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Blue Buffalo’s Blue’s Stew Formula is formulated to make you reminisce about the hearty food your Mom used to make when you were little.
This food is packed full of chunky meats and vegetables in a gravy, which makes it truly like a homecooked stew, rather than conventional tinned dog food.
All of Blue Buffalo’s formulas claim to be of the highest quality. By assessing the ingredients, we can understand if this claim is true. A quality recipe will have a high percentage of quality protein, with a low number of starches to bulk it out.
Does the Blue’s Stew formula meet these expectations? Let’s find out!
Quick overview:
Offers 5 canned / wet food recipes.
Added vitamins & minerals.
Wholesome veggies with chunks of real meat.
no chicken or poultry by-product meals.
No corn, wheat, soy. No artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors.
So: Is Blue Buffalo’s Blue’s Stew Formula really as naturally delicious as the company claims? Let’s find out!
Blue Buffalo Blue’s Stew Formula
Blue Buffalo Blue’s Stews Country Chicken Stew formula is only available in a canned form, like the whole range of these homestyle formulas.
This recipe is formulated to create a delicious, hearty, homecooked style meal which dogs will love and which aims to keep them healthy.
It’s stuffed with tasty chunks of real meat, that’s mixed with fresh vegetables and all smothered in thick juicy gravy.
Blue Buffalo Blue’s Stew Country Chicken recipe is by our standards a high-quality dog food, earning an impressive 5 out of 5 paws on its nutritional analysis and ingredient list.
Contains diced and cubed ingredients, just like a stew.
High quality deboned chicken for complete protein needs.
No poultry by-product meals.
Added minerals and vitamins for a balanced diet.
No corn, wheat or soy.
No artificial colorants or preservatives.
Next we’ll list out the ingredients and go over their nutritional analysis to see what it is exactly one can expect when pouring this into their dogs bowl.
Quick peek of what's inside
Quality
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product
Questionable
Potatoes, Potato Starch
Potential Allergens
Chicken, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product
Dog Food Labelling
In the United States, the guidelines for pet food ingredient labels are established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and individual state regulations.
The AAFCO requires that ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight (including water weight). This means that ingredients that appear at the top of the ingredient list — typically the main proteins, carbs, and fat sources — are present in higher amounts by weight in the food than items at the bottom.
Although it is difficult to determine how much of an ingredient is actually in the food (due to high water content in meats and vegetables), you can assume that the first few ingredients are in the highest amounts. Therefore, the first few ingredients of a dog food can tell you a lot about the quality of the product.
Chicken
Providing plenty of energy for an active lifestyle, and packed full of protein to keep muscles healthy, chicken is the main protein in this recipe.
Chicken Broth
Chicken broth is of a low nutritional value; however, it adds moisture and a delicious taste to the food.
Chicken Liver
To aid in the creation of red blood cells, chicken liver is a protein which is rich in iron. It is an organ in the chicken, and works well as a flavor enhancer.
Dried Egg Product
To boost the protein content, dried egg product has been added to the recipe. Eggs are easy proteins to digest.
Peas
Peas are the main sources of fiber, which helps aid smooth and regular digestion. They are high in protein for a vegetable, at over 25%, which has to be kept in mind when working out how much of the protein content comes from meat sources.
Other Ingredients
Other Ingredients
Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A. This helps keep the eyes, skin and nerves healthy and in working order.
Adding to the carbohydrate content of the food, potatoes have been diced and included in the recipe. They contain vitamins B and C, as well as minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium.
Potato starch is less nutritional than potatoes though, and is mainly used as a thickening agent to the gravy. It does, however, also contain some fiber.
Guar gum is also a thickening agent and stabilizer. It is highly soluble and easily digestible.
In addition to all these delicious ingredients, many additional minerals and ingredients have been added to ensure a healthy, balanced diet.
Listed ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Water, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product, Peas, Carrots, Potatoes, Potato Starch, Guar Gum, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Natural Flavor, Salt, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin Supplement (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B9).
