# Orijen ??



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Ranger was on the 6 fish formula for about 8 months when I first got him and at first it was fantastic! Shiny coat, lots of energy, small poops...but then they did a formula change and it stopped agreeing with him. Room-clearing gas, brittle coat and inconsistent poops so we changed foods. I still think it's a great food, it just didn't work well for Ranger after the formula change.

My brother's dog Blue was on the sister brand Acana LBP when he was a pup and he had the runs the whole time he was eating it. Poor guy was at the vet's office, had a crappy coat and was losing weight. Turns out the food didn't agree with him...so they swapped to Orijen 6 fish when Blue was 5 months and haven't looked back. Blue's poops firmed up within a few days and he's been thriving ever since. The formula change didn't affect him besides making him just a little gassy but nothing compared to what Ranger had. 

It is a high calorie, high protein food so it's probably not best for couch potatoes but puppies generally aren't so you should be okay. It is a great company and I've heard nothing but good things. I think it's a great choice so long as your pup can handle it.

Oh yeah, it took Ranger close to 2 months before he stopped having runs on it. In his defense, he had been fed a high carb, low protein dog food for a few weeks previous so it was quite a system shock. Plus, he was undergoing a bunch of changes in his life and it could have been attributed to that, too. Like I said earlier, Blue's poop firmed up within days of switching to it cold turkey but Ranger took a really long and slow gradual transition.


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

A fantastic food, with a very high quality protein! If I could afford it, I would still be feeding it!


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Absolutely the best food for my three goldens, I feed Orijen Regional Red (all life stages) also feed to my foster pups who often come in underweight and sickly- they respond well to it and get healthy fast. I always tranisition very slowly and have had no issues with it.


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## Oakley&SegersMom (Feb 1, 2009)

We have been feeding the 6-Fish Blend to Oakley and Seger for a couple of years now and absolutely love it. Their coats are beautiful, ears cleared up and no more hot spots. And they trip over each other coming up to the kitchen for their breakfast and dinner  They can't get there fast enough.
Carol


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

I feed all 3 of my dogs Orijen - Regional Red (All Life Stages). They are all thriving on it....no gas or runny poos. They only eat that for breakfast, however, as they are raw fed at supper.


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

Thanks you guys, it sounds very promising. I was thinking of doing LBP until she is 6 months and then switching to adult. I want to try for "slow growth".


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom (Jul 16, 2008)

I love Origen...I find that I can switch between "flavours" with no intestinal issues. You do need to keep you dogs active, though.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

i fed it to my choc lab for about 6 months. she was probably 4months-10months old. she did well on it but i felt the protein levels were a bit too high?? too much protein i have read and have been told overworks the kidneys so i took her off, i have her on wellness now and my new golden im starting on Fromms Gold LBP.


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## honeysmum (Dec 4, 2007)

I feed this food and could not be happier, so many problems disappeared within a few weeks of feeding it to Jade and Honey.
But I say DYOR and you will know if it is the food for you to feed good luck it is a mine field.


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

If the protein is of high quality(such as in Orijen), their kidneys and livers will not be overworked, because it is completely metabolized by the dog. So there is nothing to worry about


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## turtle66 (Feb 19, 2010)

Orijen fan here, too.

Lilly loves it - we made the transition VERY slow when she was around 6 - 8 months. No major problems with transition, a couple times looser stools, some bloating with disappeared fast. Her fur is gorgeous and her stools are less and easy too pick up due to a great consistence 

We feed Lilly almost (or shall I say just) 2 cups daily and her weight is stable around 63 pounds. We rotate the different flavors...she loves them all!


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

I feed Mr. C Orijen too and he loves it. I did find his poops were a bit too firm so I add a bit of Kirklands Lamb and Rice to soften it up and to go easier on the wallet.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

I have been feeding my 3.5 year old half home cooked and half Orijins(I use all 3 adult forumlas since I rotate after each bag) for 2 years and he is thriving. It is the only brand, other than Acana grain free (which is made by the same company) that we have had absolutely no problems with. He has a wonderful coat etc. If I had a new puppy I would start with Acana Grain Free and not Puppy since it is lower in protein than Orijins. I think the Orijins is too high in protein for a dog under a year old. 

