Welcome to another Blue Buffalo dog food review. This one is the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food and so is specially formulated for puppies. So, gather here all ye parents of puppies to find out if this is something you want your dog to try out.
But before that, it is imperative that you know that Blue Buffalo is one of the most respected dog brands out there, especially as regards food. They actually cater to both dogs and cats, in case you are looking for something for your cats too.
Now in this article, you get to see the ingredients that are ‘important’ in the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Food. And by ‘important’ we refer to those ingredients that are in a high enough quantity to make a difference by their presence or absence.
If you do not have a puppy or this particular food is not your cup of tea, don’t leave just yet. Towards the end of this article, we give alternative suggestions that might be what you’re looking for.
Now that all that’s settled, let’s get down to it.
Table of Contents
Who Is The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food For?
The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain-Free Dry Dog is for dogs who are on a grain-free diet. As you’ll get to see soon enough, other starch and carb sources are used as alternatives to grains in this food.
Furthermore, and probably most important, this food was formulated for puppies; basically puppies of any breed and size. .
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Ingredients Of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Deboned Chicken
If you’re here going through this article, we take it for granted that you know the importance of going through the ingredients of a meal pack before you buy.
Now, one cool trick about looking through dog food ingredients is paying attention to the order in which they appear. The first ingredient is the one used in the largest quantity and the last in the least.
Bearing that in mind, it makes sense that deboned chicken is the ingredient that is more in this food.
Now, while there is no disputing the fact that a lot of chicken was used in this meal, it doesn’t always amount to a high protein content.
Why? Chicken, like basically every other animal-protein source, is more water than anything else. So, by the time it has been processed, the chicken that seemed like a lot might now be not enough protein or amino-acid.
This is why you have to be sure that the food you choose doesn’t just have chicken (or any other poultry or seafood) as the only protein source. There have to other protein sources if your dog is to get his right protein portion.
Chicken Meal
The first two ingredients of this Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy food have already impressed us. So, not only did Blue Buffalo employ chicken, they also added chicken meal.
What is chicken meal? Chicken meal is chicken that has had its water content extracted through a cooking process called rendering. When chicken has been rendered, it retains only 10% of its water content and about 65% of protein content.
So, combining raw chicken and chicken meal allows your dog a good portion of protein in one meal. Especially because they are both animal-based protein. Animal sources offer a significantly higher protein level than plant protein sources.
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Pea Protein
While we’ve said that animal sources provide a higher protein level than plant sources, it still doesn’t hurt to have plant sources.
Just so you know, the idea behind the wilderness line of Blue Buffalo dog foods is high protein content. So, all the foods in the wilderness line are supposed to be packed full of protein from both animal and plant sources.
Pea protein is gotten by extracting the starch content from peas. And in addition to being a good source of protein, your dog could also get such important nutrients as vitamins and minerals from pea protein.
Peas
When we talked about who this food is for, we mentioned that it is a good idea for dogs who have been placed on a grain-free diet seeing as it is grain-free.
We also mentioned that grain substitutes were used to give your dog the carbs he needs. Peas are one of them.
First off, peas are an additional protein source. However, in addition to that, peas are a good source of dietary fiber. And dietary fiber helps to lower cholesterol levels, maintain a healthy weight and also helps with proper digestion.
Peas also contain vitamins and minerals that help with the proper formation of bones. This is definitely something a growing dog needs.
Tapioca Starch
This is another one of those grain substitutes used in a lot of grain-free meals. Tapioca is a very impressive source of starch.
Now, while you might want to keep your dog off grains, you know not to keep them off starch or carbs totally. And the reason for this is that they need energy to bound around and be the happy dogs they are and carbs are the source of that energy.
That said, some people are not comfortable with tapioca because basically all it gives is starch.
This is probably why it has been known to increase insulin levels in both humans and animals.
As an aside, you’ll want to be careful with tapioca-containing foods around your diabetic or overweight dog.
Pea Starch
Kinda the opposite of pea protein, pea starch is got from extracting the protein content from peas. And in addition to providing energy (what with being a starch source and all), pea starch and tapioca starch act as a binder for the kibble.
That said, if you’re beginning to think there is a lot of peas in this meal, you’re not alone. However, the amount and positioning of the animal-based proteins used are enough to make us chill a bit.
Menhaden Fish Meal
Blue Buffalo lists menhaden fish meal as a source of the omega 3 fatty acid for this meal.
While omega 3 fatty acid is important for dogs as it helps with healthy skin and coat, dogs cannot produce their own omega 3 fatty acid.
This is where omega 3 fatty acid sources like the menhaden fish comes in handy.
The menhaden fish is a kind of oily fish which is, of course, also a good source of protein. And like with chicken meal, menhaden fish meal has been rendered such that only a small portion of the moisture content is left.
One more thing. We must mention that we like that Blue Buffalo clearly spelt out what kind of ‘meals’ were used (chicken and menhaden fish) and did not just leave things open ended.
You’ll want to be careful of those foods whose ingredients include some open ended meals like meat meal, poultry meal or fish meal. Reason being that you cannot be sure of what those things are.
