# Orijen reviews....



## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

For those of you who feed Orijen i just read reviews on it looks like they are changing some ingredients and someone said they do not make their own food anylonger?? google Orijen dog food reviews 2011 then click on petcareeducation.com


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## Launi (Nov 27, 2010)

I didn't really see anything in the comments, besides some things about the irradiation/recall in Australia awhile ago. 
​Orijen already changed its ingredients late last year and as far as I know, Champion makes Orijen/Acana in its own plant. 

My dog's been doing great on it.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Orijen is manufactured by Champion, which also makes Acana, in their own plant in Canada. Their ingredient switch was to add more fresh meat, less meal. That brought the calcium/phosphorous levels down.... all a good thing in my book. The Austrailian issue was due to irradiation required by the govt from all I've read.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

They switched the ingredients in 2009, I think, close to the end of the year. After that ingredient change, Ranger stopped doing well on the food and we had to make a switch to EVO. I haven't really kept up with the food since I stopped feeding though, so can't make a comment on the latest. But if they're adding more meat, that's a good thing!


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

who ever feeds it, i would look into Champion Pet foods alittle deeper. I havent heard good things about it lately on the Lab Ret Board, a few dogs got seriously ill, a cat died and their plant isnt as great as they claim it to be..someone on the Lab board say they went there or went by there ...not trying to start any issues just concerned that something has changed with Champion and wouldnt want anyones dogs/cats falling ill..


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## BJSalz (Mar 24, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> who ever feeds it, i would look into Champion Pet foods alittle deeper. I havent heard good things about it lately on the Lab Ret Board, a few dogs got seriously ill, a cat died and their plant isnt as great as they claim it to be..someone on the Lab board say they went there or went by there ...not trying to start any issues just concerned that something has changed with Champion and wouldnt want anyones dogs/cats falling ill..


Well, shoot, this stuff is scary. I'll have to look into it, I feed Acana Pacifica.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

When googling illness or death associated with Orijen, the only thing that comes up is the cats in Austrailia and that was caused by govt mandated irradiation of the food. That is the only recall also that I can find. Many people automatically blame food when there is an illness, with no proof. Listening to internet chatter when it isn't backed up with some form of substantiation is dangerous. If anyone has a FDA warning or something similar, please share.


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## Launi (Nov 27, 2010)

I have to agree with Penny's Mom; that's just a bunch of unproven hearsay. I’ve seen claims of dogs falling ill with almost every food. 

Where did you read about Champion no longer making its own food?


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

oakleysmommy said:


> who ever feeds it, i would look into Champion Pet foods alittle deeper. I havent heard good things about it lately on the Lab Ret Board, a few dogs got seriously ill, a cat died and their plant isnt as great as they claim it to be..someone on the Lab board say they went there or went by there ...not trying to start any issues just concerned that something has changed with Champion and wouldnt want anyones dogs/cats falling ill..


This is also the type of information I came across when I searched Orijen. It seems a lot of pets have gotten seriously ill recently. I think everyone should be skeptical and ask questions when it comes to what they are feeding their dog and not just _assume_ that because a certain company has had an outstanding presence in the past that it will always remain that way. I am also not saying Orijen is a bad food - I am just suggesting that people need to be aware and do their own research.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

i agree not saying its a bad food at all but something is raising a red flag..not only did 3 cats die and all 3 of them fed Orijen..but a lab fell quite ill as soon as the owner put him on Orijen. i have read someone who went into the plant and it was just awful and the smell driving by it as well. i know all foods have their issues/and some recalls but they are immediately taken off the shelf, Champion has not responded to anyone regarding owners having problems with the food. atleast ProPlan/Eukanuba are right on top of any issues and resolve it right away..


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## KatieBlue'sMidnightSky (Feb 22, 2011)

Hmmmmm.....I have my puppy on Orijen Puppy. It's so hard to decide what to believe, and what not to. Everything I read recently during my research is that it is a very good food. Only concern for some is the high protein debate.

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble This site gives it a 6-star top rating. 

I've read other theads on food, but there doesn't seem to be a food manufacturer that stands out among respondents--it's all over the board.


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## KatieBlue'sMidnightSky (Feb 22, 2011)

Goldilocks & Oakleysmommy---what do you feed?


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

I feed all 3 of my guys Orijen (Regional Red) and have done so for the past year or so. They have had no issues whatsoever with it. 

