[Carly H]

Hello I know this is a few years old but can you possibly update it? My opinion is it’s the food! Science diet is poison and it’s killing dogs and has been! Big time. All the foods your vet will recommend – same.
Stella and chewy was bought out by a Chinese company last year and they have to crap too! Science diet is owned by I believe Nestle ! As in the candy company ! Mars as in Mars bars also own a lot of pet food companies and now a ton of vet offices are owned by them as well. They have no business being in pet food and anything related !
More recently though a ton of pet food brands are making dogs sick and exactly how your dog was/is sick is how these dogs are , same symptoms to the t! My exes moms dog recently was on science diet i/d like your dog and almost died on it . Same symptoms ! I told her to stop feeding SD and pray it didn’t do too much damage and her dog is recovering!
It’s likely a pesticide from an ingredient that all these different dog food companies use and outsource from the same source ! These companies will use the same sources for certain things.
None of them are agreeing to recall even though the cases are in high numbers and dogs are still getting sick and dying daily. They don’t care about our dogs and only about money . Candy bar companies shouldn’t be making dog food but even so there are a ton of other companies not owned by them that are making dogs sick right now. Purina , SD and Royal Canin being the top ones.
Stella and Chewys used to a great food until they were bought out, Acana and Orijen were also sold and bought by Mars and went to crap and there are many more!
Please if you haven’t already stop feeding these foods and best to stop kibble all together most of them use very high heat to cook the pathogens from the 4D meat they use in their foods meat that’s from other same spieces animal that the foods made for , and they have been euthanized! The proof is in the fact that dogs foods were testing high levels of phenobarbital in it something they obviously don’t put in dog food unless they are putting euthanized dogs in it since that’s one of the meds used in vets offices to put dogs down! Sick and diseased cattle are being used in dog food and finally plain old road kill! So i get why they heat up the kibble so high to kill all that comes with using this kind of meat source! However the high heat may kill all the pathogens but it also kills any nutrients in the meat and yes this kind of horrible meat does have some !
Once they kill it all they gotta add it back using synthetic vitamin mixes which they are fining to cause cancer and speaking of cancer the carcinogens caused by cooking the kibble to the point of burning it gives your pet a good dose of cancer causing carcinogens !
Don’t use kibble it’s so and as is but right now with this mystery issues going on that’s these pet Food companies are sweeping under the rug you can’t take the risk!
You mentioned your dogs doesn’t tolerate raw meat? Could you try a gently cooked premade ? Or possibly a synthetic free raw premade as opposed to raw from the store ? Keep in mind the detoxing period that there is with raw but after typically is all good. If your dog isn’t tolerating raw meat maybe it’s that particular protein that’s an allergy or too rich . Try rabbit meat it’s good for allergic and sensitive dogs . If you must use a “kibble” try an alternative like Carna4 though it may be a bit rich for your dog especially if it has pancreatic issues but if not carna is not kibble and it’s made safer . I use partial raw and a freeze dried raw called Simple Food Project and they make combo proteins and single protein formulas and my dog loves it. It can be rehydrated with water, raw goats milk or broth or eaten dry with a continuous water source available .
I hope this finds you and your pup living your best lives ever! If this isn’t applicable to your situation any longer I apologize and hope someone else on here can use the info!
Xoxo

[Heidi P]

After a tumultuous year of family/pet deaths, moving, etc and wanting to change dog food. He’d been on Orijen for his entire life, but his poops became copious and rancid. It was time for a change. So my 10 yr old Boston Terrier finally settled with Primal chicken. The experience was my original worry, but he loved the food, his poops were the best they’d ever been, and did I mention…he loved the food. So now, after feeding him Primal for 3 mnths now…his poops have been worse, and now he’s turning up his nose 2 days now. Everything else is the same. So….i wanted to see if anyone else had noticed a change in Primal, if not I’m going to assume something is up with Moose. He has a vet appt next week, his monthly visit for hyperthyroidism. But wanted to check in with other Primal users first.
Thank you for any assistance my fellow dog parents can offer.

[April A]

Hello Christopher,

Seeing how dedicated you are to finding the best food for your adorable Cavachon is lovely! As a proud dog parent, selecting the proper nutrition for your furry companion is a top priority.

When choosing the perfect food for your Cavachon, there are a few factors to consider. Their breed, size, age, activity level, and any specific dietary needs play a role in determining the best option.

Since you currently use pre-made store dog foods, you might want to explore premium brands prioritising high-quality, natural ingredients. Brands like Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, Orijen, and Blue Buffalo offer a range of options tailored to different dog breeds and needs.

Also, watch for formulations that contain essential nutrients like protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Your veterinarian can provide valuable insights into your Cavachon’s unique nutritional requirements and guide you toward the most suitable choice.

Ultimately, the best food for your Cavachon will keep them happy, healthy, and energetic. Regular exercise, ample fresh water, and regular vet check-ups complement a well-balanced diet.

Your commitment to providing the best for your furry friend is truly heartwarming. Wishing you and your Cavachon many more joyful moments together! 🐾🐶

[Ramasubramaniam B]

Schuyler,
Correct question. I appreciate you for your question “Why would you send out an email for brands you don’t recommend on your site?”
They identified DCM treat in brands like “Taste of wild”, “Orijen” etc and there are many recall history in Purina brands also. But they suggested best dog food in editor choice. This is completely insane and it proves they are earning money from dog food manufacturers by showing faults and once paid they will make it in best food suggestions.

[Ramasubramaniam B]

Hi,
This is regarding your best dry dog food suggestion as per editor choice, the editor has mentioned Taste of wild which has DCM treat controversial, Purina brand which has many recalls history controversial, orijen which has DCM Treat controversial. Royal canine which has full of steriods.
Do you provide healthy suggestions or money minded suggestions which is favor to dog food manufacturing corporates? I followed your articles for about two years for growing my son (golden retriever) healthy. Once you suggested farmina N&D puppy grain free so we bought and using it. Due to the brewer yeast or too much yeast content my kid’s (puppy’s) spleen got swallow due to bloating issues. Spent a lot with tensions apart to make him normal. I hope you are earning through companies in the name of food advisor. Totally fake.

