Acana vs. Blue Buffalo
In this comparison article for Acana vs Blue Buffalo, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Acana 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 Acana comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Acana Review Page or Blue Buffalo Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Blue Buffalo vs. Acana
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.
Acana Dog Food vs. Blue Buffalo Dog Food
Dry Dog Food | Acana | Blue Buffalo |
Crude Protein | 36.4% | 29.5% |
Crude Fat | 20.5% | 15.3% |
Crude Fiber | 6.2% | 6.8% |
Wet/Canned Dog Food | Acana | Blue Buffalo |
Crude Protein | 44.2% | 40.0% |
Crude Fat | 19.8% | 26.2% |
Crude Fiber | 8.1% | 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.
Blue Buffalo dry recipes contain 6.98% less protein than Acana dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Acana and Blue Buffalo. In addition, Acana wet dog foods also provide more protein than Blue Buffalo wet foods.
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
The table shows that Blue Buffalo provides far less fat than Acana. The difference in fat content is roughly 5.13%. In addition, Blue Buffalo wet dog foods also provide more fat than Acana wet foods.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Acana and Blue Buffalo also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Acana Cat Food vs. Blue Buffalo Cat Food
Dry Cat Food | Acana | Blue Buffalo |
Crude Protein | 39.7% | 37.5% |
Crude Fat | 19.1% | 16.8% |
Crude Fiber | 4.3% | 6.2% |
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.
According to our average data, Blue Buffalo typically provides less protein than Acana. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands.
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
If you look at the average percentages of crude fat, you'll notice that Acana typically guarantees 2.29% more fat. This is a fairly small difference between Acana and Blue Buffalo, but still worth mentioning.
As you can see, Acana and Blue Buffalo guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber.
Acana Pet Food Ingredients vs. Blue Buffalo Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Acana.
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 Blue Buffalo.
Product Safety: Recall History of Acana & Blue Buffalo?
According to our records, Acana has never been recalled.
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 | Acana | Blue Buffalo |
Per Pound | $3.57 | $3.42 |
Per Calorie | $0.0023 | $0.0021 |
Dry Cat Food | Acana | Blue Buffalo |
Per Pound | $4.83 | $5.07 |
Per Calorie | $0.0028 | $0.0031 |
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 Acana 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 Acana 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 Acana and Blue Buffalo. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
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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 Acana Pet Foods
You can purchase Acana pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Blue Buffalo Pet Foods
You can purchase Blue Buffalo pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
Product | Acana | Blue Buffalo |
Dry Dog Food | 46 Recipes | 93 Recipes |
Wet Dog Food | 6 Recipes | 94 Recipes |
Dog Treats | 9 Treats | 50 Treats |
Dry Cat Food | 10 Recipes | 42 Recipes |
Wet Cat Food | None | 59 Recipes |
Cat Treats | None | 16 Treats |