Dry dog food: Blue Buffalo wins
Blue Buffalo's Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice scores 70 to 52. The biggest difference is nutrition standards, where Blue Buffalo leads by 15.8 points.
| Wellness | Blue Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Adult Chicken & Oatmeal | Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice |
| Grade | F (52/100) | C (70/100) |
| Safety and recalls | 26.7/30 | 23/30 |
| Nutrition standards (WSAVA) | 0/25 | 15.8/25 |
| Owner rating | 4.5★ (2,321) | 4.7★ (29,400) |
| Value | $1.42 per 1,000 kcal | $1.37 per 1,000 kcal |
| Brand-line recalls since 2016 | 2 | 4 |
| Made by | Wellness Pet Company (listed as WellPet) | Blue Buffalo (General Mills) |
Wet dog food: Blue Buffalo wins
Blue Buffalo's Homestyle Recipe Chicken Dinner scores 60 to 45. The biggest difference is nutrition standards, where Blue Buffalo leads by 15.8 points.
| Wellness | Blue Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Chicken & Sweet Potato Formula | Homestyle Recipe Chicken Dinner |
| Grade | F (45/100) | D (60/100) |
| Safety and recalls | 24.5/30 | 20.1/30 |
| Nutrition standards (WSAVA) | 0/25 | 15.8/25 |
| Owner rating | 4.5★ (315) | 4.5★ (2,712) |
| Value | $0.33 per oz | $0.24 per oz |
| Brand-line recalls since 2016 | 2 | 4 |
| Made by | Wellness Pet Company (listed as WellPet) | Blue Buffalo (General Mills) |
Dry cat food: Blue Buffalo wins
Blue Buffalo's Tastefuls Indoor Chicken & Brown Rice scores 66 to 46. The biggest difference is nutrition standards, where Blue Buffalo leads by 15.8 points.
| Wellness | Blue Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Grain-Free Indoor Deboned Chicken | Tastefuls Indoor Chicken & Brown Rice |
| Grade | F (46/100) | C (66/100) |
| Safety and recalls | 26.8/30 | 25.5/30 |
| Nutrition standards (WSAVA) | 0/25 | 15.8/25 |
| Owner rating | 3.8★ (32) | 4.6★ (4,255) |
| Value | $2.50 per 1,000 kcal | $3.01 per 1,000 kcal |
| Brand-line recalls since 2016 | 2 | 4 |
| Made by | Wellness Pet Company (listed as WellPet) | Blue Buffalo (General Mills) |
Wet cat food: Blue Buffalo wins
Blue Buffalo's Tastefuls Pâté Variety Pack scores 58 to 42. The biggest difference is nutrition standards, where Blue Buffalo leads by 15.8 points.
| Wellness | Blue Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Pâté Chicken Entrée | Tastefuls Pâté Variety Pack |
| Grade | F (42/100) | D (58/100) |
| Safety and recalls | 25.5/30 | 25.5/30 |
| Nutrition standards (WSAVA) | 0/25 | 15.8/25 |
| Owner rating | 4.2★ (1,832) | 4★ (1,364) |
| Value | $0.51 per oz | $0.26 per oz |
| Brand-line recalls since 2016 | 2 | 4 |
| Made by | Wellness Pet Company (listed as WellPet) | Blue Buffalo (General Mills) |
Questions
Is Wellness better than Blue Buffalo?
Blue Buffalo comes out ahead, winning 4 of 4 categories in our grades. Dry dog foods: Wellness 52, Blue Buffalo 70. Wet dog foods: Wellness 45, Blue Buffalo 60. Dry cat foods: Wellness 46, Blue Buffalo 66. Wet cat foods: Wellness 42, Blue Buffalo 58. Scores are out of 100.
Which is cheaper, Wellness or Blue Buffalo?
For dry dog foods, Blue Buffalo costs less ($1.42 per 1,000 kcal vs $1.37 per 1,000 kcal). For wet dog foods, Blue Buffalo costs less ($0.33 per oz vs $0.24 per oz). For dry cat foods, Wellness costs less ($2.50 per 1,000 kcal vs $3.01 per 1,000 kcal). For wet cat foods, Blue Buffalo costs less ($0.51 per oz vs $0.26 per oz).
Have Wellness or Blue Buffalo had recalls?
Since 2016 we found 2 recalls for Wellness brand lines and 4 for Blue Buffalo. Each brand page lists them with sources.
Prices, ratings and recalls checked October 2026. We compare each brand's top-selling product in each category. How we grade.