Reviews on Iams Vs Blue Buffalo Dog Food

Iams vs. Blue Buffalo

In this comparison article for Iams vs Blue Buffalo, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Iams and Blue Buffalo, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Blue Buffalo vs Iams comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Iams Review Page or Blue Buffalo Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Blue Buffalo vs. Iams

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Iams Dog Food vs. Blue Buffalo Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	27.6%	29.5%
Crude Fat	14.9%	15.3%
Crude Fiber	5.2%	6.8%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	40.9%	40.0%
Crude Fat	23.4%	26.2%
Crude Fiber	5.4%	7.4%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude protein. With regards to wet dog food, Iams and Blue Buffalo also provide roughly the same amount of crude protein.

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):

Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
Improve skin and coat health
Improve the palatially of your dog's food

As you can see, Iams and Blue Buffalo guarantee a similar amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, Blue Buffalo typically provides a little more fat (about 2.83% more).

Iams and Blue Buffalo both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Blue Buffalo and Iams also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Iams Cat Food vs. Blue Buffalo Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	35.7%	37.5%
Crude Fat	15.9%	16.8%
Crude Fiber	4.6%	6.2%

Wet/Canned Cat Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	46.7%	45.8%
Crude Fat	21.8%	24.3%
Crude Fiber	4.9%	8.1%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude protein content of the two brands. With regards to wet cat food, Iams and Blue Buffalo also provide roughly the same amount of crude protein.

Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
Improve the health of skin/coat
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
Maintain healthy blood pressure

Iams Pet Food Ingredients vs. Blue Buffalo Pet Food Ingredients

Iams and Blue Buffalo both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Iams.

Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Poultry Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Blue Buffalo.

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Iams.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Blue Buffalo.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Iams & Blue Buffalo?

Iams has been recalled 2 times.

Aug. 14, 2013: Salmonella
July 30, 2010: Salmonella

Blue Buffalo has been recalled 9 times.

Nov. 25, 2015: Salmonella
Nov. 6, 2015: Presence of Propylene Glycol
May 31, 2016: Mold
March 18, 2017: elevated beef throid hormone
Feb. 14, 2017: presence of aluminum
March 3, 2017: Foil Seal Packaging Problem
Oct. 8, 2010: toxic levels of vitamin D
April 19, 2007: Melamine
April 26, 2007: Melamine

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$1.52	$3.42
Per Calorie	$0.0009	$0.0021

Dry Cat Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$2.03	$5.07
Per Calorie	$0.0012	$0.0031

Wet Dog Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$1.90	$5.09
Per Calorie	$0.0038	$0.0100

Wet Cat Food	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$6.97	$7.50
Per Calorie	$0.0151	$0.0153

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Iams or Blue Buffalo, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget .

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Iams or Blue Buffalo will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Iams and Blue Buffalo. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.

20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
35% Off First Auto-Ship @ Chewy (No Code Required)
15% Off The Entire Site @ OnlyNaturalPet (Use Code AFPAWDIET)

Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Iams Pet Foods

You can purchase Iams pet foods from the following stores:

33 Recipes In-Stock Today

15 Recipes In-Stock Today

24 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Blue Buffalo Pet Foods

You can purchase Blue Buffalo pet food products from these retailers:

281 Recipes In-Stock Today

135 Recipes In-Stock Today

262 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Iams	Blue Buffalo
Dry Dog Food	24 Recipes	93 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	8 Recipes	94 Recipes
Dog Treats	None	50 Treats
Dry Cat Food	13 Recipes	42 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	13 Recipes	59 Recipes
Cat Treats	2 Treats	16 Treats