[Christy K]

My 12 year old girl who used to eat anything and everything came down with HGE in November, a few weeks after getting a puppy. I was pretty good (not perfect) about making sure she didn’t eat my puppy’s food (Orien Large Puppy 16% fat) because she is overweight and will eat it all. I was feeding a mix of Kirkland Nature’s Domain (16% fat) and Authority Grain Free (22% fat) as well as fish oil for the last few years. I then switched her to Orijen Senior (15%) fat about a month or so before the puppy. I did also give her some treats more often (puppy training) but not a ton. After the first bout of HGE, I stopped the oil and she seemed great. Right after Christmas – I let her and my puppy lick some turkey drippings out of a pan and she also had a real bone (the dried kind from the feed store). I noticed a little bit of blood but solid poop. I switched her to Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal (over the course of about a week, still 1/2 and 1/2). About two weeks after I noticed her stools got looser and then real bad diahhrea. Took her to the vet the next day (after feeding straight GI food and electrolytes) and she had really bad bloody/water diarrhea. She is getting better but the vet thinks I need to switch her to a low fat diet the rest of her life.

I am on the fence because she was eating much lower than she used to. I also saw her drinking some water in big dishes I leave out for my tortoise and chickens, which had sat out a couple weeks. I think it might be a bacterial thing. However, they messed up and never tested her stool and she now on antibiotics so I won’t ever know.

That said, I don’t like Royal Canin GI because it’s slaughterhouse waste and I think way too low fat (5%), but I would like to get her on some lower fat food as well as a good digestive gut health food. But, most gut health foods are 12% or more. The low fat foods (dog food advisor recommended) for low fat that have lower fat are Nulo Healthy Weight and Merrick but neighter seem particularly focused on gut health. I could always get extra pre and probiticvs but it would be bnice to have them in one.

So, – food recommendations? Pre and probiotics recommendations? Experiences with HGE?

[Patricia A]

Hi Aimee,
I get it all and understand those pet owners feeding PPP. Better no harm done. That being said, my Hannah Belle Chihuhua was fed Fromm half of her life that being grain free. Switched to Stella’s kibble grain free when she was I believe about nine . The only freeze dried she LOVED was a treat of origen. I wasn’t at all familiar with ANY freeze dried products at the time. Just know she would be so excited to eat a nugget. At the time Fromm and Orijen were “the very best” kibble to feed. We then got Tia from a breeder who had her two Chihuahuas’. She mated only once. She actually bred Great Danes. Had a very large property with horses also not too far from my home. Her Great Danes were in ads for Pergo flooring. Beautiful dogs’. Well she was feeding Stella n Chewy’s to the Chis’ along with Health Extensions. So when brought home Tia that is what I fed. Noticed Hannah would grab a few kibbles of the Stella’s so I transitioned her also. Hannah passed at over 17 1/2 years. She was extremely active until last few months of her life before putting her to rest. Vet only advised heart meds last few months of her life. She had MVD very common in small breeds. My Tia now is 12 1/2 and has been on Stella’s all her life. Very active and LOVES her added freeze dried to the kibble. I relieved to see that Stella’s as a brand was not called by fDA and not at all one of the foods implicated as being fed in DCM. I’m going to have to stick with what’s working with good stool, energy, no digestive issues and good checkups’ . Vet said don’t change if working. If ANYTHING changes in their checkups I will certainly talk to my vet about PPP.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Amy H!
How were your pup’s allergies determined? Most allergy tests are not reliable and most dog allergies are usually environmental, not food related.

That being said, the best way to determine food allergies is by an elimination diet. An elimination diet might be started with a novel protein or a hydrolyzed Rx food to clear the system and then slowly adding in a new protein one at a time to determine a possible allergy.

Glad you are not feeding Orijen any longer. It along with Champion’s other formulas are some of the most that are correlated with dilated cardiomyopathy. Mars is a great dog food manufacturer. They employ experts, own their own manufacturing plants, do a ton of research and perform feed trials.

Best of luck to you figuring this out!

[Amy H]

Hi everyone, joining the conversation. Our lab started with diarrhea, itchy skin, and ear mites as a young pup. Finally had him tested and he has severe allergies to dust mites, ragweed, cottonwood, meadow fescue grass, hickory, goldenrod, sorrel, willow, and lots of food. He is getting allergy shots weekly through Heska plus Zyrtec and Apoquel. I’ve tried several different foods and felt pretty comfortable with Orijen Original, but it was just purchased by Mars.
My boy is 101 pounds, and I want to find new food, I tried raw food and the poor thing had a horrible reaction. Vomiting and diarrhea, when I blended a very small amount with his existing food.
I do know the only way to be certain with foods is to do an elimination diet(I have two dogs and this would be difficult) That being said, his testing shows he is fine with all proteins, it’s the binders he is allergic to, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, rice, barley, corn, flax, milk, oats, peanut, soybean, wheat, and green beans.
Does anyone have any experience with Farmina Skin and Coat or AnnaMaet’s Sensitive Skin and Stomach?

[Micheal L Garci]

There are many different types of dog food that can be used for bullies, but some of our favorites include: Orijen’s bully mix food, Purina Pro Plan kibble, and Wellness basic kibble.

[AK E]

We have 2 German Shepherd pups aged 7 months. Currently we are feeding Orijen Large Breed dry dog food. What would be a good food to transition them to when they are about a years old? Thank you.

[ShiroTheCavapoo]

Hi folks,

I have a one year old Cavapoo (weight 10.5kg / 23 lbs) who is on freeze dried raw patties. He is given the following together with his food: Adored Beast Potent-Sea Omega 3 Oil, golden paste, probiotics, chia and flax seeds.

Normally, the discharge / gunk from his eyes in the mornings are clear or white in color and his ears do not have much ear wax when I clean them weekly.

For the past 3 weeks, I have been slowly transitioning him to Orijen Six Fish. No issues in the first 2 weeks of his transition to the kibbles.

