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Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness vs. Taste of the Wild

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Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness vs. Taste of the Wild

Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, and Wellness are all reputable brands in the pet food industry. All carry the flag for offering a range of products made with quality ingredients and at modest prices. You can choose between wet and dry foods as well as grain-free and grain-inclusive. But which is better than the others?

Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness vs. Taste of the Wild Ingredients

Wellness has 5.1%, 1.7%, and 4.4% higher protein content in dry dog food, wet dog foods, and dry cat foods than Blue Buffalo, which beats Wellness a little with 0.6% higher protein content on wet cat food. Taste of the Wild contains 1.5%, 5%, and 0.9% more protein content in dry dog, wet dog, and dry cat foods than Blue Buffalo which exceeds it with 1.2% more protein in wet cat foods. Wellness also has 3.5%, 1.4%, and 2.6% higher dry cat, wet cat, and dry dog food protein content than Taste of the Wild, while the latter exceeds Wellness with 3.3% more wet dog food protein content. Wellness, however, is costlier than both rivals.

We have reviewed them independently above so we shall use a table to simplify the showdown.

Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness vs. Taste of the Wild Comparison Table

FactorBlue BuffaloWellness Taste of the Wild
TasteUses meat, has tasty meals, but that differs based on recipesUses meat as the first ingredient sometimes & wholesome ingredientsUses real lean meat as the primary ingredient
Nutritional ValueHigh-quality ingredients with zero fillers & include omegasHas many controversial ingredients in its formulasUse premium ingredients with less controversial ones
Product LineSix product lines: Freedom, Basics, Veterinary Diet, Wilderness, Carnivora & TrueSolutionsFour product lines in total including Complete Health, CORE, Trufood & SimpleTwo Primary product lines: Prey & Taste of the Wild
PriceFairly costlyVery expensivePocket-friendly costs
SafetyVery many food recalls, 9 to be exact (2007 – 2017 )Five recalls from 2011 to 2017One major recall in May 2012

Verdict: Overall, Wellness takes the lead in this tug of war for high dietary value compared to the other two. Taste of the Wild takes second place for few recalls, and Blue Buffalo third place.

Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness

Both Blue Buffalo and Wellness are reputable brands in the pet food market with high-quality pet food lines for both cats and dogs. They use wholesome and healthy ingredients but this does not mean that they are similar. So, who offers better products?

Founded in 1926, Wellness has a greater and better experience with pet foods compared to Blue Buffalo. They started making kibble in 1997 and the company became prominent after being purchased by Jim Scott, an animal nutritionist, in 1961. The brand was making dog biscuits until Jim changed it to make holistic, natural kibble for dogs of all life stages. It is headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts.

Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness Ingredients

Wellness offers 5.1%, 1.7%, and 4.4% higher protein content in dry dog food, wet dog foods, and dry cat foods than Blue Buffalo which exceeds Wellness on wet cat food protein by 0.6%.  Both brands have 6 controversial ingredients with 4 only used by Wellness and 2 by Blue Buffalo.

Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness Recalls

While Blue Buffalo has been recalled 9 times, Wellness only has 5 recalls which makes it safer for your dog or cat and we noticed a significant difference in price as well.

Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness Pricing

Wellness is more expensive than Blue Buffalo and also has fewer food recalls.

Blue Buffalo vs. Wellness Comparison Table

FactorBlue BuffaloWellness 
TasteUses real meat as the primary ingredient. Premium ingredients.Uses meat as the first ingredient sometimes & wholesome ingredients
Nutritional ValueUses less controversial ingredients: Canola oil, caramel & garlicHas many controversial ingredients in its formulas
Product LineSix product lines: Freedom, Basics, Veterinary Diet, Wilderness, Carnivora & TrueSolutionsFour product lines in total including Complete Health, CORE, Trufood & Simple
PriceCan be costlyVery expensive
SafetyVery many food recalls, 9 to be exact (2007 – 2017 )Five recalls from 2011 to 2017

Verdict: Overall, Wellness has the upper hand when it comes to the nutritional quality of their pet foods despite both having an emphasis on natural ingredients. However, be willing to spend more.

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