[cindy q]

I am currently feeding Orijen and my picky eater loves it and I love the ingredients. She dosent’t seem to like canned, but I keep trying to find one she will eat, I have tried different merrick brands and some she won’t touch others she will eat some of. Is there a canned that is as good as Orijen that your dog will eat?

[Lynn J]

I’ve been using Wellness Core wet food to fill my dog’s Kongs. Both dogs love it. I haven’t used the Wellness dry yet, they are on Orijen/Acana/Fromm.

[Case]

Nobody EVER likes my jokes on here!

I e-mailed Orijen and asked about it.

[spaniel39]

Mimi, thanks
My Sophie is so sweet too; I knew the importance of socialization given the protectiveness
factor as an adult and I think I went too far.
If she sees anyone walking towards her or across the street, she will sit and “smile”
and wait to greet them. Impossible to take her/walk her anywhere lol
but I don’t mind, She is just starting to form her “cords”
I didn’t read your post carefully. Sorry, didn’t realize you had been on raw.
I found it much too expensive and kibble has come a long way (Acana, Orijen, etc)
and you can always supplement it with a tablespoon of a good canned lamb/duck/etc.
or in Sophie’s case last night, a big extra lean, Hamburger!
I forgot to mention Evangers!
They’ve done research for decades on large breeds
They have a meat lovers with Rabbit, not real expensive, my dogs loved!

[cindy q]

I have started feeding my Standard Poodle and also my Toy Poodle orijen regional and they love it, but someone told me its not good for a Toy Poodle. any one know

[Patrice M]

Thank you all for your help. I purchased the Orijen Adult dog food on Thursday. He really doesn’t care for it but I’m hoping it grows on him. He has eaten since Thursday approx. 5 cups. Picky little boy I have.

[Paula D]

Orijen and Acana both have fish-based kibble that smells disgusting. ;).

Ziwi Peak fish and venison is a big favorite around here and doesn’t smell quite as bad.

[Case]

Is there any info available on what protein sources the Kentucky based Orijen plant will offer?

[Case]

I read where somebody was questioning the year-round availability of fresh local ingredients…Is it possible to have fresh locally grown fruit and veggies in Canada in winter? What about free range poultry? Wild caught fish?

Just wondering what you guys think.

[Patrice M]

Thank You I found a store nearby that sells Orijen. I will give that a try. Do you suggest the adult or the red adult?

[ab1028]

The beef, bison, and grains tend to just make is very, very itchy. He doesn’t have any intolerances that we know of. He doesn’t itch himself to the point of being red, raw, of losing fur, but he just shouldn’t be this itchy. I am considering trying to find a dog safe mosquito spray for him. We used to give Jasper canned food with his meals, but sometimes he would get tired of it. The canned foods he had were Go! and Wellness (95% and CORE). Now he gets kibble with an Orijen freeze dried treat sprinkled on top (to entice him to eat it). For supper he often has Orijen freeze dried medallions, which he really enjoys. For snacks (and we know that these don’t make him itchy), he gets fruits and veggies, freeze dried treats, buddy biscuits (hard and soft ones), and ice chips/cubes.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by ab1028.

[LexiDog]

Orijen is a wonderful food. You can also try topping it with some canned food.

[cindy q]

I have a 8 mos old standard poodle who is not a big eater, I am switching her from Merrick grain free dry to Orijen and she seems to really like the Orijen she is picking that out of her bowl and letting the Merrick there.

[cindy q]

Which is best? I thought canned was better than dry but my standard poodle dosen’t seem to like it and she dosen’t like it mixed with dry either. I tried Honest Kitchen and Merrick canned. I am switching her from Merrick grain free to Orijen.

[cindy q]

I am switching my 8 mos old standard poodle from Merrick to Orijen, she is really liking the Orijen she picks that out and leaves the Merrick in her bowl.

[ab1028]

I do rotate foods. Right now he is eating Orijen adult, and he has also eaten Acana Pacific, Wild Prairie, Grasslands, and Now! Fresh. I am wondering if it is seasonal allergies as well. There is also a strong possibility that he is getting bitten from mosquitoes. During the winter, we were supplementing his food with fish oil and he was definitely not as itchy. Not perfect, but not bad either.

