# Experience with Orijen



## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

After hearing so much about the quality of Orijen, and wanting the best nutrition for my puppy, I bit the bullet and ordered it. Eli has been eating it for over 3 weeks now and here are a few things I noticed:


Pros:
- The ingredient list is really impressive; unlike any other dog food ingredient list I've read. Not sure why a dog needs chamomile or marigold flowers or a bunch of other stuff but it seems this is a very "wholistic" type of blend that helps to support health and immunity. It's also grain free.

- No smelly gas since we started!

- Poo is very firm and a lot less stinky.

- No tears at all, just a very tiny bit of dry eye crud, likely the results of dust and the dirt he plays with outside getting near/in his eye.

- Coat is silkly soft and luster is returning.

Cons:
- Kibble is quite a bit larger than Science Diet so may not be appropriate for really small puppies.

- Smell. Great ingredients blended together seem to create a very strong, and a bit of an unpleasant, smell.

- Not available locally. Have to pay shipping charges.

- Biggest con by far - Eli has to be very hungry to eat it. Even though I mix with the same wet dog food, he has a very "take it or leave it" attitude toward it. This is a very food motivated dog so I am concerned when he skips meals or eats less. 

I'm about halfway through the bag and not yet sure whether to continue with it. I know dogs won't starve themselves but I worry when he skips meals, particularly since he didn't eat for almost two days this week. It could be that he's growing up - 4.5 months and 6lbs 8oz - and simply doesn't need to be fed 3x per day. Still, 1/4 cup with more than half left over at each meal doesn't seem normal. 

Since he pretty much ate the two other varieties I gave him before Orijen with gusto, I have to deduce that he doesn't like the taste very much. If anyone has experience with this food, please let me know how your dog reacted and if you still feed it. If I need to switch foods (again) I need to start the process soon and slowly. Thanks!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

the reason he's not eating it is probably because you are mixing it with canned food. He probably prefers the canned. Yeah we Canadians don't like to share our award winning foods. LOL A good rule of thumb ,is put it down for ten minutes, if he doesn';t eat it , pick it up and put it away until next feeding 10 hours or whatever later. He' ll eat. Here's a good article on feeding puppies http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=feeding_puppies and another one http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=myths


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

I haven't tried Orijen but I did switch from Science Diet to Blue Buffalo which is a much better food than the SD shortly after we got her. Her breeder recommended the SD! It may be that you're just feeding too much now. They seem to slow down as they get older. Abby has been eating 1/4 cup twice a day since we got her at 8 mos. and never turns it down! Although, she does like to eat breakfast late some mornings.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

hmmm.... maybe I am overfeeding Jack. He is on Wellness puppy. I was just giving him 1/4 cup AM and PM but I could feel every little bone in his body. He was attacking his food as if he was starving. Now I am giving him a half cup in the morning and a heaping 1/4 cup at night. Jack seems much happier and has filled out a bit. 

Does Blue Buffalo or Orijen have a puppy version? I am not thrilled with how soft his poop is. We have a regular vet appt. on Fri. It is on my list of questions.


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

morriscsps said:


> hmmm.... maybe I am overfeeding Jack. He is on Wellness puppy. I was just giving him 1/4 cup AM and PM but I could feel every little bone in his body. He was attacking his food as if he was starving. Now I am giving him a half cup in the morning and a heaping 1/4 cup at night. Jack seems much happier and has filled out a bit.
> 
> Does Blue Buffalo or Orijen have a puppy version? I am not thrilled with how soft his poop is. We have a regular vet appt. on Fri. It is on my list of questions.


Orijen does have a puppy formula which is what I am using. If you intend to buy it just make sure you purchase the one that's labeled puppy formula on-line. When I received the bag I had to search for confirmation but it's there on the front of the bag in a weird, inconspicuous place.