Years ago I stopped feeding a food that was of high quality due to bad reviews although they, again, had no issues from it. I'm sure this type of thing could go on and on with any brand of food and I could be switching my dogs' food every month. I figure as long as they are healthy and are showing no ill effects, I will continue to use it. 

Now, if Champion Foods came forward and publicly announced that their food has resulted in the death of dogs or cats, then yes, I would certainly switch foods!!!


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

KatieBlue'sMidnightSky said:


> Goldilocks & Oakleysmommy---what do you feed?


 sent you a priv message


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## honeysmum (Dec 4, 2007)

I have fed Orijen for the last 3 1/2 years no problem here, and certainly wouldn't take any notice of a post on a forum without supportive evidence backed up by a reliable source. 
Perhaps anyone concerned should email the company about their worries.


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## Oakley&SegersMom (Feb 1, 2009)

Oakley and Seger have been on the 6 Fresh Fish blend for a few years now and we all love it. Their coats are thick, soft and shiny, great weight, no more hotspots, no stomach issues, no stinky breath even with all the fish, good poops etc. And they gallop to the kitchen when i get their meals ready. I cannot find anything online that is a substantiated direct link to Orijen -but definitely I am always open to new information and research based references. Carol


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

That's the key..... substantiation. Other than the issue in Austrailia with the cat food, which was caused by govt required irradiation, I can find no links when googling "illness or death associated with Orijen dog or cat food". As far as odor associated with the plant... that makes me laugh. Have you ever been outside a meat processing plant? My high school was about a mile from one, and it was enough to make you gag... and that was for the meat we're buying at our grocery stores.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I feed our two Acana Grasslands. I don't think unsubstantiated internet rumors (where there is not even a news article or anything to support it, let alone a link to an FDA notice) are reason enough for me to switch foods. All it does is perpetuate something that has no evidence to back it up. And, if an internet rumor were all it took to discredit a dog food company, then feeding my dogs an organic raw diet would probably be the only option.

And I agree, meat processing plants smell nasty!!!


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## Launi (Nov 27, 2010)

[FONT=&quot]I think this information is quite outdated: 

The cat deaths/pet illnesses came from the irradiation in Australia. Nothing else came up when I searched; can you please link your sources? 

Any manufacturing plant that deals with a lot of meat will smell, and Orijen has one of the highest meat contents in kibble. However, they have already installed some sort of air filter (



).[/FONT]



oakleysmommy said:


> atleast ProPlan/Eukanuba are right on top of any issues and resolve it right away..


I don't know what you're trying to suggest here. I personally would never touch either one of those foods, even if you paid me a million dollars. Purina/Eukanaba have had a lot more recalls involving pet deaths; I'm not going to bash any foods in this thread, but for this reason, I really don't understand what you're trying to say. 

Champion did handle the irradiation issue in Australia; the food was all recalled and I believe Champion foods are not available in Australia anymore due to the mandatory irradiation.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

im not trying to suggest anything, theres just some red flags about this company, i found huge bones sticking out of the kibble and they wouldnt even respond to me via email so i called and all they could say is we are sorry we had an issue with our machine...and not to mention the maggots in another bag i bought from a pet boutique and had to return the bag with the maggots in it. i know it can happen with any food. but just wanted to let people know they are not the best as far as customer service either


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> im not trying to suggest anything, theres just some red flags about this company, i found huge bones sticking out of the kibble and they wouldnt even respond to me via email so i called and all they could say is we are sorry we had an issue with our machine...and not to mention the maggots in another bag i bought from a pet boutique and had to return the bag with the maggots in it. i know it can happen with any food. but just wanted to let people know they are not the best as far as customer service either


Wait, I'm confused. You said you heard things about Champion foods on another board about deaths attributed to the food. That's definitely trying to "suggest" something. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I think that saying a food killed pets is a lot different (and much more harmful) then having a bad bag of food.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Of course bad bags of food (spoiled, insects) can come from being stored inadequately, being past date etc. Especially with foods that are naturally preserved, care has to be taken to not expose to heat.

As far as comparing foods, I find it important to know where ingredients are sourced from ( no Asian vitamin premixes etc), no ethoxyquin with fish meals, no menadione, BHA/BHT. Champion is one of few manufacturers that fits the bill.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> I feed our two Acana Grasslands. I don't think unsubstantiated internet rumors (where there is not even a news article or anything to support it, let alone a link to an FDA notice) are reason enough for me to switch foods. All it does is perpetuate something that has no evidence to back it up. And, if an internet rumor were all it took to discredit a dog food company, then feeding my dogs an organic raw diet would probably be the only option.
> 
> And I agree, meat processing plants smell nasty!!!


