[Lewis F]

I have been feeding Sophie the Orijen Original adult formula for over three months. I took two months to gradually switch from Orijen Puppy to adult original. She has about a cup a day and weights approximately 15 pounds. We have never experienced problems with any Orijen product. If you go that way I recommend to start the switch very gradually.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Lewis F. Reason: Grammar correction

[Susan H]

Hi Lew,

Thank you for your reply. Are you now feeding adult formula Orijen? I have read some of the comments about the change in location of manufacturing from Canada to the USA. You experienced no problems?

I was heading out to buy Merrick’s puppy food because I had fed my schnauzer Merricks lil plates but when I saw Purina bought them I absolutely refuse to buy it. I have a large flock of chickens and Purina has killed more chickens than not, so I never feed mine any Purina products.
Susan

[Lewis F]

a c, The real difficulty is finding something our companion’s systems can handle. So far Orijen is working well with mine. When that stops its chicken soup and rice until everything settles

[Lewis F]

Susan,

I have a one year old Cavapoo. We used nothing but Orijen Puppy from when she was three months until she was one. I forget the brand the breeder was using but we, over a period of a month, had her on nothing but Orijen small breed puppy. At one year we easily transferred over to Orijen original. She is doing great and loves the food. We also used Missing Link Puppy powder additive once a day.
Yes, our Sophie is pretty much spoiled
Smart idea on clean teeth. Our Vet recommended a cleaning enzyme which we use religiously on her teeth

Lew

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Lewis F.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Lewis F. Reason: added content and corrected a misspelled word

[Debbera S]

Hi Atlas, If your pup has IBD, it seems like the normal vet advice is the prescription foods that you tried. I’m going through the exact problem now with my 8 yr old Boxer. She hates the food and still has mucus/bloody soft stools. I was desperate and found this blog from a women that had a problem with her dog. She thinks it started with dewormers. Anyways, Here’s her blog:
http://bigpawberner.blogspot.com/2012/02/if-your-dog-has-chronic-diarrhea-please.html

I’ve been following her advice and have my dog on Orijen Six Fish, however the specialty pet store suggested ACANA – Freshwater fish formula, which was more reasonable priced, comparatively. It’s made by Orijen, and has 4 different fish proteins instead of six. I also purchased a prebiotic, which helps colonize their own good bacteria, unlike a probiotic, that is replacing the bacteria. I ordered some good digestive enzymes and probiotic from Mercola.com

Anyways, my vet is very open to trying and working with different diets. He had a client that switched to a fish based food and it worked, so it gave me hope.

Sometimes I worry that some vets that sell the prescription diets are pushing that to make money. So, since my Boxer was still experiencing the symptoms on the prescrip diets, I felt like I didn’t have anything to loose. However, getting a firm diagnosis is essential. We’ve done a full GI panel, and ultrasound to correctly diagnose my Boxer.

I’ve been dealing with this since August, so I feel your pain. Seems like my life has revolved around my dogs poo for a long time! Good luck and hope you find something that works, soon.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Debbera S.

[a c]

I first stop giving my 10 years old Orijen senior after she has developed pancreatitis. I have tried several brands. Now I am trying Annemeat g/f low fat.

I also switched my puppy from Orijen puppy to Horizen Amicus puppy and Simply Nourish puppy.

There are so many information out there. It’s overwhelming. It’s difficult to tell which information is valid. The real question is do I want to give something with good quality or something with less toxin. What a hard choice!

[charisse]

Thank you to John, Lewis, and InkedMarie.

I will try the DFA dog food calculator after I find out the kcals per cup.

For the grams measurements idea I think I’ll need to purchase a kitchen scale – which I will also try.

I saw a few posts about the Orijen USA production vs Canadian production, and also this one around Feb/March entitled Orijen USA : “…I am disappointed to see that Orijen is still on the Editor’s Pick of this website. I actually subscribed when i got overwhelmed with my search for a kibble to replace Orijen which I have been feeding my Golden for 6 years. Origen has definitely changed their ingredients (to inferior quality), and have admitted as much. The color and smell is different, and our Golden’s stomach has been irritated by it…”

Thank you!
Charisse

[haleycookie]

Consumer reviews is a silly sight. Most reviews are paid for. However I have heard totw is having some issues with their food. If you scroll down to the comment section here on dfa on the totw page you’ll see many ppl complaining. But it’s up to you if you try it. There are better foods. I like merrick, natures variety, and wellness core. I think those are some of the best foods. Orijen and Acana are probably some of the best as well I just don’t have as much experience with them as the others. There’s tons of options on chewy if that’s here you’re buying. If you have any questions about any other brands I’m sure someone will be willing to answer them.

