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Unrated
PRODUCT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED
Blue Buffalo Organics Dog Food earns the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Blue Buffalo Dog Food Organics line includes just one dry kibble product. Like its name implies, this formulation is notable for its 100% organic ingredients.
Blue Buffalo Organics
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Organic deboned chicken, organic brown rice, organic oatmeal, chicken meal, organic ground barley, organic ground millet, salmon meal, chicken fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), organic canola oil, natural chicken flavor, organic blueberries, organic dried egg, potatoes, organic peas, calcium carbonate, alfalfa meal, caramel, potassium chloride, salmon oil (source of natural omega 3 fatty acids), choline chloride, salt, organic sunflower oil (source of natural omega 6 fatty acids), organic kelp meal, yucca schidigera extract, taurine, dicalcium phosphate, natural mixed tocopherols, turmeric, organic parsley, dried chicory root, organic garlic, vitamin A acetate, vitamin E supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, niacin (vitamin B3), calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), folic acid, biotin, zinc amino acid complex (source of chelated zinc), iron amino acid complex (source of chelated iron), copper amino acid complex (source of chelated copper), manganese amino acid complex (source of chelated manganese), cobalt amino acid complex (source of chelated cobalt), sodium selenite, calcium iodate, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Aspergillus niger, Enterococcus faecum, Trichoderma longbrachiatum, Bacillus subtilus
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 24% | 14% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 27% | 16% | 50% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 23% | 33% | 44% |
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
That’s what makes uncooked chicken a much smaller contributor to the overall protein content of a dry dog food… than chicken meal… which happens to be listed as ingredient number four (below).
The second ingredient is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient. It’s a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The third ingredient is oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely grinding raw oats. Oatmeal is rich in natural fiber, B-vitamins and (unlike so many other grains) is completely gluten-free. A quality grain ingredient.
The fourth item is chicken meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, chicken meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The fifth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying additional fiber and other healthy nutrients. This is another quality grain ingredient.
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This can make them much more easily absorbed than non-chelated minerals.
Blue Buffalo also adds back some of the live microorganisms lost during the cooking process. These special probiotics can enhance a dog’s digestion and immune functions.
Nutrient Analysis
Blue Buffalo Dog Food Organics is a very fine dog food indeed.
The company markets this product as “organic”. Accordingly, the Dog Food Advisor assumes that most (if not all) of the ingredients used here are indeed organic.
Organic ingredients are produced under strict government standards… standards which greatly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
OK, down to the numbers…
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 16% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 50%.
The nutrient gauges suggest Blue Buffalo Organics to be a slightly above average dry dog food… but the quality of the ingredients plus the lack of any crucial Red Flag items encourage an upgrade to four stars.
With organic ingredients like these… and our second-highest four-star rating… this product is definitely worthy of your consideration.
Highly recommended.
Notes
11/29/2009 Original review
05/25/2010 Discontinued
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