In the third week of transition, he is being fed 1 cup of Orijen Six Fish kibbles (which forms 2/3 of his meal) with his freeze dried patties (1/3 of his meal).

This is when the discharge from his eyes became rust colored and he has ALOT of ear wax. I have been cleaning his ears daily but every morning there seems to be more. However, the ear wax is not foul smelling and my dog doesn’t seem to be bothered by it (no scratching or head shaking etc).

I suspect I am overfeeding him and there is excessive intake of protein and fats (since Orijen is very high in protein). Will cut back on the kibbles and see what happens.

Anyone has any experience on this or any advice?

Thanks in advance.

[MARCIA H]

Hi, First off, thank you for providing this forum and your recall system. That in particular is invaluable.

I have studied dog food, nutrition, and health as an admin on a popular dog food group for nine years but stepped down and away from the group in January. I’ve worked in the medical field my entire life.

I have problems with some of the foods you listed in your Top Dry Dog Foods. First up, Blue Buffalo. They have had several recalls in the past. Listed ingredients include: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oatmeal, etc. First off, I noticed several foods, including Wellness Core, which you rate highly, use brown rice as a second or third ingredient. All U.S. rice, brown, white, or organic, is naturally contaminated with arsenic in the hulls, so I refuse to feed my dog anything with rice in it. Rice is only a cheap filler anyway, so you’re losing zero nutrition when you cut it out.

Also, you have many foods in your Top Dry Dog Foods that rely heavily on grains. Look at Blue above: Brown rice (see above), barley, oatmeal, and the list goes on. Our dogs don’t need grains. They’re carnivores, not chickens. There are many dog foods who use cheaper grains like corn (that would be moldy hog corn), soy, wheat, etc. NONE of these are good for your dogs. Grain-free foods are best.

Orijen and Acana were wonderful foods when they were all made in Canada. Since they built a factory in Kentucky, the food’s quality has greatly declined and, before I left the group I referenced above, I saw many. many dogs get very sick or worse from eating Acana, Orijen, Blue Buffalo, Wellness & Wellness Core, and several more of the foods you have listed in your Top Ten.

I’m not trying to cause trouble or be picky, I’m trying to share what I’ve learned about dog foods over the past nine years. Oh, and Diamond food and anything made by Diamond (like Taste of the Wild) — awful foods. Diamond has had several recalls and lots and lots of production issues. I wouldn’t recommend TOTW, Diamond, or anything else they produce.

I could go on and on but wanted to shed some light on what I’ve already read. I hope this information will help at least one person.

[Q C]

It seems that ORIJEN just added grains dog food – any chance that you guys will review these new grains food soon? THANK YOU!

[crazy4cats]

This sight judges food by its ingredient label. Board- Certified veterinarian nutritionists recommend judging pet food by a different criteria. They suggest checking out the company who sells it!

Stop reading your pet food ingredient list!

Unfortunately, Orijen and Acana which are both made by Champion are highly correlated with the increasing amount of dogs with nutritionally mediated DCM.

[Anne D]

Very helpful discussion! I just heard about chick peas and lentils being a concern so am rethinking my GSD dry food. Orijen is ranked here as a top food but it contains these ingredients, albeit slightly lower down the list of ingredients. Why is this food ranked so high? Who exactly are the ‘experts’ who rank these foods? So confused rn

[Benhur B]

Valens is better than Orijen and Acanna. It is under rated here. Orijen gave my giant loose stools always. Acanna huge ones. I never had to add treats to his food now. The packaging is lack luster and 90s looking which is why most don’t notice it on the shelves. Price wise you can’t beat it. You get 3 pounds more for the same price if Orijen. After trying almost every super premium kibble Valens tops them all by far actually.

[Brenda D]

It looks like the class action suit didn’t have much evidence to back the claim up. Here’s what Petful has to say about the company https://www.petful.com/brands/orijen/
I feed Origen to my dog and my cat and have confidence that they’re eating a good nutritious brand. Of course if they had their way they’d be eating human food and probably junk human food at that. Is that the Domino’s pizza delivery guy at the door?

[philip M]

Orijen dry grain free, for month of Oct. YOU gave a 5-STAR rating.. At the same time,
(Petful), reported a class action lawsuit recently against Orijen, for high amounts of Arsenic, Mercury, and Lead.. So which is it, a 5-STAR rated dog food..? Or a Dog Food company, with major legal problems..? CAN NOT be BOTH..

[Dawn K]

New-ish to the forums, so hello everyone!

I would like to request a review of the Acana & Orijen grain-free wet/canned dog foods that have recently shown up in my local PetCo. Both can be easily found by searching the PetCo site for “Acana wet” & “Orijen wet.” (I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to include hyperlinks here or not.)

I’ve been using them for a few weeks at the recommendation of PetCo staff (also known as my son’s girlfriend) & I know they’re a popular name in the industry, but I’d feel safer feeding them to my large-breed puppy (GSD/Hound mix; 13 months; 80+ pounds) & dog (Rottie/Pit/Boxer/Lab mix; 2 years; 70+ pounds) if this site gave them a good rating.

Our dogs are normally fed Wellness Complete dry (large breed puppy & large breed adult) with wet as a topper. I do not use the Acana/Orijen exclusively & offer my pups a select variety of wet toppers (usually Merrick, Canidae, Wellness, & WholeHearted), both with & without grain. I prefer with grain, but am sometimes at the mercy of what the store has in-stock.

We’ve tried most flavors & varieties of the Acana/Orijen canned offerings with mostly positive reviews from our canine taste-testers. I will say that my puppy was not a fan of either puppy option & generally refused to eat both.

Also, is it odd they they also seem to be exclusively available at PetCo? PetCo seems to be really pushing these two wet foods & they have always been in stock for the past month or so, even when other popular brands were unavailable.

Thank you in advance.

[Marnie C]

Years ago after much research and using DFA, I decided to put my whippets on Orijen. And then the FDA and my vet said no grain free. I want to find something that is grain inclusive. I know you all understand but these are my babies and I want what is best. I was looking into The Farmer’s Dog and Ollie but with two I concerned it would break the bank. Trying to find another good food. Any suggestion or advice would be great. I want a food I can feed them both. They are super active.