Slightly off topic, but I just started feeding my foster pup Acana Grasslands and I'm loving it! He's stopped pooping 8 times a day and while his poops are a little softer than before, I'm way happier he's pooping less. Not to mention he is gobbling it up like crazy! Have you tried the new formula? Ranchlands?


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Ranger said:


> Slightly off topic, but I just started feeding my foster pup Acana Grasslands and I'm loving it! He's stopped pooping 8 times a day and while his poops are a little softer than before, I'm way happier he's pooping less. Not to mention he is gobbling it up like crazy! Have you tried the new formula? Ranchlands?


Our dogs love it too! I didn't even know there was a new one out!


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I hear it's pretty new and more red-meat based, like beef, bison and lamb. I was debating whether to get that or the grasslands but the last food little foster pup was on had mostly lamb in it so I decided grasslands was the way to go. He's definitely happy with it!


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

Ranger said:


> I hear it's pretty new and more red-meat based, like beef, bison and lamb. I was debating whether to get that or the grasslands but the last food little foster pup was on had mostly lamb in it so I decided grasslands was the way to go. He's definitely happy with it!


 
I was actually looking at this for my guys......it has less calories per cup than the Orijen Regional Red and slightly less protein. Although the boys love Orijen, one of them in particular (no names mentioned....Austin) could use less calories. Then I thought, rather than switching foods to save on calories, perhaps I should just stop giving my little porker boy so many treats because he's cute. :doh::doh: Everytime he does something wonderful, he thinks he should be treated........so does mommy!!! I guess we'll just be buying more green beans for the time being.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Haha, poor Austin! I guess that should be "poor" Austin! My dad always thinks Ranger is too skinny so Ranger gets a huge haul of cookies every day. I'm trying to teach Rango "come" so when they're in backyard and I yell "come", both dogs come flying in looking for a cookie...at least it's helping Ranger's recall, too!


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

KatieBlue'sMidnightSky said:


> Goldilocks & Oakleysmommy---what do you feed?



I feed our dogs a raw diet and they've been thriving on it. I used to use Orijen, Evo and Fromm but Pippa never did well on kibble and had terrible yeast infections. Dallas had room clearing gas. Since going to raw those issues are a thing of the past.


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

I have been feeding one of my dogs Acana Pacifica for a few weeks now, and so far she is doing great! I like to use the food as treats too, because they are not crumbly, or greasy.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

If TOTW ever did not work out for Gibbs, I would be feeding Orijen in an instant. I think it is an excellent food, a good reputation as a company, and I feel that the company does everything right in regards to preservation, processing, ingredients, and the list goes on...

I agree w/ GoldenJackPuppy--- in addition- any company can have a bad bag of food, humans make mistakes, too. If we stopped feeding a brand just because of one bag of food- there would be nothing left to feed. Very few companies could boast never having a recall, a bad bag (either due to store/consumer compliance with storage or otherwise).


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

I cant copy and paste from the other forum but someone looked into the FDA website and Acana foods are being held back as salmonella was found in the Grasslands formula and Champion did not even notify anyone about it..just saying


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

oakleysmommy said:


> I cant copy and paste from the other forum but someone looked into the FDA website and Acana foods are being held back as salmonella was found in the Grasslands formula and Champion did not even notify anyone about it..just saying


I see nothing on the FDA site about any Acana products. Can anyone find a link?


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

This is the latest FDA pet food list, current thru I believe 5/16 and there are no Acana products listed. Pet Food Recall Products List


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## KatieBlue'sMidnightSky (Feb 22, 2011)

Thank you for the FDA link Betty! Glad to see no Orijen products are on there!! I'm going to stick with the Orijen Puppy! Bella LUVS it and is doing very well on it.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

Thank you for that link also.......I can continue feeding my boys and feel good about it!!!!


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

A question and a comment here:

Q-This manufacturer process it's food in Canada, right? What is the name of the Canadian agency that inspects and monitors the plant and has this agency ever recalled the product? There may (but hopefully not) be a lot of warnings, recalls and cautions issued by the Canadian governmental agency that should be informative. I'd love to get a name and website link to the proper Canadian agency here. 

