In this article, we’ll be looking at one of Blue Buffalo’s many dry dog foods which is the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food.
If you’ve been a dog parent for a long while, you’d probably have already heard about Blue Buffalo. You probably already know that the band is a specifically food brand that produces for dogs and cats alike.
In our opinion, Blue Buffalo is a mid-range brand which is why their foods usually have a mix of ingredients; some premium and others kind of questionable.
The ingredients in the Blue Buffalo Wilderness meal happen to be the central focus of this review (because what else?). Pay attention to the appearance of the ingredients, that is, which comes first becomes they are arranged in descending order of which was used more.
Now that all that’s cleared up, let’s look at who Blue Buffalo had in mind in creating this recipe.
Table of Contents
Who Is The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food For?
Basically, this Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe is for adult dogs; all breeds of adult dogs.
However, if your dog isn’t an adult yet or has passed their adult age, you’ll still want to stick with us. This is because towards the end of this article, we make food suggestions for both puppies and seniors.
That said, we want you to pay attention to the fact that this is a wilderness meal. Blue Buffalo wilderness usually suggests high protein so, that is something we might get to see as we peruse the ingredients.
Also bear in mind that the primary meat used is rabbit meat. If you (or your dog) have any issue with either of those, you might want to check out something else and/or pay a visit to your dog’s veterinarian.
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Ingredients Of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Rabbit
We actually really like that the primary meat used in this food is rabbit because of the rarity of it. With most dog foods, the primary meat ingredient is chicken, beef or turkey.
The thing with using meat that isn’t very common is that your dog might actually enjoy it more because it is different. So, if your dog hasn’t been eating, variety might be the way to go before or after you’ve visited the vet.
That said, while rabbit meat has a high water content, it also has a decent amount of protein (like every other kind of meat). However, rabbit meat is especially low in calories and sodium as against some other kinds of meat which is sure a good thing.
Chicken Meal
Chicken meal is chicken that has been rendered such that its water content is greatly reduced. As a result, your dog will be getting more protein from the chicken meal than chicken of the same amount. However, it is still important that your dog’s food contains actual meat.
That said, in addition to its protein content, chicken meal is listed as this food’s source of glucosamine. Glucosamine gets increasingly important the older your dog gets.
This is because glucosamine is important for the repair of body tissues. It also has an anti-inflammatory quality that helps soothe joint pains.
Finally, that it was specified that this meal is chicken is laudable because ambiguities such as ‘poultry meal’ or ‘fish meal’ are usually indicative that there is something to hide.
Peas
Peas contain a really high amount of proteins and carbohydrates. For a plant protein source, peas are actually really decent.
However, because plant proteins do not have as comprehensive an amino acids content as animal protein sources, it is advised that dogs not be placed on a strictly plant based diet or eat foods that have plant protein sources as primary ingredients.
Aside protein, peas are a good source of dietary fiber which helps with proper digestion and bowel movement. They also contain decent amount of certain minerals and vitamins including manganese and vitamin k.
Pea Protein
This is basically what it says, the protein content extracted from peas. Because peas and the extraction process are relatively inexpensive, some dog food manufacturers usually resort to them in a bid to inexpensively increase the protein content in dog food.
There’s nothing much to pea protein though, as it basically only offers the protein content. However, some people are skeptical about it and see it as a cop out employed by dog food manufacturers.
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Tapioca Starch
Tapioca starch is added in this both for its starch content and its thickening quality. As a thickening agent, tapioca starch is one of the ingredients that hold all the other ingredients together such that they maintain a consistent shape for a long time.
While tapioca starch doesn’t have any other nutritional value, it has been known to increase blood sugar levels. So, you want to be careful that your dog is not getting too much of it.
Pea Starch
Pea starch performs basically the same functions as tapioca starch. It is a good source of starch which serves as an energy source.
We generally do not have any issues with pea starch; it has a couple of functions and doesn’t have serious negative side effects.
However, we have an issue with pea starch in this meal and that is because we’ve already seen one other pea derivative and actual peas.
Ingredient splitting is a trick that some pet food manufacturers use that allows them use one ingredient in large quantities without it being very suspicious. This is why you could see things like ‘pea protein’, ‘pea starch’ and even ‘pea fiber’ in addition to actual peas.
Dried Egg Product
Dried egg product is another attempt at increasing the protein content in this food. However, we appreciate this because it is animal based.
Dried egg product is kinda like chicken meal in that the egg has had its water content drastically reduced. With egg product, the entire egg is used minus the shell which is a good idea because your dog gets all the nutrients that the different parts of the egg has to offer.
