Author Topic: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this  (Read 4156 times)

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Offline The Kittens

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If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« on: December 02, 2011, 04:37:25 PM »
This all started with very stinky poopies, the week of TG, and then I noticed someone had diarea. Then 2 refused to even eat it. On that Sat, the kittens threw it up. Called my vet, she is closed for the holiday, called her cell, and left her a message. She called me back on Mon.  At first I thought the kittens were sick, but they, and the rest continued to be their normal active and playful selfs, not how a sick kitty would act.

They have been eating Blue Wilderness chicken for prob 5 yrs now, and only Blue Wilderness. 

They were getting wet in the morn, and dry at night, well, except for Bump, who won't eat any wet, at all, period.  But due to financial issues, have been feeding them only dry, as the wet is $1.49 a can.

I gave them wet, they ate it, no diarea, no throwing up, no stinky poopies. So my vet agreed with me, it is the food.  It is a 6 lb bag, chicken, the blue one,  code on the bottom is Nov 11 12 Z12. 

I called Blue Buffalo, they were pretty nice, said take it back to Pet Smart. I did, exchanged it for the 2 lb bag with the code Sept Z11.  The ones that prev would not eat it, ate it, and I have not had any more stinky poopies, diarea or throw up.  So common sense, tells you, it was the food, especially since, they never acted sick.

Figured it was the batch from Z12, so got a bag with Z11 on it today. I also got some wet cans, and 3 of them, in the box, the food had seeped thru the seal, stunk awful, so took it to the cashier girl.

Called Blue Buffalo, figured they wanted to know.

Well the girl went off on me, said maybe our food is not a good fit for your cats, and I see you have had a few issues, and no body else has. 

She also told me, that the dry food is processed in Nebraska, and the wet is processed in Arkansas, and then it all goes to one distribution center, where it is distributed to the various pet stores. The dates in front are what designate, what batch it came from and the number after the Z, tells them what line it came from.

So if your kitty, suddenly has very stinky poopies, diarea, throw up and refuses to eat the food, especially if the code on the bottom, is Nov 11 12, that is the batch it came from, you need to contact Blue Buffalo cust serv.

I am on a mission, to get to the bottom of this, and just as I took on the show hotel, and won, I will win this one too. Messin with Bump's mommy, ain't a good idea.   >:( 

Offline Lola

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2011, 06:47:50 PM »
Weren't they all (other then Bump) being fed an all wet diet...before changing to dry kibble? 
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Offline The Kittens

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2011, 09:35:57 PM »
They were on wet in the morn, dry at night, except Bump, only because the wet cans are $1.49 a can, or they would be on only wet, except Bump. Hours cut, needed tires, ins due, other unexpected expenses, forced me to feed them dry all the time.   

Took back the bag, as instructed, and got a smaller bag, and some wet. For now, as long as I can afford it, they are back on wet in the morn, dry at night, except Bump.  Got the bag that had Sept, big surprise, they ate it, not other issues. Even my vet agrees, it is the food. Blue Buffalo sent me a claim form, gotta fill out a report, which goes to their vets, and their legal dept.  Wait until they find out, who they are a messin with.  >:(

Bet Anderson Cooper, would find this all, very interesting, especially after what happened with the Menu Foods saga of 2007.   

Offline Middle Child

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2011, 07:33:32 AM »
I had a problem with Blue foods a year or so ago, and the customer service was really great. I had been feeding this food for about 18 months. I had bought three cases of the stuff, Blue Healthy Gourmet Flaked Chicken.  When I opened the first can it smelled funny to me, and the cats wouldn't touch it.  I opened a can from each case with the same results.

When contacted, Blue first said they had no other reports of problems (all CSR say that). They sent me a padded mailer, postage paid, to send them a few can samples.  The on line store I bought the food from gave me a full refund for all three cases, and I did not have to return the food, only the labels. So I took all the labels off and mailed them in (though my refund came through even before I mailed the labels) and I threw the food away.  Normally I take rejected food to the shelter, but since I didn't know if this food had something wrong with it, I didn't.

Since I suspected a change in the quality of the ingredients I stopped buying that food, and switched to Castor&Pollux chicken vegetable casserole which seemed to be about the same in texture and form, the two (only one now) finickies eat it, at least.  The C&P chicken is only part of the rotation, so I am not overly concerned about the spinach.