C- I find it very interesting someone on another forum reports they were able to go in and visit the plant. Things must be very different in Canada, as compared to the US because I don't think most (not all--I've heard of at least one exception) US pet food manufacturers allow consumer or non-governmental plant visits for fear of the person stealing trade secrets, formulas or finding violations and reporting them. Marion Nestle, who has written several books on the pet food industry mentioned this and also mentioned how difficult it was for her to get insiders to talk to her during her writing of her books. I'm just slightly dubious of a claim of an actual plant visit by a consumer, where they do the processing, unless this person is an employee, governmental agency inspector or some VIP. My suspicion is they drove by and it smelled bad. Maybe it's different in Canada though. Just saying.....


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## fuzzbuzz (Aug 3, 2008)

I feed Acana, matter a fact Buzz is finishing a bag of Grasslands and has had no problem. So, I looked for a lab retriever forum, found the forum and the post.
Copied and pasted the report.





A-Z Index 




Home
Food
Drugs
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Vaccines, Blood & Biologics
Animal & Veterinary
Cosmetics
Radiation-Emitting Products
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-
*Import Refusal Report*

*Refusal Details as Recorded in OASIS by FDA*

*for Refusal 144-4376281-3/1/5*

#Sub_Content .box_body table {width: auto;} #Sub_Content .box_body table tr th {width: auto; padding: 0.5% 1%;}	#Sub_Content .box_body table tr td {width: auto; padding: 0.5% 1%;} #details td { padding:0 0 10px 0; }Manufacturer FEI3002523618Manufacturer NameChampion Petfoods Manufacturer Address line 19503 90th Ave Manufacturer Address line 2Manufacturer's CityMorinville Manufacturer Province/StateAB Manufacturer Country/AreaCanada Product Code72BFT05 Importer's Product DescriptionACANA GRASSLANDS DOG Refusal Date31-Jan-2011 FDA DistrictSEA-DO Entry/doc/line/sfx144-4376281-3/1/5FDA Sample AnalysisYes FDA Record of Private Lab Sample AnalysisNo Charge(s)Violation CodeSectionCharge StatementSALMONELLA 402(a)(1), 801(a)(3); ADULTERATION The article appears to contain Salmonella, a poisonous and deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health. 



-
-

-

Page Last Updated: 04/24/2009


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## fuzzbuzz (Aug 3, 2008)

Much easier to read. Date is January 2011.

Import Refusal Report


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

THis is dated April, 2009. It is a refusal to import due to possible salmonella. There was never a recall involved since the product never got to market. I would not think it is applicable to what is on the market today, more than 2 years later.


Weird, at first look it looks like it was dated 2009 but refusal date is Jan 2011. I wonder how common something like this is with products coming in.


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## fuzzbuzz (Aug 3, 2008)

I recommend Orijen/Acana to our customers, PLUS I feed it to Buzz, so this thread was really bothering me. I can't remember if we had a problem getting Grassland back in February (Dated refusal is January 31).


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

all i can relay to this forum is many members on the lab forum have discontinued using champion foods. it just concerns me and wanted to let you know.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

go to dog food advisor: Acana Grain-Free/dog food...read all the comments below up to may 20.2011


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Not to resurrect a dead thread, but I found out some interesting info last night. A breeder friend of mine gets their food directly from a Champion pet foods distributor and mentioned to me that Grasslands was out of stock right now. The distributor said it was a labeling issue with the FDA (which I think was mentioned in this thread or somewhere in the forum) to make sure the statements on the bag were accurate. It is not out of stock due to any problem with the product itself.

FWIW, until Grasslands is back in stock I think we're going to switch to Pacifica. Anyone feed that formulation? I really don't have much of a preference between the ingredients in Pacifica, Ranchlands or Wild Prairie/Prairie Harvest, I just like the higher amount of Omega-3s in the Pacifica formulation.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

labeling issue???? really...how about googling acana grasslands fda it will take you right to the labrador retriever forums/threads.Champion is shady..


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> labeling issue???? really...how about googling acana grasslands fda it will take you right to the labrador retriever forums/threads.Champion is shady..


I'm just telling you what he was told, perhaps he misunderstood what the distributor said but it's relevant to the thread. He wasn't concerned about Grasslands since he feeds a different formula, but they mentioned to him that it was OOS for a some labeling issue. Perhaps he wasn't paying attention, but I imagine if it were for a food contamination issue they would have said "and the FDA is mandating a recall of all the food." Right? Why aren't you (and the lab forum) up in arms against the FDA for allowing "contaminated" food to be sold in the US? 

