Has anybody tried this food called Orijen?

[SuperWanda]

Saw this food today and wondered if anyone has tried it? any thoughts about a no grain food being better for carnivores?


http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/about/

[Prin]

Looks really good.
It looks similar to some of the Timberwolf Organics foods, but with no poultry-less option and slightly better ingredients (and more fish).

I can't try it because of Boo with his chicken intolerance, though.

Hey!! Check out their senior food! Finally a company that keeps up to date!

[SuperWanda]

It looks like good food - I wish I could find out what my allergic dog is allergic to - maybe I should do a test with just chicken and see what happens. I have heard that blood test for allergies aren't very definitive. How did you learn your dog was allergic to chicken? - through trial and error or did you have a test of some type done?

[Prin]

With Boo it was trial and error. It was pretty easy because I switched to lamb and rice and he stopped throwing up all the time. With Jemma, it's a bit harder. She's allergic to grains more, and I'm not sure I've figured them all out yet. For sure she's allergic to wheat and corn because one wheat/corn cookie and her ears flare up, and ragweed makes her feet and anal glands itchy, but there could be other things too...

Oh, but this food would be a good place to start since the grains (or grain-replacements ) are very unusual.

[rainbow]

The lady at the pet store told me that Champion Pet Foods was coming out with a new product. I had been communicating with Peter there about removing the menadione from their Acana dog food. The last I heard from him he said they would look into it.

I checked the website and it's still in the Acana but noticed the Orijen food doesn't contain it. Well, that's a step in the right direction and it looks like a really good food.

[SuperWanda]

Yes - I had emailed asking if their food contained ethoxyquin and that Peter you mentioned emailed back right away to say that there is no ethoxyquin.

I bought the sample bag and my dogs love it so I might give it a try - perhaps my dogs allergies are related to the protein in grains and so I'd like to see how she does on this.

Mind you, I feel a little like I am experimenting with them since these grain-free foods are a relatively new concept. Although it is one that makes complete sense to me - I've never seen a carnivore cook up rice and barley to have along with their meat!

[rainbow]

Please let us know how your dog does on the Orijen. Just out of curiousity, how expensive is it?

[technodoll]

their White Paper is very interesting. Very sound facts and research. they admit to dogs being carnivores, not adapted to eating grains, carbs, etc... so basically, Orijen is a "cooked raw diet in a bag", LOL! what an oxymoron though... too funny!

[rainbow]

Maybe they're trying to help the people that would like to try raw but have reservations like they don't like the mess, don't have the time, don't have the space or it's just not convenient.

Perhaps, it's the best of both worlds.

[SuperWanda]

I'll let you know the cost when they have some of the big bags in - they were apparently on the way. I just bought a couple of the sample sizes to see how they liked it.

[technodoll]

Maybe they're trying to help the people that would like to try raw but have reservations like they don't like the mess, don't have the time, don't have the space or it's just not convenient.

oh, i wasn't bashing the food or anything, just making a point that anything baked and in a bag is NOT anything close to a raw diet, no matter how they market it. it's just a kibble with no grains, but it's still a kibble. the elimination of cheap grains and fillers is definitely a step in the right direction, for sure!

but if someone wants to try the raw diet, feeding anything from a bag is a far cry and it's the confusing, sneaky marketing that gets me going, you know? people are not getting what they think they are getting... it's pretty fun however, to see the competition that's happening now among petfood companies, to see who can come out with the bestest products! that means more choices for us consumers. whooo!

[SuperWanda]

Well, I've only introduced a 1/4 cup in with the solid gold and my allergic dog is already chewing at the back of her legs and there is a big red sore area developing - I guess chicken is a no go for her. Too bad - I thought it looked like a good food - liked the higher protein and more meat!

I still like the solid gold but I wish the meat content was higher!

[rainbow]

What about EVO...they have a beef formula.

[Prin]

Solid Gold Barking at the moon might be better- salmon and beef, with 42%...