Yes, it might have more calories but you need to adjust the amount you feed so that it is equivalent to the number of calories that your dog needs. Folks should not be blindly substituting 2 cups of Orijins for their current brand's 2 cups. I have always looked at the calories I feed not the amount. My golden has never had a weight problem unless having to gain some weight when he's too active and keeping up with food is not his priority ). He's 24.5 at the withers and is always between 58 lbs and 60 lbs.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

I am laughing, she is not even born yet and you are thinking food. Talk to the breeder because it is a good idea to keep them on the food the breeder has been feeding at least for a while.


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

OMG you can't even believe how much has changed since JOY was a puppy. There wasn't even any kind of large breed puppy food out then. All these decisions, foods, vaccines, when to spay , how to train. I never studied this much while I was in college !!!


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

Wow, everyone posting here loves it!! 

Summer came from the breeder on Orijen LBP but i think the protein was a little too rich for her.. We finished up the big bag then switched to Acana, and now to stuff with even lower protein.. But she has a bothersome tummy. I hope it works for you because I REALLY liked the way it was made and the ingredients...


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## Launi (Nov 27, 2010)

Another Orijen fan!

In this case, it really isn't necessary to put her on the LBP formula. The funny thing is that the adult formula actually has LOWER calcium & phosphorous.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Claire's Friend said:


> I am thinking of going with this food for my new puppy. I have been very impressed with what I have read so far. Any thoughts or input ????


I'm so happy to see you planning for a new puppy! 

We looked at Orijen several weeks ago and were very impressed with it, but we finally settled on Taste of the Wild grain-free, in part because of cost issues.


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## clulham (Feb 16, 2011)

*Orijen for puppy*

HAve been investigating dog food for puppies using the site: Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble The site rates around 2000 dry dog foods based on nutritional analysis. Orijen is rated among the highest as a #6. Protein is from meat at about 41%. The impressive item I saw was that the carbohydrate % was around 22%. Most other foods are around 40-50% carbs. The caloric content is at 471 cal/cup so less feed is required to meet nutrient requirements of the pup based on weight. Most other quality feeds come in around 350 to 400. It is more expensive but if cost is based on calories it falls in line with other foods rated at 4&5.
Ratings at 3 and below utilize plant protein as the primary source of protein.

I will be picking up a Golden pup next month and plan on using Origen. I generated a spread sheet of several feeds compared to the AAFCO standard with feeds formulated for large breed puppies in order to make a decision. SOme feel that high pretein levels might lead to rapid growth but scientifially this is not the case. Growth rates are more attibutable to calories.

Have asked a couple of companies on their thoguhts of using plant protein as the protein source. So far no answers. Plant protein is more difficult to digest. Cost of these feeds are considerably less. Some comments see corn and wheat as a problem in Goldens. Have not come across a scientific comments on this.

Have run into a couple of feeds where % calcium is at the borderline of recommended maximum percentages. Too much calcium can cause problems.


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## Titan1 (Jan 19, 2010)

oakleysmommy said:


> i fed it to my choc lab for about 6 months. she was probably 4months-10months old. she did well on it but i felt the protein levels were a bit too high?? too much protein i have read and have been told overworks the kidneys so i took her off, i have her on wellness now and my new golden im starting on Fromms Gold LBP.


Too much low quality protein is bad for the kidneys but theirs are high quality proteins that should be fine. I switched my guy over to it a month ago because they had to have changed something in the Inova I was feeding for years.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I think Orijen is slightly to high in protein for me to feel comfortable feeding it to a puppy, just MHO. I feed our two Acana (made by the same company), which is a bit lower in protein, and love it. Our dogs have thrived on it.

