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35% OFF
Primal &
Blue Buffalo
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Primal &
Blue Buffalo
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Primal &
Blue Buffalo
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Primal vs. Blue Buffalo
In this comparison article for Primal vs Blue Buffalo, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Primal 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 Primal comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Primal Review Page or Blue Buffalo Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Blue Buffalo vs. Primal
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.
Primal Dog Food vs. Blue Buffalo Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Primal | Blue Buffalo |
| Crude Protein | 48.0% | 29.5% |
| Crude Fat | 26.7% | 15.3% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Primal | Blue Buffalo |
| Crude Protein | 49.5% | 40.0% |
| Crude Fat | 28.4% | 26.2% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.3% | 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.
Primal dry dog foods clearly provides more protein than Blue Buffalo. In fact, the difference between the protein content is roughly 18.51%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Primal wet dog foods provide significantly 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
On average, Primal dry dog food recipes contain 11.37% more fat than Blue Buffalo recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the fat content of Blue Buffalo and Primal. For wet dog foods, Primal typically provides a little more fat (about 2.20% more).
According to our average data, Primal typically provides less fiber than Blue Buffalo. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. In addition, Blue Buffalo wet dog foods also provide more fiber than Primal wet foods.
Primal Cat Food vs. Blue Buffalo Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Primal | Blue Buffalo |
| Crude Protein | 50.1% | 37.5% |
| Crude Fat | 24.0% | 16.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.8% | 6.2% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Primal | Blue Buffalo |
| Crude Protein | 54.6% | 45.8% |
| Crude Fat | 25.4% | 24.3% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.1% | 8.1% |
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.
When you look at the average percentages of crude protein for dry cat food, it's clear that Primal provides significantly more protein. On average, Primal guarantees about 12.63% more protein than Blue Buffalo. Similarly, Primal wet cat foods provide significantly more protein than Blue Buffalo wet foods.
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
Blue Buffalo dry recipes contain 7.21% less fat than Primal dry recipes. This difference in fat content is a notable difference between Primal and Blue Buffalo. For wet cat foods, Primal and Blue Buffalo provide roughly the same amount of fat.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Blue Buffalo typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.91% more).
Primal Pet Food Ingredients vs. Blue Buffalo Pet Food Ingredients
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 Primal & Blue Buffalo?
Primal has been recalled 2 times.
- March 13, 2015: low thiamine level
- Dec. 22, 2017: incorrect bone grind size
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 | Primal | Blue Buffalo |
| Per Pound | $45.57 | $3.42 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0227 | $0.0021 |
| Dry Cat Food | Primal | Blue Buffalo |
| Per Pound | $45.93 | $5.07 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0230 | $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 Primal 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 Primal 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 Primal and Blue Buffalo. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- 20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
- 35% Off First Auto-Ship @ Chewy (No Code Required)
- 15% Off The Entire Site @ OnlyNaturalPet (Use Code AFPAWDIET)
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 Primal Pet Foods
You can purchase Primal 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 | Primal | Blue Buffalo |
| Dry Dog Food | None | 93 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | None | 94 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 6 Treats | 50 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | None | 42 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | None | 59 Recipes |
| Cat Treats | None | 16 Treats |
Top Rated Primal Recipes
Top Rated Blue Buffalo Recipes
