Taste of the Wild (TotW) versus Blue Buffalo. Which will prove to be the better dry dog food?
In our family of canines, we have various dietary needs and picky eaters.
Researching and comparing the different diets is the only way for us to figure out the most suitable fit for our family.
Deciding on the best dog food can be a difficult task.
Nutrition is an integral part of our dog’s health, we always want to make sure we are picking the right food, and with the vast selection of food available, it can be quite a daunting task.
What to Consider When Choosing the Right Dog Food
- Age (Senior dogs need different food from puppies)
- Size
- Weight
- Energy level
- Health – Heart or kidney disease, GI issues such as chronic pancreatitis or irritable bowel disease, allergies, and so on
Many components have to come together in a single dry dog food to satisfy your dog’s many needs.
Also, the endless variables of grain-free, chicken-free, soy-free, etc. sometimes seems to complicate the decision even more.
All of these factors is why deciding on the right dog food is challenging.
Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild is one of the most well-known high-protein dog foods, but is it the best?
If you’re curious as to how it stacks up against other dog food brands, we’ve also compared it with Fromm and Orijen.
Related: Taste of the Wild Dog Food Alternatives
Taste of the Wild Company History
TotW is one of eleven brands owned by the Diamond Pet Company.
Diamond Pet started in 1970 by a couple of brothers-in-law and has since become one of the most rapidly expanding pet food companies worldwide. TotW has been a family run business from the very start.
TotW produces food in the United States, in 5 different manufacturing locations coast to coast. However, TotW purchases a few of the ingredients from overseas.
A nice thing about TotW is that they only use ingredients that are sustainable and humanely raised.
The concept of their food is that TotW manufactures “…a high-quality, yet affordable pet food option.”
The formulas for their dog food were created based on a dog’s ancestral dietary requirements.
Taste of the Wild Varieties
Taste of the Wild has nine unique dog food varieties, including specific blends for small breeds and puppies.
Taste of the Wild’s 3 Best Sellers
Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo Company History
An Airedale named Blue was the inspiration behind Blue Buffalo.
Bill Bishop founded the company in 2003.
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Blue Buffalo started as a small family run business but in 2018, that all changed when General Mills purchased the company.
Blue Buffalo Varieties
Blue Buffalo has five different dry dog food lines:
Blue Life Protection
The Life Protection line includes 23 varieties with unique formulas for puppies, adults, seniors, breed size, and weight management. The Blue Life Protection lines are “formulated for the health and well-being” of dogs.
Freedom Grain-Free
This grain-free line consists of 12 food choices ranging from puppies to seniors and a couple specific to breed sizes.
Basics Limited
This line has 13 recipes. These foods are limited ingredient formulas for dogs with food sensitivities.
They have specific blends for weight management, puppies, adults, and seniors.
Plus, they have foods based on breed size as well.
Blue Wilderness
Like the other lines, this one has unique formulas for age and size.
This line was “Inspired by the diet of wolves, true omnivores whose endurance is legendary.”
This is a grain-free, high-protein option, one of the dog feeds best for German Shepherds.
Blue Natural Veterinary Diet
Normally only vet clinics are allowed to sell this line of dog food, though you can buy it online if you have a prescription..
Blue Buffalo 3 Best Sellers of Dry Dog Food:
- Life Protection Formula Natural Adult
- Life Protection Formula Natural Adult Small Breed
- Wilderness with Chicken
Recalls and Lawsuits
Like many products relating to health and safety, dog food is subject to recalls to make sure bad food isn’t eaten by your pet.
Taste of the Wild Recalls
While Diamond Pet Food has had several recalls, Taste of the Wild only has had one, which occurred in May of 2012.
The recall was due to salmonella contamination in their South Carolina facility. It was only the dry food formulas involved in this recall.
The varieties of TotW involved were not listed, but all dry dog food with production codes containing a 2 or 3 in the 9th position and an X in the next character position were recalled.
The preventative measures taken by TotW have been successful in avoiding any further dog food recalls.
It is worth noting that there are two ongoing lawsuits filed against Diamond Pet Food that impact Taste of the Wild.
The first lawsuit was filed in August of 2018 and stated specific varieties of food are contaminated. The three foods involved are:
- Taste of the Wild Grain-Free High Prairie Canine Formula Roasted Bison and Roasted Venison Dry Dog Food
- Taste of the Wild Grain-Free Pacific Stream Canine Formula Smoked Salmon Dry Dog Food
- Taste of the Wild Prairie Puppy Formula Grain-Free.
The lawsuit is asserting that the foods are contaminated with pesticides, heavy metal (arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium), acrylamide, and BPA.
The other lawsuit submitted was in February of 2019. The lawsuit is for identical claims of contamination to the suit filed in 2018.
The five formulas included in this lawsuit are:
- Taste of the Wild Grain-Free High Prairie Canine Formula Roasted Bison and Roasted Venison Dry Dog Food
- Taste of the Wild Grain Free Pacific Stream Canine Formula Smoked Salmon Dry Dog Food
- Taste of the Wild Prairie Puppy Formula Grain-Free
- Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon with Beef in Gravy
- Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon with Wild Boar
Blue Buffalo Recalls
Blue Buffalo has had seven recalls related to dog products:
March 2017
Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe TM Red Meat Dinner Wet Food For Adult Dogs was recalled due to high levels of beef thyroid hormones.