Thank you so much for the links!

[Lynn J]

The easiest thing to do is to reduce the amount of food. My agility instructor told me my 34 lb border collie was a few pounds over weight. So instead of changing foods I just reduced everything. She gets fed twice a day so each meal went from 1/2 cup Orijen and 2 TB Grandma Lucy’s Purformance chicken as a topper (then rehydrated) to 1/3 cup Orijen and 1 TB Grandma Lucy’s. I upped the exercise a bit, and she has lost two pounds in just a couple of weeks. AND, the amount of poops has dropped as well. Other than being a bit more eager to eat her meals, she doesn’t seem overly stressed. Stay will high quality foods, no need to go to diet formulas for weight loss, IMHO.

[Case]

I discovered Orijen on this site, and chewy.com while looking for Orijen. Now I buy online and have no complaints.

[neezerfan]

Actually both the canned and freeze dried, no tear stains. I find any kibble will cause tear stains for my dog, even Orijen and Farmina, although I have not tried them all, nor will I.

[Case]

Currently my rotation is: Canidae Grain Free Pure, Earthborn Holistic Primitive Naturals, and Orijen Puppy. I use Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete to transition between foods (and to reduce overall price).

All five star rated foods, no complaints so far.

I give a daily vitamin supplement as well, mainly bc my dog loves it.

[Jackie B]

Acana and Orijen are both made by Champion pet foods. I think they would definitely be worth a try.

I hate when a good food gets discontinued! I do rotate foods because my older poodle is so picky, but it takes time to select appropriate foods and when a go-to food is no longer sold it takes work to find a good replacement.

[“Blue”]

Hi Corey,
I can relate to your calorie content puzzlement, since I too had the same puzzlement when I started reading this website last summer. I was hoping the calorie content would be included when the Editor’s Choice ratings came online, but alas, it’s not. (Sorry if I seem disappointed, I am.)

The subject of this thread is about Quantity so I am not addressing the stomach issues, especially since I’ve been most curious about this for some time and get other opinions/thoughts on the subject.

How do you reconcile which food to buy? Find a food(s) Dr. Mike gives 3-5 stars, that you are comfortable buying, feed your dog and watch his weight. Adjust servings accordingly. It does require you use a measuring cup, not a plain scoop or empty soup can as I have done at times.

Food for thought: (pun intended)
Dog food is sold by the pound and fed by the cup. It’s hard to compare those 2 factors. And to complicate it further, the dog food mfg’rs don’t seem to agree on how much to feed, calorie wise.

DFA Calorie Calculator says my dog needs 1230 calories per day. On their websites, Fromm Adult Gold claims 408 calories/cup. Orijen Adult claims 478, so that extrapolates to Fromm recommending 1428 cals./day and Orijen recommending 1003 for my 55 lb. dog. That’s a huge difference between the two, with Fromm over ~20% and Orijen under ~20% of the DFA calculator.

To show the recommended feeding amounts another way,
Food—-Mfgr Cups—DFA Calc Cups
Fromm—3.5———-3.0
Orijen—-2.1———-2.5

You just have to go with the quantity that keeps appropriate weight on your dog. I like this chart for reference. http://media.marketwire.com/attachments/200802/MOD-402887_weight-chart1.jpg

If you want to compare prices of dog food, I think it’s better to compare cups fed per dollar rather than dollar per pound of the bag. Those looking to maximize economy might be more interested in a high calorie/low cost 3-star kibble over a lower calorie 5-star kibble, but it really isn’t that simple as you can see. (And I haven’t even mentioned protein, carbs, vitamins, etc.!) FWIW, I actually measured Fromm Adult Gold to be 4 cups per pound and Orijen Adult to be 3.2 cups per pound. Both claim 10% max moisture so Orijen would seem to be a much more dense food based on recommended serving size, but you may not be getting enough calories.

Sorry if this post rambled and got scattered, a million possibilities exist to feed you dog and I haven’t figured it out yet either, although “Blue” seems to be enjoying and doing well with the mix of 3-5 star rated foods I buy, per Dr. Mike’s rating system. 🙂

[LexiDog]

Orijen then Acana

[LexiDog]

I can’t say anything about the seizures either.

