Purina Lawsuit Claims Blue Buffalo Is Misleading Customers About Its Natural Ingredients

[pinkdagger]

This thread got more attention than the one in the news forum, so here's an update on a good ol' countersue:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/purina-...est-fight-over-pet-food-ingredients-1.1822068

 

[mosimom]

This thread got more attention than the one in the news forum, so here's an update on a good ol' countersue:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/purina-...est-fight-over-pet-food-ingredients-1.1822068

Thanks for the update, pinkdagger! I totally blanked in keeping up with this story. It is getting entertaining, huh? Scandalous!

 

[pinkdagger]

'Tis the land of lawsuits! If they can sue, they will! If they can bring bad publicity, they will! I'm wondering if any other big companies will get dragged in. Pretty well everyone is hiding something, unfortunately and if it gets messy enough, it might be several big brands getting jumped on - if not by other companies, then by consumers who want the truth from every company.

 

[grooverite]

So I'm going to venture and say that the Blue Buffalo treats that I just so happened to buy for my kitties at my local Petco store is not good.  They absolutely LOOOVVEEE these darn things!!  What the hell are they putting in it?!?!  I swear they go ballistic when I bring it out, lol!  I'm sorry for not knowing any better and coming to TCS Nutrition forums first and finding out what healthy good treats I can give my cats.

 

[pinkdagger]

The problem is these are two opposing brands, so it's a toss-up to whether the law suit's descriptions are accurate, or just pure defamation. If you have a concern with things like grains or protein allergens (like poultry) that may or may not be present in some way in those treats, maybe you can find someone else whose pets would be interested in them. If they're treats, at least they're infrequent. If animals are getting sick gradually, it's likely because they're being fed something consistently that they can't tolerate and that would be the primary issue. Unfortunately, almost all brands (of every kind, not just pet food) have something to hide.

If you're interested in some good treats, I like using little pieces of raw meat as well as Pure Bites. Temptations are also in the home for things like claw trims, and my boyfriend's cat likes Pet Greens semi-moist treats.

 

[nora1]

This is certainly interesting! I tried Blue Buffalo with my cat, and it made her sick to the point where she lost some weight. I thought it was just too rich in meats and proteins, but now I'm second guessing my assumptions.

PS my cat is off BB, gained the weight back and is eating much healthier

 

[sweetpea24]

I find this very interesting. Every pet food company is guilty of marketing ploys. Doesn't Purina make Beneful, probably the worst dog food ever made IMO? Add colours to make people believe the food has veggies. But I guess colours are in the ingredients. Additionally, Purina had that tv ad claiming that a 14 year study found that dogs fed Dog Chow lived an average of 2 years longer than dogs not fed dog chow. That very study comparied free fed dogs versus dogs fed measured meals and both groups were fed Purina Dog Chow. The dogs being fed measured meals lived an average of 2 years longer than the free-fed dogs. They also scored better body condition scores. How is Purina being honest here? A total misstatement of tbe study's findings. However, it will beinteresting to see how this affects marketing in the future. Surely, we won't be seeing tv ads with women sitti g in a living room discussing the first ingredient in their dog's food.

 

[pinkdagger]

I'm not incredibly optimistic either of these law suits will do much, honestly. It started a while back and has been near forgotten today, but does anyone remember Iams Cruelty? The website is still up, and some clips are graphic if anyone is interested in finding it themselves (it's fair to note that the website was made by PETA, whom I also do not trust for facts). Iams still seems to be doing fine now, and they're still a relatively big seller. Brands will always find ways to turn a profit and exploit the "studies" and "facts" they want, and if they can do it while taking business away from a competitor, the harder they push.

A lot of the general public, like those who just walk into a pet store and buy something where the bag looks nice or under recommendation by staff, as opposed to doing their research will still support the brand completely oblivious to these law suits. Chances are they'll just market as they always have - maybe chop some lines out of the scripts if anything gets proven and exposed.