# Who feeds Orijen puppy food?



## Bishop

I am looking for the best puppy food for my new baby coming to me in a month....she is currently on Royal Canine, but it is not a five star food...thanks so much,
Courtney


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## gidget'smom

I hear great things about Orijen and Acana that is made by the same people that make Orijen. I am thrilled to hear that you want to feed your baby a 5 star dog food. Acana Pacifica in particular is the one I hear the most about probably for the omega 3 and 6 in the fish in that food. There is higher protein % in Orijen than Acana which, in my mind, even though our little ones need a good amount of premium source proteins, I don't think they need as much protein as say a working dog needs. Orijen is 42% Acana is 36% in certain kinds--still high but I have to wonder if Orijen may be a little to high. Don't get me wrong, if you can't get Acana I would still go Orijen before I would go with some other foods. If you can get it Taste of the Wild is another get 5 star dog food that is very reasonably priced. Not only is it sold at some pet supply store, but it is sold at Tractor Supply.


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## Bishop

well, I just bought Merrick's puppy plate for my other dog, but she is not that crazy about it, too bad Orijen and Acana are only sold online, as my area does not have puppy boutiques  Worried that since my one dog just barely eats the puppy plate, it is time to move onto another food....


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## LexiMom

I feed Acana which is exactly the same as Ojein and same makers - Lexi LOVES IT!!!! I get Acana at my local PetValu store here in NJ - if you go to the website it will tell you who carries it -- I have heard great things about Merrick as well....


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## zooeysmom

Just a caution that if your dog has a tendency to gain weight easily, Orijen and Acana will not be helpful! I struggled to maintain Zooey's weight on both of these foods, and she is not a couch potato (hikes 3 miles with me).


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## gidget'smom

Bishop said:


> well, I just bought Merrick's puppy plate for my other dog, but she is not that crazy about it, too bad Orijen and Acana are only sold online, as my area does not have puppy boutiques  Worried that since my one dog just barely eats the puppy plate, it is time to move onto another food....


I used to think it was not ideal to oder food online, but most of them have free shipping if you order over $49.00 and with 2 dogs that should not be a problem. Plus these 5 star dog are for all life stages you just usually feed the puppy more food to grow on. I would still go with Acana over Orijen especially since you are ordering. Also, if you have a local Tractor Supply I would try Taste of the Wild. Are you looking at food on Dogfoodadvisor.com?


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## Bailey&Me

Orijen is a great food but a bit high in protein for these little guys, in my opinion. I have fed Bailey Acana in the past and as kibble goes, I liked it a lot but it made him gain a lot of weight (I was feeding less of it than with other brands). I would not hesitate feeding Orijen or Acana if I had a large breed, active dog. 

Have you looked at Now! Small Breed or Fromm? Both are great foods and would be my top choices with a new Malt puppy.


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## SammieMom

I don't feed Orijen, but just wanted to say. I had Sammie's bile liver tests done when he was 9 months old. They are a wee bit high, which is common in Malts. It is recommended he not eat a high protein food. 
But I wanted to buy Orijen, (all of it is a non grain formula) and normally are higher in protein. It and several of the top 5 foods grain and non grain have too high a protein level IMO. The top foods, may not necessarily be the best for our breed. So I am feeding Sammie the Fromm food. Also, I do not have pet boutiques either, but after 2 yrs of petsmart I wandered into a small pet shop and found all the top foods and treats and specialty items. You would never known it from the front of the shop. So you may want to look closer in your area. Good luck with your new baby.


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## Madison's Mom

Which Fromm variety do you feed?


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## poochie2

I don't recommend Origen or Acana---too much protein for small breeds. It's better to go with a food that has moderate protein and fats. My malt gained quite a bit of weight when I first gave Acana but now she has lost that weight.....but it's not even the weight thing that I stopped Acana...it is just simply too high in protein which I have heard numerous people saying it stresses their kidneys.
Now and Fromm like suggested by others is a better choice IMO.


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## LJSquishy

poochie2 said:


> I don't recommend Origen or Acana---too much protein for small breeds. It's better to go with a food that has moderate protein and fats. My malt gained quite a bit of weight when I first gave Acana but now she has lost that weight.....but it's not even the weight thing that I stopped Acana...it is just simply too high in protein which I have heard numerous people saying it stresses their kidneys.
> Now and Fromm like suggested by others is a better choice IMO.


Acana is considered a 'moderate' protein food, not a high protein food.


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## LJSquishy

Orijen & Acana are both excellent foods, I have fed both and overall preferred Acana (the grain-free varieties) because it was less protein than the Orijen formulas. Preston did amazing on it, as did London, but she did gain some weight on it. Preston was able to maintain his weight. I have not fed a puppy formula of any food -- I prefer the "all life stages" foods.


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## aksm4

Luna is on horizon legacy it is on the higher protein side her liver was tested before patella surgery in Jan she is fine and not fat ........


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## lawgirl

My dog did really well on Wellness Small Breed Super5 Mix for Adults for two years, but I wanted to provide some protein source variety and recently started adding Orijen (Regional Red formula). I think that Orijen's kibble is some of the purest and best-sourced dry dog food on the market (they don't make canned dog food, only kibble, so it's a very focused product line and I like that) but I agree that the high protein might not work with every dog.

Right now both my dogs (my Maltese and a rescued Chihuahua) are loving the taste of Orijen mixed in with Wellness (about 1/2 and 1/2). Their poop is firmer and darker and smells much less! More importantly, they seem to enjoy the food much more, yet they eat _less_ because the Orijen is high-density. I think my Maltese is actually thinning down a bit (he had gained some winter weight).

I may just keep them on this mix for a bit because they get the grains from Wellness and the quality meat from Orijen.


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## Sylie

I never bought it simply because the pieces are too big. I use the kibble for rewards and want really small bites. One thing though, the dog food reviewers do very much judge by protein content. Many excellent foods only get a four star rating only because of a lower protein. We have been told that high protein is hard on our Malts kidneys, but I have also read that it is actually low quality protein and insufficient water that stresses their sweet tiny wittle kidneys and liver. One solution is to wet the kibble. 
I am buy no means any kind of expert and still find choosing food a challenge...I'm just sharing what I read in my own search for the best food for my babies.


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## Blizz

Both my Maltese and Shih Tzu are doing great on Orijen Puppy. I've posted a link of an article by petMD on another food thread about a protein that might make a good read. 

Here's the link to my post.
http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/60-.../120191-comparing-foods-all-one-thread-2.html


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## ladodd

My 8 yr old Malt is on Orijen. She eats it much better than anything we've ever tried. She hasn't gained any weight. As someone else mentioned, poopy is firm, I don't miss washing her tail feathers.


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