My personal favorite kibbles are Acana Regionals and Orijen. These are expensive but I feel we’ll worth it. I have an active 38 # dog and she was getting 1 1/4 cups of food a day on these kibbles. These can be found at Pet Supplies Plus stores and local specialty boutiques. I was actually surprised to see how many specialty shops were around when I started looking for them.

Other favorites include Wellness Core (found at Petsmart and Petco) and Fromm Four Star (Pet Supplies Plus and boutiques). A lot of people like Dr. Tim’s and Victor grain free but I can not find these in the local stores, so I haven’t tried them. I would have to order them online. I have had great experiences ordering food and other stuff from Chewy.com.

If I had to pick a kibble on a budget, I would probably try Whole Earth Farms Grain Free. This can be found at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. I’m not sure if Petsmart carries it or not because I haven’t been there in a while.

Just remember that not all foods are made for all dogs. Just because my dog does great on certain foods doesn’t mean that yours will. You have to find one that works for you and your dog.

You may want to look at feeding a 4 star kibble before jumping right to a 5. Moose will be going from a plant based diet to a meat based diet and that can cause some upsets. Just remember to transition him very slowly. You can also add some pumpkin while switching. If you buy it from the grocery store just make sure that it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Fruitables makes a digestive supplement with pumpkin to help with switching.

As for species appropriate food. Kibble is not one of them because kibble does not contain the amount of moisture needed for a species appropriate diet. The ideal moisture would be a food that containes around 70% moisture. For example canned is better than kibble and frozen raw is better than canned. Google Dr. Karen Becker best to worst foods. There is a video and a list that is super helpful.

Right now I am feeding my girl Primal frozen raw and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated. There are a ton of great foods out there, just need to know where to look. You should keep an open mind about ordering online. I’ve never had a bad experience with Chewy.com.

This is probably way more info than you want but this is only a little bit. Trust me. There is so much info out there it will make your head spin for a while. You can also get into feeding a homemade diet too. Others will have to help with that.

[L T]

My 1 yr old lab developed a small patch on his nose which didn’t seem to bother him, but he did look a little funny with a balding patch. His vet prescribed a topical Ivermectin treatment daily for six weeks with his first treatment at the vet. I am pretty particular about topical treatments and toxicity and questioned him extensively. After doing some additional research (Demodectic is usually immune system related) I decided to not proceed with this course of treatment as the case was mild. The symptom first appeared when he developed a minor cold (sneezing). The patch itself is healing rather nicely without any further intervention. I did supplement his Orijen Regional Red with a small serving of Orijen Six Fish (being careful not to increase his food/caloric intake) as an added boost.

[zcRiley]

Compare all ingredients within the 5-star foods. You’ll see some surprises. Orijen is still the best.

[zcRiley]

Get Orijens. Switch slowly, decrease amount slowly. Lots of exercise (a walk around the block does not count). Add Nzymes for better food absorption. Don’t worry about the amount of poop, worry about what it looks like. Link: http://www.waltham.com/dyn/_assets/_pdfs/resources/FaecesQuality2.pdf

[Lynn J]

Some people switch from the Orijen to Acana. Same company and good quality. Most dogs will experience loose stools when switching foods, unless you go slowly.

[Happy Dog]

Glad to have found this site, it’s a wealth of information.

Needing some advice for my dog I adopted from the local shelter last August.
He came with the itches, pink/red patch on his belly, under his chin, face, around the eyes etc. Fur was really coarse yet greasy to touch. Chews his paws till it bleeds.

The fosterer recommended that we put him on a fish kibble. They weren’t sure what he was allergic to but it may have been chicken. So we put him on Wellness Simple –Salmon & Potato. Since then he has gone through:

Wellness Simple
Wellness Core Ocean
Acana Pacifica
THK Zeal
Orijen 6Fish

Topper: Fish 4 Dogs Salmon or Trout Mousse. Cooked salmon or any other fish once a week.

He was on Orjen 6 Fish till recently. We had him on through 3 bags, and he gets 1/3 cup + 1 /4 pack of Fish4Dogs Fish Mousse per meal. Twice a day.
He actually did quite well on it, less itchy, and started putting on weight. Still chews his paws though, I think he may have some allergies to grass. He was also getting quite chunky.

