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Ingredient file // Fruit or vegetable

Blueberry Dried

A real berry with little proven payoff

Dried blueberries are berries with most of their water removed. They add berry flavor and a recognizable fruit to kibble, but their health payoff is unproven: tested foods listing blueberries contained little free phenolic material.

Role in the food Mostly filler
What it is
Blueberries with much of their water removed, supplied whole, in pieces, or as powder.
Made from
Fresh or frozen blueberries
Main job
Fruit flavor and label appeal
Typical amount
Not published
Watch for
Antioxidant claims without a stated amount
Not the same as
Blueberry pomace

Straight answer

Is Blueberry Dried safe for dogs?

Read the berry line as an accent

A dried blueberry far down the list is a fruit and flavor addition. Check the ingredients above it and the food's nutritional analysis before choosing the bag. Do not pay extra for an antioxidant promise: the berry amount is usually undisclosed, and a health effect from dried blueberry in kibble has not been shown.

Why it is in the food
Fruit flavor and label appeal

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 62 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

2%

52 of the 3,205 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 8 brands. 44 dry dog food, 8 wet dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 19. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

29%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 71% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $3.83
All foods $3.25

Median of the cheapest bag price across 27 priced foods, 18% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

62%

of the foods that list it are from Nature's Logic. 8 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Ingredient processors dry fresh or frozen blueberries so the fruit stores and mixes into low-moisture foods. Drying methods differ in cost and in how much of the berry's pigment remains.4,8

  1. 01 // Source Blueberries Processors start with fresh or frozen berries, including their skins, pulp and seeds.
  2. 02 // Process Water removed Hot air, vacuum, infrared heat or freeze drying removes water while retaining different amounts of anthocyanin pigment.
  3. 03 // Process Sized for mixing Dried berries may stay whole or be broken into pieces or ground into powder.
  4. 04 // Output Dried blueberry The low-moisture fruit reaches the food plant as whole berries, pieces or powder.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

93

% carbohydrate

About 93% of the tested dried berries' dry matter was carbohydrate, including fiber. This is a fruit ingredient, not a meaningful protein source.

Total carbohydrate 92.9-93.4%4
Crude fiber 2.4-5.2%4
Crude protein 3.4-3.7%4
Anthocyanins 2,094.2-4,100.5 mg/kg4

These figures came from one pretreated berry batch dried by four methods, not a dog food supplier specification. Pigment varied sharply with drying method, and syrup-infused berries would have a different composition.4,8

Why it is in the bag

Mostly there for the label, not antioxidants

  1. Main nutrition
  2. Supporting nutrient
  3. Does a job
  4. Mostly filler

Pet foods follow human food trends, and makers often add blueberries as a selling point for antioxidants. A survey of 40 kibbles listing blueberries in some form, not necessarily dried, found free phenolics minimal to nonexistent, and the one food with berries in its top 5 had the least quercetin. Dried blueberry usually sits well down a list ordered by weight, so it is likely too little to change the food's nutrition.3,5

  1. 01

    Adds berry identity

    Dried fruit brings berry flavor and color to a recipe. Its familiar name also gives manufacturers a fruit to show on the ingredient list.3,8

  2. 02

    Appeals to some dogs

    Beagles preferred a wet food containing whole blueberries in a two-bowl test. That gives makers a reason to try the fruit for taste, though dried kibble was not tested.1

  3. 03

    Works as an accent

    The blueberry industry says freeze-dried berries cost more per pound. Using a small addition limits that cost, though published surveys do not reveal how much dried berry a kibble contains.3,8

How much Published kibble percentages were unavailable; a dog trial tested 3% whole blueberries in wet food, not dried berries in kibble.1,3

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    Dogs love the taste of blueberries

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    In a two-bowl test with 12 Beagles, dogs preferred wet food containing 3% whole blueberries. The test did not isolate blueberry flavor or use dried kibble, so it cannot predict every dog's preference.1

  2. Brands say

    Blueberries keep older dogs mentally sharp

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    An industry-linked 75-day trial in 35 older Beagles fed 24 dogs a grape and blueberry extract in kibble, with 11 as controls. More treated dogs improved on memory tests, but the result cannot be credited to blueberries alone or to dried fruit.2