[JENN L]

I have found that anything fishy seems to cause my border collie to have issues with his anal glands. . .fish chews, fish oil . .. I fed him Farmina for quite a while and then switched to Orijen Regional Red. I found his stinky issue to improve on Orijen :). Then I bought another bag of Farmina and he’s back at it. My question is: what is really causing the issue, though? Both foods contain fish, in fact, it looks like the Orijen has more (oil plus fish and fish meal vs Farmina Boar with just fish oil). Could it be something else? What should I be watching for with his foods?

[Charles M]

Hi,

Other than this site and forum, I have browsed through many and many websites, but there is no proper fact-based information or advice which I could find on what meat would be better for a certain dog breed.

I have a Working English Cocker Spaniel who is turning 12 months and I wanted to figure out if I should go with red or white meat-based dry food for him. We are currently on Orijen Puppy. I can see many people recommend Orijen Regional Red for Cocker Spaniels, but I am worried about that it is heavily red meat-based only without any white and poultry meat. On the other hand, Orijen Original is heavily poultry meat-based food.

I wanted to ask members with more understanding and dog dietary expertise if:

• Should I get Orijen Regional Red which is red meat-based food for my Cocker Spaniel?
• Or should I get the Orijen Original which is poultry meat-based food for my Cocker Spaniel?
• Or should I feed him on both by mixing up the Reg Regional with the Original to provide a more balanced diet?

Thanks in advance, for helping me with this.

[Nisha P]

I’m curious about this too. My GSP has started having health issues after 3 years of being on Orijen.

[Anonymous]

Hello, my dog is a maltese, 10 years old and lately she has allergies. I’ve been feeding her from day 1 with Orijen (red, but now Senior). I am looking information for Acana Lamb & Apple, and if it is suitable for a 10 years old dog.
Thank you!

[James S]

Has anyone tried the new Orijen small breed formula yet. Hopefully The Dog food Advisor will give their review soon. Thanks!

[Angelo C]

Hello!

My dog is 95 lbs, mix of Rottweiler, German Shepherd and Lab.
She’s currently on Taste of the Wild dry kibble. I’ve been wanting to get her on a mix of dry and wet.
I want to transition to a different kibble brand, Orijen brand dry kibble and Taste of the Wild wet canned food.

Is this safe/”smart” to do? I’m really attracted to the Orijen brand, unfortunately Orijen doesn’t offer any wet canned food and I want her to have a mix of wet food too.
Thank you in advance!

Best regards,

Angelo

[Marnie C]

I used to feed my dogs Orijen Regional Red but since the latest concerns about grain free dog food, I switched to Nulo. The people at Pet Food Express highly recommend it. I have active whippets.

[Mike B]

No Orijen or Acana??? Interesting

[kelly C]

First time here and thank you all for all your tips and advises. Really helpful. I have a little dog that is malipoo who will be turning 13 yrs this coming June. He is a really happy and playful dog full of love and joy always. He’s been on anti seizure med since he was 2 and was diagnosed diabetic Aug 2017 ( He was 10 ) I am planning on switching his food to a new food as recently switched food is not settling too well from stomach to his BG ( Blood Glucose ) fluctuations. Thinking of switching to Orijen Senior Dog Food.
I need to look out for 2 things in his food 1) Diabetes ( low carb, high fiber )
2) Seizures ( No rosemary and grain free which i have learnt )
My question/request now is can you tell me if the ingredients listed below is good ( safe for seizures )

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Orijen Senior Dog Food

85% QUALITY ANIMAL INGREDIENTS| 15% VEGETABLES & FRUIT
Fresh chicken meat (13%), fresh cage-free eggs (7%), fresh turkey meat (7%), fresh whole herring (7%), fresh chicken liver (6%), fresh whole flounder (4%), fresh turkey liver (4%), fresh chicken necks (4%), fresh chicken heart (4%), fresh turkey heart (4%), chicken (dehydrated, 4%), turkey (dehydrated, 4%), whole mackerel (dehydrated, 4%), whole sardine (dehydrated, 4%), whole herring (dehydrated, 4%), whole red lentils, whole green lentils, fresh whole green peas, lentil fibre, fresh whole chickpeas, fresh whole yellow peas, whole pinto beans, fresh chicken cartilage (1%), whole navy beans, herring oil (1%), chicken fat (1%), fresh turkey cartilage (1%), chicken liver (freeze-dried), turkey liver (freeze-dried), fresh whole pumpkin, fresh whole butternut squash, fresh whole zucchini, fresh whole parsnips, fresh carrots, fresh whole Red Delicious apples, fresh whole Bartlett pears, fresh kale, fresh spinach, fresh beet greens, fresh turnip greens, brown kelp, whole cranberries, whole blueberries, whole Saskatoon berries, chicory root, turmeric root, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rosehips, Enterococcus faecium. ADDITIVES (per kg): Nutritional additives: Zinc chelate: 100 mg.

Thank you all. 🙏🏼🐶❤️

[Marisa J]

Hi I work at a pet store and have a hand full of customers with Shih Tzu’s.

If your dog has a sensitive stomach I would recommend adding goat’s milk (a universal milk) into your dogs diet. This will not only aid in digestion but also add hydration too! Some brands even added spices into the goat milk for added benefits.

If not goat’s milk I would encourage you to find a good probiotic powder for your dog. This will help with the sensitivity of your dogs stomach.

Merrick is good brand and Duck is a cooling protein (this will help with any inflammation). I would recommend after 2 months switching through Merrick’s formulas to help your dog become accustomed to other proteins and amino acids.

Other brands that are high in protein and low in carb (easier to digest) are Zignature, Orijen, Farmina, Acana, and Essence.

If your dog has a sensitive stomach I would also try introducing freeze dried treats. These treats are a lot easier to digest than biscuit treats. I only give my dogs freeze-dried raw treats.