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Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Chicken fat is basically what it is and is added to be an additional source of energy for your growing puppy.
Furthermore, the chicken fat is preserved with mixed tocopherols which is basically a preservative.
Animal fat doesn’t have a very long shelf life and so can get rancid real quick. On the other hand, kibble is formulated to last a decent length of time.
Preserving the chicken fat used ensures that it doesn’t get bad and spoil the entire food.
Dried Egg Product
Another animal-based protein and we are certainly here for it. Dried egg product is dehydrated egg basically; that is, the whole egg without the shell.
This dehydration process allows your dog to be able to take full advantage of the protein content of the eggs.
Also, because the water has been removed (or at least, greatly reduced) dried eggs have a longer shelf life that normal egg.
Fish Oil
Finally, we take a look at fish oil. Fish oil has been touted to possess a number of nutritional and healing qualities that it sometimes seems like such a stretch.
Before we go into the explanation of things, we should say that fish oil is extracted from fish tissues; just add that to your bank of knowledge.
That said, fish oil is an essential component of a mammal’s diet, especially a growing one.
It contains DHA which is a kind of omega 3 fatty acid that is necessary for nervous system and brain development.
Fish oil also contains some anti-inflammatory properties that could take care of a number of different abnormalities in mammals.
However, we are not sure we are really comfortable with just fish oil. More specificity (that is, naming the exact kind of fish) would have eased our minds a lot.
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Pros Of The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
i. First off, not only do we like that a good number of different meat-based protein sources are used, we also like that they are high up on the list. That they are high up on the list suggests to us that they were used in significant quantities.
ii. Furthermore, we like that Blue Buffalo skipped the use of anything artificial. Though it wasn’t included in our list, this meal contains natural flavor and we like that.
Like the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food? Get it here on Amazon! And get it here on Chewy!
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Cons Of The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
i. First off, there are about three different pea and pea derivatives in the ingredients list. That might be a bit more than is necessary.
ii. Also, we are not entirely comfortable with Blue Buffalo not specifying what kind of fish oil is used.
Alternatives To The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Red Meat Option
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Some have said that their dogs are not interested in chicken and can taste the difference. If you’re one of them, then you probably want to try this variant.
It has basically the same ingredients as our featured product. The major difference is that instead of deboned chicken, you have deboned beef. Plus, it happens to be a bit more affordable than our featured product.
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Wet Food Option
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Turkey And Chicken Grill Grain-Free Puppy Canned Dog Food
If you like the idea of chicken but aren’t ecstatic about kibble, try this canned food variant. In fact, this could actually help your dog eat if they’ve not been eating much lately.
You know, if the food appeals to their sense of smell, they’d be willing to try it. However, be sure to report any case of appetite loss to your dog’s vet. So, willing to give this a try?
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Option For Adult Dog
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
There’s nothing much to say with this one. It is basically the same as our featured product with the ingredients and all.
The only difference will be in the ingredient distribution seeing as this one is specially formulated for adult dogs.
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Quick Comparison Table
| Featured | Different First Ingredient | Canned Variety | Adult Variety | |
| Product |
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Click here to get it on Amazon!
|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Click here to get it on Amazon!
|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Turkey And Chicken Grill Grain-Free Puppy Canned Dog Food
Click here to get it on Amazon!
|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Click here to get it on Amazon!
|
| Ingredients | Deboned chicken, chicken meal, pea protein, peas, tapioca starch, pea starch, menhaden fish meal, dried egg product, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), fish oil. | Deboned beef, chicken meal, pea protein, peas, tapioca starch, menhaden fish meal, pea starch, dried egg product chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed. | Turkey, chicken broth, chicken, chicken liver, potatoes, pea protein, flaxseed, fish oil, dicalcium phosphate, carrageenan. | Deboned chicken, chicken meal, peas, pea protein, tapioca starch, menhaden fish meal, dried tomato pomace, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flax seed, pea starch. |
| Kibble / Canned | Kibble | Kibble | Canned | Kibble |
| Sizes Available | 4.5 pound bag, 11 pound bag and 24 pound bag. | 4 pound bag and 22 pound bag. | 12.5 ounces, case of 12. | 4.5 pound bag, 11 pound bag and 24 pound bag. |
| Best For | Small, medium and large breed puppies. | Small, medium and large breed puppies. | Small, medium and large breed puppies. | Small, medium and large breed adult dogs. |
What Customers Are Saying About The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Dog parents seem to be alright with this food; at least that is what their feedbacks say. Some of those dog parents have used this particular food to wean their pups and, if their feedback is anything to go by, the pups received them well.
Also, a good number of parents have confirmed that, indeed, the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Dry Food can cater to different dog breeds as they have fed this same meal to different pups and it was alright.
One customer even said that the ‘alrightness’ was confirmed by their pup’s vet.
Our Verdict On The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
In our opinion, the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is really worth trying. Why? It is heavily dependent on meat-based protein so you can be sure that your dog is getting a decent amount of protein.
Also, the fact that it is clearly stated that chicken meal and menhaden meal were used and not just poultry meal and fish meal is something else we like. With the specificity one can rest easier knowing that the ingredients used come from a known (and safe source).
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