I hope you get to the bottom of the BW issue with the company, and your cats stay healthy. I would certainly make a complaint about the CSR who voiced her opinion about your cats "not being a good fit".  CSR are not there to voice opinions.

Offline The Kittens

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2011, 07:38:36 AM »
I post on the Blue Buffalo site on Facebook.  I will also be working my way up to Bill Bishop.   >:(

Offline Lola

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #5 on: December 03, 2011, 11:12:22 AM »
They were on wet in the morn, dry at night,

I'm not judging why you are feeding dry...just to make that clear.   ;D 
A change in texture could be a huge reason the kitties didn't want to eat.  Mine get their noses out of joint if I change from pate to shredded.  lol
Also, going from an all wet diet to dry... that would be a little rough on their digestive systems and such. 
BB may not be trying to kill your cats   ;)...it could have just been too much of a sudden change for the kitties. 
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Offline The Kittens

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2011, 04:34:31 PM »
Nope, lets start over, and this, is except Bump.  :P

They were getting wet in the morn, dry at night.

They would get all wet, but at $1.49 a can, I can't afford that.

So they were already used to wet, used to dry.

Had to get tires, thats like $500, ins was due, that is like $400, so had to cut back, to be able to do this.

So they went back on all dry, with my vets knowledge, she said, you have to be able to get to work, to feed them, which is what the tires do, which is what paying my ins does.

They been on all dry, for a few months now.

Opened a new bag, the week of TG.

They had very stinky poopies.

Somebody had diarea.

2 refused to eat it.

The kittens threw it up on Sat.

I called my vet, closed for the holiday.

Thru all this, they never acted sick, were still their same very active, running thru the house, at warp speed, not how a sick cat would act.

My vet called me back on Mon, I said, I think its the food, she agreed.

I gave them wet, after not having it, for a few months, they ate it, no more stinky poopies, no more diarea, no more throwin up.

I stood on the corner, they paid me to go home, made some good money.

So now they are back to wet in the morn, and dry, a totally new bag, at night, no more stinky poopies, no more diarea, no more throwing up.

You tell me, it wasn't that food.  >:( :P :-* christmas4 cat4 TexasFlag bumpgif Christmas13 



Offline Lola

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2011, 09:59:33 PM »
Like I said, I wasn't judging why you were feeding dry.

I read this:

Quote
They were getting wet in the morn, dry at night.

as... "They were getting wet morning, DAY, and night."   Doh1  You have said that you always feed your kitties wet (except Bump), sooooo I guess I read what I ASSuMEd.   Bumpurr1 
Didn't realize you had switched to also feeding dry.  I thought it was a new thing.  Therefore, I was trying to think of possibilities the kitties were having the issues that they were.  Not defending BB.  I hate all pet food manufactures equally.   :D
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Offline The Kittens

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2011, 08:29:28 AM »
Just very irritated with Blue Buffalo right now. I open a can, and it has green tint around the edges, another can, is seeping food thru the seal, while sitting on the pet store shelf, and according to them, I have to many issues, and maybe BW is not a good fit for my cats???????

Even tho I have repeatedly told them, I love the food, I highly recommend it, it works very well for my cats, and I continue to feed it.

They just cannot grasp, it is mostly likely just that one batch, or the machine needs an adjustment, when it seals the cans.

Any food, pet or human, or any product you buy, from cars to TV's to computers, etc, is on occassion, going to be defective or have an issue. THAT is why companies have a customer service department, that why stores have return policies. And in most cases, they don't argue with you, they just give you your money back or you exchange it.  On occassion I have had to return a food item, to the grocery store, its not been opened, its not expired, but for whatever reason, it is bad. They just give you your money back, or ask if you want to exchange it, don't even give you a hard time.

If food or products were not occassionaly defective, companies would not even have a customer service dept, and alot of them, and you usually have to wait for the next avail rep.  I have cable, one day, it didn't work right, called them, the guy was out in a couple of hours, he said the box is bad, they go bad after awhile, he replaced, it worked fine.  Not the companies fault, I am not going to dump my cable company, because their box went bad.

It appeared to be only one batch, for whatever reason, with the code of Nov 11 12 on the bottom of the bag.
I fed another bag, with a different code on the bottom, Sept, no more problems.  The wet can I opened on Sat morn, was from the same box, that had the seeping food, it didn't look right. I took all them back, it was chicken, got turkey cans, food looks right.

