Blue Buffalo Dog Food Reviews & Top Picks

Here is a complete Blue Buffalo dry dog food review, one of the most trusted and best-selling dry god foods on the market.

This, now traditional brand of dog and cat food is focused on creating a healthy pet food that pet parents can really trust.

Many different formulas and specialty diets are under the Blue Buffalo roof, but one is for sure – their name is all about the animals.

Blue is put in the honor of the furry family member of the Bishop Family who inspired its creation, while the Buffalo is inspired by buffalos roaming free on the Great Plains associating with times when things used to be more nature-driven.

Originally, Blue Buffalo was founded in 2002 by the Bishop family, while today Blue Buffalo is owned by the General Mills association.

Blue Buffalo produces several lines of dry and wet food, and dog treats making a special corner of the product, but today we will focus on their dry food for dogs, including grain-free food and the best food for overweight dogs, and dogs with sensitive stomach.

A quick look at the best Blue Buffalo formulas

• Best for adults: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice
• Best for large breed adults: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice
• Best for small breed adults: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice
• Best for large breed puppies: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice
• Best for small breed puppies: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice
• Best for seniors: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken & Brown Rice
• Best grain-free: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free
• Best for overweight dogs: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Healthy Weight Adult Chicken & Brown Rice
• Best for skin & stomach: Blue Buffalo Basics Skin & Stomach Care Salmon & Potato

How we chose

Because choosing the right food for your dog can be confusing and overwhelming, we reviewed all Blue Buffalo dog foods.

Every product on our list has been vetted to ensure that it aligns with Barking Royalty’s brand integrity standards and approach to well-being. Each product in this article:

• adheres to allowable health claims and labeling requirements
• is manufactured in facilities that adhere to current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs)
• is produced by a medically credible company that follows ethical, legal, and industry best standards
• is made by a company that provides objective measures of trust

Additional factors we considered included:

• Ingredients. We looked for supplements that are free of unnecessary ingredients such as fillers and artificial
• sweeteners and colors.
• AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile. We checked if the food meets the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO.
• Price. We included products to suit a range of budgets.

Barking Royalty’s picks for the best Blue Buffalo dry foods

Best for adults

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,230 kcal/kg, 324 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Adult Dog Food
• Grain-free: Yes

The first ingredient in this formula is deboned chicken for better taste and healthier nutrition, followed by a chicken meal, brown rice, barley, and pea fiber.

For a richer taste, this formula is enriched with oatmeal and peas. Thanks to additional ingredients such as potato starch, chicken fat, and pea protein a single meal is a mix of different flavors that dogs find more than delicious.

This formula supports the dog’s gut health thanks to ingredients such as carrots, barley grass, parsley, dried kelp, and dried chicory root.

Packed with high-quality protein and L-Carnitine this formula supports muscle development and keeps calories from fat to a minimum.

For a strong immune system, this formula offers vitamins, chelated minerals, and antioxidants.

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Best for large breed adults

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,508 kcal/kg, 352 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Food For Large Adult Breeds
• Grain-free: No

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice is primarily based on deboned chicken, followed by a chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, and barley.

To support a dog’s gut health this formula comes with pea fiber, pea protein, fish oil, and dried chicory root.

For richer flavor, Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice holds potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

Besides these superfoods, this formula contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat.

This formula will support the health of adult large dog breeds thanks to its high protein percentage and nice carb addition.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice formula supports the special needs of bigger dogs by offering not only protein-rich deboned chicken but also glucosamine and chondroitin.

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Best for small breed adults

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,665 kcal/kg, 396 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Food For Small Adult Breeds
• Grain-free: No

The first ingredient in this formula is deboned chicken for great taste and nutrition, followed by a chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, and barley.

For extra taste, this formula is rich in fish meal and chicken fat.

For extra flavor, Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice is enriched with pea protein, dried egg protein, and dried tomato pomace.

Besides these superfoods, Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice contains fibers from dried kelp, parsley, and carrots.

For small breeds, this formula offers sufficient calories, the perfect ingredient balance, and high-quality protein for healthy muscle development.

To support small adult breeds’ immune systems this formula offers sufficient vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

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Best for large breed puppies

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,642 kcal/kg, 386 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Food Large Breed Puppies
• Grain-free: Yes

The first ingredient in this formula for large-size puppies is deboned chicken as a great protein source, followed by the chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, and barley.

