Rating: 
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dog Food earns the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Blue Buffalo Life Protection product line lists sixteen kibbles. Since we could not locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these products on the Blue Buffalo website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.
- Blue Buffalo Puppy Chicken and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Puppy Lamb and Oatmeal
- Blue Buffalo Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Puppy Small Breed Chicken and Oatmeal
- Blue Buffalo Adult Chicken and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Adult Lamb and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Adult Fish and Sweet Potato
- Blue Buffalo Adult Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Adult Large Breed Fish and Oatmeal
- Blue Buffalo Adult Large Breed Healthy Weight
- Blue Buffalo Adult Healthy Weight
- Blue Buffalo Adult Small Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Adult Small Breed Fish and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Senior Chicken and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Senior Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
- Blue Buffalo Senior Small Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
Blue Buffalo Dog Food Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Blue Buffalo Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, whole ground brown rice, whole ground barley, oatmeal, chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols), rye, tomato pomace (natural source of lycopene), natural chicken flavor, whole potatoes, peas, whole carrots, whole sweet potatoes, blueberries, cranberries, flaxseed(natural source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids), barley grass, dried parsley, garlic, alfalfa meal, dried kelp, yucca schidigera extract, l-carnitine, l-lysine, glucosamine hydrochloride, turmeric, sunflower oil (natural source of omega 6 fatty acids), fish oil (natural source of omega 3 fatty acids), dried chicory root, oil of rosemary, beta carotene, vitamin a supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), d-calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), biotin (vitamin B7), folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin B12 supplement, calcium ascorbate (source of vitamin C), vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, choline chloride, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, salt, caramel, potassium chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first item in this dog food lists chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (most likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.
Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The fourth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.
The fifth ingredient is oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is also (unlike many other grains) gluten-free.
The sixth item includes chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Though it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is a quality ingredient.
The seventh ingredient is rye… a cereal grain nutritionally similar to barley.
The eighth ingredient is tomato pomace. Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient… a by-product left after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content… while others scorn it as a cheap pet food filler.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
After the natural flavor, we find potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, Garlic can be a controversial item. Although the majority of experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.1
Most of the literature we surveyed offered no conclusive evidence against the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
Next, the manufacturer appears to have applied friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
And lastly, this food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Blue Buffalo Life Protection looks to be an above-average dry dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 16% and estimated carbohydrates of about 50%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and a mean fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 52% for the overall product line.
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Blue Buffalo Life Protection is a grain-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of chicken or fish meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a kibble with a higher meat content may wish to visit our review of Blue Buffalo Wilderness dry dog food.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
11/27/2009 Original review
04/14/2010 Review updated
10/12/2010 Recall alert added
11/14/2010 Review updated
04/25/2011 Recall alert removed
- Yamato et al, Heinz Body hemolytic anemia with eccentrocytosis from ingestion of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in a dog, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 41:68-73 (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.