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Merrick vs. Blue Buffalo

In this comparison article for Merrick vs Blue Buffalo, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick 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 Merrick comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Merrick Review Page or Blue Buffalo Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Blue Buffalo vs. Merrick

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.

Merrick Dog Food vs. Blue Buffalo Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	35.9%	29.5%
Crude Fat	17.2%	15.3%
Crude Fiber	4.2%	6.8%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	43.9%	40.0%
Crude Fat	21.1%	26.2%
Crude Fiber	8.3%	7.4%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

The table shows that Blue Buffalo provides far less protein than Merrick. The difference in protein content is roughly 6.39%. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more protein (about 3.90% more).

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.

As you can see, Blue Buffalo and Merrick guarantee a similar amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, Blue Buffalo provides more fat (about 5.12% more).

If you look at the average percentages of crude fiber, you'll notice that Blue Buffalo typically guarantees 2.55% more fiber. This is a fairly small difference between Blue Buffalo and Merrick, but still worth mentioning. For wet dog foods, Merrick and Blue Buffalo provide roughly the same amount of fiber.

Merrick Cat Food vs. Blue Buffalo Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	40.5%	37.5%
Crude Fat	15.7%	16.8%
Crude Fiber	5.1%	6.2%

Wet/Canned Cat Food	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Crude Protein	46.9%	45.8%
Crude Fat	21.3%	24.3%
Crude Fiber	6.0%	8.1%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

According to our data, Merrick guarantees 2.96% more protein than Blue Buffalo. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. For wet cat foods, Merrick and Blue Buffalo provide roughly the same amount of protein.

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):

Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
Maintain healthy blood pressure
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Fats improve the taste/texture of food.

Merrick and Blue Buffalo both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet cat foods, Blue Buffalo typically provides a little more fat (about 3.01% more).

There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, Blue Buffalo typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.01% more).

Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. Blue Buffalo Pet Food Ingredients

Merrick and Blue Buffalo both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Garlic

Canola Oil

Pea Protein

Caramel Color

Powdered Cellulose

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Merrick.

Meaty Femur Bone

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Blue Buffalo.

Caramel

Tomato Pomace

Dried Tomato Pomace

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 Merrick.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Blue Buffalo.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & Blue Buffalo?

Merrick has been recalled 6 times.

Jan. 28, 2011: Salmonella
Aug. 8, 2011: Salmonella
July 2, 2010: Salmonella
Aug. 3, 2010: Salmonella
Aug. 13, 2010: Salmonella
May 23, 2018: elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone

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	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$6.15	$3.42
Per Calorie	$0.0036	$0.0021

Dry Cat Food	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$4.09	$5.07
Per Calorie	$0.0025	$0.0031

Wet Dog Food	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$5.97	$5.09
Per Calorie	$0.0126	$0.0100

Wet Cat Food	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Per Pound	$7.55	$7.50
Per Calorie	$0.0168	$0.0153

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 Merrick 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 Merrick 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 Merrick and Blue Buffalo. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.

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 Merrick Pet Foods

You can purchase Merrick pet foods from the following stores:

136 Recipes In-Stock Today

107 Recipes In-Stock Today

103 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Blue Buffalo Pet Foods

You can purchase Blue Buffalo pet food products from these retailers:

281 Recipes In-Stock Today

135 Recipes In-Stock Today

260 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Merrick	Blue Buffalo
Dry Dog Food	53 Recipes	93 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	58 Recipes	94 Recipes
Dog Treats	35 Treats	50 Treats
Dry Cat Food	18 Recipes	42 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	50 Recipes	59 Recipes
Cat Treats	None	16 Treats