Head to Head: Orijen vs Blue Buffalo Dog Food Review
Orijen and Blue Buffalo are two of the top dog foods on the market. But which one is better for your dog? The answer depends on any special needs your dog may have and numerous other factors – but we’re here to break down the details so you can make the right choice.
Table of Contents
The Top 5 Dog Foods from Orijen
First let’s take a look at the five best sellers from Orijen:
- 6-Fish Formula
- Regional Red Recipe
- Large Breed Puppy Recipe
- Freeze-Dried Lamb
- Puppy Formula
What to Expect From Orijen
There’s really no way around it: Orijen is one of the top dog food brands currently sold. The company is based in Canada and claims to offer the highest nutrition possible and all-natural ingredients. Their foods have a higher concentration of meat compared to grain or filler.
They also offer some truly unique mixes. For example, the Six Fish Fresh Dry Dog Food which is 70% freshly-caught fish including:
- Canadian salmon
- Herring
- Walleye
- Lake trout
- Freshwater cod
- Northern lake whitefish
Are There Ingredients as High Quality as They Claim?
One of the main reasons people turn to Orijen is because they claim to use all-natural ingredients and use a very high concentration of both meats and natural veggies like green peas, lentils, and chick peas. They claim to avoid grain and chicken meal.
Are their claims true? In short, yes: they are. When you look at the ingredients in Orijen’s dry dog food you can’t help but be impressed by not just the main ingredients but some of the minor ingredients like dried alfalfa and selenium yeast – which has been shown to prevent cancer.
The Main Issue With Orijen Food
There is really only one issue with this food: it’s expensive. While it’s true that it’s the absolute luxury of dog foods, and some blends are much more affordable than others, the fact is that the high prices put it out of the budget of many dog owners.
That said, if you can afford it, you won’t find a better, more nutritious product for your pooch. You have tons of options to choose from, which means you can find exactly the right mix for your dog, no matter what health issues or restrictions they may have.
The Top 5 Dog Foods From Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo is another top contender and offers a wide range of dog foods with all-natural ingredients. While not universally considered the best food out there, it’s often ranked as one of the best dog foods for the money. Now let’s peek at the five best sellers for Blue Buffalo:
- Wilderness
- Life Protection Adult Recipe
- Premium Puppy Recipe
- Life Protection Senior Formula
- Freedom Grain Free Recipe
Blue Buffalo is a Main Contender
It may be true that Orijen is the cream of the crop in the all-natural dog food arena but Blue Buffalo is also a top contender. Like Orijen, there are many types of Blue Buffalo Dog Food and their top priority is good nutrition.
With this food you get a higher concentration of meet versus grain or filler and the levels of protein and fat are high – which is exactly what dogs need. Most dog foods will have some grain or filler – and this one certainly does – but the key is finding the right levels of protein and fat to begin with.
As with any dog food, the first place to look when you’re searching for quality is the ingredients list. For this example we’re looking at Blue Buffalo’s Blue Wilderness Chicken Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food. At first glance it seems concerning: it’s an awfully long ingredients list.
However, a closer look paints a clearer picture. Clearly, Blue Buffalo’s priorities are in the right place, as evidenced by the all-natural deboned chicken and the fact that even non-meat ingredients are good quality: peas are a great source of carbs and fiber and tapioca starch is the best filler on the market.
Blue Buffalo is Not a Perfect Dog Food
Though there’s lots to recommend about Blue Buffalo, it’s also not perfect. Some ingredients are a bit controversial, including tomato pomace, which doesn’t offer much nutrition at all and is just a cheap filler. It’s made from tomato bits leftover after turning tomatoes into paste – basically it’s pulp.
Caramel is also used to color Blue Buffalo dog food. This isn’t particularly offensive on its own – it’s just an added ingredient that does nothing but change the look of the food. Many owners are fine with add caramel for coloring purposes and others want a truly natural product and would find this a deterrent.
The Bottom Line: Blue Buffalo is a Decent Choice
Blue Buffalo isn’t perfect but for most pet owners it’s one of the best all-natural foods on the market and can be highly recommended. Those looking for a balance between cost and quality may find this an excellent compromise.
Conclusion: Orijen vs Blue Buffalo Dog Food
If you’re comparing Orijen to Blue Buffalo there are quite a few things to consider. It’s true that Blue Buffalo doesn’t use as many exotic ingredients and the ingredients they do use are not necessarily highly-sourced.
However, the nutritional value is very similar to Orijen – and is much better than the average dry dog food. In fact, for its price point, Blue Buffalo’s fillers are actually relative healthy. Tapioca starch is one of the best choices they can make and tomato pomace is a throwaway at worst.
Of course, the main benefit of Blue Buffalo over Orijen is price. It’s considerably more affordable than Orijen. It can be a top choice for pet owners looking for high quality, top of the line pet food without breaking the bank.
On the other hand, a pet owner who insists on nothing but the best – no matter the price – will likely turn straight to one of Orijen’s many dog foods and never look back.