# Nature's Variety vs. Wellness vs. Premium Edge vs. Blue Buffalo



## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

I really really need to pick a food for Abbie & Murph and stick with it.

I've decided to go with a food with grains, as I think it is what works best for Murph. And, oddly, Abbie's stools are actually smaller when on a grain included food vs. grain free (TOTW). 

So, these are the four brands I've narrowed it down to. What do you guys think? What are some issues I need to be aware of? For comparison, I've copy and pasted the ingredients from the chicken formula for each food. I know it's also about not just the ingredients, but the quality of them, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Murph is a 20lb 8 month old french bulldog and Abbie is an 8 month old, 25 lb hound mix of some sort. 

*Nature's Variety Prairie Chicken Meal & Brown Rice*
_Ingredients:_
Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Montmorillonite Clay, Ground Flaxseeds, Natural Chicken Flavor, Alfalfa Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Sea Salt, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite), Chicken Liver, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Apples, Carrots, Peas, Cottage Cheese, Chicken Eggs, Freeze Dried Chicken, Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Freeze Dried Turkey Hearts, Pumpkinseeds, Ground Chicken Bone, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Rosemary Extract, Sage, Clove.

_Guaranteed Analysis:_
Protein: Not Less Than 26%
Fat: Not Less Than 14%
391 kcal/cup

*Wellness Super 5 Mix Chicken*
_Ingredients:_
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Tomato Pomace, Rye Flour, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Tomatoes, Rice Bran, Deboned Whitefish, Natural Chicken Flavor, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Ground Flaxseed, Ground Millet, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement], Choline Chloride, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative), Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Chicory Root Extract, Garlic, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Green Tea Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation products.

_Guaranteed Analysis:_
Protein: Not Less Than 22%
Fat: Not Less Than 12%
407 kcal/cup

*Blue Buffalo Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe*
_Ingredients:_
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Rye, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Whole Potatoes, Peas, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Flaxseed(natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Garlic, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Turmeric, Sunflower Oil (natural source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids), Fish Oil (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Dried Chicory Root, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, 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, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium .

_Guaranteed Analysis:_
Protein: Not Less Than 24%
Fat: Not Less Than 14%
422 kcal/cup

*Premium Edge Chicken, Rice & Veggies Formula*
_Ingredients:_
Chicken, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearled barley, white rice, oatmeal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, tomato pomace, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

_Guaranteed Analysis:_
Protein: Not Less Than 26%
Fat: Not Less Than 15%
353 kcal/cup

So, all you people that are really good at dissecting this, I'd love to hear whatever you can tell me about the pro's and con's of each food, what your experiences have been, anything, really. I've asked for samples from each company, so we shall see!


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

I personally pefer Wellness over Blue Buffalo. But both Wellness and Blue Buffalo are definitely the best in my own personal opinion out of the 4.
They're pretty much on par.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

I have not used Premium Edge, so I cannot comment on that food.

Nature's Variety:
The dogs' stool was good on it, they liked the food alot. The kibble is small, which my dogs like, too. I like that there are lots of flavor options, however, when on this brand of food (whether it was Instinct or Prairie dry) the dogs had severe tear and mouth stains. At first, I wasn't sure it was the food, as I do give some supplements. But, when I changed foods (I didn't change the supplements) the tear/mouth stains went away. I narrowed it down to (IMHO) the montmorillite clay (spelling?) that is in the food. Can't really prove it tho', but it was the only "weird" ingredient in the food that they have never had before.

Wellness:
I love Wellness food for my dogs and it will remain in Hazel's rotation. I don't rotate kibble with the other 3 now (they have kidney issues and I give them Canine Caviar Special Needs instead of presc. food....they get their variety from fresh and can foods). For Hazel I like the CORE and the Small Breed formulas. We will probably use the Small Breed from now on, as I like the protein percentage and the size of the kibble better for her. She does fine on a grain inclusive food.

Blue Buffalo:
Another food I love! This is what Hazel is eating now. BB Small Breed Fish formula. I also like the Basics (for the moderate calorie content and somewhat limited (basic haha) ingredients. I haven't tried Longevity yet, but might in the future. She does fine with a fish formula food. I might also use the Wilderness, but again, I really like the Small Breed for her. She is doing great on it, loves the food, coat looks good, stool's fine, etc. This food will remain in her rotation. On a side note...I have switched my cats from EVO dry cat food to BB Finicky Feast dry (they get a variety of wet food). They LOVE it! It reads similar to Innova cat food, IMO. I was free feeding their dry and giving them can just in the a.m., but they like it so much that I have to portion it out. Otherwise, I'll end up with fat cats LOL!


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

StellaLucyDesi said:


> I have not used Premium Edge, so I cannot comment on that food.
> 
> Nature's Variety:
> The dogs' stool was good on it, they liked the food alot. The kibble is small, which my dogs like, too. I like that there are lots of flavor options, however, when on this brand of food (whether it was Instinct or Prairie dry) the dogs had severe tear and mouth stains. At first, I wasn't sure it was the food, as I do give some supplements. But, when I changed foods (I didn't change the supplements) the tear/mouth stains went away. I narrowed it down to (IMHO) the montmorillite clay (spelling?) that is in the food. Can't really prove it tho', but it was the only "weird" ingredient in the food that they have never had before.
> ...