I thought I should started rotating him on different protein so he can eventually get some variety in his diet and went for Acana Lamb and Apple.
Before I committed to the Acana Lamb & Apple, I mixed a can of lamb and tripe to his kibble and he ate fine.

He’s been on it for 2 weeks. I mix the Acana Lamb & Apple (1/4 cup) with the Orijen 6Fish (1/4 cup). I had the kibble serving reduced as he was putting on weight.
I also switched to an oatmeal shampoo.

He seems to be worse now. Scratches more, the dry coarse fur is coming back, pink around the eyes, nose and under his arms, paws. One ear seems to be red inside, the other is fine (is it normal to have 1 inflamed ear instead of both?). Smells more ‘dog’.

So should I ditch the kibble? Or could it be the shampoo?

I was hoping he could eat more than just fish based food. I’d like to have him on a mix of kibble, canned food and homecooked meals 2x to 3x a week. Raw – I can get Primal, Addiction and some THK.

He didn’t do too well on THK zeal though. Went through 2 packs of the Zeal. He was pooping 4x a day (poop had stalks and bits of stuff that.. doesn’t seem digested), ate lots of grass (grazing like a cow), and was losing weight that’s why I put him on 6Fish. I though he needed more protein.

Any suggestions? I could go back to 6Fish, or I could go with another fish kibble like Core Ocean?

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you by “too rich” you’re suggesting that the food has too much protein and/or fat – Orijen has less protein and fat than WEF canned. So if your dog does well on WEF canned Orijen wouldn’t be “too rich” for your dog. There are a variety of reasons why your dog may be experiencing loose stools after consuming Orijen. It could be the result of an ingredient sensitivity, it could be that your dog doesn’t tolerate dry kibble well (as opposed to the moist canned) or the dog could just be adjusting to the new food. All dogs are different and some just don’t do well on certain foods. There have been quite a few reports of dogs not doing well on the new Orijen formulas (they removed the white potato and added legumes). You can try giving the dog more time and supplementing the diet with probiotics and a little canned pumpkin, sometimes this can help with loose stools.

[ab1028]

I have used Acana products for my 10 month old puppy and have had a lot of success on it. I bought a sample bag of the lamb singles (when it still contained oats), but he seemed to do better without grains. I think that having their new singles without grains will actually help my dog. To me, having some foods in your rotation that contain legumes is not the worst. I will continue to support Champion pet foods and feed their products.

I have also fed Petcurean products, however my dog seems to like Acana better (he is eating a bag of Orijen right now and doesn’t seem to mind that as well, and he is picky). I used Now Fresh, but he got tired of it after a bag. He has also had some of the Go! wet products and enjoyed that.

[Regina D]

Has anyone had a problem with Orijen dry? My dog, standard poodle eats Whole Earth canned mostly. I keep Orijen dry out at all times. I noticed when he eats the dry he has loose stools. He is a standard poodle.

[Angela R]

Can anyone help me decide what is the best food for my English Bulldog – we live in a hot and humid climate and although she did really well on the Royal Canin English Bulldog food, this is not available in my new country of residence – for ease I changed to the French Bulldog, but this has more fat content and she picked up weight, after trying various options including K9, Orijen and Acana – non of which she either liked or just gave her an upset tummy, we ended up with the Royal Canin Obesity from the vet and she has lost weight, and we are now managing her weight with difficulty. I did not want to keep her on a medicated diet and the vet suggested due to bone issues that I should mix it with the Royal Canin Mobility diet – unfortunately during this time on both of the vet products she was itching, red and starting licking her paws that it drove us all crazy. I understand that it could be allergies from outside factors, but she really has never been quite as bad – I therefore decided to change her again (always changing her diet over time…) and decided on the Zignature brand of dog food which is supposed to be allergy free. Although she loves this food – and has stopped licking as badly her face and paws are still quite red but she is definitely picking up weight again as the fat content is higher again, but my biggest concern is the amount of water she is now drinking on this food, and the amount of poops she is having (she used to eat and almost go immediately – now it is 3 to 4 times a day and sometimes at night which she never did before) and she has a serious gas problem which she also never suffered before and it is causing her some distress… I have just bathed her and noticed some little red spots appearing on her tummy – she is full of “beans” and happy and as active as she can be in this heat and humidity but she seems uncomfortable and does not seem to be able to relax as much as she did before… I really am not sure that this new food is doing her any good and now trying to research alternative options but I just don’t know where to turn? Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated. I cannot do raw as with the cost of meat here is ridiculous and with the heat and humidity – I just dont trust it and also she was not that keen on the K9 anyway! We can’t get everything here but the latest one on my agenda is the Pronature? Thoughts?

