Blue Buffalo

Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice

Grade C, 70 out of 100, ranked 12 of 15 dry dog foods we graded. 4 brand-line recalls since 2016. Its maker meets 2 of four WSAVA nutrition checks in full. Owners give it 4.7 out of 5 across 29,400 ratings.

Check price at ChewyWork out how much to feed

Some retailer links may earn us a commission. That never changes a grade.

70Grade C
out of 100

Grade analysis

Overall
70 / 100
Safety and recall record
23 / 30
Nutrition standards (WSAVA)
15.8 / 25
Owner consensus
24.5 / 30
Value
7.1 / 15
Confidence
High

Plenty of ratings behind this grade. Data checked October 2026.

Safety and recall record

We found 4 recalls for this brand line since 2016, including 1 in dry dog foods. Older and less related recalls count for less.

  • 2016Moderate. Life Protection Formula Fish & Sweet Potato dry dog food: possible mold. Source−3.6
  • 2017Moderate. Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight Chicken Dinner canned dog food: possible aluminum. Source−1.8
  • 2017Minor. Divine Delights and Wilderness Trail Trays dog food cups: packaging quality. Source−0.9
  • 2017Serious. Wilderness Rocky Mountain Red Meat Dinner canned dog food: elevated beef thyroid hormone. Source−3

Nutrition standards (WSAVA)

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines tell owners to ask a pet food company who formulates its food and how qualified they are, who makes it, what quality checks it runs, and whether it publishes research. If a company can't or won't answer, WSAVA says to be cautious. We use the answers each maker gave the Pet Nutrition Alliance, which puts those questions to pet food companies.

Maker: Blue Buffalo (General Mills).

  • ✓Qualified nutritionist. Employs a full-time nutritionist with a PhD in animal nutrition.6/8
  • ½Makes its own food. Owns 80% of the plants that make its food; uses a contract manufacturer for the rest.4.8/6
  • ✓Answers the questions. Answered the survey and shared nutrient data on request.5/5
  • ✗Published research. No in-house research program publishing in peer-reviewed journals that we could find.0/6

What owners say

Rated 4.7 out of 5 across 29,400 ratings on Amazon. Ratings from a small number of shoppers get pulled toward the average, so for scoring this counts as 4.70.

Value

At $67.97 for 30 lb, this costs $1.37 per 1,000 kcal, about the middle of the dry dog foods we graded.

For a 40 lb neutered adult dog (about 985 kcal a day), that works out to about $1.35 a day, before treats.

Details

Size priced30 lb
Price checked$67.97 at Chewy, October 2026
Unit cost$1.37 per 1,000 kcal
Calories3,633 kcal/kg, 379 kcal per cup
First ingredientsDeboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, barley

Grades compare products within the same category only. We don't test products ourselves or judge individual recipes, and every food here is sold as complete and balanced. Nutrition standards rate the maker against WSAVA's questions, using answers collected by the Pet Nutrition Alliance in 2022. How we grade.