I just want point out that dogfoodanalysis.com rates foods based on several assumptions that I don't necessarily always agree with (i.e it assumes that grain free is best for every dog, high protein is best for every dog). And they even say on the site that it's the "opinion" of the editors of the site who have an "interest in dog nutrition." They are not canine nutritionists - so take the ratings with a grain of salt. Anyone can start a website rating anything - it doesn't mean the content and opinions are correct or accurate. FWIW, there are several foods that I would consider feeding which get a horrible rating on that site.


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## dogmanden (Aug 16, 2009)

Most breeders feed terrible quality dog foods either through ignorance of canine nutrition or minimizing feed costs. Transition to quality food slowly but don't delay!!


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

dogmanden said:


> Most breeders feed terrible quality dog foods either through ignorance of canine nutrition or minimizing feed costs.


I completely disagree with this and don't think it's fair to paint all breeders with the same brush. The breeders that I know have selected the food they feed very carefully. Why would you be getting a puppy from someone who you feel is completely ignorant regarding canine nutrition? That should be a big red flag, IMO. 

And cost can (and probably is) a consideration for anyone and everyone, including breeders, but the most expensive food is not necessarily the best food or the best food for every dog.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Titan1 said:


> Too much low quality protein is bad for the kidneys but theirs are high quality proteins that should be fine. I switched my guy over to it a month ago because they had to have changed something in the Inova I was feeding for years.



How is Titan doing on Orijen? I just switched Copley to it bc TOTW just doesnt keep weight on him.


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## clulham (Feb 16, 2011)

*Orijen for puppies*

I have my new puppy on Orijen. He was on a grain based protein puppy kibble before I brought him home. I transitioned him from this food to Orijen over three days. No runs.

I did quite a bit of research on dog food. If puppies are fed on caloric content rather than weight then protein intake of Orijen is about the same as other feeds.. Growth is based on calories. 

As I understand it Goldens are more prone to allergies than other breeds. It has been shown that wheat and corn can be more allergenic than other protein sources. I have also read a couple of papers that suggest that grain protein increases susceptibility to cancer.

That being said, there a a lot of opinions, even on an academic level. I did speak with nutritionists from two different vet schools that did not differentiate plant protein vs animal protein. Papers from other vet sources suggest the opposite. Can tend to be perplexing.

"My primary reference was "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition" Orijen appeared to be closest to optimal nutritional standards. Although more expensive if feed is based on calories rather than weight than cost of Orijen falls closer to other higher rated dog foods.

While comparing many dry dog foods I found several with per cent calium at the suggested maximum limit. Also true for some other ingrediants that have a upper limit based on NAS "Nutrient Requirement of Dogs and Nutrient Requirements of Cats".

If using a balanced puppy food do not supplement with milk or other foods because it may lead to an excess of calcium if fed on a caloric basis . It is also important to stick with a puppy formula until a year old since requirements for puppies differs from adult dogs and may lead to insufficent nutrional levels. Again, many different opinions. Good dogfood compainies invest in research to come up with fomulas that meet the needs of puppies.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Orijen, as stated in most of the previous posts, is a great food. I found that when my customer's dogs got loose stool while on it, they were generally feeding too much. With Orijen, you feed a lot less that with a grain inclusive food and it takes people awhile sometimes to realize this.

I also recommend a cold switch when going from a grain inclusive to a grain free. Personally, I feel it works better from my own experience and many, many of my customers. Also from the many food reps. I dealt with. JMO.


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## tob (Nov 29, 2010)

Kysha, my 44lbs new rescue, has been on Orijen Adult formula for 2 months. She has firm poop most of time but the smell wise, gosh, is unbearable! I read many have the same problem. I guess she is still adjusting. Otherwsie, I think she is doing great on it. The ingredients sound too good so I am not giving up just yet. 

Toby is on half Oriijen and half home-cooked food. He is doing really well. I have been feeding him home-cooked food because he was such a picky eater. Orijen is actually the only kibble that he would eat. In fact, all my four dogs prefer Orijen to Acana.


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