switched her is that she's having some food allergy issues and we're trying a fish formula. As others have said looking at the feeding instructions are the best way to determine the actual cost per day of the food. A lot of the less expensive formulas actually end up costing more per day to feed because you have to feed so much more of them. There are a few websites that offer reviews and ratings of food. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ This one lets you search by name and has a rating system of up to 6 stars. I found it a useful way of comparing different foods. As for a large breed formula, our Vet thought that it was a good idea while they are growing because they are specially formulated to control the growth of the puppy so there is not so much strain placed on the joints. The idea is to achieve a slow and steady growth rate. I hope this is helpful =)

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Dawn ~

I hate to keep jumping in but would like to share a few other things to consider other than the label.

Where is the product manufactured and by whom? Have they ever been on a recall list and if so why? Are the ingredients U.S. sourced? If you cannot get a clear answer to that question, it is a huge red flag. Some previously listed foods on whole dog journals list were removed this year because they would not respond to the question of where it was manufactured.

If reading a review, when is it dated? Many formulas have changed during the last year in response to higher priced ingredients. Additionally there are some reviews still floating around since before the 07 recalls.

Of course also factored into the 'cost' one would anticipate less medical complications which are generally far more costly than food when using a super premium food.

[Tante & Jordan & now Annie!]

I feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness formula (Adult dog only, not for puppies), for my Dogs and Cats (cats get the cat formula). I love it.
I do not know much about the "Spa Organics" formulas,which has the puppy food.
I used to feed Solid gold and Timberwolf (recalled) and Fromm.( I swear I've tried all the S.P dog food lines)
I like the Wilderness the best for my dogs. I have an 10 y or and 3y old dogs. What I like the most is it is Holistic and Gluten free. Payton reacts to wheat.
I spend about $100 about a month and half for food. One down fall is it sells out where I buy from. Now when I open a bag, I will buy the next bag.That way I am never running out.

When Timberwolf was recalled it was strange because my Dogs stopped eating. I could not understand what was going on. My sister was feeding it also and we were or there and my dogs would eat her food. Turns out that some of the bags had an issue with the preservative that was being used. Then I went home and I smelled the food.It was totaly bad.

[Melissa, Samson & Shelby]

Hi! Samson was/is a very picky eater. Not very interested (ie, wouldn't touch, much less eat) in many high quality dog foods. We found a winner with Blue Buffalo. He ate the large breed puppy formula, and just recently switched to the large breed adult. He weighs 58 lbs. It's for 50 lbs and over. I found that no matter how well the dog food was rated, if my dog wouldn't eat it, it wasn't a good choice for me. I also liked that Blue has different flavors to choose from. At some point, I intend to cycle his foods, at least through their other flavors if he is agreeable. Good luck!

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

hi all,
we use nature's varity...i swear by it, i used to have izzy on nutro, but with all the dog food problems i found a wholistic food...one less thing to worry about! no wheat no corn....izzy loves it, and her poops are much smaller, and that is improtant when you have a big dog!! now we just got tucker he is 8 weeks and this food is great for all ages...i out him on it right away and no tummy problems and his poo is nice and solid. and a bonus to this food, it makes your dog have a sweet smell to them, not stinky wet dog smell....and great for their coats as well. it is a bit pricy but for us, well worth it! oh yea, i use the chicken, it comes in other flavors, but i just stick to that, the only i don't care for is the salmon...stinky!! lol

just a thought
amy

[Dawn]

Well...I thought I had it narrowed down between Blue Buffalo and Wellness. But not so sure now! I was also looking at Innvova puppy formula...I like the way the ingredients are pretty simple and I can pronounce them all! Any thoughts on Innova? And what is better for goldendoodles do you think..the regular Innova puppy or the Large breed puppy formula?? I'm kinda stumped on that one. Thank you for everyone's feedback, BTW. I really appreciate it.

[Tegan]

If your doodle is expected to be over 50 lbs a large breed formula is a good idea.