The scores
Royal Canin Dachshund: C (58/100) — Average. Chicken by-product meal leads, followed by brewers rice, brown rice, and oat groats. Wheat gluten rounds out the grain-heavy formula.
Blue Buffalo: B (78/100) — Above average. Deboned chicken and chicken meal as the first two ingredients, with brown rice, oatmeal, and barley as whole-grain carb sources.
A 20-point gap puts these foods in different grade tiers entirely. Royal Canin’s breed-specific marketing doesn’t close the ingredient quality difference.
How the ingredients compare
Royal Canin Dachshund: Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Wheat Gluten
Blue Buffalo: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Barley
The difference starts at ingredient #1. Blue Buffalo leads with deboned chicken — whole, fresh meat — followed by chicken meal, a concentrated protein source. Royal Canin leads with chicken by-product meal, which includes heads, feet, and intestines rather than muscle meat. The remaining Royal Canin top five is three grains plus wheat gluten, while Blue Buffalo uses whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, barley) that provide more fiber and nutrients than processed rice and gluten.
Further down the list, Blue Buffalo includes real fruits and vegetables (blueberries, cranberries, carrots), dried chicory root as a prebiotic, and flaxseed for omega fatty acids. Royal Canin relies on powdered cellulose (wood pulp) for fiber and synthetic additives for its nutritional profile.
Where Blue Buffalo pulls ahead
Real meat first: Deboned chicken as the #1 ingredient means the heaviest component by weight is actual chicken muscle meat. Chicken meal at #2 is a concentrated protein source with roughly 3x the protein density of fresh meat. Together, these two ingredients deliver more digestible animal protein than Royal Canin’s single by-product meal source.
No by-products or gluten: Blue Buffalo contains no chicken by-product meal, no wheat gluten, and no powdered cellulose. For Dachshunds prone to digestive sensitivity, cleaner ingredients can reduce GI stress. Wheat gluten in the Royal Canin formula is a plant protein booster that adds protein numbers without adding meat.
Whole food nutrition: Blue Buffalo includes blueberries, cranberries, carrots, and sweet potatoes — real ingredients that provide natural antioxidants and phytonutrients. Royal Canin’s formula relies almost entirely on synthetic vitamin and mineral premixes for its micronutrient content. Shop on Amazon →
Where Royal Canin Dachshund holds its own
The Dachshund formula includes L-carnitine, which supports fat metabolism — genuinely important for a breed where excess weight puts catastrophic pressure on the spine. IVDD (intervertebral disc disease) is the defining health risk for Dachshunds, and maintaining lean body weight is the single most important dietary consideration. Blue Buffalo doesn’t include L-carnitine.
Royal Canin also includes glucosamine and chondroitin for joint support, and the kibble is shaped specifically for a Dachshund’s elongated muzzle. The GLA safflower oil supports skin health. These breed-specific additions are thoughtful — they’re just built on top of a C-grade foundation.
If your vet has specifically recommended this food for your Dachshund’s back or weight issues, that recommendation has merit even if the ingredient list isn’t optimal. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
Blue Buffalo delivers meaningfully better ingredient quality — real chicken first, whole grains, real fruits and vegetables — at B/78 vs C/58. For most Dachshund owners, it’s the stronger choice. The 20-point gap reflects a genuine difference in what your dog is actually eating.
Royal Canin Dachshund’s breed-specific supplements (L-carnitine, joint support) are valuable additions for this breed, but they don’t compensate for a formula built on by-product meal and grain fillers. You can get better base ingredients from Blue Buffalo and add a joint supplement separately for less than the price difference. Read our full reviews of Royal Canin Dachshund and Blue Buffalo for the complete analysis.