When you’ve had your dog ever since it was a puppy, it’s only expected that you’re going to want to do anything in your power to make sure they stay healthy as they get older. In an effort to keep your best friend happy, healthy, and well nourished, you’re going to want to find the best dog food that is designed specifically for older dogs.
On your search for the right food, you’ve probably heard many people recommend Blue Buffalo BLUE Senior Dog Chicken & Brown Rice. However, you may have some reservations simply because there are so many products on the market.
In this review, we are going to talk a little more about the ingredients found in the dog food, but we are also going to give you an overview of what people who have purchased the pet food had to say about how their dog’s reacted when they were given the food.
Then, we’re going to give you our recommendation on whether or not this dog food is something you should consider purchasing for your own four-legged best friend!
About The Product
It’s always nice to support a product that had noble beginnings, such is the case with Blue Buffalo. The Company was founded by the Bishop family who had a large breed Airedale dog named Blue. The dog was very much a member of the family and he was dearly loved. The Bishops wanted to create a dog food that was on par with the type of food you’d feed a family member.
Blue Buffalo’s dry food contains LifeSource Bits, which is a precise blend of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that have been selected by the company’s animal nutritionists and veterinarians. These LifeSource bits are intended to provide your senior dog with the nutrients they need to stay healthy and active, even in their later stages of life.
The main ingredients in this food include:
- Chicken – A quality product, though 80% of the water will be cooked out, thus greatly reducing the weight of the actual chicken product in the meat.
- Chicken Meal – This is a meat concentrate that contains almost 300% more protein than fresh chicken. A meat concentrate is the end product of rendering and there is no liquid left in the meat.
- Brown Rice – A complex carb that when it has been cooked, it is easy to digest. Although it is a good source of energy for your dog, it holds little nutritional value.
- Barley – This is a starchy carb that is going to give your dog fiber and other healthy nutrients. With that said, much like the brown rice, it holds little real nutritional value.
- Oatmeal – A whole grain product that is rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber, and it is also gluten free, which is something you may be looking for if your dog has a gluten intolerance.
What Customers Say
When we looked at the user reviews, we saw that 85% had great things to say about the ride on and left 4 or 5-star reviews. Of these reviews, people commented on how much their picky eater pups love the food. One customer even said that when they gradually introduced the food to their pet, they would pick out the Blue Buffalo food and “scarf it down,” leaving the other food in the dish.
Customers like that the kibble is smaller, which is easier for even small dogs to eat without any issues. One customer said that they preferred to give their dogs a few bits of the dog food as a treat, instead of an actual treat. The dog’s enjoy the “treat” and it doesn’t cost anything more.
Customers mention that they had dogs who suffered from digestion problems; however, when they fed them this food, those problems seemed to have gone away.
So what did the remaining 15% of customers who left 3-star or below reviews have to say? The most common complaint customers had was the fact that Blue Buffalo settled a class action suit for falsely advertising their ingredients.
Taken directly from the lawsuit: “Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd. (“Blue Buffalo”) pet foods (the “Products”) labeling was false and deceptive and that it falsely claimed that the Products do not include chicken/poultry by-product meals, corn, wheat or soy, or artificial preservatives.” Although the company settled, they still insist they did nothing wrong and they stand behind their labeling.
Another complaint of the food was that the price for the dog food seems to change wildly from one purchase to another, which if you’re buying it online, can be very confusing and annoying. Several customers said the dog food made their pet ill—sometimes vomiting almost immediately after eating the food.
Our Rating
Our Recommendation
When a member of our family gets older, we look for ways to help them stay healthy. We cook healthy foods, make sure they take their vitamins, and we may even go on short walks with them. The same can be said for out dog’s. They are very much a member of the family as Grandma or Grandpa are.
We’ll start looking at senior dog foods like Blue Buffalo BLUE Senior Dog Chicken & Brown to help keep our dog’s well-fed and healthy.
Now, as far as this dog food goes, a 30 pound bag of this brand is going to cost under $50 (under $55 when it’s not on sale). Is this a reasonable price? We feel there are more affordable brands available on the market that offer more nutritional benefits to your dog.
Combine that with the shady fact that they have settled a class action suit out of course over making false claims on their labeling, we don’t think that this is a good dog food to purchase.
While we like the family-oriented reason for the company’s formation and the idea of supplying your dog with nutritious food, we are concerned by the false labeling and the few instances where customers said the food made their dog’s sick. If their labels aren’t correct, how do we know we are giving our dog’s nutritious food? We don’t, and that scares us.
