The health, well-being, and physical form of a dog depends on proper nutrition. However, choosing the best dry dog food is not easy. First, you need to understand the different types of dry dog food that are available for different dogs:
The last criterion is the main one since the composition of the feed and the quality of the ingredients are the first things that the dog owner should pay attention to when buying food. If we talk about the ratio of price and quality, the best dry dog food is premium or super-premium food. Both classes are characterized by balanced composition and a high content of meat products. In super-premium feeds, they are the main ingredients. The premium class may be dominated by meat, cereals, and offal. Such feeds do not contain harmful chemical additives, are made from high-quality raw materials, and are enriched with health supplements.
This article will compare two brands that produce high-quality dog foods. To choose the best manufacturer, we will study the composition of a particular product, focusing on the percentage of the main ingredients, their origin, and functional and technological additives. [ancorToID]1[/ancorToID]
BLUE True Solutions Wet Dog Food
BLUE True Solutions is also available in canned varieties to match their dry counterparts, though these seem to not have ingredients recommended by veterinarians like dry variants, according to an interesting disclaimer (pictured below).
To be honest, we really don’t know what to make of this, but wanted to bring it to the attention of our readers.
Disclaimer aside, these foods make good canned alternatives to the dry versions of Blue True Solutions, and they’d also work well as toppers or mixers.
These meals are sold in packs of 12, with each individual can costing about $2.33.
Current BLUE True Solutions wet options are:
Nutro Started Small But Went Big
The company started in 1926, when a man named John Saleen bought a dog food manufacturing company to make healthy kibble for the residents of southern California. The company was family-owned and -operated for 50 years.
In 1976, The Nutro Company was bought by Mars, Incorporated, the owner of the Pedigree brand of dog foods (and the largest pet care company in the world).
While no longer a mom-and-pop outfit, the company’s mission was kept the same: to manufacture healthy food for pets.
Blue Buffalo vs Nutro Companies Comparison
The Nutro Company, Inc, a subsidiary of Mars Incorporated, is a developer and manufacturer of dog and cat food. The company is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, USA. Nutro dog food is made from high-quality ingredients and does not contain animal by-products. Nutro offers premium quality products with a high protein content, characterized by excellent taste and composition. Nutro products will provide your dog with all the vital nutrients to support its health and well-being.
Nutro develops several different dietary recipes, including canned soft foods and dry kibble in bags. They have the Nutro Max, Natural Choice, and Ultra lines for dogs. Each line has a set of flavors and recipes for every age range. The Ultra line specially creates high-quality holistic dog food. Nutro dry food is produced through an extrusion process and packaged with vitamin E as a natural preservative. In 2006, it was announced that Nutro’s Adult Lamb and Rice formula had become the # 1 mutton and rice dog food in America.
Blue Buffalo also offers various lines of dog food, which include formulas depending on age and size. Feeds are available for puppies, adult, and elderly pets in large, medium, and small breeds. They contain high-quality ingredients to support all the basic functions of the body.
Blue Buffalo feeds are rich in antioxidants, and there are recipes with a limited number of ingredients for dogs with food allergies or sensitivities. The Wilderness feed line is the most popular. The company produces feed in a way that preserves the usefulness of all the ingredients. High-quality protein, as well as fruits and vegetables are among the main ingredients. Each brand has a fairly wide range of recipes.
| Product | Blue Buffalo | Nutro |
| Dry dog food | 85 recipes | 65 recipes |
| Wet dog food | 101 recipes | 52 recipes |
| Treats for dogs | 51 recipes | 28 recipes |
Nutro was founded in 1933 as a local company that produced its own food for its foxes. Nutro began aggressive marketing in the mid-80s, producing food for dogs and cats. The company was bought out by Mars in 2007, and is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee.
Nutro develops many different types of animal feed. They pay special attention to dogs. Their factories produce soft and hard foods. They have several different feed lines for animals with different nutritional needs. Nutro has grown in popularity over the past decade. The brand is often compared to Blue Buffalo, Science Diet, and other major brands.
The company was founded in 2003 by Bill and Jackie Bishop after their terrier, Blue, died of cancer. Blue Buffalo was created in the study of the connection of nutrition with certain types of cancer. Blue Buffalo is committed to providing high-quality, antioxidant-rich food that will keep your pets happy and healthy.
The food created by the Bishops was of such high quality that it quickly gained popularity with other dog owners. In less than twenty years, the brand has gone from founding to becoming a leading brand of natural pet food. In the production of feed, natural ingredients are used, such as real meat. The founders believe that a healthy, balanced diet is the key to solving and alleviating serious health problems in pets. The company uses high-quality ingredients without animal by-products and cheap fillers.
When choosing a feed, you should always pay attention to the composition. The first ingredient listed is very important as it is what is the most abundant in the feed. High-quality dog foods will have whole meat as their first and main ingredient. They should also contain at least 25-3-% real meat. The leaders of the best dog foods will always be those feeds where the % of meat components is more than 50% (in the first place or in total).