  3. Brands say

    Blueberry antioxidants protect dogs during exercise

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    After 4 weeks, wet food with 3% whole blueberries did not reduce exercise-induced changes in a small Beagle trial. A kibble survey measured compounds, not protection. Neither shows an exercise benefit from dried berries.1,3

  4. Brands say

    Drying preserves blueberry antioxidants

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    In one laboratory batch dried four ways, anthocyanins ranged from 209 to 410 mg per 100 g dry matter. Retention depends on the method, and the ingredient name does not disclose how much remains in finished kibble.4,8

  5. Owners say

    Dried blueberries are toxic like raisins

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    The ASPCA lists blueberries among fruits pets can eat and warns separately that grapes and raisins can injure dogs' kidneys. A dried blueberry remains a blueberry; a raisin is a dried grape.6,7

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It contributes carbohydrate, some fiber and fruit flavor. But a survey of kibble listing blueberries found little free phenolic material, so treat the berry as an accent rather than a reason to buy the food.3,4

  2. Q02

    Does dried mean freeze-dried?

    No

    Suppliers dry blueberries with hot air, vacuum, infrared heat or freeze drying. The methods retain different amounts of pigment, and the ingredient name alone does not tell you which one the supplier used.4,8

  3. Q03

    Are dried blueberries like raisins?

    No

    Plain blueberries are a pet-safe fruit. Raisins are dried grapes and can damage a dog's kidneys. Check a human dried fruit mix before sharing it, because the mix may contain raisins.6,7

  4. Q04

    Why is it low on the list?

    Small addition

    Ingredients are listed by weight, so a berry near the end contributes less weight than those above it. The label does not give its percentage, and research on blueberry-listed kibbles did not supply dried-berry amounts.3,5

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Nature's Logic 32 / 32
  2. Bil-Jac 4 / 32
  3. Hungry Bark 4 / 4
  4. By Nature 4 / 4
  5. Jinx 3 / 21
  6. Pinnacle 2 / 6
  7. Verus 2 / 19
  8. Halo 1 / 41

Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Mixed Tocopherols 90%
  2. Montmorillonite Clay 54%
  3. Yeast Culture 46%
  4. Millet 38%
  5. Pumpkin Seed Flour 35%
  6. Chicken Fat 33%
  7. Spray Dried Porcine Plasma 33%
  8. Lentils 23%
  9. Turkey Meal 23%
  10. Chicken Meal 21%
  11. Brewers Dried Yeast 21%
  12. Chicken 21%

On the shelf

Foods that list Blueberry Dried

52 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.