You really took the words out of my mouth! I love how NV has so many flavors. And I too like how small the kibble is. 

I'm waiting on lots of samples from Wellness . I also like that with Wellness, there are several flavors/varieties to choose from, and if every now and then I felt like doing a bag of the Wellness Core, it wouldn't be a huge deal. 

Same with BB, I like that it has a grain free variety as well incase I ever feel like buying a smaller bag and letting them have it.

How important is it that a dog be "small" to eat a "small breed" food? Murph is 20 lbs and is probably gonna stay around that weight, I can't imagine he'll get bigger than 25 and that's really stretching it. Abbie is like 33 right now and I can't imagine she'll go over 40. There were some yummy looking flavors for small breed formulas, but I didn't know if I would do damage by feeding them that. 

On dogfoodanalysis, NV gets 5 stars, BB gets 4, Wellness gets 5, and Premium Edge gets 4. I like that Premium Edge is pretty good for the money. An 18lb bag costs us $24 downtown. It doesn't seem to be a very well known or popular food though, I never really see it mentioned on here. So, $1.33 per pound. 

NV is $27 for 15lbs. So, $1.80 per pound. 

Wellness is $30 for 15lbs. So, $2.00 per pound. 

Blue Buffalo is $28 for 15lbs. So, $1.87 per pound.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

I don't think feeding your dog a small breed dog food would be a problem at all. My 4 dogs are all considered small breeds....Lucy weighs 24 lbs., Desi weighs 28 lbs., the 2 Cavaliers..Stella weighs 16 lbs. and Hazel weighs 16 lbs. When I look at a kibble for my dogs, I mostly go by ingredients, calories, protein and fat and fiber percentages. It can be called "whatever" as long as it meets the needs of my dogs.

They have all eaten small breed dog food. They love the smaller kibble better, altho' they will eat larger kibble, too. 

I don't think you could go wrong with either of the brands you mentioned.


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

Even if you have a 50 pound dog, you can feed Wellness Small breed.
It is just higher in protein, higher in fat. Calcium and other levels are all very similar/close, and it is no biggie.
All you need to do is to adjust the amount of feeding accordingly because Small breed is higher in calories.

It is also in small triangular thin flakes, so a large dog probably will be "sucking" it in like vacuum rather than chewing. My pomeranian (3 pounds) is on wellness small breed and he likes it a lot. I like the ingredients too. 3 meats as first ingredient (turkey, chicken meal and them salmon meal if i remember correctly) which is good.

The only downside, is that it is EXPENSIVE.
3-4 pound bag (cant remember exact size) retails for $15 at Petco.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

I think I'm gonna go with either BB or Wellness. Esp because of the sales that happen at Petco/petsmart, which they can be bought at besides the smaller, family owned stores. So I think if I'm savvy enough, between looking for sales and coupons, I may be able to bring the price down a bit 

We'll just have to make sure they are interested in each brand when I get the samples!


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

Coupons are a big plus.

There is a NV coupon available all year round for buy 1 bag get 1 bag free.
Wellness and Blue Buffalo are on sale at Petco pretty occasionally. There is a $5 off coupon on blue's website and also available in a brochure that can be found at Petco.

Wellness and Blue are also cheaper at local pet stores than Petco usually.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

meggels said:


> I think I'm gonna go with either BB or Wellness. Esp because of the sales that happen at Petco/petsmart, which they can be bought at besides the smaller, family owned stores. So I think if I'm savvy enough, between looking for sales and coupons, I may be able to bring the price down a bit
> 
> We'll just have to make sure they are interested in each brand when I get the samples!


If you go with Wellness, go to their website and sign up for the Wellness club. You'll get an emailed newsletter, with coupons! Also, you may get a survey from them, fill it out and get a coupon then, too!


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

wow i didnt know about the coupons from wellness 
thanks for telling me! hehehehe


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Enhasa said:


> Coupons are a big plus.
> 
> There is a NV coupon available all year round for buy 1 bag get 1 bag free.
> Wellness and Blue Buffalo are on sale at Petco pretty occasionally. There is a $5 off coupon on blue's website and also available in a brochure that can be found at Petco.
> ...


Yup. I prefer to shop at the local pet stores, but it's nice to know I can go to a Petco or Petsmart incase let's say the store is out and I'm in a real pinch to get some food lol. Just incase of emergencies


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Blue Buffalo hasn't responded to my email about samples yet though...humph.


