****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Ingredients look good and fresh but I can’t rate flavor;-) I personally don’t eat it but my dog appears to enjoy it!Has lots of small black pieces mixed in with larger pieces that my dog gets choked on.I've used many holistic foods over the years but Blue Buffalo is the best I've ever used. I like the Freedom grain-free large breed for my Aussies. They are 50lbs.+ and work hard. I like the extra joint support in it and the protein levels are good (I can tell by the smell that comes out the other end) and their coats are healthy and they were overall very healthy. I switched off Blue Buffalo to the Merrick's Before Grain Holistic- Blue Buffalo was hard to find where I moved to- a couple of years ago and really regret the switch; my dogs and cats all got very ill and my 2 Aussies (littermates) were diagnosed with cancer (one died last year). The surviving dog and cats have been switched back to the Blue Buffalo and are all doing much better- cats are fantastic and the dog is still battling cancer but he is obviously more comfortable and his coat came back nicely! I wouldn't mind switching within the Blue Buffalo brand- according to their needs as they age, but I won't ever swich off it again.My new trainee (a rescued Aussie) is on a diet and this food does not hinder his progress; when I first brought him to a vet I got scolded because he was 90lbs. and I explained I'd only had him 2 weeks and they wanted me to come back and get a prescription for a diet plan for Science Diet. I've worked with many dogs over the years and many foods- science diet is not the best- I didn't like the results when I'd used it years ago with a Border Collie who had a sensitive stomach (she still vomited every time she ate and didn't look the healthiest). I started him on Blue Buffalo Large Breed Grain-free, doubled the food recommended on the package (from the size/ weight chart) and slowly decreased it. He seldom acted hungary- he did once eat 1/2 a grasshopper but he never tried to eat the cats. If he was hungary I'd give him a small handful to hold him over until supper. A year later he's almost at his ideal weight (45-50lbs.), his coat is shiny now, he's more energetic, and he's getting to be quite a character too!I've been ordering BB dry AND canned food for my two dogs from Amazon for about two years now and never a problem, no torn bags, no dented cans AND quick shipping even during the China virus "hoarding period".Both bags and cases of cans come in a sealed cardboard box.GSD and Chocolate Lab both love BB.The Lab, who has somewhat of a sensitive stomach, has no problems even with a different flavor each time.ONE CAUTION: Not all BB dry OR cans is grain free. If you want GF, you need to read the description on each different flavor you order.My Dobie loves this Blue Buffalo food and I vary the kind I buy a bit to avoid boredom. My previous Dobie died from food poisoning when he ate pet food from China. Before I purchased any Blue Buffalo I contacted them and they assured me in plain and straightforward terms that none of their ingredients come from China. This was a relief because other companies that I contacted would beat around the bush with BS about how it was made in the USA but they would not admit that some, if not all, the ingredients came from China. That made me really appreciate the plain and simple answer I got from Blue Buffalo. The more I check into pet food the more I see how sleazy some companies are with their "Made in the USA" label which they use to hide the fact that the ingredients are not made in the USA but come from China.Blue Buffalo is on the pricey side but not as pricey as having food from China kill your dog and cost you a couple of thousand bucks to replace him or her. I appreciate Blue Buffalo providing safe food and honesty in divulging ingredient sources.This is my dogs food. Been feeding for 8 years. It’s a high quality food, not too high in protein. My dogs always get diarrhea with high protein food. I love it.I tried this adult large breed beef version for my three year old Doberman Rio and bought the chicken version for older dogs for my 8 year old Doberman, Garbo. Why? Because the commercials got to me. I had two healthy, gorgeous girls, coats gleaming, active every day and happily eating their normal brand, (two age appropriate versions of Purina), twice daily. But Blue Buffalo ads make their product sound superior, and of course implies that grain free food is oh so much better. Plus the tout made in the U.S. or places that are 'USDA inspected' (another topic for another day) sounded like nothing could be more perfect. Wrong.My older girl began eating less immediately. The younger dobe, a higher active girl, took a few days longer to fall off her feed. Soon both were eating just one meal each, reluctantly. We tried to reason out that maybe they require less of this super food and thus are eating less. But now both are declining treats too, and the young one who is at her physical peak, strong as a horse, fell down trying to go thru the dog door, three times. Maybe the floor was slick or something? (For the first time ever?) Or the falling could just be a loss of muscle energy due her refusal to consume enough Blue Buffalo food. But what if some kidney issue is starting? We are done. We called our vet and he advised us to get back to our usual routine and brand and if appetites return, we'll simply be older and wiser. If Rio shows the least amount of lack of coordination again, or either girl declines in any way, per our vet, we will start the tests. I'm angry at myself for breaking the old rule, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."One more thing. Up until recently our girls never seemed to have bad dreams.... Maybe some running feet in their sleep, but now both girls have had some loud crying or howling sessions in their sleep. Maybe it's just a coincidence? We're returning the two new unopened BB bags rather than donate to a shelter. Maybe Blue Buffalo is amazing for some folks, but as a trouble free Doberman owner for 25 plus years...NEVER AGAIN.