You really don't need to be condescending on this, I think it's totally unnecessary. We're not idiots for feeding the dog food that we choose. You have every right not to feed your dog a Champion food and feed them whatever you choose. But I'm not convinced (and I'm not clear why you are convinced) that a random lab forum is the gospel on any and all issues relating to Champion pet foods. 

And I saw what I can only presume are your posts on the lab forum..... by the way. I can assure you that none of us work for or are being subsidized by Champion pet foods. 

I did read the lab forum a couple weeks ago when this thread was initially posted. The salmonella item I read was from January and here's a new post from that same lab forum, which I read today along with your lovely posts. This was information supposedly from Champion directly.

"In early Jan. 2011 - the FDA pulled a bag of Acana Grasslands off a pallet
being delivered to the West coast distribution. When the FDA swabbed that
food for testing it came back with a positive for Salmonella. Keep in mind,
Salmonella when tested can come up very easily if the food wasn't handled
appropriately before the test was administered. So, another test was
administered on that same bag and came back negative. Then a follow up on 5
other test all coming back negative. After all these several test came
back, the FDA required Champion Pet Foods to source their testing outside of
their company to a 3rd party who had further testing done. At this point,
shipments to the West coast were stopped and Grasslands was put on hold
until further testing results. After 100s of sampling and much time, all
test came back negative from this out sourced company along with a 25 page
report explaining these results. Basically, what happened on that first
test was a result of a "false" positive. Right now the FDA told Champion
they would be on a 4-6 week review period before the FDA would remove the
information on the Salmonella. Right now they are on the 3rd week on this
timeframe. In a nutshell, Champion didn't issue any warnings about their
food as there wasn't anything wrong with it. Clark was very confident with
his explanation and that their test show that no Salmonella is in the food."


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

The issue is not the food the issue is the COMPANY for not saying a word to anyone, they just beat around the subject and ignored several emails about it. i could care less about the food i dont feed it never will its CHampion that cant come clean, return emails, ignore customers questions, shady and awful customer service. dont read my lovely posts or the post on the lab forum if you feel that confident with that company.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I've had good experiences with the company's customer service, actually. Particularly about issues directly related to the food. I did a lot of research before deciding to feed Acana to our dogs. 

But as a completely unscientific experiment, I just sent the company an email asking questions about the issues you raised. I guess we'll see what I hear back.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

goldenjackpuppy - I'm considering switching formulas to the Ranchlands if I still have my foster puppy when the bag of food runs out. No real reason besides maybe hoping Scout will be slightly less stinky on it. The one thing I didn't like about the fish formula of Orijen - and maybe the Acana would be different - is that it gave Ranger and Blue fish breath which I couldn't stand.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

I received the following e-mail from Champion (last week) about 1 1/2 weeks after I e-mailed them. I bolded the one section - not Champion. My experience has been that retailers did not seem to be aware of the actual reason for not being able to get new stock of the Acana Grasslands. I was disappointed that the company didn't seem upfront about any of this until a lot of people apparently started calling and e-mailing. Yes, the food appears safe, but I don't like the way the company seems to deal with their customers, reps and retailers.

"Thank you for your feedback on our communication in regards to the FDA Import Alert on Grasslands Dog. It is important to us that the information that we provide to our consumers be accurate and up to date. The following information can be found on our FAQ’s at championpetfoods.com.
Champion Petfoods is confident that all of our foods, including our ACANA Grasslands Dog, are 100% safe. We test all our products for Salmonella prior to shipping.
The FDA regularly examines and samples all food products entering into the USA. *On January 31, 2011 the FDA concluded that a sample of ACANA Grasslands Dog “appears to contain Salmonella”. The FDA refused the product for import and issued an Import Alert. This has resulted in border crossing delays and subsequent shortages of ACANA Grasslands Dog.*
Although previous lab results showed negative Salmonella results, the FDA required additional sampling. Champion complied with all FDA requirements, sending additional samples of ACANA Grasslands Dog to a third party FDA certified lab. Without exception the test results from each sample tested negative for Salmonella.
While these samples tested negative for Salmonella, the FDA maintains an Import Alert until they finalize their documentation process. We expect normal shipments to resume upon the lifting of the FDA Import Alert. 
When it comes to food safety, we follow the same protocols as any food processor making human foods. Our Quality Assurance protocols require all products must have a negative Salmonella lab result from a Government of Canada accredited laboratory before shipping-there is no exception to this policy.
The health of your cherished pets and your peace of mind mean the world to us, we go the extra mile when ensuring the safety of ACANA and ORIJEN.
We appreciate your patience during this process, and if you require further information on ACANA feeding options please contact us.
Kind Regards,"


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

What would you have preferred they did instead of responding with details about the issue?