[Robbie M]

My dog is approximately 10.5 years of age (rescued from southern Cali in 2012 wasn’t sure of age brought him to Canada) he’s a boxer cross either staffordshire or pitbull likely pitbull. His hips have never really been in their sockets per se they are just held in place by muscle which he had lots of but now as he ages I worry. Also don’t want him to be sore or stiff or inflamed. Anyways I put him on Orijen Senior and he has shown good results, we also feed him a scoop or 2 of pumpkin every day, and his food is given 3 time’s a day with 2 scoops am 1/2 scoop afternoon and 2 in evening which equals to about 2.25 or 2.5 cups per day. Pumpkin usually goes in the AM and the afternoon he gets a tiny bit of tuna sometimes as well as a cracker with a bit of peanut butter n a couple small pieces of apple. And at night we top it with a bit diced apple/cucumber/carrot with an emphasis on the cucumber. His snacks are the orijen Six fish which he gets about 1-3 pieces a day. Oops and finally he gets CBD which I generally squirt 10mg onto a mini wheat and that’s twice a day. So with all this taken into account i bought him a bottle of grizzly joint aid with these ingredients:

Active Ingredients, per ounce
Glucosamine Sulfate (crustacean source) 1500 mg
Chondroitin Sulfate (porcine source) 1250 mg
Methyl Sulfonyl Methane (MSM) 1250 mg
Krill Oil 560 mg
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) 10 mg
Inactive Ingredients
Water, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid. Each pump is 0.12 ounces and he gets 4 pumps per day.
He seemed to do well on it but I wanted to make sure it was good.

I’m considering switching it for alpha omega sinew which has:

Ingredients (per 1 scoop [5 g]):

Vitamins:
beta-Carotene………………………………………………………………… 600 mcg (1000 IU)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine hydrochloride)……………………………………….. 2 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)…………………………………………………………. 2 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide)…………………………………………………….. 20 mg
Vitamin B5 (D-Pantothenic acid)…………………………………………….. 5 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine hydrochloride)…………………………………….. 2 mg
Vitamin B7 (Biotin)…………………………………………………………. 200 mcg
Vitamin B9 (L-Methylfolate)………………………………………………. 300 mcg
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)…………………………………………… 100 mcg
Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic acid)…………………………………………………. 100 mg
Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)……………………………………………… 12.5 mcg (500 IU)
Vitamin E (d-alpha Tocopheryl acetate)………………………………… 16.8 mg AT (25 IU)
Vitamin K2 (Menaquinones)………………………………………………. 10 mcg
Choline (Choline bitartrate)…………………………………………………. 10 mg
Inositol (Myo-inositol)…………………………………………………………. 10 mg
Rutin………………………………………………………………………………. 10 mg

Minerals:
Boron (Sodium borate)……………………………………………………. 250 mcg
Calcium (Calcium citrate)…………………………………………………… 50 mg
Chromium (Chromium polynicotinate)……………………………….. 100 mcg
Copper (Cupric gluconate)……………………………………………… 1000 mcg
Magnesium (Magnesium citrate)………………………………………… 50 mg
Manganese (Manganese sulphate)……………………………………….. 2 mg
Molybdenum (Sodium molybdate)…………………………………….. 100 mcg
Selenium (L-Selenomethionine)…………………………………………. 10 mcg

Silicon (Sodium metasilicate)……………………………………………….. 1 mg
Zinc (Zinc citrate)……………………………………………………………… 1 mg
Minerals are in elemental quantities.

Phytonutrients:
Boswellia serrata (Frankincence Resin)…………………………………… 25 mg
Curcuma longa (Turmeric Rhizome)………………………………………. 15 mg

Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil’s Claw Root)……………………. 20 mg

Accessory nutrients:
Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorella Broken Cell)……………………………….. 100 mg
D-Chondroitin sulphate……………………………………………………… 500 mg
D-Glucosamine sulphate………………………………………………….. 1000 mg
Hyaluronic acid……………………………………………………………….. 50 mg
Hydrolyzed collagen……………………………………………………….. 1000 mg
L-Glutamine…………………………………………………………………… 50 mg
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)……………………………………………. 400 mg

Enzymes**:

alpha-Amylase……………………………………………………….. 15 mg (330 FCC DU)
Cellulase………………………………………………………………… 10 mg (35 FCC CU)
Lipase……………………………………………………………………… 35 mg (42 FCC LU)
Protease…………………………………………………………………… 40 mg (720 FCC HUT)

**Enzymatic Units
FCC (Food Chemicals Codex)
FCC CU (Cellulase Units)
FCC DU (alpha-Amylase Dextrinizing Units)
FCC HUT (Hemoglobin Unit on a Tyrosine Basis)
FCC LU (Lipase Units)

Additional ingredients:
Apple fibre, Citrus bioflavonoids, Spirulina.

The only issue with the sinew is I don’t feed him wet food but that actually leads to another question. Would it be a bad idea to say lower his dry food content a bit and use the Orijen Freeze Dried pucks as a topper instead of other stuff? Or is that too much for an old boy. I’m just trying my hardest to keep him as healthy and mobile as I can to keep his muscles as strong as possible around the hips. He’s always been fairly slow but never overweight I walk him about 2-3km a day at a relatively lax pace he likes to sniff a lot. We often break it up into two walks about 0.6 km early afternoon and about 2-3km at night. Hoping even with the slow pace this will keep his muscles from deteriorating too much. Really considering a water treadmill as I’ve been told that’s a good way to keep muscles without much strain. Sorry. I know that’s a lot to unpack and everything but I truly appreciate the feedback as I’ve been given very sound advice from this website before. Thanks again again my apologies I just love my guy so much he’s been like my best friend and helped me through some serious trauma and the ensuing insomnia and ptsd that goes with it.

[Carolyn B]

I can’t believe how old this post is, really hope you found a solution for Timber!

I’ve had two huskies and both were intolerant to chicken, beef, AND lamb. Even boiled chicken and rice would give them diarrhea. I found that unique proteins like venison, bison, quail, etc do not bother their digestive system. And they thrive on fish-based kibble. I wonder if you have tried something without chicken, beef or lamb? It’s not as easy to find kibble without it, since those are the cheapest and therefore most common in dog foods. I fed both of my dogs orijen six fish.. very pricey for kibble but huskies don’t eat as much as most dogs for their weight, so it was $90 a month for two dogs. Not that bad.