[Lewis F]

We have a Cavapoo that is now on Origin Original which has an 18% Fat content; Orijen Senior has a 15% content. As for quality, Orijen is still rated very well. My little Poo has been on it since we brought her home.

If you want to stick with food made by Champion, you can also try Acana

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Lewis F.

[charisse]

Our Vet says Bella needs to loose a couple pounds. She’s a 4 year old rescue and we’ve had her for a year. She’s been on Orijen. Perhaps Orijen has too much fat content? I’ve also heard that Orijen has gone down in quality.

In any case we need help please in deciding what food to switch her to, so that she can loose a couple pounds or so. For the last month we feed her 1/4 cup in a.m and 1/4 cup in p.m. with a few training treats thrown in. Before the vet suggestion we fed her more. She’s about 14 lbs and she should go down to 12 or so.
Thank you so much!

[a c]

After losing my 10 years old to lymphoma earlier this year, I really started to take a close look at the dog food. I have been feeding them primarily Hill’s Science Diet since they were puppies because that’s what vet has recommended.

I went to a local pet store, I was told Orijen is the best out there in addition to the raw diet. I bought Origen and small bags of Stella and Chewy, Primal, and Honest Kitchen to try. My the other 10 year old end up with pancreatitis. She was put on IV therapy, metronidazole, and Science Diet ID can food. Then, I was told to put her on low fat Purina One Smartblend Weight management kibbles.

It has been a struggle to find low fat, good ingredients, and no/low toxin dog food. It shouldn’t be this hard.

[John L]

We were doing the same with our two, trying some of the top brands to give them the best we could. Besides the Orijen issue they wouldn’t touch Merrick, did like Nulo, and we had mixed results with some others. Being Acana is made by the same company as Orijen we’re pretty confident it was a good choice and they devour it.

We lost our almost 13 yo lab a year ago in August. She had been on Blue Buffalo for the last few years and did very well on it, but they had some issues in recent years so we looked elsewhere this time.

[John L]

We had the same issue with our two lab mixes and Orijen. It wasn’t an allergy or anything so extreme, just too much protein. We switched them to Acana (a bit higher carb and less protein) and they have been fine ever since. I thought of the allergy thing at the time but they have had no issues with chicken or any other proteins. In fact some of the Acana selections we’ve fed include several meat and fish proteins in the same kibble. Do have the vet check them out, but keep trying different foods until you find one they will eat and they produce proper stools on. Another tip – measure food by grams with a kitchen scale, not by the terribly inaccurate “cups”! You want them to get the recommended amounts of the kibble.

[zcRiley]

Your dog is intolerant to one or more ingredients in Orijen. Stop feeding that food immediately, diarrhea causes instant and severe dehydration. Your dog is allergic to chicken or other proteins. Get allergy test done.

[Katherine H]

We just started our 10-month old Bedlington Terrier on Orijen Original. He was on Fromm before and doing fine. He was fine when we were mixing the two together but now the switch is complete and he has diarrhea. We will take him to the vet tomorrow to check his stools for virus or anything else but in the meantime want to know if the all protein formula could be responsible.

[William L]

I would like to nominate : Nutro WHOLSOME ESSENTIALS, (Farm-Raised Chicken, Brown Rice & sweet potato recipe) manufactured by Mars Pet care, Franklin, Tn.

2 Cocker Spaniels thrive on it. A new product but never had a problem with a Nutro product. Not so with Acana, Blue Buffalo, Orijen and From. Acana and Orijen, Changed their formula when they relocated to the US. but did not notify customers (diarrhea), Blue Buffalo when the Life source Bits separated and ended up as concentrated in top of bag during shipping (diarrhea again), From have tried Beef/Salmon/and chicken. Dogs quit eating them after 2-3 bags. So far no problems with NUTRO. Have never had digestion problem with a Nutro product through the life span of 2 Black Labs, and a Golden Retriever. Would guess u would rate it as a 3.5-4.0.