I don't have an issue with an occassional bad bag or can, I take it back, they exchange it or give me my money back, and they are even very nice about it. My issue is with Blue Buffalo customer service, telling me I have to many issues, and that their food is not a good fit for my cat, and not being nice about it.

Well, if I was the only one who had issues with the food, then how come they even have a customer service dept, stocked with more than one person, and you have to wait for the next avail rep, why, if its only me calling??????

I posted, very polietly, on the Blue Buffalo site, that was followed up, with like a zillion people posting, about how great Blue Wilderness is, after the site had sat dormant for a few days.  Think that was a coinsadence?

If they had not said what they did, I would have just exchanged the bag/can, went on my merry way, no harm, no foul. Makes me wonder, why they got so nasty. What are they hiding.

Oh well, Bump's mommy knows how to navigate the system and find the ansers. 

I still chuckle, when I called the front desk lady, and told her Bump found a chore boy under the bed, and chewed it up, her responce, so? When I got done with them, they not only paid his vet bill $350, but they changed their cleaning procedure.

And I do believe, this very large hotel chain, is alot bigger, than Blue Buffalo.             


Offline The Kittens

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Blue Wilderness, the plot thickens
« Reply #9 on: December 23, 2011, 08:22:55 AM »
Been haunting the Blue Buffalo site, since I had the issues with Blue Wilderness dry chicken cat food, just waiting.
Another lady, has the exact same issues, exactly, with Blue Wilderness. I knew if I waited, someone would post about it, and I knew, I was not the only one, as told to me, by Blue Buffalo Customer Service, and not so nicely.

Even some doggies are having issues, with Blue Wilderness, altho at this point, it seems to be just gas. But its the same thing, digestive upset. 

Told the lady to have her vet file a report.

We all know, when it comes to Bump, takin on his mommy, ain't, a goody idea.

The saga continues..........

Offline Lola

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #10 on: December 23, 2011, 09:29:33 PM »
What brand have you changed to, Bump?  Not that any of them are cream of the crop...
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Offline The Kittens

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #11 on: December 24, 2011, 08:21:47 AM »
They are still eating Blue Wilderness. Of all the quality grain free ones, its still the one with the lesser issues.
It is also a good food, makes their fur soft and shiney, and they are very active, they run thru the house like crazy boys at warp speed, even Bump.  And, its the only one Bump will eat.

Trying to get Bump to eat another food, is a box, we don't want to open, especially with his issues.

The issue seems to have been, only the bag, with the code date Nov 11 12.  When the kittens threw it up on that Sat, I gave everybody wet. They ate it, no throw up. I even tried Bump again, nope, no go, he looked at it, and said, I ain't eatin this.  So the wet, was not the issue. If Bump would eat it, prob solved. I exchanged it for another bag, another code date, no more issues.  As much as I have posted about it on the Blue Buffalo site, I now see, as of yesterday, all the bags with that code date are gone.  No admission from Blue Buffalo, there was a issue with that code date, but at least the bags are gone, and no more issues.

My only issue with Blue Buffalo, is the way they treated me, basicly called me a liar, and got nasty about it. When the very nasty cust serv supervisor TOLD me, I should be feeding Bump the prescription diet for heart kitties, when I already know, there isn't any, that when my vet, and his cardiologist got involved. And his cardiologist, oh out of UC Davis, was not at all happy, with the way I was treated, and what they said.  So, they started this, Bump's mommy gonna finish it.

There are way worse issues with the other foods.  Metro something clay????? Ya, I am going to give that to Bump!   >:(   

Offline Lola

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Re: If you feed Blue Wilderness, you NEED to know this
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2012, 08:50:48 PM »
Blue Wilderness/Blue Buffalo seems to have quite the reputation...

Quote
Apparently Blue Buffalo is not being as forthcoming as they should be about the problem that led to this recall.
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/dryfood.html

Quote
Another Blue Buffalo Fail:
Blue Buffalo continues to prove that it thinks all you “pet parents” — as the company calls you in its patronizing recall notices — are mushrooms, as in should be kept in the dark and fed shit.

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I don’t care how good their food is: I would not use it or recommend it, based on the company’s behavior over the last three years.



http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2010/10/28/another-blue-buffalo-fail-and-a-metacam-warning/

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