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

MyBentley said:


> I received the following e-mail from Champion (last week) about 1 1/2 weeks after I e-mailed them. I bolded the one section - not Champion. My experience has been that retailers did not seem to be aware of the actual reason for not being able to get new stock of the Acana Grasslands. I was disappointed that the company didn't seem upfront about any of this until a lot of people apparently started calling and e-mailing. Yes, the food appears safe, but I don't like the way the company seems to deal with their customers, reps and retailers.
> 
> "Thank you for your feedback on our communication in regards to the FDA Import Alert on Grasslands Dog. It is important to us that the information that we provide to our consumers be accurate and up to date. The following information can be found on our FAQ’s at championpetfoods.com.
> Champion Petfoods is confident that all of our foods, including our ACANA Grasslands Dog, are 100% safe. We test all our products for Salmonella prior to shipping.
> ...


** The above bolding is now mine. ***

So, what I get from this email is that the FDA found that a sample of Acana Grasslands appeared to contain salmonella and refused the import. It demanded more sampling and testing; Champion complied; and all subsequent tests "without exception" were negative.

This is what caused the product shortage - NOT a salmonella contamination. I can well understand why the company wouldn't advertise the reason for the shortage widely. People might take it out of context, post it on a dog forum, and declare Champion to be dishonest and shady and selling food tainted with salmonella.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> What would you have preferred they did instead of responding with details about the issue?


I would have preferred that they didn't wait *4 months* to be upfront about it with the public. People with earlier inquiries were not given the same information as I was.

I also think they should be more upfront with their retailers.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Sweet Girl said:


> ** The above bolding is now mine. ***
> 
> So, what I get from this email is that the FDA found that a sample of Acana Grasslands appeared to contain salmonella and refused the import. It demanded more sampling and testing; Champion complied; and all subsequent tests "without exception" were negative.
> 
> This is what caused the product shortage - NOT a salmonella contamination. I can well understand why the company wouldn't advertise the reason for the shortage widely. People might take it out of context, post it on a dog forum, and declare Champion to be dishonest and shady and selling food tainted with salmonella.


No one posted (that I'm aware of) that any food with salmonella was being sold by Champion.

Champion posted nothing about any of this until a week ago; so clearly there was nothing to take "out of context".

It doesn't show much PR savviness by Champion to either say nothing to reps and retailers or to allude to bag labeling discrepancies. Champion did more damage to their reputation by not taking communication control from the beginning about something relatively minor rather than let people develop strong suspicions.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> who ever feeds it, i would look into Champion Pet foods alittle deeper. I havent heard good things about it lately on the Lab Ret Board, a few dogs got seriously ill, a cat died and their plant isnt as great as they claim it to be..someone on the Lab board say they went there or went by there ...not trying to start any issues just concerned that something has changed with Champion and wouldnt want anyones dogs/cats falling ill..


no there were only claims that it killed and sickened animals. (see quote above) none of which were substantiated. but hey, if it's on the internet it must be true.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> no there were only claims that it killed and sickened animals. (see quote above) none of which were substantiated. but hey, if it's on the internet it must be true.


 Its what i read and whether its true or not, im not chancing anything with Champion especially since they cant even be honest and waited 4 months to come clean about it...maybe it was negative for salmonella but what if it was something more dangerous or toxic? would champion wait 4 months to come forward? That i wonder.....


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

oakleysmommy said:


> Its what i read and whether its true or not, im not chancing anything with Champion especially since they cant even be honest and waited 4 months to come clean about it...maybe it was negative for salmonella but what if it was something more dangerous or toxic? would champion wait 4 months to come forward? That i wonder.....


But you're missing the point. There was no contamination. There was nothing to come clean about. You're posing a hypothetical question" What if it were something more toxic...?" It wasn't. 

There was a _suspected_ case of salmonella. The FDA ordered further tests. Champion Food complied, thus the shortage. But the final determination was that all subsequent tests were_ negative_. 

Why should Champion Foods send out a big press release to say that?