[SuperWanda]

Man, I am just as confused as ever - I think the high protein is giving them looser stools - probably because of the lack of grains? - maybe this is not the solution!

I just read a thing about grains not being sooo terrible (don't ask me where that was) I have probably been to a million sites

I think I'll just stick with the wolf king - I was just concerned that too much of the protein was from grains. I don't even really know if that is a bad thing - I have read that it is and read that it's not!

Also - by-products - seems like some say this is bad but apparently a lot of nutrition comes from the by-products.

I think I need to rest my brain for awhile!!!

[Prin]

No, no byproducts! The only people who say byproducts are good are the people selling them. Definitely no.

The high protein food should do the opposite. The grainier the food, the more fast fiber and the looser the stool. From what I hear, Evo and like foods can cause constipation more than anything else.

I like the wolf king and the grains are more digestible than most, IMO, expecially the millet. My doggies are doing well on it and I like the ingredients as a whole.

[technodoll]

people! stop making it all so complicated! LOL

get chicken. cut in quarters. hand to dog for his dinner. DONE! everything your pooch needs in perfect balance for optimal health, and minimal headache to you!

ok that was the simplified version, but i just had to say it.

back to the regularly scheduled program... stick with what you feel comfortable feeding. for everything you read, you will find opposing views. so... mabye too much research is not always a good idea. find something you believe in and stick with it.

[SuperWanda]

I think that's the problem - I don't know what to believe in - one day I believe one thing, the next day I believe another

I think I should stick with a fish based diet for allergies. I would like to give my sensitive tummy dog a chicken based one but then the allergy dog feels like she is being slighted. I suppose I could feed in a different room.

As long as the wolf king is nice and digestible.

By the way, does anyone know why these higher end dog food companies do not have AAFCO labels? Have I just opened another can of worms here?

[Goldens4Ever]

I am interested to hear if anyone else has tried this food & their dogs have done well on it.....? Good, bad outcomes....???? It does look good & I also appreciated the facts that were stated on the 'white sheet' on their website. I read somewhere that the protein levels in the large breed puppy formula MIGHT be too high.....???

[Prin]

It's more about the calcium content. Evo is bad for puppies because it would encourage fast growth in puppies (bad). But the ideal for a large breed would be under 1%, and lower as the breed gets bigger (i.e. saints need lower calcium than labs), and yeah, at 1.4% it's high, IMO.

[Reen]

One of my dogs has corn and wheat allergies and has done great on Orijen. We moved the other dog onto it as well, and her stomach has also settled down.

It's considered a premium food at about $60/large bag, not much more than Science Diet or some of those brands.

[tully]

Hi Wanda,
I am new so I hope I am doing this correctly? I saw that you are having some issues with your dog and allergies. I have a Male chocolate Lab who started having skin issues at 4 months old. What I did was cook for him for about three months. I either did chicken and veggies with sweet potatos or hamburger meat with veggies and potatos. I used olive oil and salmon oil. After that, I started using Regal Sensi-bites which is made up of turkey and rice. I noticed you think your dog has an allergy to chicken. If you have a health food store near by you can get buffalo and ostrich instead of chicken. If you can't cook for him/her due to time constraints I would try the regal and add some canned wysong meat to it. I am a big fan of the canned meat Wysong. You can get duck, turkey, venison, beef, rabbit. So ,you have a lot of choices!!!!! I feed my dog the canned wysong meat and the regal sensi bites. He has done wonderfully! I believe in less is more and Regal has about 5 ingredients and that is it. Also, you really want to get some salmon oil for your dog. That one thing can do wonders! It is surprising! Just wanted to share with you. Hope this is helpful. Tully

[Prin]

Can you post the ingredient list of your regal food? I've never heard of it and their website doesn't seem to work properly...

