Blue Buffalo Dog Food Reviews 2023 – Complete Guide

Quality of Ingredients

Blue Buffalo’s goal is to make their pet food as healthy, holistic, and natural as possible, and to achieve this they make use of only natural ingredients provided by American suppliers. Uniquely, Blue also got in touch with some of the country’s leading veterinarians and animal nutritionists to create their patented LifeSource® bits, which are found in every bag of food and are chock full of vitamins and minerals are chosen specifically because of their cancer-fighting properties. These high quality ingredients are extremely beneficial for adult dogs.

Full Ingredients and Analysis

To get a better analysis of what’s inside this Blue Buffalo Dog Food Reviews, we sampled the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free pet food. Analyzing the first 10 ingredients in dog food is a great way to understand the overall nutrient content of dog food because AAFCO requires all dog food ingredients to be listed in order of predominance by their weight. Here’s a closer look at what’s inside Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free.

The Estimated Nutrient Content in this dog food was found to have a healthy nutrient breakdown:

Dry Dog Food Product Line

Blue Buffalo has a number of selections meant to cater to dogs of all shapes and sizes, and most of these varieties also come in canned form as well as treats, to make sure that all of your dog’s needs can be catered to. Senior dogs, young dogs and small breed adults can all benefit from the vitamins and minerals packed in the wet and dry food. The company also rolls out new lines every few years, adapting the newest breakthroughs in pet science to help make some of the healthiest food on the market and to maintain and improve its cancer-fighting edge.

See Related Topic: YaDoggie Dry Dog Food Review + Coupon!

Blue Buffalo dry food contains LifeSourse bits that are full of vitamins and minerals. Their wet food is not mixed with these little kibbles.

Blue Buffalo Dog Food Health Benefits and Nutrition

As you can see from the extensive list of ingredients, Blue Buffalo dog food consists of natural ingredients that you may or may not be familiar with. Below is an overview of what some of these ingredients actually are, what they are made of, and how they will benefit your dog in the long run. 

Pea Protein

Pea protein contains essential amino acids as well as a being packed full of fiber and carbohydrates. This will help your dog’s digestive system function efficiently. 

Chicken Meal

Did you know that chicken meal is made out of off-cuts of meat that are sold for human consumption and is therefore real meat? A lot of the time it is processed and cooked in a special way to produce a special powder. 

Chicken meal can either be made with bones or out of deboned chicken. Protein is extremely important for every animal and will boost your dog’s strength and energy levels. 

Fish Oil

Fish oil is extracted from oily fish such as salmon. It is considered one of, if not the best, ingredients to add to your dog’s diet especially if your dog is allergic to certain foods or suffers from joint pain. 

Fruits and Vegetables

Sometimes we forget that fruits and vegetables are good for our pets too. Berries, carrots, and sweet potatoes are packed full of antioxidants such as beta-carotene and ellagic acid. These antioxidants are important for your dog’s immune system and to keep their cells from the effects of free radicals.

Life Protection

Life Protection is the standard Blue Buffalo product, and also the company’s best seller. Life Protection comes in different packages depending on the size and age level of the dog it is aimed at, each adding extra nutrients (glucosamine and chondroitin for larger breeds, for example) based on the animal’s needs. The food also has no animal by-products, corn, wheat, soy, or artificial ingredients in it, making it a good, all-natural choice for your four-legged friend. Blue Buffalo Life Protection is an all-rounder and is a wonderful option for a healthy, happy dog.

Freedom

Freedom is very similar to the Life Protection line, however, the key difference here is the fact that it does not have any grains in it whatsoever. This line is targeted primarily at dogs who may have some food sensitivities or allergies, but it is also a great choice for any who prefer not to give their dogs any kind of grains at all in their diet. Blue Buffalo Freedom is a lifesaver if your furry friend has stomach sensitivity.

Basics

Basics is, to put it simply, an amped-up version of Freedom, specifically designed for dogs with certain allergies or other food sensitivities. Basics has both grain-free and normal versions, and like the Life Protection, all Basics blends are made without any animal by-products, corn, wheat, soy, or artificial ingredients. There are also a number of different limited ingredient versions to cater to whatever it is that your dog may need, so you can be fairly assured that whatever restrictions your pup may have, basics will have you covered.

Wilderness

Wilderness takes the natural diet to another level, modeling its recipes on the dietary needs of a wolf, the dog’s wild cousin. By looking at a wolf, Blue believes that they can get in touch with our pet’s evolutionary diet, and meet the needs that nature intended for them. As such, all Wilderness varieties are high protein and grain-free, focusing heavily on the meats that go into it as the primary source of nutrition.

Earth’s Essentials

Blue’s newest entry, Earth Essentials is based on farm to table recipes intended to provide your pets with a natural, fresh meal that meets and exceeds their dietary needs. Unfortunately for those who are against grains, it seems that these factors prominently into most Earth Essential recipes, but rest assured! The grains selected are only the most easily digestible ones available for your dog, and they were chosen specifically because of the benefits that they might be able to add to the food.