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Deboned Chicken
We are thankful for the addition of deboned chicken because it beefs up (pun intended) the protein content the way it ought to be done; with animal based protein.
Deboned chicken has had its bones removed because some manufacturers say that the bones lose their nutrients after going through the heat treatment that ingredients in dry food have to. So, leaving the bones in would just be redundant.
That said, deboned chicken is about the same as regular chicken in that they both contain the same nutrients (aside what the bones offer) and water in the same quantity.
Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Chicken fat is the major source of fat in this meal. And we probably all know that fat is necessary for regulating body temperature and could also serve as a backup energy source.
Now, the reason chicken fat has to be preserved is because it gets rancid real quick and could spoil the entire meal. and we like that Blue Buffalo decided to go with mixed tocopherols because they are natural containing isomers which you’ll find in vitamin E.
Dried Tomato Pomace
Dried tomato pomace is another source of dietary fiber; soluble fiber actually, which is the good kind. It is actually a by-product of tomatoes gotten after the tomatoes have been processed for stuff such as ketchup and tomato soup.
Menhaden Fish Meal
Lastly, we look at menhaden fish meal. The menhaden fish is an oily fish that, in addition to its protein content, has a decent amount of the omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
Menhaden fish meal is gotten through the same process that chicken meal is gotten; drastically reducing the water content using a cooking method known as rendering. So, it is easier to maximize the nutrient content.
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Pros Of The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
i. We are actually impressed with the amount of animal-based protein sources that were used in this meal.
ii. Also, we like that there was no artificial ingredient or additive used in this meal.
iii. There is also the fact that Blue Buffalo was specific about the ingredients used because, as we said, ambiguity is usually indicative that the manufacturers have something to hide.
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Cons Of The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
i. First off, we are not excited about the ingredient splitting thing. We think Blue Buffalo could have stuck with just the peas and then looked for some healthier way of boosting the protein content.
ii. Also, while we appreciate that there were a number of different animal-based protein sources used in this, we are of the opinion more of the deboned chicken and menhaden fish meal could have been used.
Alternative Options To The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Different Meat Option: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
If you would rather stick with beef, this one could be it for you (or your dog). However, you’ll have to bear in mind that this meal isn’t as high in protein as our featured product. Click here to find out the ingredients that are contained in this red meat recipe.
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Option For Puppy Dog: The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Puppy Dry Dog Food
If you are thinking of getting the rabbit recipe for your puppy, we are sorry to disappoint you because Blue Buffalo hasn’t made that yet. However, they do have the red meat recipe for puppies. Find out more about this here.
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Option For Senior Dog: The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Senior Dry Dog Food
Finally, the rabbit recipe is also not available for seniors. So, you might want to make do with the red meat recipe. Click here to find out what this senior diet contains.
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Quick Comparison Table
| Featured | Different Meat Option | Option For Puppy Dog | Option For Senior Dog | |
| Product |
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Dry Dog Food
|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Puppy Dry Dog Food
|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
|
| Ingredients | Rabbit, chicken meal, peas, pea protein, tapioca starch, pea starch, dried egg product, deboned chicken, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried tomato pomace, menhaden fish meal. | Deboned beef, chicken meal, peas, pea protein, tapioca starch, pea starch menhaden fish meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, pea fiber, natural flavor. | Deboned beef, chicken meal, pea protein, peas, tapioca starch, menhaden fish meal, pea starch, dried egg product, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, natural flavor. | Deboned beef, chicken meal, peas, tapioca starch, pea starch, pea protein, pea fiber, natural flavor, flaxseed, menhaden fish meal, potatoes. |
| Kibble / Canned | Dry | Dry | Dry | Dry |
| Sizes Available | 4 pound bag and 22 pound bag. | 10 pound bag and 22 pound bag. | 4 pound bag and 22 pound bag. | 4 pound bag and 22 pound bag. |
| Best For | All kinds of adult dog breeds. | All kinds of adult dog breeds. | All kinds of puppy dog breeds. | All kinds of senior dog breeds. |
What Customers Are Saying About The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
While some dog parents have served this food as is, others have mixed it with a bit of warm water so that it is kinda gravy-like. However, whatever the serving style, a lot of dog parents have had positive things to say about this.
Some say parents said that their picky eaters were able to clean up their plates. A few others think that their dogs enjoyed this one because it is something different. Also, nobody seemed to complain about the price.
Our Verdict
We must say that we are impressed with the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Rabbit Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food.
Granted, there are a number of things we are not particularly excited about, chief of them being the slightly excessive use of peas. However, we think there is a decent amount of animal-based protein in this to balance out the peas.
That said, whatever you decide to feed your dog, be sure to get the go ahead from their vet.
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