Also, 50 lbs is not small for a well bred Siberian husky. People breed them bigger.. but breed standard is 45 to 65 lbs for a male. My male had champion lines and he was just over 50 lbs at a healthy weight. My female was around 40 (breed standard for females is 35 to 55).

[CM86]

My dog has a high suspicion of Lymphoma. Secondary testing at the end of the week will either deny or confirm.

I am already trying to be proactive in the even it is in fact bad news. Yesterday I grabbed the lowest carb food I could find at my local non-chain pet store. I ended up with Orijen Regional Red which contains 15% fruits and vegetables which is the only part which would contain any carbs….the rest of the food was 30-40% fruits and veggies.

I need to do more research, but for the mean time I at least wanted to make some progress which the food change over. I am currently blending the Orijen Regional Red into his current food which contains sweet potatoes (carbs grrr).

Was this a waist of money or was getting him on regional red until I figure out a better game plan a helpful decision ?

[haleycookie]

Every dog food has horror stories. Heck most have recalls at this point. The most important thing to me is rotational feeding meat based foods along with adding in as much fresh foods as possible. Frozen raw, freeze dried raw, bone broths, canned food are all less processed than kibble. Some good kibbles as a base I like to use are Nature’s variety raw boost, orijen, and canidae ancestral.

[Yianna S]

Hello, my dog is a maltese, 10 years old and lately she has allergies. I’ve been feeding her from day 1 with Orijen (red, but now Senior). I am looking information for Acana Lamb & Apple, and if it is suitable for a 10 years old dog.
Thank you!

[Donna H]

I have Australian Shepherds. They have been on Fromm Acana, Orijen, and are now on Farmina Ancestral Grain. One of my boys was diagnosed last year with very mild DCM. I switched all of the dogs off of grain free in light of this. On the Ancestral Grain, a couple of them are having G.I. issues (specifically gas). I want my dogs to be on a high quality dog food that is not grain free. At this point I am not interested in getting into the discussion regarding DCM and grain free foods. Veterinarians will recommend science diet which I am not necessarily in favor of. I’m looking for a healthy grain kibble that does not produce G.I. issues.

[haleycookie]

So your dog is about 31 lbs at 5 months. First do you know if she’ll be over 50 lbs at full size? Is you think she will be I would switch to the large breed puppy food. If you think she’ll stay under 50 lbs follow the medium sized puppy guide on orijens bag. So for a 33 lbs dog it says 2 and 1/3 cup of food a day. Feeding guidelines will normally give u per day feedings not per meal. Some ppl only feed one meal a day so that wouldn’t help some ppl. So 2 and 1/3 cup is 266 g of food a day.
As for adult, let’s say he taps out at 20 kg or 44 lbs. for the original orijen you would feed him between 1 and 1/2 to 2 and 1/4 cups depending on his activity levels. Or somewhere between 171 g and 257g.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by haleycookie.

[Daniel S]

Hi there, I’m the founder of KetoNatural Pet Foods.

On the issue of ingredient commonality, chicken is BY FAR the most prevalent ingredient in our chicken recipe (and salmon is by far the most prevalent ingredient in our salmon recipe). In both cases, the meat products make up 75% or more of the formula. And, unlike most pet food companies (including at least one of the two you’ve mentioned here) when I make that claim I’m making it on a post-dehydration basis. We add our chicken to our formula AFTER it has been dehydrated, so the percentage of the formula that is chicken is not skewed by the presence of water. Even after dehydration, it’s still the case that more than 75% of our formula is chicken. Your statement that chicken is the “fifth of sixth ingredient” is completely false, I assure you. It’s BY FAR the most common ingredient and I’m not aware of another kibble on the planet that has a higher ratio of animal products to starch than Ketona (and I’ve actually written a book about this subject, so I’m quite familiar with the marketplace!).

(If you want to see this “dehydration issue” for yourself, go check out the website for Orijen by Champion Pet Foods. The company claims that most of its Orijen formulas are at least 90% meat products. But the formulas are also typically at least 25% carbohydrate. Animal products don’t contain carbohydrates. So something doesn’t add up. That “something” is the presence of water in the animal ingredients.)

On this issue of price, it is indeed the case that our food is more expensive than many (but not all) kibbles. But it’s nutritional composition is different too. We have by far the lowest carbohydrate content of any dry pet food on the market today. Carb-heavy ingredients (corn, rice, potatoes, etc.) are the cheapest ingredients. And that’s why most kibbles are insanely cheap (far cheaper than the trashiest fast food on a per-calorie basis). Because our formulas feature more animal-based ingredients and fewer carb-heavy ingredients, they’re more expensive to produce. So we have to charge a bit more. But I’ll note that (1) our prices are only about 20-25% of nutritionally-similar raw diets (the only other types of pet food products that have a nutritional content remotely similar to ours) and (2) on a quantitative basis, switching a 50-pound dog from Acana to Ketona is only likely to add $0.50 to $1.00 per day to your dog food budget. Hardly a massive change.

Regards,

Daniel Schulof
KetoNatural Pet Foods

[Lewis F]

Linda,

Our Cavapoo has been on Orijen Original for three years. We have b;lood work done every year and everything is fine! Our Vet says the same thing”there is no reason tio change food”

[Linda R]

My dog is a 5 year old German Shepherd. She has had bad food allergies all her life. I have had her on Orijen dog food when she was young. She has been on Acana Singles for about 4 years now. Had her at the Vet he said she is doing fine and he see no reason to change her food.

[Alice B]

I was talking with a lady on our walk, about her dogs & dog food
Her last dog was fed Orijen, Wellness, Acana, all very high protein foods, & died of cancer at age 5 years old!