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> Its what i read and whether its true or not, im not chancing anything with Champion especially since they cant even be honest and waited 4 months to come clean about it...maybe it was negative for salmonella but what if it was something more dangerous or toxic? would champion wait 4 months to come forward? That i wonder.....


 you don't care whether it's true? oh boy, so this IS just about you having a personal issue with the company? my head is about to explode


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> you don't care whether it's true? oh boy, so this IS just about you having a personal issue with the company? my head is about to explode


I said"whether its true or not" i never said i dont care! whether the statements are true or not i do not trust a company that cant come forward for 4 months about an issue they "may" be having!!! Please point out to me where i said "i dont care"........wow


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

oakleysmommy said:


> I said"whether its true or not" i never said i dont care! whether the statements are true or not i do not trust a company that cant come forward for 4 months about an issue they "may" be having!!! Please point out to me where i said "i dont care"........wow


But they didn't HAVE the problem. You keep ignoring that fact as you attack the company. 

There was a suspected case. The FDA ordered further testing. Champion complied (thus the shortage). And all subsequent testing was negative.

What was there to report?


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Sweet Girl said:


> But they didn't HAVE the problem. You keep ignoring that fact as you attack the company.
> 
> There was a suspected case. The FDA ordered further testing. Champion complied (thus the shortage). And all subsequent testing was negative.
> 
> What was there to report?


Exactly! What did they need to come forward about? The thing that didn't happen? That's a quite an ad campaign: "Just so everyone knows, our food is negative for salmonella!" 

In that vein, I'm coming forward to tell everyone on the forum that I am NOT a serial killer. In case anyone thought otherwise. And I'll be sending this to my PR rep today just to let the whole world know that I'm not. 

I mean seriously, does a company have to send out a press release for everything that DOESN'T happen?


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> I said"whether its true or not" i never said i dont care! whether the statements are true or not i do not trust a company that cant come forward for 4 months about an issue they "may" be having!!! Please point out to me where i said "i dont care"........wow


And the point is, it's an issue they DIDN'T have. The tests were NEGATIVE for crying out loud. You are ignoring that simple fact.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> Exactly! What did they need to come forward about? The thing that didn't happen? That's a quite an ad campaign: "Just so everyone knows, our food is negative for salmonella!"
> 
> In that vein, *I'm coming forward to tell everyone on the forum that I am NOT a serial killer.* In case anyone thought otherwise. And I'll be sending this to my PR rep today just to let the whole world know that I'm not.
> 
> I mean seriously, does a company have to send out a press release for everything that DOESN'T happen?


I'm afraid I can't believe that until I see some hardcore evidence.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

its all good goldenjack.....why would you re open a dead thread if you felt so confident? respond all you wish im done here


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> its all good goldenjack.....why would you re open a dead thread if you felt so confident? respond all you wish im done here


Confident about what? This isn't about me. I responded to the week old thread because it was an interesting piece of information I heard relevant to the thread topic.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Here is the entire response I received from Champion:


Hello Michelle

Thank you for your email and offering us the opportunity to explain the situation with our ACANA® Grasslands. There is in fact an FDA hold on our ACANA® grasslands product which has resulted in shortages of this product in U.S. markets. However it is important to note that this hold is being lifted as we have repeatedly proven through independent FDA approved lab testing that our foods are in fact 100% safe.

The FDA regularly examines and samples all food products entering into the USA. On January 31, 2011 the FDA concluded that a sample of ACANA Grasslands Dog “appears to contain _Salmonella”. _The FDArefused the product for import and issued an Import Alert. This has resulted in border crossing delays and subsequent shortages of ACANA Grasslands Dog. 

Champion Petfoods is confident that all of our foods, including our ACANA Grasslands Dog, are 100% safe. We test _all_ our products for Salmonella _prior_ to shipping. 

Although previous lab results showed negative Salmonella results, the FDA required additional sampling. Champion complied with all FDA requirements, sending additional samples of ACANA Grasslands Dog to a third party FDA certified lab. Without exceptionthe test results from each sample tested negative for Salmonella. 

While these samples tested negative for Salmonella, the FDA maintains an Import Alert until they finalize their documentation process. We expect normal shipments to resume upon the lifting of the FDA Import Alert. 

When it comes to food safety, we follow the same protocols as any food processor making human foods. Our Quality Assurance protocols require all products must have a negative Salmonella lab result before shipping-there is no exception to this policy. Champion Petfoods is confident that all of our foods, including our ACANA Grasslands Dog, are 100% safe. We test _all_ our products for Salmonella _prior_ to shipping. 