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

davetgabby said:


> the reason he's not eating it is probably because you are mixing it with canned food. He probably prefers the canned. Yeah we Canadians don't like to share our award winning foods. LOL A good rule of thumb ,is put it down for ten minutes, if he doesn';t eat it , pick it up and put it away until next feeding 10 hours or whatever later. He' ll eat. Here's a good article on feeding puppies http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=feeding_puppies and another one http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=myths


Some of my favorite people on this planet are Canadians, eh?

The vet recommended I mix the wet food with the dry food and feed him 3x per day until he's 6 months. However, I'm beginning to see that others don't use wet food and feed 2x per day.

I have to say that (I think) Eli is a bit "hefty". Even wet he looks pretty hardy, although _not_ fat, as compared when we first got him at 12 weeks. Then he looked like a drowned rat. When he was last weighed the vet was not concerned that he'd gained 2lbs 10oz in 6 weeks (or so) stating he was a puppy and it was normal to gain weight quickly. He's now 4.5 months and 6lbs 8oz (as of 10 days ago). His breeder said he's projected to be between 10-12lbs full grown. He's my "first" dog so I'm not really sure if his weight at this age is in balance.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yeah , you should feed three times at least when they're young. And mixing kibble and canned is fine. Does he go for the canned and ignore the kibble though?


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

My Aussie gains 3 lbs instantly if she gets two extra bits of kibble. She is a yo-yo. It is very frustrating. I try to keep her where I can easily find her ribs with medium pressure. She could easily be the Pillsbury Doughboy's dog if I am not careful. Then you also have watch the treat intake as well. I cut her food in half when I know we are going to training. 1 charlie bear = 3 calories. I don't even want to think about the amount of cheese she inhales.

Jack's ribs stuck out like a washboard before I increased the amount of food.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

I agree with Dave - three times a day is what they need as young pups. Abby was older (8mos) when we got her so I started twice a day then. She stayed the same weight for a year so was afraid I was starving her to death! Then I started giving heaping scoops instead of a level one and she couldn't eat it all! I think you just have to experiment a little to find the perfect amount. Getting on a good food is important as they will produce smaller and firmer poop. You definitely want that!!!


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

davetgabby said:


> yeah , you should feed three times at least when they're young. And mixing kibble and canned is fine. Does he go for the canned and ignore the kibble though?


No, he doesn't lick the canned food off the kibble. Either he eats it all or he ignores it.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Ellie NY said:


> No, he doesn't lick the canned food off the kibble. Either he eats it all or he ignores it.


That's good ,try stickinig with it , but don't free feed. Like I said put it down , and pick it up after ten minutes.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

I have been feeding Orijen for 4 months the vet suggested it might be a better choice for my older dog. I had been feeding EVO. Mine all love it and their coats are in great shape. I sometimes mix in wet food the Blue small dog formula to a few times a week to give them a bit of a change and make sure the older dog gets the water content. It is pricey but worth it. Also my older Lhasa boy has less problems with his skin on this.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Okay, I think I am going to give it a try. Supposedly, the little pet store just down the street has it. The store is listed on their website. They had a lot of stores listed for my area.


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## DorothyS (Aug 11, 2009)

We switched to Orijen a couple of months ago. Pixie loves it (but then again, she loves anything and will easily get fat if we let her!). Rascal loved the Regional Red mix at first, then got tired of it. We switched to the Poultry version but they both reacted badly to it for some reason. The Poultry version in Acana food is fine (made by Orijen), and it is also grain-free, so we feed that also. Then Rascal got tired of that so we tried the Orijen lamb version. This was great for awhile, and then he got tired of it. So we switched to the fish version. Great for awhile....etc! Can you say "picky eater?"

BUT, both dogs have small, clean and neat poops. Their fur is lovely and soft. They seem more energetic. Overall, I think it's a very good food.

Regarding amount to feed and how often, both dogs decided on their own that they didn't need the mid-day feeding - probably at about 6 to 8 moths old. They are now about 13 to 14 lbs. Pixie gets 43 grams twice a day and Rascal gets 55 grams twice a day (he's bigger than Pixie and seems to burn more calories - she's our little tubby girl).