Jinx Grain-Free Atlantic Salmon Dry Dog FoodJinxJinx Grain-Free Atlantic Salmon Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 9 on the labelJinx Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Dry Dog FoodJinxJinx Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 10 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Lamb Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Lamb Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 12 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Sardine Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Sardine Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 12 on the labelVerus Grain-Free Cold Water Fish Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal & Herring Formula Dry Dog FoodVerusVerus Grain-Free Cold Water Fish Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal & Herring Formula Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 15 on the labelNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Sardine Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Sardine Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 16 on the labelPinnacle dog recipes Salmon & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog FoodPinnaclePinnacle dog recipes Salmon & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelPinnacle Salmon & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog FoodPinnaclePinnacle Salmon & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Pork Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Pork Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelVerus Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy Chicken, Lentils & Yams Formula Dry Dog FoodVerusVerus Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy Chicken, Lentils & Yams Formula Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelBil-Jac Small Breed Senior Dry Dog FoodBil-JacBil-Jac Small Breed Senior Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 21 on the labelBil-Jac Small Breed Dry Dog FoodBil-JacBil-Jac Small Breed Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 24 on the label
Show 40 more
Jinx Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Puppy Dry Dog FoodJinxJinx Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Puppy Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 11 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Turkey Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Turkey Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 13 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Venison Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Venison Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 13 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Chicken Feast Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Chicken Feast Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 14 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Beef Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Beef Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 14 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Pork Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Pork Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 14 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Duck & Salmon Wet Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Can: Duck & Salmon Wet Dog FoodWet // No. 15 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Pure Naturals Sardine Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Pure Naturals Sardine Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelNature’s Logic Grain-Free Canine Chicken Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Grain-Free Canine Chicken Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelNature’s Logic Grain-Free Canine Beef Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Grain-Free Canine Beef Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Chicken Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Chicken Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Beef Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Distinction Canine Beef Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 17 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Pure Naturals Beef Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Pure Naturals Beef Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 18 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Pure Naturals Chicken Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Pure Naturals Chicken Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 18 on the labelNature’s Logic Distinction Grain-Free Land & Sea Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Distinction Grain-Free Land & Sea Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 18 on the labelNature’s Logic Grain-Free Canine Duck & Salmon Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Grain-Free Canine Duck & Salmon Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Turkey Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Turkey Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Sardine Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Sardine Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Pork Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Pork Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Lamb Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Lamb Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Beef Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Beef Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 19 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Venison Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Venison Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 20 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Rabbit Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Rabbit Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 20 on the labelNature’s Logic Distinction Grain-Free Canine Red Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Distinction Grain-Free Canine Red Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 20 on the labelNature’s Logic Original Canine Grain Free Dry Kibble: Beef Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Original Canine Grain Free Dry Kibble: Beef Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 21 on the labelNature’s Logic Pure Naturals Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Pure Naturals Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 21 on the labelNature’s Logic Canine Duck & Salmon Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Canine Duck & Salmon Meal Feast Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 21 on the labelNature’s Logic Distinction Grain-Free Canine Fowl Recipe Dry Dog FoodNature's LogicNature’s Logic Distinction Grain-Free Canine Fowl Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 21 on the labelBil-Jac Small Breed Adult Dry Dog FoodBil-JacBil-Jac Small Breed Adult Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 24 on the labelBil-Jac Small Breed Puppy Dry Dog FoodBil-JacBil-Jac Small Breed Puppy Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 25 on the labelBy Nature Chicken Meal & Turkey Meal with Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog FoodBy NatureBy Nature Chicken Meal & Turkey Meal with Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 26 on the labelHungry Bark Superfoods with Salmon Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodHungry BarkHungry Bark Superfoods with Salmon Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 28 on the labelHalo Adult Vegan Holistic Garden of Vegan Recipe Dry Dog FoodHaloHalo Adult Vegan Holistic Garden of Vegan Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 28 on the labelBy Nature Salmon & Menhaden Fish Meal Recipe Dry Dog FoodBy NatureBy Nature Salmon & Menhaden Fish Meal Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 28 on the labelBy Nature Lamb & Turkey Meal Recipe Dry Dog FoodBy NatureBy Nature Lamb & Turkey Meal Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 30 on the labelBy Nature Turkey & Duck Meal Recipe Dry Dog FoodBy NatureBy Nature Turkey & Duck Meal Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 30 on the labelHungry Bark Superfoods with Turkey & Duck Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodHungry BarkHungry Bark Superfoods with Turkey & Duck Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 31 on the labelHungry Bark Superfoods with Chicken, Turkey & Brown Rice Dry Dog FoodHungry BarkHungry Bark Superfoods with Chicken, Turkey & Brown Rice Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 32 on the labelHungry Bark Superfoods with Lamb & Turkey Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodHungry BarkHungry Bark Superfoods with Lamb & Turkey Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 33 on the label

On labels as

Other names for this

One page covers every name. Here is what each label word adds, and whether it changes anything for your dog.

Other wording

Matters for your dog No

Dried Blueberry

What it means "Dried Blueberry" is the same ingredient with the words swapped and the berry named in the singular. We found no regulatory definition that separates it from "Blueberry Dried"; both describe blueberries with much of their water removed.

For your dog Nothing changes for the dog. It is the same dried fruit, and its place on the list still reflects its weight in the recipe like every other ingredient, so read its position the same way under either name.5

Sources

What we read

Checked October 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Effects of Blueberry Consumption on Preference, Digestibility, and Oxidative Balance in Dogs Animals, 2025 // Journal
  2. 2 Effects of dietary supplementation with a mixed blueberry and grape extract on working memory in aged beagle dogs Journal of Nutritional Science, 2017 // Journal
  3. 3 A “berry” small inclusion: 40 types of commercial dog and cat kibble with added blueberries provide low levels of quercetin, free phenolics, and alkali-labile phenolics Journal of Animal Science, 2025 // Journal
  4. 4 Drying: A Practical Technology for Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) - Processes and their Effects on Selected Health-Promoting Properties Antioxidants, 2024 // Journal
  5. 5 What's in the Ingredients List? AAFCO, n.d. // Regulator
  6. 6 Sharing is Caring: Foods You Can Safely Share with Your Pet ASPCA, 2021 // Nonprofit
  7. 7 People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets ASPCA, n.d. // Nonprofit
  8. 8 Key Attribute Comparison of Blueberry Ingredient Formats U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, 2023 // Industry
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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