Now with her new pup, she is feeding Pro plan as her Vet has suggested & hopes the pup has a much longer lifespan

[haleycookie]

It’s unlikely your pup will be large breed. Try to stick with meat based foods, some of my favorites are, merrick back country, canidae ancestral, orijen, instinct raw boost, and essence dog food. All of these foods are going to be made up of mostly meat. They all (to my knowledge) employ vet nutritionalist to formulate their foods as well.
I’d also recommend adding canned foods, dehydrated raw, frozen raw, and other topper type foods.
Fresh pet is actually pretty good quality. It is much more fresh and meat based than kibbled foods. Kibble should ideally be a base and other types of less processed foods should make up the rest.
Nature’s variety makes quality canned foods, frozen raw, and freeze dried toppers in a multitude of flavors, I would check those out, merrick has a wide variety of canned options for picky dogs. Tiki dog food also have very popular canned foods for picky dogs. Also the brand weruva has great canned foods too. You can add bone broths as well. Solid gold has a variety of those as well as other brands, you can also just boiling chicken (or bones) and use the broth off that. Cooked egg, plain kefir, and raw goats milk are nutritionally dense as well.
Consider rotational feeding, this helps prevent allergies, pickiness in dogs, and it also helps in case the food u feed is recalled or discontinued. Rotational feeding just helps expand their diet and if u ever have to change for an emergency you will be prepared to do so. If u do decide to try rotational feeding try to start slow. Get the pup on one food for awhile then slowly switch over the course of a couple weeks. Eventually u will have no issues switching with no transitional period at all.

[Jennifer M]

I used to feed my dogs Purina Proplan 20 yrs ago and when I noticed my Cocker Spaniel started to itch around the time that grain-free food b/c popular, I switched her over to them. In 2013, she was 11 and we had a new lab puppy and I did research and fed them them, the best food I thought at the time which was Orijen and Acana. Because it was so high protein, I then switched my Cocker over to Fromm. My Cocker did develop a heart murmur in the last 2 yrs of her life, so not sure if it was from having been fed grain free or of her age, but I have read the studies and there definitely is something going on. For me, having had a Dane with DCM, I don’t wish that on any dog, so I switched my lab and new Cocker puppy off grain free completely. Ironically, thinking of going back to Purina Proplan. What I do notice is that chicken usually causes itchiness, while fish based does not in many dog foods. Lamb i usually a good choice as well, but many dogs don’t always like it.

[GSDsForever]

Jeff,

Glad to hear your dogs are off the Acana and doing better with regard to the symptoms you mentioned (vomiting).

If you are concerned about the DCM-diet connection, I would still caution to avoid other grain-free/high legumes especially or potatoes formulas in other brands, along with other unusual/more exotic ingredients. It wasn’t just Acana, but many brands implicated including Health Extension’s grain-free formula.

I agree that Orijen & Acana (Champion Pet Foods) have been heavily over promoted as the most wonderful & perfect foods on the planet — for many recent years. They have great advertising.

Whatever brand(s) you choose, ask a lot of questions and do your research on the company, manufacturing, and formula — just to be on the safe side.

[Robert B]

Four companies who make legume (e.g. peas, lentils, chickpeas etc.) and tuber (e.g. potatoes, cassava root, sweet potatoes etc.) free canine formulations that are grain inclusive but avoid corn, wheat and soybeans are:

– Annamaet
– Dr. Gary’s Best Breed
– Dr. Tim’s
– Farmina N&D Ancestral Grains

You may want to research them a bit and add them to your “list” for consideration.

I am currently in the process of moving my 9-1/2 year old Australian Shepherd off Orijen and I am piloting a rotation among different foods by these companies. I have an older dog so what specific foods that I chose might not be right for your dog, so look at the different foods that each make carefully.

What I like is the companies all have some grounding in veterinary nutrition, all disclose ash content and looking at their ingredient lists > 1% by weight, they look pretty good among their peer companies. I am starting off with smaller 5lb. Bags to see how he does.

Good Luck

[sonha n]

We had an 8 year old akc Doberman … the breeder told us to keep her on orijen/acana which we have done for the past 8 years with no problems. She was a beautiful and healthy Doberman. She started having problems … wet diarrhea poop, weakness a month or so ago. It took her a week to bounce back. she is an indoor pet and only would go outside for a walk or to use the bathroom. Then, two weeks ago, she started vomiting and would not touch her Acana food at all. We switched to a different type of Acana and still she refused to eat. We then gave her boiled chicken, rice and boiled potatoes mashed up and she ate this for a day or two but then she gave up eating entirely. Now, Eva, our Doberman, never has been sick for this long in her life. We tried some wet puppy formula and hunger stimulant through a syringe. She suddenly passed away last night. We took too long to investigate all the trouble Acana has been going through lately and if we had known earlier, we would have switched her food. What we have been reading lately with Acana food has really gotten us upset … the last 2 bags of Acana food did come from Kentucky plant

she passed away last night

[Robert B]

Thanks for the comments. I am familiar with best practice switching protocols and we’ll go slowly. He rotates regularly within the Orijen line with no transition without event. With these switches we’ll transition gradually (1/4, 1/2, 3/4 across a week or so). We’ll try Farmina first, Fromm second, Nature’s Logic third.

[Robert B]

In light of the most recent update issued regarding FDA CVM’s Investigation between the relationship between diet and canine heart disease (DVM), I decided to review the 500+ case reports from the 5-year period studied. The published incidence rate including breeds with a genetic propensity for DCM is estimated to be between 0.1-0.2%.

We own a 9-1/2 year old, neutered Australian Shepherd who we have been feeding Orijen dry foods all of his life. When I look at Orijen (we feed Adult, Regional Red & Senior) I see lugumes and pulses, but well down the ingredient list by weight. That said, there a dozen cases of DCM associated with the brand. I do realize that the incidence rate is influenced on how widely a food is selling.

There were 10 case reports of Australian Shepherds (the summary shows n=13 but I could not find them) and DCM out of the 515 canine cases reported (or about 2%). The observed rate out of the dog’s within the cases is > 10x the general population rate for ALL dogs. This struck me as not happening by “chance”.

