Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain-Free canned product range is made up of eight recipes with ratings varying from 3.5 to 4.5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 4 stars.
Each of these recipes is made with protein-rich meat or fish as the first ingredient and enhanced with vitamins and minerals.
Pros
- Formulated with veterinarians and animal nutritionists
- Real meat as the first ingredient
- No corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors or preservatives
Cons
- A little on the expensive side
The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Beef and Chicken Grill was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Beef and Chicken Grill
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Beef, chicken, chicken liver, chicken broth, oats, barley, natural flavor, flaxseed, carrageenan, cassia gum, guar gum, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, vitamin E supplement, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), cobalt amino acid chelate, niacin supplement (vitamin B3), calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), biotin (vitamin B7), vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid (vitamin B9)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1.5%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 10% | 9% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 46% | 41% | 6% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 30% | 66% | 4% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
The second ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.2
Both beef and chicken are naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient includes chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many canned products.
The fifth ingredient is oats. Oats are rich in B-vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
The sixth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
After natural flavor we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The ninth ingredient is carrageenan, a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there appears to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
The article, The Carrageenan Controversy, published in Scientific American, does a good job of addressing this topic.
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 Blue Buffalo product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, this food 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.
And lastly, this recipe includes sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Beef & Chicken Grill looks like an above-average wet product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44.2%, a fat level of 38.5% and estimated carbohydrates of about 5.8%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 42.3% and a mean fat level of 32.9%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 12.5% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 77%.
Which means this Blue Buffalo product line contains…
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to other wet dog foods.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a significant amount of meat.
However, with 66% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 30% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for every animal.
Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Blue Buffalo through December 2025.
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall Event Number 2 of March 2017 (March 18, 2017)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall of March 2017 (March 3, 2017)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall of February 2017 (February 14, 2017)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall of May 2016 (May 31, 2016)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Chews Recall of November 2015 (November 25, 2015)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall (October 8, 2010)
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Food
Blue Buffalo Wilderness is a grain-free canned dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
About
Blue Buffalo was officially launched in 2003 by Bill Bishop, who became frustrated with the lack of transparency and poor ingredient quality in commercial dog food at the time. His inspiration came after his beloved Airedale Terrier, Blue, was diagnosed with cancer. Determined to create a better recipe for his dog, Bishop developed his own formula, and thus Blue Buffalo was born.
In 2018, the brand was sold to General Mills Corporation for $8 billion.
Compare Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Food
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A Final Word
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