The recent Menu Foods Company pet food recall has put most pet owners into a panic mode. Some owners do not know what to do. Do I start feeding table scraps? Do I start making food at home so I know what my pet is eating? How do I know that I am feeding my dog something safe? Holistic dog food could be the answer for many pet owners. As a dog owner, I have been concerned about the ingredients in the dog food available on the market for a few years. After researching dog food companies and the foods they produce, I decided to change the what I was feeding my dogs. I chose Blue Buffalo Dog Food.
Blue Buffalo dog food is a holistic food that is made with whole grains and fresh vegetables. It contains no by-products, no steroids, antibiotics or artificial preservatives and no corn, wheat or soy. I chose to feed the Lamb and Brown Rice Recipe simply because I have a dog with allergies to poultry. I decided upon the Blue Buffalo Brand food because of the main ingredients in the food. Also, I was impressed by the attention the company seems to have given to assisting the pet owner to improve the overall health of their pet and, therefore, their pets lifespan.
The Lamb and Brown Rice Formula’s top 10 ingredients are: De-boned Free Range Lamb, Lamb Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Rye, Rice Protein, Alfalfa, Sunflower Oil and Whole Carrots. These ingredients provide my dogs with high quality protein and the fiber they need to keep them healthy. Something that set this dog food apart from the other brands I had researched, was the way they have chosen to process the added vitamins and antioxidants contained in the food. While most, if not all, other dog food manufacturers process the nutrients along with the food at high temperatures, Blue Buffalo does not. This dog food manufacturer has chosen to go the more costly route and cold process the additional vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients in the production of its Holistic foods. These are then added to the dried food in the form of an even smaller kibble. If you pour some of the food into your hand, you can see the difference between the actual food and the nutrients. Blue Buffalo has chosen the cold processing because they had found that high heat temperatures needed to process the food can cause the nutrients to lose up to 75% of their potency.
In the past three months that I have been feeding this holistic dog food to my three terriers, I have noticed a definite change in the quality of their coats. My scottie’s dry skin has improved drastically and the energy level of my 11 year old westie has been noticeably raised. The bonus of all this, is that my dogs like the food. They stay content after they have eaten, too, something that was not at all apparent with the old brand of dog food I fed.
I am extremely pleased with the quality of this holistic dog food. The positive changes I have seen in my dogs since I began feeding them Blue Buffalo are remarkable. I feel my dogs are now eating a much healthier and safer dog food. They are reaping the benefits of a stronger immune system, healthy looking skin and coat and more energy than I can deal with at times.