[RescueDaneMom]

I just wanted to get a sense of what people are using and what they like. My top 5 would be:
The Honest Kitchen
Primal
Stella & Chewy’s
Tucker’s Raw
Orijen

Max is getting tired of The Honest Kitchen and doesn’t really want to eat it anymore regardless of the variety. I started giving him kibble again even though I don’t really want to. Right now he is eating Orijen with his raw (Primal, S&C, Tucker’s, and Vital Essentials). I was looking in to other kibble brands but I want to try going grain-free AND potato-free for Max’s arthritis to see if it helps any.

[LexiDog]

In no particular order:
Primal
Orijen
Acana
Grandma Lucy’s
Stella & Chewys

I also have been using the Honest Kitchen and my girl is loving it! He sits there and whines for it when it is rehydrating.

[Naturella]

Omg, just 5??? Lol. Well, let’s see… from what I’ve fed… I’d say:

Victor Grain Free (particularly the Ultra Professional)
THK all
Canned Merrick (the minced/pate style ones only – Bruno didn’t do so well on the stew ones for some reason…)
Canned Wellness Core
Annndddd…. I really can’t pick a winner for #5 from the ones I’ve fed so far… I like Earthborn Holistic, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free, Holistic Health Extension, Nutrisca, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Now Fresh, and Nature’s Variety Instinct… I guess, if I have to elicit a winner it will be Dr. Tim’s…

But, I really want to try Orijen, Acana, Go!, Back to Basics, and Wellness Core (in kibbles). Also TOTW both kibbles and canned, and Annamaet. So I have a long way to go… But so far so good. 🙂

[RescueDaneMom]

When our rottie had cancer I used The Honest Kitchen Embark, Thrive, and Preference. I also used Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance. Both foods are dehydrated. We also used low carb kibbles such has Horizon Legacy, Pulsar, Orijen, and Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural. I would also make homecooked food too for variety. He had lymphoma and battled it with chemo for 10 months.

[RescueDaneMom]

The Orijen LB Puppy has borderline too much calcium. If you read back in this thread, I believe it was stated a few times. I can’t remember the actual number but it slightly higher than what one would want to feed a LB/Giant puppy.

[Scott C]

Like Jayne V, above, I would be interested to know the specific rationale for not including the Orijen puppy food on the list. We have had our huge Samoyed on Orijen for the last three years (we rescued him when he was one) so have no personal experience with the Orijen puppy product, but have nothing but glowing praise for the Adult Dry. My mother-in-law will be getting a 6-month German shepherd puppy soon, however, and we hesitate to recommend Orijen puppy based on its absence from the list here.

Would sincerely appreciate any additional thoughts that can be shared on this point.

[DogFoodie]

Oh gosh, I misread… I was looking for low fat and low fiber. That’ll teach me to read without my contact lens.

Low fat and high fiber is easier!

Orijen Senior has 15% fat and 8% fiber. Wellness Core Reduced Fat has 10% fat and 12% fiber.

While neither are high fiber, a regular poster here has had great luck using Victor GF Ultra Pro with her Doberman that’s prone to diarrhea as well as Abady Granular.

Geesh! Sorry to throw you off! Stick a fork in me, I’m done for the night! ; )

[DogFoodie]

Darn it! I posted a response, but it disappeared. I hate that! I’ll try again.

