The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is one of Blue Buffalo’s more specific meals. And by specific, we refer to the fact that it is for small dog breeds.
That said, Blue Buffalo is one of the more popular pet brands. It produces mid-range affordable for both dogs and cats alike. And its foods are actually really diversified, coming in categories that differ according type, life stage of dogs and even the primary ingredient used.
We briefly look at what categories this meal falls under in the next section. However, the major thrust of this article is to find out what ingredients were used in this and which was used more than the other.
As for the ‘which ingredient was used more’ we look how they appear on the list. Just note, that the ingredients are arranged in descending order of how much of what was used. So, the first ingredient you see what used in more quantity than the next.
That said, let’s see who this food was made for.
Table of Contents
Who Is The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food For?
This Blue Buffalo Red Meat recipe is specifically for small adult dog breeds which also includes toy breeds and extra small breeds.
However, if your adult dog is a large breed or regular sized, you’ll want to stick with us till the end of the article because we make suggestions for those dog sizes too.
Aside the fact that this is food for small breeds, this food is pretty regular; red meat recipe and grain-free. Dogs usually do not have issues with either of those ideas.
However, some dogs might have an issue with the red meat just because they want something different. So, we make an alternative meat suggestion towards the end of this article also.
Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter.
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Ingredients Of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Deboned Beef
Beef is a pretty common ingredient in dog food. So, it is probably safe to say that your dog has had a beef based meal at some point or the other.
It is probably also safe to say that you are aware that beef is a healthy source of protein for your dog, including a number of minerals and vitamins.
Now, the reason that is so is that animal based protein sources contain a more comprehensive group of amino acids than plant protein. So, you’d want to place your dog on a diet that is more animal-based than plant based.
However, it is important that you know that you know that beef (like basically every other kind of meat) has a really high water content; higher than any other nutrient, actually.
As a result, the amount of meat used will not equal the amount of nutrients that will be got. So, seeing deboned beef (which is basically just beef that has had its bones removed) is actually not reason enough to rejoice.
Before we go to the next ingredient, allow us quickly point out that manufacturers tend to debone meats when manufacturing dry food because the bones lose their nutrients after having gone through the heat process that ingredients in dry food have to. So, leaving the bones would be unnecessary.
Chicken Meal
Now, while chicken has a really high water content as compared with the actual nutrients it has to offer, chicken meal has a low water content. This is because chicken meal is what you get after the water content of chicken has been drastically reduced through a cooking method known as rendering.
Because of the lower water content, small servings of chicken meal can offer a whole lot of nutrients, chief among which is protein.
In addition to protein though, chicken meal is a good source of glucosamine. Glucosamine is contains properties that help to soothe joint aches and repair worn out tissues.
Peas
While peas surely do not contain all the amino acids that your dog needs, the ones they do contain are in healthy amounts; small portions pack quite a punch which is good.
That said, peas also contain some other ingredients including dietary fiber (which should help with proper digestion and bowel movement), vitamin k and even manganese. We should also mention that peas are remarkably low in calories.
Pea Protein
Since there are already peas in this, it isn’t difficult to see that the addition of pea protein is to boost up the protein content. Some dog food manufacturers basically just extract the protein content from peas and add them to the foods.
It does the job of increasing the protein content quite well. But seeing as it doesn’t contain all the kinds of amino acids that dogs need, you’ll want for this not to be the only protein gets.
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Tapioca Starch
Tapioca starch is a really simple ingredient in that all it offers is its starch quality. So, in dog food, tapioca starch is one of the carb sources and your dog does need carbs for energy.
Tapioca starch is also added to dry food as assort of thickener. In dry food, thickener is used to ensure that the bites have a consistency, shape wise. It should also help bond the ingredients together and prolong the life of the meal.
Menhaden Fish Meal
We already talked about chicken meal and the menhaden fish meal is pretty much the same. We do have to say that menhaden fish meal is an impressive source of the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
Both kinds of fatty acids necessary for a healthy skin and coat. And since dogs cannot produce those on their own, the help, in form of this menhaden fish meal, is surely welcome.
Pea Starch
Much like tapioca starch, pea starch is added for its starch content and to be used as a thickening agent which is fine. However, the one issue we have with this content is that we’ve seen two other pea contents in this meal already.
This leads us to believe that Blue Buffalo is employing a strategy called ingredient splitting which is basically splitting one ingredient into different components and adding those to a meal.
The issue is with this is that if you add all those components, you still have that one ingredient which might be too much. This is kinda what Blue Buffalo has done using the peas and we are not particularly comfortable with this.
