Common Sense Dog · Food database · Blue Buffalo

18Low Quality
Blue Buffalo

BLUE Wilderness™ Salmon with Wholesome Grains Recipe

Kibble

Why this score

Base score+60
High synthetic vitamin/mineral load (1 added) — over-fortified formula-6
Legumes in top 3 ingredients (1) — DCM link-15
Est. ~40% carbohydrate — a carb is the #1 ingredient-16
🔴 Poor omega ratio (est. ~10:1 — kibble fats offset fish oil)-10
Whole food fruits & vegetables (1)+2
Anti-inflammatory ingredients (1) — turmeric, fish oil, kelp, etc.+3

Ingredients to watch (1)

Salmon Chicken Meal Dried Chicken Oatmeal Barley Pea Protein Peas Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) Natural Flavor Dried Tomato Pomace Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids) Dried Yeast Potatoes Dried Egg Product Fish Oil (source of ARA-Arachidonic Acid and DHA-Docosahexaenoic Acid) Brown Rice Salt Calcium Carbonate Direct Dehydrated Alfalfa Pellets Dicalcium Phosphate DL-Methionine L-Threonine Potassium Citrate Dried Chicory Root Choline Chloride Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate Vitamin E Supplement preserved with Mixed Tocopherols Dried Sweet Potatoes Carrots Zinc Amino Acid Chelate Zinc Sulfate Vegetable Juice for color Ferrous Sulfate Taurine Iron Amino Acid Chelate Blueberries Cranberries Barley Grass Parsley Turmeric Dried Kelp Yucca Schidigera Extract Copper Sulfate Niacin (Vitamin B3) Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5) L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C) L-Lysine Biotin (Vitamin B7) Vitamin A Supplement Copper Amino Acid Chelate Manganese Sulfate Manganese Amino Acid Chelate Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1) Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Vitamin D3 Supplement Vitamin B12 Supplement Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) Calcium Iodate Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product Dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) Sodium Selenite Oil of Rosemary mild

⚠️ Read this one carefully, because it is flagged for the OPPOSITE reason to every other mineral here. As a form, sulfate is the acceptable middle — chelates absorb best, sulfates adequately, oxides barely at all. Copper sulfate is not a poor form. The concern is TOTAL COPPER LOAD: copper accumulates in the liver, dogs have no good way to dump the excess, and AAFCO deleted the copper maximum in 2007 and still has none. So 'meets AAFCO' tells you nothing about the ceiling. Matters most in copper-predisposed breeds — Bedlington Terrier, West Highland White, Doberman, Labrador, Dalmatian — where the target is under ~1.2mg per 1,000 kcal. Liver enzymes are NOT sensitive early, so normal bloodwork does not rule it out. Demoted from severe to mild on 2026-08-23: the form itself is fine, and scoring it as severe punished a mid-tier food for using an adequate mineral.

What it does well

🥦 Salmon Chicken Meal Dried Chicken Oatmeal Barley Pea Protein Peas Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) Natural Flavor Dried Tomato Pomace Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids) Dried Yeast Potatoes Dried Egg Product Fish Oil (source of ARA-Arachidonic Acid and DHA-Docosahexaenoic Acid) Brown Rice Salt Calcium Carbonate Direct Dehydrated Alfalfa Pellets Dicalcium Phosphate DL-Methionine L-Threonine Potassium Citrate Dried Chicory Root Choline Chloride Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate Vitamin E Supplement preserved with Mixed Tocopherols Dried Sweet Potatoes Carrots Zinc Amino Acid Chelate Zinc Sulfate Vegetable Juice for color Ferrous Sulfate Taurine Iron Amino Acid Chelate Blueberries Cranberries Barley Grass Parsley Turmeric Dried Kelp Yucca Schidigera Extract Copper Sulfate Niacin (Vitamin B3) Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5) L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C) L-Lysine Biotin (Vitamin B7) Vitamin A Supplement Copper Amino Acid Chelate Manganese Sulfate Manganese Amino Acid Chelate Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1) Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Vitamin D3 Supplement Vitamin B12 Supplement Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) Calcium Iodate Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product Dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) Sodium Selenite Oil of Rosemary

Full ingredient list

1. Salmon Chicken Meal Dried Chicken Oatmeal Barley Pea Protein Peas Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) Natural Flavor Dried Tomato Pomace Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids) Dried Yeast Potatoes Dried Egg Product Fish Oil (source of ARA-Arachidonic Acid and DHA-Docosahexaenoic Acid) Brown Rice Salt Calcium Carbonate Direct Dehydrated Alfalfa Pellets Dicalcium Phosphate DL-Methionine L-Threonine Potassium Citrate Dried Chicory Root Choline Chloride Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate Vitamin E Supplement preserved with Mixed Tocopherols Dried Sweet Potatoes Carrots Zinc Amino Acid Chelate Zinc Sulfate Vegetable Juice for color Ferrous Sulfate Taurine Iron Amino Acid Chelate Blueberries Cranberries Barley Grass Parsley Turmeric Dried Kelp Yucca Schidigera Extract Copper Sulfate Niacin (Vitamin B3) Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5) L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C) L-Lysine Biotin (Vitamin B7) Vitamin A Supplement Copper Amino Acid Chelate Manganese Sulfate Manganese Amino Acid Chelate Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1) Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Vitamin D3 Supplement Vitamin B12 Supplement Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) Calcium Iodate Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product Dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) Sodium Selenite Oil of Rosemary

More from Blue Buffalo

For informational and educational purposes only. This score reflects general and holistic pet-nutrition research applied to the published ingredient list. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition, is not veterinary advice, and creates no veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Ingredient lists change without notice — always check the bag. Always consult a licensed veterinarian before changing your dog's diet.