Hi Everyone, just looking for some advice on these two food brands. I have a 3 month old Maltese Shih Tzu mix. I was using Royal canin Shih Tzu puppy food but the price was outrageous at $28 for 2.5 pounds of food (1.14 kg). I can get 4 pounds of Orijen puppy food for the same price. Wellness Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Puppy on the other hand I can get 4 pounds for $15. I have seen good reviews on both products and I am just wondering if it is worth getting the more expensive food or if one is better for the specific breed. Any advice is appreciated!
ORIJEN PUPPY FOOD vs Wellness Complete Health Chicken Salmon & Oatmeal Puppy Food
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With some rare exceptions, breed-specific foods are essentially a marketing trick. There are very few times when an otherwise decent food is going to be better or worse for a dog just because of breed alone, exceptions being breeds that have unusual dietary problems due to genetics, like Dalmatians needing low purines because they're lacking a specific enzyme to process them correctly. There's extremely few breeds where almost every individual has such specialized needs.
With that in mind, both brands have a good reputation and are solid choices. I personally would start with the Wellness - some people report Orijen being too rich for their dogs and resulting in loose, gassy poos - that doesn't make it a bad food, just not one that works for every dog. I occasionally use them or their sister brand Acana for healthy 'treats' because this richness does make them quite stinky and delicious to most dogs! So it might be worth trying of she's not a super enthusiastic eater, I just haven't had that issue with my two chow hounds which biases me towards the Wellness. The lower price point is a bonus too, and it means that if you want to add supplements, eg dog-safe fish oil to support her coat, you'll have a bit of budget to do so.
Whatever you choose, switch gradually over the course of a few days - replace a small portion of the old food with new and increase the percentage of new every day - and monitor how she's doing. If her poops are nicely formed without being too soft or too hard, her energy level is normal, her coat looks healthy with no dry or flaky skin, no excessive itching, and of course she's eating and growing well, you have a winner. There's no one best dog food for every dog, so as long as she's enjoying her food, it agrees with her and supports her health and development, and it works for your budget and lifestyle, it'll be just fine.
With that in mind, both brands have a good reputation and are solid choices. I personally would start with the Wellness - some people report Orijen being too rich for their dogs and resulting in loose, gassy poos - that doesn't make it a bad food, just not one that works for every dog. I occasionally use them or their sister brand Acana for healthy 'treats' because this richness does make them quite stinky and delicious to most dogs! So it might be worth trying of she's not a super enthusiastic eater, I just haven't had that issue with my two chow hounds which biases me towards the Wellness. The lower price point is a bonus too, and it means that if you want to add supplements, eg dog-safe fish oil to support her coat, you'll have a bit of budget to do so.
Whatever you choose, switch gradually over the course of a few days - replace a small portion of the old food with new and increase the percentage of new every day - and monitor how she's doing. If her poops are nicely formed without being too soft or too hard, her energy level is normal, her coat looks healthy with no dry or flaky skin, no excessive itching, and of course she's eating and growing well, you have a winner. There's no one best dog food for every dog, so as long as she's enjoying her food, it agrees with her and supports her health and development, and it works for your budget and lifestyle, it'll be just fine.
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Both are excellent premium brands. I prefer Orijen; however I don't find that its quality justifies spending THAT much more on it.
My current brands of choice that I am feeding right now is Fromm and Earthborn.
My current brands of choice that I am feeding right now is Fromm and Earthborn.
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The best food is one your dog likes to eat, does well on, and that you can afford to feed. In my opinion, even though it's supposed to be a "super-duper, fantastic, -insert superlative of your choice here-" food, Orijen is overpriced, especially given how many dogs I've heard of not doing well on it. I've fed a lot of dogs a lot of different foods over the years, but keep circling back to Purina Pro Plan. My dogs are currently on the Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon and Rice formula.
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I started my pup on Acana small breed puppy and it's been great for him. It is definitely rich, so he doesn't eat the full recommended daily amount, but that just saves more money, I feel confident he is getting all the nutrition he needs.
I use Nutrience Infusion beef variety (because Acana puppy is chicken and turkey for a different taste) as treats. The price and quality is very similar to Acana but kibbles are a lot larger and more convenient to feed as treats.
The breeder started him on Royal Canin, for me anything but RC.
Edit: Btw, nothing wrong imo with Wellness either, it was a consideration for me but due to location availability and the fact it was more local, I went with Acana.
I use Nutrience Infusion beef variety (because Acana puppy is chicken and turkey for a different taste) as treats. The price and quality is very similar to Acana but kibbles are a lot larger and more convenient to feed as treats.
The breeder started him on Royal Canin, for me anything but RC.
Edit: Btw, nothing wrong imo with Wellness either, it was a consideration for me but due to location availability and the fact it was more local, I went with Acana.
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