It can't hurt to try. But, in my opinion, I have not found it worth the extra price, not found it something to feed less of than another decent kibble and am not totally crazy about the many label splitting beans. It is good, don't get me wrong, but I just haven't seen anything to justify it.

I would feed the same amount of Orijen as Earthborn for the same size dog for a similar age so no cost savings there. I switched from the grainfree Earthborn though to a lower ash content grain inclusive (various foods, mostly Pro Pac, Sportmix, Fromm and Dr. Tims) but if we're talking calories and protein/fat, most are similar.

I'm currently feeding Dr. Tim's and ordering from Chewy. Chester, Eva and the foster pup are good with it.

 

Orijen is one of my best selling foods. Most dogs do really well on it, some can't handle the protein and fats levels but I find that's the exception. Feeding guidelines for a 75 lb dog on Earthborn is about 3 cups per day. On Orijen Original, about 2 1/4. So you definitely have an opportunity to reduce the amount you feed.

not totally crazy about the many label splitting beans.

While ingredient splitting of vegetable/carb sources is usually a way that manufacturers hide just how much protein is coming from those items....Orijen is the only manufacturer I know of that flat out tells you that their food is 85% animal source and 15% vegetable/fruits. So it doesn't matter whether they split, you know how much vegetable/fruit matter is in the food.

 

We fed Orijen for quite a few years and the dogs did really well on it - they just got a bit overweight. Coats improved massively when we made the switch. They also never had super solid stools. That being said we also fed it in Canada, and I understand it's cheaper over there as it's a Canadian company. Now I feed Fromm as it's the first thing Willow's had solid stools on.

 

We tried Pepper on Orijen when she was younger but she didn't do well on it. I think it was just too rich for her. Too much protein maybe? She constantly had loose stools anyway.

We're feeding Acana now, which is made by the same company but isn't as pricey.

 

I fed Orijen for a bit. The dogs loved it but they gained too much weight. Soft stools.
Their farts would make your eyes water.

Now I feed Acana Ranchlands. They are doing well on it.

 

Be careful with Orijen. Since the opening of the new U.S. plant in Kentucky, many dogs that have eaten the U.S. products have started getting sick.
My service dog was out of commission for a week after starting a new bag of U.S.-produced Orijen. Now he won't touch any of it, Canadian or U.S. so I had to switch brands.
Nobody seems to have issues with products from the facility in Canada, only the U.S.

 

^^ Victor also lists the protein source percentages, just as a general fyi. On the website, anyway. I'm not near my bag at the moment.

 

To add to the list. Farmina also lists the percentage of protein from meat, along with the amount of meat ingredients by weight. Dr. Tims lists percentage of protein from meat and so does Nulo and First Mate. Some Merrick formulas list percentage of meat ingredients by weight, as does Instinct and EVO. Plenty of foods besides Orijen do this.

 

was looking at Orijen today really looked nice, it was trying to justify the price in comparison of other good looking brands. I keep my guys on some kibble especially during the winter because of being able to get out to source raw can be a problem in bad weather, had been using Victor Hero grain free Arka is not doing well on it, so I order Fromm dry and the Fromm gold wet to add more fat. ..

 

We tried Orijen puppy kibble for our Havanese, but by the time he was about one, he ended up needing a single source protein with a lot fewer ingredients so we could decipher was was causing the skin itchies. I have to say the Orijen has such fabulous looking ingredients it seemed like it would be a great choice to keep our puppy healthy, but the cost and need to focus on what our dog could tolerate took precedent.

 

Well I got a free bag of the new Orijen made in the US.. Onyx finds the taste addicting. Doesn't show much interest in the other food I have now lol. Stool is a lot better than when I had her on the Canadian version a while back, a lot smaller and not so soft. Just might have to keep it around.

 

Casper had nice shiny fur on Orijen but the protein was too much for him and he developed a UTI. I had him on Acana for a while and he did well on that, but it spoils very easily in the heat and I'd have to throw it out.

 

Forgot about this thread! Soro's been on the Orijen senior formula (only got it because the regular was out of stock that day and I was in need of dog food) for a couple of weeks or more, and his energy, coat, stool, etc. have been normal and good. The senior formula has more fiber and less fat than the original, but the ingredients are largely the same. I have no qualms continuing with this and seeing how it does long term. At 10.5 years old he's hanging steady at 73-75lb on 2 cups a day.

 

Orijen Senior is my favorite out of all the Oirjen foods. I find some of the others just too busy, too much protein and fat, etc. I just like the guaranteed analysis of it best. Jackson just turned 8 and is a small breed dog so doesn't really 'need' to be on a senior food but I've fed it before and he does well on it. I am disappointed with the changes to Acana & Orijen in the US personally however Jackson has always done well on Acana so I've been continuing to feed it. Lola, on the other hand, poops a lot on it.

 

I just reserved a pup, and bought my first bag of Orijen LBP for him. Only the best!

I spent a few hours researching Champion, and their recent move to Kentucky for U.S. products. Some of the first batches were oilly and funky, thats normal in a major switch like that.. Some dogs had issues with the switch in ingredients, but most didnt, and overall, I still see Orijen as the best kibble on the market. I know they switched out some of the "meat meals", for hydrated and dehydrated meats, which can cut down on nutrient density, but they increased the quality, and the amount of actual meat per bag, to balance that out.

I say good riddence. Certain meat and bone "Meals" are packed with great vitamins and minerals, but sometimes can be filled with some less than ideal stuff. I dont doubt Orijen has thought this through, and I believe they made the ingredient list even better, while still having all the crucial nutrients for our four legged friends.

I probably would have boughten Orijen or Acana anyways, but an increase in meat per bag, from 80 to 85 percent, plus the decrease in "meal" products, is a WIN in my book. Please tell me what I am missing here, I am not a doggy nutritionist!

I just hope my new buddy will tolerate the rich, protein filled food..

 

The only best food is the one your individual dog does best on. It could be Orijen or it could be something else.

I've read only 1 book on dog nutrition and even by-products are considered nutrition to nutritionists; whether or not you want to feed your dog that is something else. "Real meat" on the packaging can become an issue because it is 80% water where meat meal is already condensed so 1 lb of meat meal is greater than 1 lb of fresh meat that needs to be processed. Other companies such as Victor, Dr Tims and Annamaet seem to use high quality ingredients and Victor lists the percentage of protein from meat. Farmina does as well and I was recommending them but they are only available on-line and the last bag I got 2 dogs (mine and a friends) wouldn't eat it ... not sure why. Dogs can eat grains assuming that your dog doesn't have an issue with grains.

What I said in the first sentence is important because my dog didn't do well with Orijen, didn't do well with Dr Tims, didn't do well with Victor and does great with Annamaet. Our last dog did great on Nutro which was way before I learned about dog food.

So is Orijen the best - not for my dog!

 

My mothers dogs does not do well on Orijen, she gets the squirts and packs on the weight, my dog manna on the other hand before we switched to raw 3ish years ago done really well on it, shiny coat, hyper, good weight, except lots of poop. (then again I may be remembering too much poop because hers are tiny now).

It depends on the dog, but they are a good company, if a little over priced.

 

For sure, only if it works. I will take my time to wean my new pup onto Orijen. Hes currently on purina, unfortunately, and im thinking of getting an intermediary food thats good, but not as rich as Orijen, before going straight to it.