Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Puppy Chicken and Oatmeal Recipe
Dry Extruded complete
Is Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Puppy Chicken and Oatmeal Recipe a good dog food?
We score it 48/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
The overall score is 48 out of 100. The undeclared ingredient shares had a negative impact, contributing -10.6, while the processing format also weighed the score down by -6.7. On the positive side, the overall quality of the ingredient list added +5.9. Unclassified ingredients pulled the result back by -0.9.
100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
- Recipe48
- NutritionalNot recorded
- Transparency30
- Safety100
- EvidenceNot recorded
The Recipe score measures how attractive and transparent the declared ingredient list is. It is not, by itself, proof that the food is nutritionally appropriate for long-term feeding. The Nutritional and Evidence scores measure what we can verify towards that stronger claim.
Why you might choose it
- Doesn't list grain ingredients.
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
- Around 36% of the recipe is generic or unspecified ingredients.
- Meat makes up an estimated 0% of the dry matter; carbohydrates dominate.
- No analytical breakdown is published.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
No analysis recorded yet.
Additives & feeding info
No additives recorded yet.
Reviews
Trustpilot: 1.9/5 · 14 reviews
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
- Labelling or feeding guide is aimed at small dogs
- Grain-free: no grain ingredients listed
- Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, fish, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Use the homepage filter to find foods that fit your dog.
Ingredients (5)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowl of BLUE dry dog food with LifeSource Bits on cutting board | unmatched | - | - | - | 25.0 |
| 2 | with fresh cranberries | Cranberries | veg | good | - | 22.5 |
| 3 | blueberries | Blueberries | veg | good | - | 20.0 |
| 4 | parsley | Parsley | veg | good | - | 17.5 |
| 5 | and flaxseed nearby | Linseed | veg | good | - | 15.0 |
Brand
- Website
- https://www.bluebuffalo.com/
- Contact page
- www.bluebuffalo.com
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-14
- Scored with
- Model v3 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.bluebuffalo.com
Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.
Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.
Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated
Scored with model v3 on 2026-09-26. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.6 | 9.191 | +5.91 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 64.3% | -0.005 | -0.33 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 35.7% | -0.027 | -0.95 |
| Undeclared quantities | 100.0% | -0.106 | -10.56 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | yes | -3.158 | -3.16 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.6 | 9.191 | +5.91 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.096 | +0.00 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.115 | +0.00 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.092 | +0.00 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 64.3% | -0.005 | -0.33 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.163 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.012 | +0.00 |
| Other share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.375 | +0.00 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 35.7% | -0.027 | -0.95 |
| Recipe graded poor | 0.0% | -0.065 | +0.00 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.179 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 0 | -0.876 | +0.00 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 0.0% | 0.060 | +0.00 |
| Undeclared quantities | 100.0% | -0.106 | -10.56 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Complete diet | no | 2.294 | +0.00 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | no | 0.707 | +0.00 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | yes | -3.158 | -3.16 |
| High carb and low meat | no | -1.180 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 11.084 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | 0.00 | 0.222 | +0.00 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Raw | no | -0.054 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 6.629 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 6.331 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.174 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.146 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- +0.02
- Subtotal
- 48.2
- Final score
- 48/100
Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges
Analytical constituents not declared
Transparency: what the label discloses
How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Ingredient list on the label (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Printed percentages on the label (voluntary) - not on file | 0/20 |
| Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) - not on file | 0/15 |
| Additives declared (mandatory) - not on file | 0/10 |
| Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file | 0/5 |
| Complete/complementary designation (mandatory) | 5/5 |
| Feeding guidance given (mandatory) - not on file | 0/10 |
| Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| Country of manufacture stated (voluntary) | 10/10 |
| Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file | 0/5 |
Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Analytical constituents declared, Additives declared, Feeding guidance given, Batch and date labelling).
Safety: recall history
Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.
No recalls recorded in our database.
Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it
The claims made on the pack and product page, checked against the declared label. We record claims as stated; "consistent" means our stored label data supports the claim, "contradicted" means it conflicts with it. Functional claims are recorded but never scored.
Claims on file; none we can check against the label
| Claim | Type | Check | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formulated for the health and well-being of small breed puppies (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| plus essential nutrients like DHA to support healthy growth and development in small puppies (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| helps support natural skin and coat health (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| supports antioxidant enrichment (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| features wholesome whole grains, antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| starts with high-quality deboned chicken (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and DHA (on page) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| a rich source of essential omega 3 fatty acids (on page) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| a great source of fiber that aids in digestion and promotes healthy skin and coat (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| help support: Immune system health (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Life stage requirements (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Healthy oxidative balance (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Made with real meat first and superior ingredients (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Exclusive Antioxidant-Rich LifeSource Bits (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
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