The health of your cherished pets and your peace of mind mean the world to us, we go the extra mile when ensuring the safety of ACANA and ORIJEN. 

We appreciate your patience during this process, and if you require further information on ACANA feeding options please contact us. 


*Christopher*
*Customer Care Representative*
*Champion Petfoods LP*


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> Here is the entire response I received from Champion:
> 
> 
> Hello Michelle
> ...


Your response from Champion is pretty much the same as the one I received and put in my post - #49

There were weeks of additional testing for salmonella when it was unknown if there might be a serious problem. I think the responsible thing for Champion to have done during this time would have been to instruct their retailers to remove it from their shelves until testing was completed.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Weeks? Where does it say there were "weeks" of additional testing? And it sounds to me like the product in question never made it to the shelves, so why would they need to instruct them to remove it? Even during a recall they don't recall every product ever made. It's usually certain dates or batch numbers.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

You are correct in that no specific timeframe for testing was noted. My assumption came from the following:

Champion sent samples to an FDA approved lab at FDA's request (maybe a couple days transit?)

Traditional lab tests for salmonella can take 5 days (although I know newer and faster tests are being researched and developed)

Lab reports back to FDA.

Based on the above assumptions, it seemed like it would take a minimum of a week and likely more.

As far as removing from shelves, I know that the FDA does not have the budget to test every batch/run of pet or human food that crosses our borders. That leaves open the possibility that it could be more than one run that was contaminated. 

All in all, there are pluses and minuses with all of these pet food companies and we each gravitate to those that match our personal standards best.


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## Launi (Nov 27, 2010)

To be honest, I see no point in this thread as of now. This wasn't started based on facts, just hearsay from a chat room that could have easily been made up or misconstrued. 

OakleysMommy - There's no need to stop posting, though. If you were able to provide evidence from reputable sources, this could have been very different.


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## Launi (Nov 27, 2010)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> Not to resurrect a dead thread, but I found out some interesting info last night. A breeder friend of mine gets their food directly from a Champion pet foods distributor and mentioned to me that Grasslands was out of stock right now. The distributor said it was a labeling issue with the FDA (which I think was mentioned in this thread or somewhere in the forum) to make sure the statements on the bag were accurate. It is not out of stock due to any problem with the product itself.
> 
> FWIW, until Grasslands is back in stock I think we're going to switch to Pacifica. Anyone feed that formulation? I really don't have much of a preference between the ingredients in Pacifica, Ranchlands or Wild Prairie/Prairie Harvest, I just like the higher amount of Omega-3s in the Pacifica formulation.


My Golden came home on Pro Plan so I switched him to Acana before moving to the higher protein Orijen/Evo. He went through two bags (Pacifica and Grasslands) before I made the switch. He did really well on it and lost a good amount of eye gunk and his funny smell. His stools were smaller and firmer as well. His coat was fine, but there weren't any dramatic improvements until I started giving him fish oil daily. I just buy fish kibbles for variety, not the omega 3's (lots are cooked out).


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## Stephan (May 23, 2011)

Today we switched from Alleva (Italian dog food), to *Orijen Regional Red*. 
My dog is 9 months old and will see how it's going. He like it


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

Stephan said:


> Today we switched from Alleva (Italian dog food), to *Orijen Regional Red*.
> My dog is 9 months old and will see how it's going. He like it


All 3 of my boys eat Orijen Regional Red and have done so for the last 2 years.......they have done very well on it. 

Hopefully your boy has success with it.


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## Stephan (May 23, 2011)

Thank you for feedback, Laurie.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

I have 4.5 year who has been eating half home cooked and Orijins (I rotate proteins with just about every bag) for 3.5 years and does great. I have a 14 week old puppy that I transitioned from Solid Gold Lamb Puppy formula to Acana Grasslands since Acana is an ALS formula (made by same company as Orijins) over the past 5 weeks and seems to be doing well on it.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Orijen Regional Red is also one of my "go-to" kibble when I'm camping or visiting with Ranger and can't be bothered to bring his raw diet items with me. He loves it, does well on it for the short period he's on it, and there's no risk of loose poops from switching from raw to kibble cold turkey.


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## curt3 (Jun 27, 2013)

My dog does very well on orijen. I rotate the flavors so she's less likely to get bored.
Here's some more info www.squidoo.com/orijen-review


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