I reviewed the listed dog foods fed to the Australian Shepherds and then looked into what their current top 10 ingredients for legumes, pulses and tubers:

Case 1) Nature’s Recipe Easy to Digest Fish meal and Potato recipe dry dog food: Potatoes
Case 2) Zignature Kangaroo and Lentil: Peas, Chickpeas, Pear Flower, Red Lentils, Green Lentils
Case 3) Fromm Pork and Pea: Peas, Chickpeas, Pea Flower, Pea Protein, Sweet Potatoes
Case 4) Blue Buffalo wilderness natures evolutionary diet with chicken and lifsource bits: Pea Protein, Peas, Pea Starch, Pea Fiber, Potatoes
Case 5a) Farmina N&D Pumpkin Formula Medium and Maxi: Pea Starch, Dried Pumpkin, Pea Fiber
Case 5b) Kirkland Natures Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Potato Fibre
Case 5c) Kirkland Organic Chicken and Pea: Organic Peas, Organic Lentils, Organic Garbanzo Beans, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes
Cases 6 & 7) Pine Forest Canine Recipe with Venison & Legumes – Taste of the Wild Pet Food: Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, Fava Beans
Case 8) Earthborn grain free (specific variety not declared): Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Starch, Chickpeas
Case 9) Hill’s Ideal Balance Grain Free Chicken and Potato: Potatoes, Yellow Peas, Pea Protein, Potato Starch
Case 10) Acana (all flavors except Chicken or Lamb): Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Whole Green Peas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Chickpeas

I see a consistent use of legumes or tubers as ingredients among these foods (including Hills!). I work in R&D and while I agree the root cause may not be fully understood and the rates shown in the pareto chart are biased by how widely used a food is I can see why the Agency sent out the notification. Given the > 90% rate in the reported cases of grain free, legume formulated foods, I have made the decision to move our Australian Shepherd to a new dry food. So I have been trying to identify high quality grain inclusive dry foods to replace Orijen. So far I have identified:

Farmina:
N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Mini & Medium
N&D Ancestral Grains Grains Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Medium & Maxi

Fromm:
Adult Gold
Reduced Activity Senior Gold

Nature’s Logic:
Canine Beef Meal Feasts
Canine Chicken Meal Feasts
Canine Lamb Meal Feasts
Canine Turkey Meal Feasts

NutriSource
Performance
Adult
Lamb Meal & Rice
Beef & Rice

We will begin to titrate him off Orijen onto some of these foods. We will first buy small bags to see how he a) likes them and b) his stool quality and general energy/health.

Do any of you have any experience with these foods or have any other suggestions for me to consider?

[Robert B]

In light of the most recent update issued regarding FDA CVM’s Investigation between the relationship between diet and canine heart disease (DVM), I decided to review the 500+ case reports from the 5-year period studied. The published incidence rate including breeds with a genetic propensity for DCM is estimated to be between 0.1-0.2%.

We own a 9-1/2 year old, neutered Australian Shepherd who we have been feeding Orijen dry foods all of his life. When I look at Orijen (we feed Adult, Regional Red & Senior) I see lugumes and pulses, but well down the ingredient list by weight. That said, there a dozen cases of DCM associated with the brand. I do realize that the incidence rate is influenced on how widely a food is selling.

There were 10 case reports of Australian Shepherds (the summary shows n=13 but I could not find them) and DCM out of the 515 canine cases reported (or about 2%). The observed rate out of the dog’s within the cases is > 10x the general population rate for ALL dogs. This struck me as not happening by “chance”.
I reviewed the listed dog foods fed to the Australian Shepherds and then looked into what their current top 10 ingredients for legumes, pulses and tubers:

Case 1) Nature’s Recipe Easy to Digest Fish meal and Potato recipe dry dog food: Potatoes
Case 2) Zignature Kangaroo and Lentil: Peas, Chickpeas, Pear Flower, Red Lentils, Green Lentils
Case 3) Fromm Pork and Pea: Peas, Chickpeas, Pea Flower, Pea Protein, Sweet Potatoes
Case 4) Blue Buffalo wilderness natures evolutionary diet with chicken and lifsource bits: Pea Protein, Peas, Pea Starch, Pea Fiber, Potatoes
Case 5a) Farmina N&D Pumpkin Formula Medium and Maxi: Pea Starch, Dried Pumpkin, Pea Fiber
Case 5b) Kirkland Natures Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Potato Fibre
Case 5c) Kirkland Organic Chicken and Pea: Organic Peas, Organic Lentils, Organic Garbanzo Beans, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes
Cases 6 & 7) Pine Forest Canine Recipe with Venison & Legumes – Taste of the Wild Pet Food: Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, Fava Beans
Case 8) Earthborn grain free (specific variety not declared): Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Starch, Chickpeas
Case 9) Hill’s Ideal Balance Grain Free Chicken and Potato: Potatoes, Yellow Peas, Pea Protein, Potato Starch
Case 10) Acana (all flavors except Chicken or Lamb): Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Whole Green Peas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Chickpeas

I see a consistent use of legumes or tubers as ingredients among these foods (including Hills!). I work in R&D and while I agree the root cause may not be fully understood and the rates shown in the pareto chart are biased by how widely used a food is I can see why the Agency sent out the notification. Given the > 90% rate in the reported cases of grain free, legume formulated foods, I have made the decision to move our Australian Shepherd to a new dry food.

So I have been trying to identify high quality grain inclusive dry foods to replace Orijen. So far I have identified:

Farmina:
N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Mini & Medium
N&D Ancestral Grains Grains Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Medium & Maxi

Fromm:
Adult Gold
Reduced Activity Senior Gold

Nature’s Logic:
Canine Beef Meal Feasts
Canine Chicken Meal Feasts
Canine Lamb Meal Feasts
Canine Turkey Meal Feasts

NutriSource:
Performance
Adult
Lamb Meal & Rice
Beef & Rice

We will begin to titrate him off Orijen onto some of these foods. We will first buy small bags to see how he a) likes them and b) his stool quality and general energy/health before settling on a new rotation of foods.

Do any of you have any experience with these foods or have any other suggestions for me to consider?

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Robert B.