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Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Chicken fat is another good source of both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids which we have already mentioned. Its fat content is also necessary as a backup energy source.
However, aside its actual nutrient content, chicken fat is actually quite delicious and so can spice things up for your dog.
Finally, the chicken fat used is preserved with mixed tocopherols because chicken fat gets rancid real quick and you don’t want to mess up the entire meal. And we like that mixed tocopherols was used just because it is natural.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is another really impressive plant-based protein source as a small serving of flaxseeds will give a lot of protein.
These small seeds contain a healthy amount of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. They also contain certain properties that could help with cardiovascular health and some others that could be anti-inflammatory.
Natural Flavor
Natural flavor is not added to dog food for any nutritional reason as it has no nutritional value. The idea of adding natural flavor is to make the food more delicious without resorting to anything artificial.
However, there’s a slight issue with natural flavor and that is the fact that there is no way of ascertaining what exactly was used. Pet food manufacturers are not mandated to say so, it could be anything natural.
In our opinion, specificity is really important. It allows one decide whether or whether not one wants their dog to eat it. Anyway, one will just have to trust blindly, wouldn’t we?
Dried Egg Product
Finally, we look at dried egg product. Dried egg product is similar to those meat meals as they have both had their water content drastically reduced. The entire egg is used in the making of dried egg product, allowing your dog all the nutrients that the whole egg has to offer.
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Pros Of The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
i. There is an impressive amount of animal-based protein in this food. In fact, while we did not add them to the list, this meal actually contains deboned lamb and deboned venison.
ii. Also, there is no artificial ingredient or additive in this meal and that is also impressive.
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Cons Of The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
i. The ingredient splitting is certainly something we are not particularly excited about. Blue Buffalo could certainly have stuck with just the actual peas or just the pea derivatives.
ii. Also, we think Blue Buffalo could have been more specific with the natural flavor used. However, it is very common for the natural flavor to be ambiguous so, no biggie.
Alternative Options To The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Option For Large Dog Breeds: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Large Breed Grain-Free Adult Dry Dog Food
This one is specially formulated for the large and the extra-large adult dog breeds. It contains about the same ingredients as our featured product, howbeit, in different proportions.
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Option For Regular Sized Adult Dogs: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Grain-Free Adult Dry Dog Food
Well actually, this one can be fed to all adult dog breeds. It also contains about the same ingredients as our featured product. You could check the review on this product to find out exactly what it contains.
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Option With Different Ingredient: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Small Breed Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
If your dog has had enough of red meat, chicken is something you could try. In fact, it is advised that you feed your dog a variety of meats from time to time. You can find out more about this food here.
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Quick Comparison Table
| Featured | Option For Large Dogs | Option For Regular Sized Dogs | Option With Different Ingredient | |
| Product |
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
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|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Large Breed Grain-Free Adult Dry Dog Food
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|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Grain-Free Adult Dry Dog Food
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|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Small Breed Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
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|
| Ingredients | Deboned beef, chicken meal, peas, pea protein, tapioca starch, menhaden fish meal, pea starch, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, natural flavor, dried egg product. | Deboned beef, chicken meal, tapioca starch, peas, pea starch, pea protein, menhaden fish meal, pea fiber, natural flavor, faxseed, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols). | 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 chicken, chicken meal, pea protein, peas, tapioca starch, menhaden fish meal, dried egg product, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, natural flavor, dried tomato pomace. |
| Kibble / Canned | Dry | Dry | Dry | Dry |
| Sizes Available | 4 pound bag and 22 pound bag. | 10 pound and 22 pound bag. | 4 pound bag, 10 pound bag and 22 pound bag. | 4.5 pound bag and 11 pound bag. |
| Best For | Extra-small dogs, toy dogs and small dogs. | Large and extra-large dogs. | All kinds of adult dog breeds. | Extra-small dogs, toy dogs and small dogs. |
What Customers Are Saying About The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
A lot of customers have high praise for this recipe. Some have mixed it with wet food to make it easier for their dogs to chew. Some others mixed the bites with a little bit of warm water while yet others served as is. However, the general response seems to be that the eater loved it.
One customer pointed out that their dog is allergic to chicken and so was able to eat this. Another said that, unlike a god number of other foods that their dogs have had, this one did not give them puppy breath. And some dog parents said that their picky eaters ate this and really loved it.
Our Verdict
As a high protein diet, we must say that the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe With Red Meat Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is really impressive. There is a decent blend of the animal and plant based protein that’s good for your dog.
Blue Buffalo foods are generally not very expensive so, that might not be an issue. We have to say though, that communication with your vet is very important, whichever food you eventually decide to go for.
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