# Blue (Buffalo) dog food ad - corn is evil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738 "2013-05-30T18:10:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/41 "2013-05-31T01:09:11Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > the standard that says a diet which leads to obesity and/or diabetes is shit. That’s an effect of quantity, not quality. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/42 "2013-05-31T01:12:40Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > the standard that says a diet which leads to obesity and/or diabetes is shit. > > feed a dog grapes/raisins, onions, or chocolate, and post the vet bill. My dog has eaten all 3 of those in her lifetime. She suffered no ill effects. Besides, that’s more than a minor nitpick. Chronos is correct. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/43 "2013-05-31T01:20:23Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > My dog has eaten all 3 of those in her lifetime. She suffered no ill effects. and she told you that? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/44 "2013-05-31T01:32:28Z")
Yes. She told me that. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/45 "2013-05-31T01:51:05Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Yes. She told me that. And if she told you differently, you’d want to take the Placebo Effect into account. Tell a dog that it just ate something that’s supposed to make dogs sick, and it might get sick as a psychosomatic reaction. Though, frankly, when I tell my chihuahua anything, he just stares at me blankly. I should probably try talking to him in Spanish instead. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/46 "2013-05-31T02:00:15Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Yes. She told me that. Based on your user name, I’m not sure I’d trust what she has to say on the topic. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/47 "2013-05-31T02:07:21Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > 1. Cite? > > 2. the key is “partially digested.” “Mr. Bunny” is an herbivore whose physiology is geared towards consuming plant matter. A carnivore consuming the contents of an herbivore’s gut is not anywhere close to the same as corn used as filler in pet food. My post is my ci…🙂 Observation of cats catching small mammals. Corn was a principal part of the diet in ancient South America. Does grinding it up count as processing? The age of death of ancient bodies is judged by the wear on the teeth from eating corn. I agree with your observation number two, I was just pointing out that carnivores eat vegetable matter. I observed tonight that Purina cat food has chicken as the first ingredient, corn as the second. Salmon byproducts are way down the list, but it apparently smells good enough to make it very palatable. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/48 "2013-05-31T02:13:12Z")
Only a personal observation. The owner of a company I work for started feeding the “shop dogs” no corn dog food. The dogs deposit “land mines” with smaller mass and fewer frequency. They stink more when you hit them with the motorcycle tire FYI. **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/49 "2013-05-31T02:30:39Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Corn was a principal part of the diet in ancient South America. Does grinding it up count as processing? The age of death of ancient bodies is judged by the wear on the teeth from eating corn. Uh, they did more than “grind it up.” look up “Nixtamalization.” processing is processing no matter how long ago it was conceived. Finding a way to make something edible doesn’t mean we were meant to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/50 "2013-05-31T02:36:25Z")
Raisins and not grapes? Mrs. Plant (v.2.0) said that it was bakers chocolate that made dogs ill, and in large quantities. I don’t know how accurate that is, she sure as hell could not be trusted during the divorce. 🙂 Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) and I avoid feeding tables scraps that include onions, but no dogs have become ill from rice cooked with garlic. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/51 "2013-05-31T02:38:18Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Raisins and not grapes? > > Mrs. Plant (v.2.0) said that it was bakers chocolate that made dogs ill, and in large quantities. > I don’t know how accurate that is, she sure as hell could not be trusted during the divorce. 🙂 > Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) and I avoid feeding tables scraps that include onions, but no dogs have become ill from rice cooked with garlic. wow, well, this is irrefutable evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/52 "2013-05-31T02:40:06Z")
As opposed to the irrelevant crap you’ve been posting? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/53 "2013-05-31T02:45:39Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > wow, well, this is irrefutable evidence. Which one? 🙂 The cat was good at pushing things off the top of the refrigerator for the dogs to open. A box of chocolates went that way, and no one showed distress. I certainly would not give a dog chocolate, but I no longer worry if they get into a candy bar. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/54 "2013-05-31T08:20:07Z")
All three are bad. Raisins and grapes can cause renal failure, chocolate (and coffee) can cause heart problems, and onion, garlic, and family are dangerous (specially to cats) because they cause anemias. [Public Service Announcement.](http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/55 "2013-05-31T09:04:21Z")
Just hopping in to say - Don’t feed your rabbit corn - they have trouble digesting it and digestion troubles can = dead bunny real quick ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/56 "2013-05-31T11:43:35Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > All three are bad. Raisins and grapes can cause renal failure, chocolate (and coffee) can cause heart problems, and onion, garlic, and family are dangerous (specially to cats) because they cause anemias. > > [Public Service Announcement.](http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.aspx) Nobody is disputing that certain foods, if eaten in high quantities, may or may not have ill effects in dogs and/or humans. The relevant statement, which prompted this hijack, is in the 2nd half of Chronos’s post #39. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/57 "2013-05-31T12:17:17Z")
TL;DR version: We were told not to use Blue Buffalo due to how it’s manufactured. We have a pug and an olde english bulldogge. The pug used to be free-fed, meaning that I would just keep his bowl full and he’d eat when he was hungry but never overate. We tried that with the bulldogge (we adopted her a couple months after the pug) and she ate a lot while she was growing up. She kept growing, and growing, and growing. Our vet wasn’t really sure when she was going to stop getting taller and bigger and by the time she was 10 months old, she was 90 lbs. At 12 months old, she was 105 lbs and starting to show signs of hip dysplasia and we put her on Rimadyl (pain reliever). The vet then decided that we should put her on a diet and get her down to 75 lbs or we might be facing major surgery. So, we began feeding the pug and bulldogge separately and measuring their intake. After 4 months, the bulldogge got down to her goal weight (and has been there for over a year now). We took her off of the prescription food and switched her to Blue Buffalo over the course of two weeks. At the next check up with the vet, she asked what we were feeding the dogs now and we said Blue Buffalo. She asked why, and we said somewhat sheepishly “that it seemed like the best choice from what’s around”. She said that “they do have a very good marketing campaign, but that’s about it”. She continued and talked about how it’s not manufactured by one company, but they have different kibbles made by different places and then they aggregate them all into one bag. So there’s a higher risk of something going wrong at one of the plants. She recommended that we switch over to Royal Canin as that’s what she feeds her dogs. We have changed and are happy with their shiny coats, healthy weight, and smallish poops. It’s also a little bit cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/58 "2013-05-31T12:29:03Z")
That’s a little… odd. What is she worried will “go wrong”? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/59 "2013-05-31T13:09:44Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That’s a little… odd. What is she worried will “go wrong”? Whatever happened to [Old Roy,](http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/RecallsWithdrawals/ucm129575.htm) I guess. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738/60 "2013-05-31T13:12:53Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That’s a little… odd. What is she worried will “go wrong”? She believes that there is a higher risk of contamination/recall the more cooks that are in their separate kitchens. Here’s [one anecdote](http://truthaboutpetfood2.com/blue-buffalo-kibble-change) about getting the wrong kibble in a Blue Buffalo bag. [Here’s another anecdotal experience.](http://truthaboutpetfood2.com/blue-refuses-to-talk) Yeah, I know anecdotes /= data and my vet may have ulterior motives (I doubt she would/could get a Royal Canin kickback since we don’t buy food from her.) She could be completely wrong for all I know, but I’m just going to trust her expertise in this one for myself. ymmv [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-buffalo-dog-food-ad-corn-is-evil/659738.md?page=4)