For great nutrition, this formula is enriched with peas, pea protein, chicken fat, and fish meal.

Extra flavor is achieved by adding dried tomato pomace, dried egg product, and fish oil.

Whenever a formula is enriched with oil you can expect to see hair and coat improvement in your dog. Plus, this formula is supported with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, so a healthy coat and shiny hair are guaranteed.

As puppies grow keeping their bone healthy and strong is a primary focus, which s why this formula is packed with calcium, phosphorus, and essential vitamins for strong bones and teeth.

Food texture and size is puppy-sized kibble that is easy to chew and digest. Thanks to high-quality protein and l-carnitine this formula support lean muscle growth.

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Best for small breed puppies

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,707 kcal/kg, 400 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Puppy Food
• Grain-free: Yes

The first ingredient in this formula is deboned chicken for better chewing and digestion in puppies, followed by a chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, and barley.

For richer taste and various flavors, this formula comes with extra ingredients such as dried egg product, pea protein, peas, chicken fat, and fish oil for a healthy coat and skin.

Thanks to dried chicory root and pea fiber, puppies should get enough fibers to keep their gut strong.

For great puppy health calcium, phosphorus, and essential vitamins are added to this formula to enable strong bones and teeth. For easier chewing and stress-free digestion, this formula is packed in puppy-sized kibble for smaller jaws.

As such this food is also a great tool to promote tartar removal. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids enable healthy skin and coat in puppies from day one.

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Best for seniors

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken & Brown Rice

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,403 kcal/kg, 342 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Senior Dogs Food
• Grain-free: Yes

To support senior dogs’ health and digestion the first ingredient in this formula is deboned chicken, for a significant protein source and great nutrition, followed by brown rice, barley, oatmeal, and chicken meal.

For extra flavor, Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken & Brown Rice contains peas, pea starch, potato starch, and chicken fat.

For extra proteins, this formula contains pea protein, while dried chicory root supports gut health in dogs.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken & Brown Rice supports longevity in senior dogs by providing high-quality protein, L-Carnitine, followed by glucosamine, and chondroitin for strong and healthy joints and mobility.

Thanks to Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids this formula offers an additioanl boost for healthy skin and coat.

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Best grain-free

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,599 kcal/kg, 409 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Grain-Free Food
• Grain-free: Yes

The first ingredient in this formula is deboned chicken, for great taste and balanced nutrition, followed by a chicken meal (source of glucosamine), peas, pea protein, and tapioca starch.

Dried tomato pomace, chicken fat, and pea starch are added to make the taste stronger, while sweet potato and dried chicory root make food easier to digest.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free formula offers a high-protein content mostly out of chicken that is easy to digest while keeping the lean muscle mass.

To support an active lifestyle, this formula contains healthy carbs such as peas and omega -3 and -6 fatty acids to support healthy skin and a radiant coat.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free formula is made with natural ingredients, without any corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, and preservatives.

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Best for overweight dogs

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Healthy Weight Adult Chicken & Brown Rice

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,230 kcal/kg, 324 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Adult Dogs Food
• Grain-free: No

The first ingredient in this formula is deboned chicken as a source of protein that will keep the dog’s weight balanced, followed by a chicken meal, brown rice, barley, and pea fiber.

Keeping optimal weight in dogs is easier when there is the right formula on hand, which is why Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Healthy Weight Adult Chicken & Brown Rice formula comes with high-quality protein and L-Carnitine for lean muscle development and reduced calories from fat.

This formula is great when it comes to weight management in dogs as it offerrs glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health and mobility as well.

Not only that this formula keeps a dog’s weight in balance but it also supports healthy skin and coat, thanks to Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

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Best for skin & stomach

Blue Buffalo Basics Skin & Stomach Care Salmon & Potato

• Price: $$
• Energy: 3,475 kcal/kg, 362 kcal/cup
• AAFCO Profile: Adult Dry Dog Food
• Grain-free: No

The first ingredient in this formula is deboned salmon for stronger gut health and easier digestion, followed by oatmeal, brown rice, salmon meal (source of glucosamine), and peas.

To support sensitive digestion this formula features a single animal protein source – salmon, along with healthy carbs from potatoes and fibers from peas and pumpkin.

Both peas and pumpkin are considered to be superfoods, which in addition to antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals offers a healthy balance in dogs of different size.

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