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

blue buffalo has no samples, nor coupons in the mail.

they have a blue test thing online where u can fill up the forms and get a $5 coupon in the mail, which takes 3-8 weeks to arrive.
mine took bout a month or so.

in the email they'll also tell you all blue food is guaranteed blah blah and u can refund it if your dog doesn't like it.

pretty much the same response as solid gold.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Enhasa said:


> blue buffalo has no samples, nor coupons in the mail.
> 
> they have a blue test thing online where u can fill up the forms and get a $5 coupon in the mail, which takes 3-8 weeks to arrive.
> mine took bout a month or so.
> ...


laaame. lol. I think I'm gonna go with Wellness. I was gonna actually stick with Premium Edge cause it seemed similar enough to the Wellness and I would love to save a few bucks each time I buy the food, but where I'm probably moving to in PA in a few weeks, Wellness will be much much easier to obtain than Premium Edge. There are a few stores within 15 miles that carries Premium Edge supposedly, but there's 3x that with the Wellness.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Enhasa said:


> blue buffalo has no samples, nor coupons in the mail.
> 
> they have a blue test thing online where u can fill up the forms and get a $5 coupon in the mail, which takes 3-8 weeks to arrive.
> mine took bout a month or so.
> ...


BTW, that sounds kind of annoying lol. Not the best customer service IMO.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

You can actually get a $5 coupon in the mail from Blue Buffalo. Just go to their website.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Wow, wellness is in the lead with BB a close second! 

No one has voted for Premium Edge LOL


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## BlueChaos (Mar 29, 2010)

I guess people are put off because its made by Diamond. 

I vote for Natures Variety, because it has the highest protein content. Wellness is only 22% which is way low. Blue Buffalo is also alright. 

Natures variety has a 1 time promo thing for BOGO, 
http://www.naturesvariety.com/tryit/register/form

You can also sign up for their newsletter, but they dont send coupons very often. Wellness Also has a monthly coupon newsletter, so you can always feed both foods and rotate between the brands.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

BlueChaos said:


> I guess people are put off because its made by Diamond.
> 
> I vote for Natures Variety, because it has the highest protein content. Wellness is only 22% which is way low. Blue Buffalo is also alright.
> 
> ...


I was told recently that Diamond now owns Wellness and Nature's Variety.


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## BlueChaos (Mar 29, 2010)

I believe Diamond co-packs some of the Wellness, but not their Core line. I'm not sure about Natures Variety, I think its an independent company, but I'll have to double check.


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## Aussie_Lover (Apr 13, 2009)

Enhasa said:


> blue buffalo has no samples, nor coupons in the mail.
> 
> they have a blue test thing online where u can fill up the forms and get a $5 coupon in the mail, which takes 3-8 weeks to arrive.
> mine took bout a month or so.
> ...


I've been feeding Blue for over 5 years and my guy loves it. But I had never gone online to take the quiz and get the $5 coupon. I just did that within the last month. It took less than 2 weeks for the coupon to arrive. I was pleased by that and also a follow-up e-mail where they asked me for feedback - did my dog like it, etc. Didn't tell them he's been usung it for years - hehe!


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## Aussie_Lover (Apr 13, 2009)

You might also want to check out a consumer site called RateItAll.com. Blue was voted best dog food of the decade (2000-2009) along with Evo and Orijen. The site rates all kinds of consumer things - electronics, etc. and consumers do the rating from my understanding.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Well, i went to Petsmart and got a small bag of the BB Whitefish & sweet potato formula. Gonna see how the dogs like it. They said they will take it back if they don't as long as I have the receipt, so we'll see  And I imagine the wellness samples should be here in the next week.


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

did u check out blue buffalo longetivity?

I am not thrilled by their whitefish & sweet potato formula - too much potatoes and too little fish. longetivity on the other hand is pretty good. lots of meat.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Enhasa said:


> did u check out blue buffalo longetivity?
> 
> I am not thrilled by their whitefish & sweet potato formula - too much potatoes and too little fish. longetivity on the other hand is pretty good. lots of meat.


I can't win LOL! 

I just grabbed the small fish & sweet potato bag cause I was a) only trying it out since they don't do samples apparently and b) Murph has been having some allergy issues lately so I just grabbed the fish formula. 

He and Abbie each had 1/4 cup mixed in with their dinner tonight. Abbie licked her bowl clean, didn't leave one piece of kibble! I was worried about the lifesource bits or whatever lol. Murph left just a tablespoon or so of kibble, but it wasn't just the BB, and he also did that this morning when he had his regular kibble, so no BB. So I'm not too worried. It seems like a real contender. *knock on wood* they keep eating it!


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Enhasa said:


> did u check out blue buffalo longetivity?
> 
> I am not thrilled by their whitefish & sweet potato formula - too much potatoes and too little fish. longetivity on the other hand is pretty good. lots of meat.


I do appreciate your suggestion btw, I was just kidding with ya in that previous post!

I just checked it out. I will definitely try that for sure! Looks good for them . I plan to also throw in a bag of the Wilderness here and there. I think I may have found my food


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## maquignon (Oct 21, 2009)

I vote for Blue Buffalo. It has fewer grains and less total carbohydrates than Wellness super5mix (in spite of what dogfoodanalysis says).


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

1/4 cup added to each breakfast today. Bowls licked clean by both dogs


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Btw- I noticed that BB has received a few more votes since last night. Anyone who voted and didn't respond already care to share? Thanks guys! I'm pretty excited that this food *may* work out! And hopefully we'll see some good results!


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