The product information on this page is based on data collected from the manufacturer's website on 2019. If something changed please let us know
Note: That some nutritional percentages reported are only estimated values, and are indicated as such as (est). Each dog food manufacturer is required by law to publish a Guaranteed Analysis, which defines each product’s maximum values of fiber, moisture and ash in addition to the minimum values of protein and fat contained within. Exact nutritional percentages are not available and hence all calculated values (including carbohydrate percentages and calorie amounts) are determined using these minimum and maximum published values and therefore may differ from actual values.
Guaranteed Analysis
ⓘ Nutritional information as published by the dog food manufacturer.
- Protein 8% (minimum)
- Fat 4.5% (minimum)
- Fiber 1% (maximum)
- Carbs 0% (estimate)
- Ash 0% (estimate)
- Moisture 82% (maximum)
Dry Matter Analysis
ⓘ The manufacturer's published guaranteed analysis values normalized for moisture content.
- Protein 44.4% (minimum)
- Fat 25% (minimum)
- Fiber 5.55% (maximum)
- Carbs 0% (estimate)
- Ash 0% (estimate)
- Calories 92.3/100g (estimate)
Calorie breakdown
- Protein
- Fat
- Carbs
Using the calculations provided by the AAFCO, Blue Buffalo Blue’s Stews Country Chicken Stew has approximately 92.3 calories per 100g (26.2 calories/ounce) or 326 kcals/cup. The percentages of proteins, carbohydrates and fats are not disclosed by Blue Buffalo.
Vitamins, Minerals & Other
The Blue Buffalo Blue’s Stew Country Chicken recipe has a large variety of added vitamins and minerals. Micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins have been added in carefully calculated concentrations to ensure a fully balanced and healthy diet. The following displays whether the nutrients are present (Y) or not (N) in the recipe.
Vitamins & Others
- Biotin
- Choline
- Folic-Acid
- Niacin
- Pantothenic-Acid
- Pyridoxine
- Riboflavin
- Taurine
- Thiamine
- Vitamin-A
- Vitamin-B12
- Vitamin-D
- Vitamin-E
- Vitamin-K
Micro Minerals
- Biotin
- Calcium
- Chloride
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Sodium
Macro Minerals
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Fluorine
- Iodine
- Iron
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Selenium
- Silicon
- Sulfur
- Zinc
Customer Sentiment
What do the customers say about Blue Buffalo Blue’s Stews Country Chicken Stew formula?
The reviews of this product are generally extremely complimentary. The most common comment is that it smells and looks amazing, and dogs tend to agree too. Even the owners of dogs who are picky eaters have commented that they drool for their food and eat it with a great deal of enthusiasm.
It has been met with a few negative comments where some owners found their dogs turned up their noses at the product, however, the negative comments make up 3% in comparison to 84% positive reviews.
It was also commented that the consistency of this food is not condensed, like a lot of dog foods, which makes it much easier to get out of the can. Finally, there was a comment that the cans do not contain as much food as advertised, but this appears to be a once off comment and not the norm.
It’s always good to hear from verified customers before making a decision. Help others do the same by rating your experience with this product below. What do you say?
After taking a closer look at the Blue’s Stew Formula from Blue Buffalo and the Country Chicken stew recipe specifically, we do recommend this product line for owners looking to offer a high quality, nutritious, wet dog food to their dog’s bowl.
As many in the industry know, some brands choose to use wheat in their products as a thickening agent. This is actually one of the things that separates Blue’s Stew formulas from the rest, as they opt to go wheat-less in their products.
As you saw in the nutritional analysis section above, on a dry matter basis the protein count is pretty high at 44.4%, this is a result of Blue’s Stew always starting their recipes with protein rich meat as their #1 ingredient.
Meal frequency: Feed 1 to 1 ½ cans for every 10 lbs. of body weight per day.
Preservation: Refrigerate after opening.
Logistics: One of the fastest growing brands with superior shipment options and a highly active customer relations staff.
As per their writing on the back of every can which applauds this product as a “delicious and nutritious way to feed your dog like family,” we can say that after looking at everything this really seems to be the sentiment shared by the majority of people who choose this brand.