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Help! Issues with Bella and duke?

19 replies

cocodaisy · 19/08/2024 06:37

Has anyone recieved any issues with their pups recently after they have consumed bella and duke?

The week before last our pup started vomiting which persisted and got worst alongside very bloody diarrhea. This ended up with a trip to the vets and a very expensive vet bill.

OP posts:
Copperoliverbear · 20/08/2024 00:00

Has he always been on this food ?
If not did you transition him. ?

mutleyschuckle · 20/08/2024 07:23

No- mines been fine as usual on it, had last delivery a couple of weeks ago. If you join the fb group for them & they'll answer all your questions

Cjr91 · 01/09/2024 12:20

Hi, I’ve just found this post via Google because I am having the exact same issue with my Cavapoo. She has been on Bella & Duke for nearly a year. However 2 weeks ago she started getting sick, then last week she had to have an emergency trip to the vets for bloody diarrhea and vomiting. She was so weak she could not walk. They determined she had eaten something in the garden she shouldn’t like dogs do and we didn’t even consider her food. After some injections and the chicken and rice diet she started making improvements and tummy went back to normal so on advice of the vet, slowly transitioned her Bella & Duke back into her meals. However since she had switched fully back on to B&D, her tummy has started getting upset again! Hence why I’m looking into this. I am now going to contact B&D but I’m wondering what your outcome with this was? Thank you

cocodaisy · 03/09/2024 19:45

The symptoms you've mentioned mirrors exactly what happened with my rottie. She has been on B&D for well over a year almost 2 and then one day I woke up to her vomiting and then just persistent vomiting whilst not being able to keep anything down. We went to the vets and gave her an antisickness injection and then once that wore off she started non stop vomiting again and then came the bloody diarrhea every 30 mins. We went back to the vets where they admitted her for fluids then she was transferred to a hospital so in total she needed a hell of alot more medication, injections, blood tests and fluids, probiotics etc.

Our vet had said it may be raw food but I said she had been on it for such a long time with no issues and then he said she may have eaten something from the garden but I wasn't convinced as we ensure our garden is kept spotless etc. So I cancelled my subscription with B&D as deep down I just felt like it was the food.
I feel like the food for the last couple of months is alot more pungent so we have moved her to butternut box and so far she has been back to normal.

With the large vet bill and the stress that comes with knowing if your pup will be okay was simply not worth the risk of going back to her old food.

Now that I have seen your post, I might contact them directly and let them know why we cancelled and what we have experienced so they can have a look into it as there may be others experiencing the same thing.

OP posts:
Cjr91 · 03/09/2024 21:19

Hi,

Thank you for getting back to me. I'm sorry to hear about your poor rottie but glad the new food is ok. It's so scary though isn't it!! We were in a right state with it all! Surely it can't just be a coincidence? Who knows but I wonder if we will see any more reports come through.

I have also cancelled my subscription literally with the same gut feeling it being the food and like you say it's just not worth it when their health is at risk. I have submitted a contact form today to B&D detailing everything that has happened. Interestingly, I got an email from them the other day saying they have changed some ingredients in their meals so I have questioned further on this along with asking if there are any other reports from customers.

We have put her on another brand now and she's absolutely fine too!!! I will let you know anyway when I hear back. Take care Smile

Cjr91 · 04/09/2024 15:05

Hi cocodaisy,

Thought I would update you. B&D have stated they have had no other reports of this happening. They did refund my most recent delivery last week (was too late to cancel that delivery and I cannot use the food now) so that was appreciated. They asked for information on the batch numbers, flavours and time stamps from packaging on the food I had. I have no idea if it was just us and it was a coincidence but I will keep an eye out to see if anyone else experiences the same. I would be interested to know how you get on so feel free to keep in touch! Take care

Oh and they also provided the following information in regard to recipe changes:

"With the recipe change that we made, for pet food to be labelled as ‘complete’, it must comply with FEDIAF’s minimum and maximum nutritional requirements. FEDIAF is the European pet food industry federation, and they publish guidelines for the nutritional needs of different species at varying life-stages.

Our meals have always been carefully developed to make sure your pet is getting everything they need to live their best life. All while using the freshest, seasonal produce too.

We’re always looking at ways we can further improve our recipes to make sure we’re doing what’s best for pets. And seasonal produce is great, but we know it doesn't necessarily have the exact same nutritional value all throughout each season, so we wanted to see what we could do to ensure nutritional value year round.

For example, our beef comes from grass-fed cows who graze outside, and so meals will contain more vitamin D in the summer, because they are exposed to lots more sunshine than they are in the winter. So we’ll enhance some of the recipes with Vitamin D to offset this.

The minerals we’re adding are chelated. Not only does this mean they closely resemble minerals found in whole food ingredients but also that they’re attached to an amino acid, so they can ‘piggy back’ their way into your pet’s body leading to better absorption.

