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Dog Food Insiders Rating
4 PAWS
You can find detailed information about theBlue Buffalo company which manufactures Blue Buffalo dog foods in our main Blue Buffalo Dog Food review. There you will also find information about how the food is made, recalls, and their quality control. These mini reviews are designed to cover other foods produced by the same company using the same philosophy. Mini reviews provide some information about the main ingredients and any ingredients that stand out, the guaranteed analysis, and any special concerns about each food.
Ingredients in Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Lamb Dinner with Garden Vegetables
Lamb, Lamb Broth, Lamb Liver, Carrots, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Lamb Meal, Guar Gum, Cassia Gum, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Blueberries, Cranberries, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide, Choline Chloride.
Top 5 Ingredients Breakdown
Blue Homestyle Recipe Lamb Dinner with Garden Vegetables does, indeed, contain lots of lamb. The first three ingredients are lamb,lamb broth, and lamb liver. Farther down the ingredient list the food also contains lamb meal. So if your dog likes lamb, he’ll be getting plenty of it in this canned food. Lamb is an excellent protein and at one time it was a novel protein though it has become a dog food staple in recent years and some dogs are allergic to it. As long as your dog isn’t allergic to it, these lamb sources look very good. It’s a good source of Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Selenium. It’s also a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Since this is a “garden vegetable” dinner it also features a number of veggies and carrots are prominent. Many dogs like carrots (my dogs love them as treats). Carrots are a good source of dietary fiber and a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6 and Manganese. They do contain sugars but these naturally-occurring sugars are okay for dogs, even if your dog has Cushing’s or diabetes. They won’t affect your dog’s insulin levels the way that sugar additives do.
Additional Ingredients of Interest
The food also contains sweet potatoes which are nearly universally hailed as a super food. They are a carbohydrate that’s a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Manganese. They have a wide variety of other vitamins and minerals.
The food also features severalgrains: Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal. Most canned dog food contains a much lower percentage of carbohydrates than kibble but this food does have a fair amount. I wouldn’t say it’s concerning but you should be aware of its presence. Whole ground brown rice is considered to be more nutritious than white rice but it can also be a little harder to digest. It’s a good source of Selenium and Manganese. Whole ground barley is a good source of dietary fiber and Manganese. Oatmeal is another good source of dietary fiber, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Manganese. It also has quite a bit of omega-6 fatty acid.
The food also contains flaxseed which I’ve marked in blue because it’s an ingredient with pros and cons. Flaxseed is a great source of dietary fiber and an excellent plant source of omega-3 fatty acid and a good source of omega-6 fatty acid. It’s a good source of Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source Thiamin and Manganese. However, flaxseed also has phytoestrogens which can interfere with fertility and hormones so if you breed dogs you will need to be careful about feeding foods and supplements which contain this ingredient.
The food also contains several gums which I’ve marked in blue and one which might cause concern: Guar Gum, Cassia Gum, and Carrageenan. These ingredients are used to help the food hold its shape and to add texture, among other things. Guar gum is a polysaccharide made from guar beans. It’s used as a stabilizer and thickening agent in foods. It has almost eight times the water-thickening power of cornstarch. It’s frequently used in gluten-free products. It has a high soluble fiber conent.
Cassia gum is a similar food additive made from Senna obtusifolia. It’s a thickener and gelling agent. It’s currently used in pet foods in the U.S. and not in human foods, though it is used in foods in some European countries. Approval for use in human foods is pending with the FDA in the U.S.
Carrageenan are polysaccharides that have been extracted from red seaweeds. They have a strong interaction with protein and are used mainly with meats and dairy products as gels, thickeners, and stabilizers. Some researchers have reported concerns about using carrageenan in foods because of laboratory studies that show gastrointestinal inflammation, ulcers, and colitis-like disease in animals that have received carrageenin in their water or diet. Carrageenan is a common food ingredient in both human and canned pet foods but you might want to be careful about eating foods that contain it on a long term basis. There are many articles online, such as this one, which discuss concerns about carrageenan. Feeding your dog a single can of food that contains carrageenan probably isn’t harmful but it looks like there is enough evidence mounting that you will want to avoid carrageenan as part of a steady diet unless new or better research shows that carrageenan isn’t harmful.
This food also contains peas which can also be problematic. Peas provide plant protein and are being used by many dog food makers now instead of corn. They are also a source of carbohydrates and dietary fiber. They’re a good source of Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin and Manganese. However, some dogs have problems digesting them and there hasn’t been any real research done on their digestibility in dogs. Eating foods that contain them, especially in large amounts, can lead to diarrhea or loose stools.
Finally, the food has the vitamins and minerals you would expect. In this case the food has chelated minerals. Chelated minerals have been bonded to amino acids so they are easier to digest and absorb.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Crude Protein 8.5% min
- Crude Fat 7.0% min
- Crude Fiber 1.5% max
- Moisture 78.0% max
Nutrition Statement
BLUE Homestyle Recipe Lamb Dinner With Garden Vegetables Food for Dogs is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance.
Calorie Content (ME Calculated, as fed): 1,460 Kcals/kg, 517 Kcals/can*
*A can is 12.5 ounces. There are 330 calories of this food in an 8 ounce cup.
Figured on a dry matter basis, this food has about 38.6 percent protein, 31.8 percent fat, 6.8 percent fiber, and 22.7 percent carbs. It’s not unusual for a canned dog food to have a much lower percentage of carbohydrates than a kibble or to have a relatively high protein percentage. The amount of fat in this canned food is very high so you should not feed it to any dog who has problems digesting fatty foods. However, this food will probably be very tempting to most dogs because of the high fat content. The food could be a good choice for picky eaters or dogs that are trying to add weight.
Summary
Blue Homestyle Recipe Lamb Dinner with Garden Vegetables looks like it would be a good food for dogs. It contains a lot of good lamb protein and a high percentage of fat that should make the food appealing to dogs. It has more carbs than many canned foods but they are from grains that are considered relatively healthy. It does contain a couple of ingredients that might cause gastrointestinal problems (peas, carrageenan), especially on a long-term basis. However, overall this looks like a good canned food.
Blue Buffalo Blue Homestyle Recipe Lamb Dinner with Garden Vegetables has received our 4 paw rating.
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