[Cathy1]

The website works or me. Just Kidding. I found a store that sells it.
Regal Sensi-bites

Created for dogs with digestive tract sensitivity, food allergies or intolerances with turkey and rice. Approved by vet allergy labs. Great for improving skin and coat condition. INGREDIENTS: TURKEY MEAL, GROUND RICE, OAT MEAL, BEET PULP, VEGETABLE OIL, LECITHIN, FISH OIL, NATURAL FLAVORS, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SEA SALT, DL-METHIONINE (ESSENTIAL AMINO ACID), L-LYSINE (ESSENTIAL AMINO ACID), OLIVE OIL, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, VITAMINE C, POTASSUIM SULFATE, IRON SULFATE, VITAMINE E SUPPLEMENT, ZINC OXIDE. VITAMIN & MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS: ZINC PROTEINATE, IRON PROTEINATE, CITRIC ACID (PRESERVATIVE), MANGANESE OXIDE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, PANTOTHENIC ACID, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT (VITAMIN B2), COPPER PROTEINATE, COPPER SULFATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMINE B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, MENADIOME DIMETHYLPRIMIDIMOL BRISULRITE (VITAMINE K), FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN SUPPLEMENT, CALCIUM IODATE (SOURCE OF IODINE), SODIUM SELENITE (SOURCE OF SELEMUM), VITAMINE B12 SUPPLEMENT. CRUDE PROTEIN - NOT LESS THAN 23% CRUDE FAT- NOT LESS THEN 14% CRUDE FIBER - NOT MORE THE 4% MOSTURE - NOT MORE THEN 10%

[Scott_B]

holy beet pulp!

[Prin]

Uhh... Ok... Some of those ingredients are on the "to avoid" list... Like vegetable oil and fish oil- unspecified sources, especially for the fish here, should be avoided. Plus it has menadione, which if you search here, is banned for human consumption and should be strongly avoided...

Beet pulp, being so high on the ingredient list is a bit of a worry. It's a stool hardener...

Not too great a food... IMO, the DVP Natural Balance allergy formulas are better than this one.

[Ginnys]

Check out http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
Orijen is rated as a 6-star food, but does come with some cautions. Read the review associated with food you are thinking of feeding.

[jesse's mommy]

Now I know Merrick is good food and that link above doesn't even have it in there at all. I don't think that is a good link for dog food comparisons.

[PetFriendly]

Originally Posted by Prin

IMO, the DVP Natural Balance allergy formulas are better than this one.

My pup didn't have a problem with the DVP, and he gets gassy when you switch him foods.

[tully]

That seems like a lot more ingredients than I remember? I do know that my dog has done really well on it. The reason I liked it so much is because it had such few ingredients. I am wondering if they changed their formula? I am a big advocate of oils for dogs especially with skin problems. There are many choices. Salmon oil and olive oil are my two top picks. Also, one can go to the grocery store and buy canned salmon. Dog's love it and it is soo good for their coat. Because of some concerns around fish and pollution, it is a treat for my dogs not an every day choice.
I like the formulas like Wysong and Timberwolf butt they had soo many ingredients and due to Rory's conditions, skin problems at one time and now seizures, I needed a food that had less ingredients than more. His skin has been wonderful since I addressed it through home cooked food and my above regimen. His coat is gorgeous!
Of course, it is a crap shoot. One dog may respond really well to one formula and not another. For me, up until now the Regal and Wysong meat has worked very well.
Now due to Rory's seizures, I am taking him off all grain so we are trying Orijen.
I believe Wanda's dog had a problem with chicken so this would not be an alternative for her. Of course, Wanda you could look at either Timberwolf Ocean Blue, Natures Variety or Evo. I am not sure what the protiens are in these foods? I believe Timberwolf is mainly fish. Evo does have a high fat content so one needs to be careful not to over feed.
I was just sharing what worked for us with a simlar problem. Of course, one needs to read labels and feed what they think is best. Thank goodness we have soo many more choices today as one size sure doesn't fit all. Tullly