My Golden, Sam, just turned two and he has some food intolerances. He can’t have fish in any form, garlic (apparently) or chickpeas & lentils. He’s eaten a lot of foods that he did great on, once; but, when I feed it again, he reacted. When he’s exposed to something to which he’s intolerant, he develops a red inflamed right ear that quickly turns into a yeast infection in that same ear. The chickpeas and lentils give him horrible gas and loose stools. He also doesn’t seem to do well on foods with lots of fruits and veggies, like Orijen and Wholesome Blend. He does well on Darwin’s raw for short periods of time at a stretch, but I think you’re looking for kibble. I have to pay attention to his protein, fat and carb levels and know what ranges he seems to work best within. I recently started him on Udo’s Choice DHA blend, an omega supplement, and the poor thing had gas so bad it woke me up at night after just one teaspoon per day for a week. There are so many foods I’d love to try him on, but wouldn’t dare; but, it’s very important to me to have multiple foods for him, so I keep trying. So far, the only food he can eat without reacting is MS Lamb. I’m getting ready to try him next on Nature’s Variety Instinct LID Duck next and have my fingers crossed. My Cavalier can eat most anything, but it does seem that chickpeas and lentils cause her to become constipated. She doesn’t have anything that I consider to be “true intolerances.”

So, that said, foods that I trust and that Sam has eaten, at least once, and did well on are Canine Caviar, Horizon Legacy (my Cavalier eats Amicus sometimes which would be great for your little guy), Nature’s Logic, Dr. Tim’s, Brother’s Complete, Wellness Core, Earthborn Holistics and NutriSource. Of these, I most wish I was still able to use the Horizon and Dr. Tim’s.

If it weren’t for those intolerances, there would be many more he’d have eaten. One food I like and tried a couple of different formulas for Sam is Victor. I was disappointed the Victor didn’t work, it’s a great product and the price is a huge unexpected bonus! A couple of foods I wish I could use for him are Go!, Now Fresh, Farmina and Annamaet, but those all contain triggers. I’ve considered fermenting some veggies to add to his foods because I often wonder if it’s the cabbage in the MS that’s one of the reasons he does so well on it. Commercial raw and canned foods are a completely different story ~ are either of those options for you?

[Brenda P]

Not looking to go grain free, but would prefer oatmeal, rather than rice or barley. Thanks for the suggestion about Fromm, I’ll check them out also. This question is for Betsy-since Orijen and Acana didn’t work for your dog, what did you end up giving them.

[DogFoodie]

Mulligan Stew kibble is grain inclusive also. Are you hoping to switch to gain free instead?

FWIW, neither Orijen or Acana worked at all for my dog that did amazingly well on MS; and of course I realize that wouldn’t be the case generally. Guess I’m just saying Orijen and Acana are great, if they work for your dog, but they certainly don’t work for every dog. : )

[LexiDog]

I love Acana. Orijen and Acana are my favorite kibbles out there. That is a great food. You should also look into Fromm Four Star kibble. The pieces of kibble are smaller and the protein is not too high.

[Brenda P]

To everyone else thanks for your positive replies. With regard to Mulligan Stew, they are only discontinuing their dry kibble. They are keeping their canned products and according to the company they are increasing that line. I did look at Nature’s logic, but I think it had some grains in it that I didn’t want my dog to have–can’t remember–I’ve researched so many. Right now, I’m considering Orijen and Acana. Orijen was recommended to me by Mulligan Stew and Acana was recommended by Dog Food Advisor. My only concern for both of them is the high level of protein. Mulligan Stew was 28; Acana will be 32 and Orijen is 38. I did look on the ASCPA site re protein requirements for older dogs–my dog will be 10 in October–and it said dogs need more protein as they get older and that high protein does not lead to renal failure–which is completely different than what I was told when I got my dog almost 10 years ago.

[Naturella]

Christina, I would say probably give it a few days (2-3-ish) before you add a new ingredient just so you know if he would react for sure. As for tomatoes, I guess you could put them in a blender or food processor for a few seconds until they are pretty much mush, then try them. Make sure the whole elimination diet does not last too too long, as it is not a balanced way to feed a dog, so hopefully within 10-14 days you will know if he reacts to a particular ingredient. If he doesn’t react to any of the ones listed above, I would go with a grain-free diet, or a rice-and-maybe-oatmeal-or-millet-or-barley-as-the-only-grains diet. But grain-free is generally safer for an allergy-prone dog.

