Blue Buffalo Dog Food Causing Illness In Dogs

[Guest june]

Just thought I'd share this.

 

MSU researchers link pet food, dog illnesses nationwide

 

 

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A team of researchers at Michigan State University has discovered a group of illnesses reported in dogs across the country is linked to a specific brand of dog food from the Blue Buffalo Co.

 

Veterinarians from across the country recently began sending samples from dogs with elevated levels of calcium in their blood to MSU's Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, director Carole Bolin said. The sick dogs had increased thirst and urination, and some of them also suffered weight loss, loss of appetite and signs of kidney damage.

 

Endocrinologists with the Diagnostic Center, a service unit of the College of Veterinary Medicine, soon noticed the pattern and found a common factor: All 16 dogs whose samples were tested had very high levels of vitamin D in their blood and were fed a diet of Blue Buffalo's Wilderness Chicken Recipe.

 

The diagnostic center is cooperating with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration on an investigation into the brand, Bolin said.

 

"The only reason we were able to identify the pattern is because of the vast national resource our center has become," said Bolin, who added her lab performs more than 1.3 million tests a year. "Because of our nationwide reach and expertise, we were able to discover this and notify the proper authorities."

 

It is routine for veterinarians across the country to contact the center for specialized testing to explore the causes of clinical conditions. In this specific case, all the dogs were found to have very high levels of vitamin D in their serum, a quite unusual finding. Endocrinologist Kent Refsal picked up on the pattern of cases and began to investigate.

 

The affected dogs ranged in age from 8 months to 8 years. There were three mixed-breed dogs and 13 purebred dogs. The samples originated from eight states: Michigan, Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin, California, Illinois, North Dakota and Utah. In addition to the testing, there was either a brief written history and/or communication with the referring veterinarian to discuss the possible sources of excess vitamin D.

 

Dogs seem to recover when the diet is changed, Bolin said, and there have not been any reported deaths related to the diet.

 

For more detailed scientific information, go to http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/Misc/WEBCD.GEN.REF.026.pdf

[RobinM]

Oh, that's greyt. This is the only thing Elsie eats. 3 cans a day of Wilderness by Blue.

[OwnedBySummer]

Oh, that's greyt. This is the only thing Elsie eats. 3 cans a day of Wilderness by Blue.

Don't panic, it's not the canned stuff. Here's a posting from another member:

 

 

Recall Alert

Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd. Recalls Limited Production Code Dates of Dry Dog Food Because of Possible Excess Vitamin D

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd., recalls certain dry dog food because of possible excess Vitamin D that can affect the health of some dogs. The Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd., is recalling certain packages of its Wilderness Chicken, Basics Salmon and Large Breed Adult Chicken dry dog foods sold under the "BLUE" brand which have the potential to contain excessive levels of Vitamin D.

If you have Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken, Basics Salmon and Large Breed Adult Chicken dry dog foods, please stop feeding them to your pet and return them to PSP for a complete refund.

While Vitamin D is a beneficial component of these foods, the Company believes that these products may have levels of Vitamin D that are beyond the formula specifications, and has therefore chosen to withdraw them.

Dogs reacting to the higher levels of Vitamin D may show signs of lethargy or exhibit unusually frequent water consumption and urination. If your pet has consumed the recalled products and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The affected products of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken, Basics Salmon and Large Breed Adult Chicken dry dog foods were distributed nationwide at PSP and other pet specialty retailers.

Only these products are involved in this recall:

Blue Wilderness Chicken Flavor dry dog food

4.5 lb

"Best If Used By JUL2611Z"

"Best If Used By JUL2711Z" &

"Best If Used By JUL2811Z"

Blue Wilderness Chicken Flavor dry dog food

11 lb

"Best If Used By JUL1211B"

Blue Wilderness Chicken Flavor dry dog food

24 lb

"Best If Used By JUL1211B" &

"Best If Used By JUL1311B"

Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Formula Salmon and Potato Recipe dry dog food

11 lb

"Best If Used By AUG2111B" &

"Best If Used By AUG2211B"

Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Formula Salmon and Potato Recipe dry dog food

24 lb

"Best If Used By AUG2111B"

"Best If Used By SEP2311P" &

"Best If Used By OCT2611P"

Blue Life Protection Formula Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Large Breed Adult dog food

30 lb

"Best If Used By SEP2211P"

"Best If Used By SEP2311P" &

"Best If Used By OCT2611P"

 

No other Blue dry or can pet foods are involved in this recall, and only the specific code dates of these products are involved.

To date there have been 36 cases nationwide of dogs reported with symptoms consistent with elevated Vitamin D in their systems while feeding on these specific productions of the products. In all cases the symptoms have subsided upon discontinuing feeding these products, with no apparent long term health consequences.

Blue Buffalo learned of this potential condition in its products when it received reports of dogs diagnosed with high Vitamin D levels while feeding on the products from these specific production runs. On further investigation it was learned that a sequencing error had occurred at the supplier of the dry ingredients for these products. Immediately before producing the ingredients for these specific production runs, the supplier had run a product for another customer that contained a more potent form of Vitamin D used in chicken feeds. It is now believed that there was some level of carry over of this Vitamin D product into the ingredients for the specific manufacturing runs of the Blue products, thereby increasing the Vitamin D activity to unacceptable levels in the Blue ingredients.

If you have questions, please contact your local Pet Supplies "Plus" store or contact us. Or contact the Blue Buffalo company at 1-877-523-9114 from 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern Time or visit the Company web site at www.bluebuffalo.com/news for more information.

22710 Haggerty Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48335 © 2010 Pet Supplies Plus "USA"

www.petsuppliesplus.com

[rschultz]

oh great!! I don't save the bags. I pour Lexie's food in a huge bin and she eats the salmon and potato one

[Guest greytloves]

I was done with Blue once they changed the size of the treat bags and upped the price.

 

I'm still mad about that!!!!!

[Guest Karen]

None of my bags were affected, but this is serious enough to warrant another brand. I had no idea a Vitamin D overdose can cause kidney damage. I'm glad I started looking around for a new company recently due to price! My kid's health is not something I'm willing to play around with.

[Guest IrskasMom]

I have been feeding Blue Buffolo Wilderness for a Month now and I noticed a much higher Water Intake in Morty. I checked the new Bag that I have but its not on Recall ( Petsmart send me a EMail about the Recall) I just don't like that , who knows what they are meddling with and I will take the new Bag back. Now what do I feed him ??? I will have to go back to Pro Plan and then explore other Alternetives.

[Guest kydie]

I don't feed Blue,,, but have friends that do,,, thanks

[racindog]

Times like this I'm glad I feed Solid Gold. Not only is the food good but I know they are possibly the pickiest company around. I figure if something gets by them then it wasn't humanly possible to stop it.