Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy: Read This Before Buying

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy dog food is a highly rated option for small- and medium-breed puppies. It features a high protein content to help your puppy grow and high levels of DHA and ARA.

Below, we’ll review the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy dog food. You’ll find a complete explanation of the high-quality ingredients used and all the nutrients your puppy may benefit from. We’ll also look at the safety aspect of this food, including Blue Buffalo recalls.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Dog Food Benefits and Features

• High in protein
• It contains both DHA and ARA for healthy brain development
• Packed with antioxidants to prevent a range of health conditions
• Grain-free
• No corn, soy, wheat, or meat by-products

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Dog Food: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Affordable
• High in protein
• Chicken as the first ingredient
• No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives

Cons:

• Pea protein and peas both included
• Grain-free
• Not for large-breed puppies

Where is Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Made?

All Blue Buffalo foods are made in the United States. However, the company does not own its manufacturing factories. Therefore, they likely have them made at third-party facilities.

Furthermore, while its food is made here, the company sources its ingredients worldwide.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Ingredients

The first two ingredients of this puppy food are deboned chicken and chicken meal. These are pretty high-quality ingredients that provide lean protein for our puppies. Plus, meat also contains all the amino acids your puppy needs to grow and thrive.

However, the following two ingredients are peas and pea protein. Sadly, these ingredients are associated with DCM, a severe heart condition in dogs. Plus, listing both peas and pea protein as ingredients is a practice known as ingredient splitting, which makes less desirable products appear further down on the ingredient list by splitting them up.

Therefore, if you combine the peas and pea protein, they likely outweigh the chicken. They could very well be the actual first ingredient. (Pea starch is also included later in the ingredient list.)

Fish meal is added as a natural source of fatty acids, vital for coat and skin health. Plus, many fatty acids also help grow our puppy’s brains. Fish oil is also included further down on the list to add even more fatty acids.

There are several other beneficial ingredients, as well. For instance, dried egg products are included on the ingredient list. Eggs are high in various nutrients, making them excellent for nearly any dog food.

Which Types of Dog is Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Best Suited For?

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy is best for small to medium breeds. Your puppy should continue eating a formula like this until they stop growing, though this will differ from breed to breed. Small dogs stop growing before larger dogs, generally.

This formula is not for large-breed puppies, as they need specific nutrition. However, there are Blue Buffalo puppy recipes for large breed dogs. Choose one of those, instead.

While this food technically works for small-breed puppies, the kibble size may be too big for tiny puppies.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Recalls

This particular formula has never been recalled. However, Blue Buffalo has undergone many different recalls across their recipes. Usually, these recalls are relatively small and do not involve many dogs.

Most recently, Blue Buffalo recalled several Wilderness canned foods for excessive levels of beef thyroid. This problem was linked to the supplier, as other dog food companies also released recalls.

Just before that, the company also recalled several Homestyle foods for potential aluminum contamination.

A year before that, in May 2016, moisture problems caused mold growth in some foods containing sweet potatoes.

In November 2015, there were two recalls. One was for many dog chews that were potentially contaminated with salmonella. The other was for the Blue Buffalo cat treats, which contained propylene glycol.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy: Where to Buy

There are many places where you can purchase Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy. Here are some of the most common options:

Our Top Choice

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken

• Contains real chicken
• Added fatty acids DHA and ARA for better growth
• Contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
• No corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, or preservatives

Check Chewy Check Amazon

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Specs

Price

Blue Buffalo is often considered a premium brand. While that is true, they are far from the most expensive brand. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy may be more expensive than your average department store dog food. However, it is a fraction of the price of other premium options.

Therefore, this food is a high-value option for those on a budget who still want to feed their puppy premium food.

Features

This formula contains several features that make it a good option for more puppies. It is relatively high-protein, though many quality puppy foods fit into this category. Puppies need more protein since they are growing. It is also wholly grain-free and contains no corn, wheat, or soy.

Therefore, this food features quality ingredients and doesn’t include additives.

Calories

This food is relatively high in calories, even as puppy food. Therefore, you will need to watch your dog’s weight to ensure that they do not become overweight or obese. However, the higher calories are perfect for high-energy puppies.

Plus, you’re getting more bang for your buck because it includes more calories.

Breed Size

This puppy food is not designed to handle all breeds. It is most suited to small- to medium-sized breeds. More giant puppies will need to get their nutrition from elsewhere. These fast-growing dogs need different nutrition than your average puppy.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy vs. Merrick Backcountry Puppy Recipe

Merrick is another premium brand, just like Blue Buffalo. However, their puppy formula is more expensive than Blue Buffalo’s. Therefore, Blue Buffalo remains the budget option for those that need to watch pricing.

However, Merrick Backcountry Puppy Recipe does have slightly better ingredients. Peas are not included as much as in the Blue Buffalo formula, and pieces of raw, freeze-dried meat are added to the food.

Bottom Line

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy recipe is a grain-free formula designed for small to medium-breed puppies. It contains high levels of meat and protein, which is what puppies need to thrive. This food is suitable for a wide range of puppies, as it includes all the nutrients most growing dogs need.