One of my classmates and friends told me that her dog was extremely itchy eating Pedigree and Beneful, so I told her what I know, and she got him on a grain-free diet – said the itch has been considerably reduced to just an occasional “normal” scratch here and there. She didn’t do an elimination diet, just straight up eliminated the grains, and she was lucky her dog did not react to anything else. So that is also another way you can approach it – just try a good quality fish-based kibble and add the THK Beams as treats and coconut oil, and see how that goes. I would probably still do an elimination though, just to be sure for myself. But, it may work out that he just needs good-quality grain-free kibble.

In case you want to just try the kibble round, some good grain-free kibbles (I will just list them for your ease, in no particular order) are:
Wellness Core – I want to feed in the future
Holistic Select
Orijen – I want to feed in the future
Acana Grain Free – I want to feed in the future
Victor Grain Free – I feed now
Earthborn Holistic Grain Free – I feed now
Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free – I have fed, no issues
Holistic Health Extension Grain Free – I have fed with no issues and I feed one of their grain-inclusive formulas now
Now! Fresh – I have fed a small bag (less than 1lb) with no issues
Nutrisca – I have fed, no issues
Nature’s Variety Instinct – I will feed (have a bag lined up under the sink, lol), and I have fed samples with no issues
Back to Basics Grain Free – I will feed the grain-inclusive one (have a bag lined up under the sink also)
NutriSource Grain Free – I have fed samples with no issue but it is severely overpriced in my area so I’m not sure I would buy a bag to feed it
Taste of the Wild – some don’t like it as it is produced by Diamond and that company had a huge recall issue in 2012 that they handled poorly, but 3 friends feed/have fed it with no issues
Blue Buffalo Wilderness – I have fed with no issues but some owners report tummy and stool issues with their dogs when on Blue food. However, 2 other friends have fed/still feed Blue with no issues.

I am sure others can pitch in with more recommendations, plus, if you can afford it/want to, it really is better to feed canned/dehydrated/homemade/raw. Or you can mix them up – I feed kibble and canned/THK food/fridge add-ins (like eggs, yoghurt, raw bones, etc.). But yeah, just start off with determining what works for Chance, you can always add new things once he is at least on better food. 🙂

[L. G]

I have 3 pugs (6yrs old) & a pekingese(5 yrs old). The pugs have had a weight problem, mostly due to our mistake in allowing them to free feed as they wanted. Our vet convinced us to feed 1/2 cup 2x daily & treat them with green beans , carrots or apples. We have been doing this for 5 1/2 mo & they have lost weight and are doing great. They are on Natural Balance Fat Dogs. I’m concerned that perhaps the Natural Balance is not high enough quality, & I keep hearing of recalls & quality control since they were purchased by Delmonte.

I’ve been considering Orijen. My concern there is I read about the high protein content being dangerous. I also prefer a grain free food for them to avoid the problems that a diet with grains can cause.

Any advise would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[LexiDog]

Return it. Is there another store you can buy it from? I have also been feeding my dog Orijen for a while and have never had that problem. The only thing I can think of is that it was not stored at the store properly. Maybe they left it outside or something. Call Champion pet foods too and let them know what happened.

[Christina L]

I have been feeding my cats and dog this brand for almost a year and have been very satisfied until the other day. I keep my pet foods in airtight Rubbermaid containers and I always use up the bag and then clean the container before I add a new bag, I live in Phoenix so I keep my pet food in a controlled temp environment . I went to feed my dog and found small worms in the food !!!! I freaked and a bit grossed out, I stopped feeding him that food and am going to take it back to the store. What I need to know is this normal? And should u have my dog checked at the vet? Should I stop buying this food? Do far I haven’t noticed anything different in the cat food , but I have a bag I haven’t opened yet. Can someone maybe give me some info on this? It’s not a cheap food, I work construction so to me the price u pay for this food is a Bug part of my budget and my pets mean the world to me so u dint want to be poisoning them!!!!

[aquariangt]

Freshpet, or other fresh/raw are going to be the best bet.

Orijen has peas very far down
Nature’s Logic has no peas
If you don’t mind Natural Balance some of their LID has no peas