Natural Veterinary Diet

The Natural Veterinary Diet is only available through certain veterinarians and requires a prescription in order to purchase it. This line is available with Gastrointestinal Support, Hydrolyzed Dry Food for Food Intolerance, and Weight Management and Urinary Care formulas, and is intended to be sold to pets with severe food sensitivities or with health problems that require a special diet.

How Good is Blue Buffalo Dog Food?

Blue Buffalo is definitely a brand that you can rely on to keep your dog in tip-top condition. It is packed with all of the essentials and is well balanced to ensure your dog is getting the perfect portion of carbs, fats, and proteins. They have been market leaders for many years now and there is a reason for that.

Blue Buffalo Dog Food Ratings

Blue Buffalo was awarded 5 stars from the Dog Food Advisor. They state that Blue Buffalo’s dry food is ‘above average’ and that the kibble ‘contains a significant amount of meat’. It is important to state that the Dog Food Advisor does not receive gifts or rewards for its reviews and is not affiliated with any pet food manufacturers so to receive such a high rating says a lot about the brand. 

Blue Buffalo Recall history

It is completely normal for companies to recall food products and since 2010, Blue Buffalo has only recalled 6 items. Here is a list of the products recalled and reasons why:

October 8, 2010

Some popular Blue Buffalo products were recalled due to potentially toxic levels of vitamin D in the products. This recall was requested voluntarily by Blue Buffalo and advertised on the FDA’s website. 

November 25, 2015

Cub Size Wilderness Wild Chews Bones were voluntarily recalled due to fears of Salmonella contamination. 

May 31, 2016

Limited batches of their Life Protection Formula Dog Food were voluntarily recalled. Only one batch was recalled due to moisture and mold issues. 

February 13, 2017

Due to fears of aluminum contamination in the Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight range, this too was a voluntary recall issued by the company itself. 

March 2, 2017

Blue Buffalo was worried about the quality of the foil seal on their Blue Divine Delights and their Blue Wilderness Trail Trays and therefore recalled a whopping 17 batches. 

March 17, 2017

BLUE Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner Wet Food for Adult Dogs was voluntarily recalled for fears of it containing too much naturally-occurring beef thyroid hormones. 

All of the above recalls were done voluntarily by Blue Buffalo.

Pros of Blue Buffalo Food Products:

• Full of vitamins and minerals 
• Dry and wet foods are available 
• Popular and reliable brand 
• Well-balanced

Cons of Blue Buffalo Food Products:

• High price tag
• Their food is rumored to increase the risk of heart disease

About Blue Buffalo

Blue Buffalo products are made in accordance with one simple credo: “Love them like family, feed them like family.” To this end, Blue Buffalo tries to create only the highest quality products using natural and healthy ingredients in every bag. Blue Buffalo is also highly proactive in the fight against pet cancer, getting involved in community events around the country, and sponsoring a pet cancer awareness week which raises money each year to study and fight the disease.

Blue Buffalo was founded in 2003 by Bill and Jackie Bishop after the passing of their beloved Airedale Terrier, Blue. Blue had been diagnosed with cancer a few years before, prompting the Bishop family to begin researching animal nutrition to see how it is linked with certain kinds of cancer. To this end, they created the Blue Buffalo pet food company, as well as the Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research to help keep our pets as healthy as possible and pioneer cutting edge methods for battling the illness.

Sadly, after several bouts, Blue passed away, but the Bishops keep his memory alive by providing a product that prides itself on being a high quality, anti-oxidant packed food that will help all pets grow as healthy and happy as possible.

Where to Buy

Blue Buffalo can be found in almost every major pet food retail location, as well as a number of smaller stores. Don’t expect to find it on the shelves of your local supermarket, however! Additionally, pet owners can order directly from the company’s website, or even through websites such as Amazon.com and other online pet food sites.

As mentioned earlier, the Natural Veterinary Diet will require a prescription, and as such often might only be available through a veterinarian or a specialty store that caters to these kinds of food, for example, a PetSmart with a Banfield Pet Hospital.

Alternatives

You have probably read a number of Blue Buffalo dog food reviews to help you make your decision on whether the brand is worthy of feeding your pup. Although they have great food that is packed with nutrients, it might not be quite right for your little buddy. Here are some alternatives for you to choose from:

Halo

If you want to feed your dog a protein-rich diet, the Halo dog food is for you. Their low carbohydrate food is great for dogs that suffer from being sluggish and tired. 

Merrick

Some of their meals contain probiotics and prebiotics which help with digestion. Their meals are full of salmon and chicken products too. 

Iams

Iams is a globally recognized pet food company with plenty of food options. Their food contains real meat and grains. 

Nature’s Variety

Here is another high protein option for your pup. It is well known for being a tasty option for your dog and contains meats such as duck meat and chicken.