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  1. #1
    Puppy
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    Trouble with Science Diet ?

    We just put down our almost 8 year old rescue lab we had since a 7 week old puppy. Was on Science Diet his whole life. He was doing fine and then he drastically went down hill with difficulty getting up, walking, eating, etc - Two Dr's diagnosed as cancer on the spleen that metastasized to other organs - this all was over the last two months. Agreed with the Dr's diagnosis. Our lab had a buddy - a 7 year old Old English Sheep Dog we also have had since an 8 week old puppy - the Sheep Dog started developing issues about the same time as the Lab - difficulty getting up, throwing up and was also on Science Diet his whole life. After visits to two vets and various medications - Sucralfate (Prilosec), Omeprazole (stomach stabilizer) and Amoxicillan (just in case of infection) then took for an Ultrasound of his "gut" - which was negative, but second Dr suggested a food change. We switched the Sheep Dog over to Blue Buffalo wet and dry (chicken, rice and veggies) and within a week or so we have our boy back in good health and normal outgoing self. Difficulty getting up is gone, overall agility is back - like a miracle - sure did not want to see two dogs go down within a month of each other ........... Have done some web surfing to see what people are saying about issues with the diets of their dogs - many people are having similar issues with Science Diet with their dogs. We went to PetSmart for the new dog food and talked at length about the types of foods available and they concurred that Blue Buffalo Brand was a premium type food and many people do very well with it ............another dog owner overheard the discussion and is having similar issues with her dog that was also on Science Diet Brand products. We now think that our lab's diet did not do him any good and may have contributed to his sudden down turn ...........the sudden turn around in the Sheep Dog for the better is sure making us pay more attention to diet.

    Anyone having similar issues with Science Diet? Did something change in their formulation or did our dogs need a change anyway at their age? Probably will never know for sure ....but sure wished we could have got some more time with our Lab, Toby!!!

    Got a new Lab Puppy (Andouille - Douille for short (Dewy)) last week (8 wks) and the Old English Sheep Dog (Murphy)
    is showing him the ropes at our house - we are at least smiling again!
    Last edited by michaeldc46; 07-30-2014 at 10:39 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    I don't feed Science Diet, and I wouldn't feed blue or get my advice from Petsmart employees. I have no idea if there were any changes in their formulas but I am glad to hear you are paying attention to your dogs' food.

    I am very sorry for the loss of your beloved labrador, Toby.

    Good luck with the new pup!
    Charlie and Burton


  3. #3
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    I'm very sorry for your recent loss. Did you check whether there were any changes in the food with the manufacturer? It's not always on the bag or on the website, you'd have to phone or email them. I did find this recall, but would you be feeding two large dogs this food?

    https://www.hillspet.com/our-company/...-dog-food.html

    I've never fed Science Diet to my dog. I'm not sure what Blue Diamond food is. I know of Blue Buffalo, which I don't feed but many here have had loose stool issues with. I fed a Diamond food myself with no problems, other than it was very low in calories and I had to feed more of it. Even though it was not one of the Diamond foods that had recalls I stopped feeding it after the second big recall that company had a couple of years ago.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog BaconsMom's Avatar
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    My first lab was fed science diet for her entire 17 years, and she had no problems.
    Julie & Jake, Bacon's Humans

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  5. #5
    Puppy
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    Got the Blue Buffalo recommendation from the second Vet. He wanted a food switch and first suggested cooking chicken and rice and make our own mild food to see if the dog would stop throwing up and if the physical condition would improve - we talked about Blue Buffalo products and he then suggested that we try that first - the Chicken and rice formula. We just went to Pet Smart and talked with the owner to get his feed back on Science Diet and his impression about Blue Buffalo. We were after "holistic" food - organic, no GM ingredients, no antibiotics, no steroids, etc - the Blue Buffalo product fits into this type of food ...........some folks have communicated with the Science Diet folks about formulation changes, etc and they say there were none - really do not want to spend time running down the Science Diet Issues - the change to the Blue Buffalo products seems to have done the trick. We thought we were paying attention to our dog's food - what the manufactures do is out of most of our control and they do not communicate changes if there were any to the customers - supplier changes, formulation changes or imported raw materials where no clear standards exist - I guess it is "buyer beware" which is scarey to say the least.
    Thanks for your kind words about Toby .........will post pictures of Douille shortly on the puppy page ........
    Last edited by michaeldc46; 07-30-2014 at 03:22 PM.

  6. #6
    Puppy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    I'm very sorry for your recent loss. Did you check whether there were any changes in the food with the manufacturer? It's not always on the bag or on the website, you'd have to phone or email them. I did find this recall, but would you be feeding two large dogs this food?

    https://www.hillspet.com/our-company/...-dog-food.html

    I've never fed Science Diet to my dog. I'm not sure what Blue Diamond food is. I know of Blue Buffalo, which I don't feed but many here have had loose stool issues with. I fed a Diamond food myself with no problems, other than it was very low in calories and I had to feed more of it. Even though it was not one of the Diamond foods that had recalls I stopped feeding it after the second big recall that company had a couple of years ago.
    Blue Buffalo is the correct name of the food .........not Blue "Diamond" (they have a blue diamond on the bag ............) thanks for pointing that out ..........

  7. #7
    Best Friend Retriever Sue's Avatar
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    I'm not aware of any Blue Diamond dog foods. There are Blue Buffalo, Diamond and Blue Seal. Which one is it?

    Either way, Science Diet is mostly pushed by vets, since that is one of the two companies that sponsor nutrition classes in vet school, along with Nestle Purina. And it is way overpriced for what you're getting.

    I do agree with staying away from GMO products, but make sure your food doesn't contain soy, canola oil, corn, beet pulp, or golden rice (other rice may be okay, other than arsenic levels).

    ETA: I see you updated your post as I was writing mine. Got it.
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    “It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.”

    Cheryl Zuccaro

  8. #8
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    For that matter, I don't trust any kibble manufacturer and that is the reason I switched my dog to home prepared meals two years ago.

    I am really sorry for your loss of Toby.
    Cookie Black Snowflake
    July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.

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  9. #9
    House Broken Candy and Spike's Dad's Avatar
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    Every time I take Spike's to PetSmart, He always pees on Science Diet bags.. Not sure why.. I usually try to avoid walking near the science diet aisle.

  10. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Candy and Spike's Dad For This Useful Post:

    charliebbarkin (07-31-2014), Woofie (08-03-2014)

  11. #10
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Just an FYI, Blue Buff has a killer marketing program. Everyone wants to feed it. Many dogs DO NOT do well on it. They are also in a lawsuit right now brought on by Purina. I know many folks poo poo Purina (I personally think Pro Plan is the best for my dogs for many reasons), but they had proof that Blue Buff was lying about their ingredients and called them on it.

 



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