Wet canned food – All Blue Buffalo canned food made without wheat. With so many Blue Buffalo food formulas, it can be hard to choose the best one for your cat. To make a choice simpler, we have reviewed some of the best-selling Blue Buffalo recipes. The brand started in Wilson, Connecticut, in 2002 when Billy Bishop wanted to give a healthy diet to his nine-year-old Airedale terrier, Blue. In 2018, General Mills purchased the brand for an estimated value of eight million dollars. Overall, these are great products made by a great and reputable brand.
The FDA is still investigating the link though; nothing has been proven. Blue Buffalo has had five major recalls of its dog or cat food over its history and been involved in two lawsuits. However, if you are in a search for more brand reviews you can read here our picks for the best cat food for your kitty.
Starting with a packaging problem affecting a number of Blue Buffalo dog food cups, 2017 involved three unique recalls. Shortly after the packaging problem in February, Blue recalled several cans of Homestyle Recipe dog food due to possible aluminum contamination. In March of 2017, Blue Buffalo dog food was recalled due to potentially high levels of beef thyroid hormone. Blue Buffalo works with a wide variety of pet food manufacturers and suppliers. According to a brand profile published by the Whole Dog Journal in 2012, these were Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, ANI/Vita-Line Products, CJ Foods, ProPet, Triple T Foods, and Tuffy’s Pet Foods. It receives high marks for affordability and offers decent product variety, but many of the recipes aren’t species-appropriate and customer experience varies greatly.
The food is enhanced with what Blue Buffalo calls “LifeSource Bits”. These are pieces of kibble containing concentrated antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Additionally, the food contains a smattering of nutraceuticals, with probiotics, turmeric, and berries appearing near the end of the ingredient list. Blue Buffalo recalled several products due to what they described as a “sequencing error”, which may have led to food contaminated with excess levels of vitamin D. The first involved a limited number of Blue Kitty Yums cat treats.
There are 22 amino acids that cats need for proper functioning, and out of those, 11 are essential amino acids. Taurine is one of the essential ones and should be included in any food that you are considering. This nutrient is crucial for heart health and good vision, so only buy wet or dry cat foods that list it in their ingredients list. Specifically crafted to meet the nutritional blue buffalo cat food needs of indoor cats, the Blue Buffalo Indoor Health Natural Adult Dry Cat Food is both delicious and nutritious. The food also contains optimal amounts of omega fatty acids to promote healthy skin, a healthy shiny coat, and to aid in healthy weight management. In each format and formula, real meat is the first ingredient, and all other ingredients are all-natural.
We do our best to help you better understand your cats, but the information on this blog is not a substitute for veterinary guidance. If you’re looking to switch to one, though, we’d suggest Wellness. It boasts almost all the selling points that Blue Buffalo can offer, but without a history of potentially shady advertising or deadly product recalls. Both Wellness and Blue Buffalo have complicated recall histories, although Blue Buffalo’s is definitely worse. However, it has a meager 10% protein, and it uses cassia and guar gum. These are added to the food to make it easier to eat, but they can interfere with protein synthesis.
Unfortunately, Blue Buffalo has been recalled several times since its creation in 2002. Some experts also recommend avoiding cheese, milk, and other dairy product as well as raw foods such as eggs, fish, and meat because of the potential for food poisoning or digestive upset. Peas are also rich in protein, and this ingredient is a concentrated form of that protein, which means the actual meat content of this food may be lower than the macronutrient profile suggests. Chicken fat is a great source of healthy fats and omega fatty acids. An American expat living in Metro Manila, Philippines for over a decade, Christian is a lifelong cat lover and the proud papa of two rescue cats, Trixie and Chloe. Both girls were formerly among the droves of strays that roam the cities and countryside.
A huge animal lover, born and raised around dogs, cats, chickens… All the ingredients are sourced from the USA and made with real meat. The products are created with the inputs of nutritionalists and veterinarians. Do you have fellow cat parents who have concerns about the food they’re feeding their furball? Or friends that like to read reviews and ratings before they buy?