The quality of the meat plays a significant role. Beef is quite rare, usually, chicken is used. In addition, the source of protein can be lamb, duck, turkey, venison, salmon, trout, herring, and other oceanic fish species. Meat flour can also be a good source of protein. This component can also be listed as dehydrated meat. Fish oil and animal fat (usually chicken) are always a plus for feed. Egg powder or egg is also a source of digestible protein and trace elements.
The source of carbohydrates is cereals: oat flakes, barley, millet, and rice (preferably brown). Corn is a controversial component, but it is quite acceptable if the dog is not allergic to it. However, corn should not be listed as one of the first three to five ingredients. Corn can be listed in different forms such as: corn, corn gluten, corn gluten, corn flour, and so on.
Fruits and vegetables are usually included in the feed of the holistic class. Recently, inexpensive meal, potatoes and peas, have become increasingly common in the composition. Their presence in dry food is controversial for many veterinarians. The following ingredients are useful for dogs: apples, carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, tomatoes, wild berries, flaxseed, alfalfa, yucca extract, rosemary, thyme, chicory root, and others. Beet pulp is source of fiber that is necessary for the digestive tract, but the percentage in the composition should not exceed 4 %. Some feeds contain peas which can cause excessive gas in some dogs.
Dog food should also contain a wide range of vitamins, including A, B12, C, + trace elements and minerals. Vitamins E and C as safe preservatives. Supplements for cartilage and joints, such as glucosamine and chondroitin, may also be beneficial.
Avoid buying feeds where the composition is written in very vague terms, such as: vitamins, antioxidants, animal fat, processed vegetable products, aromatic feed additives, oils, cereals, and so on. The composition should be detailed and preferably with percentages.
Substances such as butyloxinazole, butylohydroxytoluene, and ethoxychine are used as preservatives. These products are very controversial because they are may be carcinogenic. Colorants, preservatives, and flavorings should never be included in dog food. For the same reason, avoid feeds with colored kibble. The coloring is unnecessary and is added for human’s appeal with no effect on the dog. Good dog food is always a uniform brown color.
Nutro makes dog food from a variety of different ingredients. They also produce many different flavors depending on the product line. Meat is the main ingredient of all Nutro dog food, which is very important. They don’t use artificial by-products. The Wholesome Essentials product line is non-GMO. The company classifies its products as natural dog food. The producer has a relationship with local farmers, from whom he buys the meat ingredients.
Nutro does not add meat offal, artificial flavors, or colorants to its feed. Also, there are no artificial preservatives, corn, wheat, or soy protein. In each formula, the manufacturer adds glucosamine and chondroitin to maintain the health of the joints of dogs. Most formulas have added vitamins and minerals to support the immune system. Cereal recipes contain brown rice, which is a low-GI carbohydrate that helps your dog stay muscular and lean. [ancorToID]2[/ancorToID]
Blue Buffalo makes its feed without the addition of preservatives, offal, fillers, or artificial flavors. The manufacturer reports that their food does not contain wheat, soy, or corn. The main source of protein in Blue Buffalo products is chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, salmon, duck, trout, and oatmeal. Most recipes contain a variety of vegetables, fruits, enzymes, probiotics, and dried tomato cakes.
Each of these formulas is enriched with vitamins. They also include recognizable fats, such as chicken fat. It is an excellent source of fatty acids. Unlike other companies, Blue Buffalo does not use ambiguous language when describing the ingredients in its products. Their labels contain comprehensive descriptions, such as real turkey and chicken meat as a source of protein.
As a result of the analysis, it can be argued that the Blue Buffalo and Nutro recipes have a good composition that meets all the needs of dogs. However, the manufacturer Blue Buffalo uses less controversial ingredients. [ancorToID]3[/ancorToID]
Companies can recall their products for certain reasons related to the safety of pets. Here we will tell you about all the cases of recalls of Nutro and Blue Buffalo products.
Nutro has a small number of dog food recalls. Here is a brief history of their recall:
Blue Buffalo has recalled its products 9 times. Using the website of the FDA and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), we found out the reasons and compiled a timeline:
Here we will present average price data that will help determine whether there is a significant difference between the two brands.
| Nutro | Dry Dog Food | Wet Dog Food |
| Per Pound | $2.20 | $5.34 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0014 | $0.0125 |
| Blue Buffalo | Dry Dog Food | Wet Dog Food |
| Per Pound | $2.75 | $4.30 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0017 | $0.0086 |
The table shows that dry food from the manufacturer Nutro has a lower price than dry food Blue Buffalo. However, the price of wet Nutro feed is on the contrary higher than from Blue Buffalo.
FAQ
What dog food is better than Blue Buffalo?
However, it’s such high-quality food at such a low price that we think it’s a better deal than Blue Buffalo, and we’d recommend purchasing it over the premium brand. Also, there have been a few safety issues with Blue Buffalo that concern us.
Is Nutro owned by Purina?
The Dog Food Advisor finds Nutro to be a quality, grain-inclusive kibble. Each Natural Choice recipe uses a blend of fresh meat and meat meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand 4 stars. Ultra dry recipes earn 4.5 stars.
Is Blue Buffalo Company good dog food?