[Mike Sagman]

Batch analysis ratings posted by CleanLabelProject.org and other similar websites can certainly be helpful.

However, we recommend readers exercise a reasonable degree of caution when relying exclusively on these kinds of reports.

That’s because when testing any pet (or human) food, the results can differ from day to day and vary significantly based on the specific farm or batch used as a source for any individual ingredient.

As with any laboratory study, it is absolutely critical to take a statistically significant (large) number of test samples from multiple batches to avoid a potentially misleading variable known as sampling error. You can read about that important subject here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_error

In addition, guidelines used for interpreting the results can also be changed or manipulated. This can cause certain products to be move from one rating to another. And even from “best” to “worst” lists. This has apparently already been a problem. You can read about that issue here:

Here’s Why The Clean Label Project’s Best and Worst Pet Food Results Changed

Giving any one brand a sweeping endorsement (or rejection) based on the sampling of one single batch taken from one individual product line at one point in time could be misleading and provide a false sense of security (or concern) regarding positive test results.

Even with fresh human foods (like strawberries or beef), there can be significant differences associated with test results from one batch of raw materials to the next, many times related to the soil conditions of one plot of land versus another from the same region.

What’s more, conclusions drawn from single batch testing can produce important inconsistencies. For example, on the website you reference, when you use the search box for specific brands (like Nutro, Orijen, Purina, and others), you’ll find 5-star, 3-star and 1-star individual recipes (products).

Try doing the same thing for other brands (like Nature’s Variety or Canidae) and in many cases, you’ll get similar results.

It would seem to us that the fairest way to draw accurate conclusions regarding food testing would be to collect test samples from multiple batches from different lots and collected over an extended period of time.

Otherwise, we could unfairly judge the safety of one food and give a misleading thumbs up for another.

Bottom line?

We commend CLP for its efforts. And we look forward to learning more about how its findings compare with those of others… especially to test results verified by independent third parties, peer-reviewed studies and those of the companies themselves.

Yet we’re also concerned about CLP’s lack of complete transparency and its failure to share actual test results with the public on its website.

In any case, until each batch is tested by every company with results posted on every label…

And since there’s no way of knowing which “top-rated” recipes could unexpectedly contain hidden contaminants and become the low-rated brands of tomorrow…

We continue to urge pet owners to practice the commonsense risk reduction strategies associated with the menu diversification and diet rotation methods favored by this website.

Until CLP becomes more transparent with its test data and its controversial claims have been verified by an independent third party or by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, we ask readers to refrain from posting any further references to this organization or its opinions anywhere on this website.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by Mike Sagman.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: "Bottom line" section added to conclusion of comment

[Susan]

Hi Lori, I just posted a post about “Clean Label Project” click on link & look at all the 5 Star foods, Canidae & Under the Sun, Nutro, Purina, I & love & You all got 5 stars, & Acana, Wellness & Orijen got 1 star they are very high in Toxins. Wellness has a lawsuit at the moment for false advertisement saying their dry kibble is high quaility but Clean Label Test tested a few of Wellness formula’s & they tested very high for toxins…..
If you can cook then freeze meals, home cooking is heaps better then feeding a dry processed kibble, Ted will probably start to feel & get better especially at age 10 Ted would probably love a nice cooked meal, I buy tin salmon in spring water & tin Sardines in spring water & add a few sardines to one of the cooked meal or some Salmon to 1 of the meals a day, Salmon & Sardines will help balance the meal with Omega 3, Vitamins for his joints, bones, heart, brain, skin & coat,.. I buy tin Salmon & Tuna slices in Spring water & drain all teh water & I boil some sweet potatoes & mix 1/2 & 1/2 & make a meal, it’s healthy & probably wont have any toxins like the dry kibbles have.
If your not happy feeding a Chickpeas & Peas diet then take the food back & say your dog won’t eat it, most pet foods are money back guaranteed for palability…

[Susan]