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## Judy -- Toby & Jaime's mo (Apr 21, 2007)

I have been using Orijen for about a year after doing a lot of research and contacting a small specialty pet store. She REALLY recommended the brand after all the research she did. Initially I was trying to find a food that my then IBD dog could tolerate (which did not work), but liked it for my other dogs. 

One thing to note, it is a very high protein dog food -- almost 40%. Utlimately my 15 year old dog had to change to a lower protein food as she had renal failure. She is doing much better with Innova Senior Adult which has 18% protein. My other two younger dogs are still on Orijen and they like it a lot (but there is not much that they do not like)!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Judy -- Toby & Jaime's mo said:


> I have been using Orijen for about a year after doing a lot of research and contacting a small specialty pet store. She REALLY recommended the brand after all the research she did. Initially I was trying to find a food that my then IBD dog could tolerate (which did not work), but liked it for my other dogs.
> 
> One thing to note, it is a very high protein dog food -- almost 40%. Utlimately my 15 year old dog had to change to a lower protein food as she had renal failure. She is doing much better with Innova Senior Adult which has 18% protein. My other two younger dogs are still on Orijen and they like it a lot (but there is not much that they do not like)!


 High Judy, just one thing caught my attention with your senior dog. I've read articles by Sabine my nutritonist about protein and senior dogs. Generally healthy seniors need more protein. So I asked her about the renal probems with high protein and seniors. She sent me two articles if you are interested in reading them. She did say however that she would definitely not recommend kibble for a senior with renal problems. I'll be back with the links to the articles. Actually she sent them as attachments and being computer illiterate as I am , I don't know how to put them here. If you are interested email me privately at [email protected] and I will forward her two articles. I mentioned to her that your dog was doing better on lower protein , and here is her response. .. "That's really only co-incidental, reducing phosphorus is much, much more important - as I find in the kidney dogs I work with. I would definitely NOT feed any dry food at all, it's too high in minerals."


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## tlamann (Apr 10, 2010)

Ricki LOVES Orijen fish flavor 2x a day, I do not mix soft in, only a little warm water to bring the aroma out. We personally trust the quality of the ingredients more than those foods produced here in the states, I know his body is absorbing more nutrients with this food b/c he only dooloos 1-2 a day (bonus for me 
I will tell you that he has days he does not eat his kibble for whatever reason (I think it is b/c of the peameal back bacon his daddy slips him along with other tasty morsels) but I offer it to him at 7:00am & 7:00pm, If he eats he eats. 
Each furbaby is different...good luck!


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

I feed Orijen and I have been for almost a year now! I love it. Perfect poops and great coats. I give them 3/4 of their daily intake of Regional Red, and the other 1/4 in 6 Fish. Roscoe is allergic to chicken, and I really like all the extras in the fish since the fish oils are so good for their coats. However, feeding exclusively the fish tends to produce greasy poos, so they get both kinds. I put them each in separate bowls so they can choose which they eat, lol.

At 4.5 months he only needs to be fed 2x per day, not 3x that could be why he's not eating it. I mean, there's no harm in feeding 3x a day if he's going to eat all three meals, but if not you're better off just giving him 2. Also, there's no need to mix with the wet - you're just going to create a picky dog! You are the boss and he needs to know it, I went through this with Roscoe when he was around 5 months old. He went on a 3.5 day hunger strike, and by the morning of the 4th day he gobbled up his breakfast!

Roscoe and Stella were both horrible eaters, they would ignore their food at mealtimes and go days without eating. Finally, I just started free-feeding them. Voila! Every day they gobble up their food. I put 1/2 the day's amount in the bowls in the morning, and 1/2 in the evening. It's always all gone.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Natalia , at that age ,it's important to feed more often, especially with toy dogs. "The stomachs and digestive tracts of small breed puppies are tiny and do not have the capacity to utilize large amounts of food. Feeding smaller meals more frequently will have better results than giving fewer, larger meals. Hypoglycemia may be an issue in especially tiny puppies."


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