We’re also adding chicory and beet pulp too, both are prebiotics and support a healthy gut flora, meaning your dog is getting even more of the good stuff. Prebiotics feed probiotics, you’ll probably have heard of probiotics or ‘friendly bacteria’. Well prebiotics help probiotics grow and overcome the ‘bad bacteria’. They play an important part in ensuring a healthy gut, with well balanced gut bacteria leading to a whole host of benefits like a less sensitive tum. Simply put, the happier your dog's gut, the happier your dog."

Alwa04 · 08/09/2024 10:00

Came across this thread on Google as I have been looking into reasons for my dog’s illness. My dog has been on B&D for many months now and never had any issues. A few days ago however, he vomited his entire dinner of B&D an hour after eating it & had a sudden onset of bloody diarrhoea which he is still suffering with. I am absolutely certain that he has not eaten anything disagreeable on a walk or in the garden as we always watch him.
It’s definitely more than a coincidence that my dog has experienced this too, within the same timeframe as your dogs, with all of our dogs eating the same food. My husband also noted that his last packet of B&D smell was a lot stronger.

I hope your dogs make a swift recovery!! And I hope B&D look into this seriously!

Cjr91 · 08/09/2024 16:21

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear about your dog too! I hope he feels better soon. Bella & Duke are adamant they have had no other reports so I would be interested to see what they say to you now if you report back to them. I'm certain now it was her food and not a coincidence. My girl is totally fine now on another brand.

Please keep in touch if you have a chance :)

Alwa04 · 11/09/2024 09:32

Hi guys, just to update you, after nearly a week of recovery, fluids and probiotics, my dog is doing a lot better. I contacted Bella & Duke and they asked me for vet reports to confirm the illness was caused by the food (which is impossible as the results only indicate the illness is bacterial, not where the bacteria came from). They also asked for me to send them the packet of food he ate from (again - not possible as he ate the entire packet & then we threw it away).
We have since made the decision to stop our Bella & Duke subscription too, and try and fresh, cooked, food instead.
What did you all do with your remaining packets of Bella & Duke? We’ve only recently had a new delivery and so, it feels like such a shame to be throwing away nearly 80 days worth of food!

Skye1023 · 23/10/2024 17:57

https://uk.trustpilot.com/reviews/67129124365253ceb0043ef0
and an other post on Trustpilot from me under 1* views “Reply” (headline)
This happened to me. They are trying to brush it off. I reported them to Trading Standards. Any first hand account would be helpful for my case. Please get in touch with me if possible. Thank you.

Monika Madi gave Bella & Duke 1 star. Check out the full review...

I lost my healthy 5yrs old Rhodesian Ridgeback to sepsis caused by a cut in her small intestine ...

https://uk.trustpilot.com/reviews/67129124365253ceb0043ef0

Skye1023 · 23/10/2024 17:59

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This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Skye1023 · 23/10/2024 18:01

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Skye1023 · 23/10/2024 18:11

This reply has been withdrawn

We've withdrawn this reply due to identifying information

Skye1023 · 23/10/2024 18:17

My second Trustpilot review
uk.trustpilot.com/reviews/6718d9d5b6d3e0ff8fb8ec94

Skye1023 · 23/10/2024 18:57

Please find me and message me on facebook- my profile picture is the same as on Trustpilot.

MainlyLurking · 11/12/2024 20:06

Blimey was just about to place an order with Bella & Duke and thought I'd check Mumsnet for reviews and came across this! Thanks for saving my dog!

Klara1970 · 23/09/2025 03:55

Both my Cavachon and Maltese were not interested in trying Bella and Duke but I basically persuaded them by making them get really hungry but sadly they were both were extremely sick with it..My rescue dog especially(Maltese) had a stroke (we realised soon after that this is because he had food sensitivities as he was from a puppy farm) He recovered but took a while to walk normal again and my Cavachon was vomiting for two days. After it calmed down I tried a different flavour and they hated it.. both wouldn’t touch it , so it must of been the food or why else were they both so sick at the same time?
I knew it was the food. I contacted B+D and they said they’d not had any complaints before ?? Really ?? I was gutted as had ordered an order of about 40 servings… sadly they went in the bin. I would not recommend B+D to anyone

Cjr91 · 23/09/2025 08:03

Hi, I just had an email that your post came through on this thread. As you can see from my previous experience & others, they certainly have had complaints before!! I’m really sorry to hear about your dogs, especially your poor Maltese & I am hoping they are better now. Did they have any bloody diarrhea or anything like that? That was what seems to have happened to a few of us last year?

DogLover182224 · 30/11/2025 22:06

My dog has been in emergency care since Thursday. We fed Bella and Duke quite a bit over the 2 months previously. The specialist vets emptied his tummy because it was blocked and say his tummy was then coated with slime containing bone particles. The only other food he has eaten is Natural Instinct raw which he’s had for 7 years without any problems. I’m sure it is the B&D causing the blockage so I googled it and found quite a few complaints. I don’t know yet if my dog will pull through. I intend to take this further. I’m horrified that a food branded to look so healthy has possibly made hi so ill

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