February 2017
Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight, Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables, 12.5 ounce can, was recalled due to possible aluminum contamination.
February 2017
The following varieties packaged in the 3.5 oz cup were impacted due to packaging issues with the foil cover:
- BLUE Divine Delights Filet Mignon Flavor in Gravy
- BLUE Divine Delights New York Strip Flavor in Gravy
- BLUE Divine Delights Prime Rib Flavor in Gravy
- BLUE Divine Delights Rotisserie Chicken Flavor in Gravy
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Filet Mignon Flavor
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Porterhouse Flavor
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Grilled Chicken Flavor
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Top Sirloin Flavor
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Angus Beef Flavor
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Roasted Turkey Flavor
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate with Bacon, Egg, and Cheese
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Sausage, Egg and Cheese Flavor
- BLUE Divine Delights Pate Steak and Egg Flavor
- BLUE Wilderness Trail Trays Duck Grill
- BLUE Wilderness Trail Trays Beef Grill
- BLUE Wilderness Trail Trays Chicken Grill
- BLUE Wilderness Trail Trays Turkey Grill
May 2016
30lb Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Fish & Sweet Potato Recipe for Dogs was recalled due to high moisture content.
November 2015
Cub Size Wilderness Wild Chews Bones was recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.
October 2010
Due to possible Excess Vitamin D, the following were recalled:
- 4.5#, 11#, 24# Blue Wilderness Chicken Flavor dry dog food
- 11#, 24# Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Formula Salmon and Potato Recipe dry dog food
- 30# Blue Life Protection Formula Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Large Breed Adult dog food
April 2007
All canned dog foods and dog treats manufactured at American Nutrition, Inc., which included food manufactured for Blue Buffalo, were recalled due to ingredient tampering.
Added melamine was found in the unauthorized use of rice protein in the food and treats.
What’s Important When Choosing a Dog Food?
As I mentioned earlier, your dog’s health issues and preferences are significant factors in deciding on the best food for your canine, but other things also need to be considered as well, such as:
- Price
- Availability
- Ingredients
- Dog food company’s reputation
- Where the ingredients are sourced
- Where the food is manufactured
Comparison of Taste of the Wild vs. Blue Buffalo
Ingredients
Winner: Blue Buffalo
The two companies have similar ingredients, such as blueberries, chicken, and probiotics, but Blue Buffalo has more vegetables and superfoods.
Also, it is lower in fat and higher in fiber, omega-6, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Another reason why Blue Buffalo won for ingredients was because of they have foods with and without grains, so you can choose the food that works best for your dog’s dietary needs.
Taste of the Wild
TotW is entirely grain-free.
In place of grains, they have a mix of lentils and potatoes (including sweet potatoes).
They also use potato and pea flour to replace more traditional flours.
The first couple of ingredients in each of the top sellers is high-quality proteins.
As for the rest of the ingredients, there are a variety of fruits and vegetables, but being that the food is protein focused, it is a bit on the lighter side.
Blue Buffalo
The example ingredients are from the Wilderness line of dry dog food, which is Blue Buffalo’s most similar line to Taste of the Wild.
Blue Buffalo offers a wide variety of proteins, grains, vegetables, and fruits.
But, most of all, between their different dog food lines you can meet almost any dog’s needs.
Price/Value
Winner: Taste of the Wild
When comparing Blue Buffalo’s high protein line, Blue Wilderness, TotW was less expensive.
Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness line averages over $2 per pound whereas TotW averages under $2 per pound.
As usual, TotW won when it comes to pricing, and it is hard to beat the price and value you receive when buying TotW.
Availability
Winner: Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild only won by a hair.
Blue Buffalo can be found in almost all large pet stores, some boutique stores (but only select lines), some large hardware stores and grocery store chains.
TotW can be found in most of those locations plus doggy daycares and even high-end grocery stores.
Their online availability is pretty much the same.
Taste
Winner: Taste of the Wild
This was pretty easy; my dogs didn’t care for the LifeSource bits.
Blue LifeSource Bits are a precise blend of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, but that’s only good if the dogs will eat them.
The X Factor
Winner: Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo won by a landslide! Blue Buffalo is involved in 4 community programs.
- Pet Cancer Awareness
- Sierra Delta Service Dogs for Heroes
- Canine Cancer Genome Project
- Shelter Stars/Home 4 the Holidays
Overall
Winner: Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo can be found in most places. Though price-wise the protein-focused brand came in higher than ToTW, other dog food lines are less expensive per pound than ToTW.
The number one reason they came out the winner is because of the wide selection of food options. They have food for so many different needs:
- Puppies
- Adults
- Seniors
- Weight management
- High protein
- Prescription foods
- Limited ingredient foods for allergic dogs
- Large and small breed varieties
Conclusion
Both TotW and Blue Buffalo are excellent dog food brands, so you really can’t go wrong with either food.
If you’re still on the fence about the food, don’t forget to consider things like availability, company reputation, and ingredient sourcing.
