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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
| Factor | Blue Buffalo | Wellness | Taste of the Wild |
| Taste | Uses meat, has tasty meals, but that differs based on recipes | Uses meat as the first ingredient sometimes & wholesome ingredients | Uses real lean meat as the primary ingredient |
| Nutritional Value | High-quality ingredients with zero fillers & include omegas | Has many controversial ingredients in its formulas | Use premium ingredients with less controversial ones |
| Product Line | Six product lines: Freedom, Basics, Veterinary Diet, Wilderness, Carnivora & TrueSolutions | Four product lines in total including Complete Health, CORE, Trufood & Simple | Two Primary product lines: Prey & Taste of the Wild |
| Price | Fairly costly | Very expensive | Pocket-friendly costs |
| Safety | Very many food recalls, 9 to be exact (2007 – 2017 ) | Five recalls from 2011 to 2017 | One 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
| Factor | Blue Buffalo | Wellness |
| Taste | Uses real meat as the primary ingredient. Premium ingredients. | Uses meat as the first ingredient sometimes & wholesome ingredients |
| Nutritional Value | Uses less controversial ingredients: Canola oil, caramel & garlic | Has many controversial ingredients in its formulas |
| Product Line | Six product lines: Freedom, Basics, Veterinary Diet, Wilderness, Carnivora & TrueSolutions | Four product lines in total including Complete Health, CORE, Trufood & Simple |
| Price | Can be costly | Very expensive |
| Safety | Very 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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Hi there! My name is Alex Landy, one of the co-founders here at Our Pets HQ and a parent to a small-breed Yorkie. I am a published author of two books on dog breeding and currently write on various pet-related blogs about caring for dogs. I am a parent of two daughters and live outside Boston where I spend a lot of time with family and serve in different breeding clubs. You can reach me at alex@ourpetshq.com