Finally Clean label project has released their 2nd study on dog & cat foods & have also added a few more brands…..
These brands below got 1- 2 stars for being high in Toxic Metals & Acrylamides & BPA/BPS. but it’s only certain formula’s that got 1 star not all their formula’s got 1 star, some brands did have a few of their formula’s with 1 star, this might explain why some pets were really sick this year, look & see did the brand/formula you were feeding your dog get 1-2 star?…
click on link below
read then scroll back up, look to your left & click on “Dry Dog Food” to find out which formula’s got 5 stars & less.
http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/pet-food-study-2-0/

Brands that got 5 Stars- I & Love & You, Nutro, Canidae, Canidae’s cheaper brand “Under The Sun”, Purina, Trudog, Simply Nourish, Eagle Pack…

Brands with 1 & 2 stars are on pages 11 to 16, you can also click on “Brand Report Cards” link down the bottom …..
I was VERY surprised “Fromm” had 4 formula’s with 1 star & the rest of Fromm formula’s only got 2 & 3 stars, People are always posting how good their dogs are doing on Fromm but I wonder how good their dogs will be doing after just eating Fromm for 2-4 years?…. This is why it’s best to rotate between a few different brands so your dog isn’t eating the same food 24/7…

*Brand formula’s that got 1 Star.
TOTW, Merrick, Acana, Orijen, bbf, Timberwolf, Earthborn Holistic, Fromm, Greenies, Holistic Select, American Journey, Kirkland, High Tek, Natures Variety, Blue. Only Natural Pet, Natures lodic, Special Kitty, Lotus, Wet Nose, Primal, Old Mother Hubbard, Castor & Pollux, Open farm, Milk Bone, Halo, Natural Balance, Nutri-Source, Solid Gold, Diamond, Petcurean, Racheal Ray-Nutrish, Meow Mix, Trudog, Pup-Peroni, Nature’s Planet-Organics, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Dog for Dog, Milos Kitchen, Dogswell Nutrisca.
http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/brand-report-cards/

[Lori J]

I just bought a bag a the Zignature Lamb to try out but still not happy w peas in there. Would Something like Orijen, Acana or Wellness core be better? I wouldnt mind making home cooked meals for my 2 if it is easy. I dont think I can do raw.

[Jeremy H]

I currently feed Orijen, which is low carb but also gives my dogs loose stools. I have been mixing it about 50/50 with Zignature which has helped firm things up. The only “low” carb kibble that I have noticed after scouring the reviews is Orijen. Am I missing something? Is the only other low carb option raw?

[haleycookie]

You don’t need a vet to understand what those words mean and you obviously already know what they do mean Kathy. However it’s really irrelevant in my opinion. Find a food that has the first three or more ingredients as meat. Those will be the foods that are most likely superior. Also it kinda just depends on the dog. If you want to feed kim something like acana/Orijen and he does great on it then great. Those are some of the best most meat based foods you can buy. But maybe a little extra if your dog is sensitive. If he can’t handle rich stuff like that then maybe try fewer protein sources. You can still find a meat based food with a smaller amount of sources. This site also explain if the dog food that is rated is “meat based” or “plant based” at the bottom of the review. But yes if you see potatoes or peas as the second or third ingredient and maybe just “deboned chicken” as the first ingredient it’s fair to say it’s going to be a plant based food. Whether or not you’re ok with feeding it is really up to you and your dogs taste/tummy. 🙂 good luck

[croeber]

I adopted my rescue lab mix 4 years ago and she’s been on Merrick that entire time. When I got her she was 5 years old, skinny and picky about food. She’s currently eating Merrick Grain Free and she really likes it. I supplement with some canned, sometimes scrambled eggs, yogurt, a few veggies etc. But I know Merrick isn’t perfect so wanted to switch it up. It seems like there are terrible experiences with every food out there. Orijen was really expensive. Earthbound is highly rated here but the fish variety was on the 10 worst list on Clean label project. I’ve thought about Solid Gold or Nature’s Variety, then I stumble upon negative aspects and bad experiences. My head is spinning.
She’s happy and healthy. So must I really continue research for a food to switch her to just to mix things up?

[Therese M]

We finally found a couple dry foods that our very picky eater will eat. Bil Jac picky eater and TOTW High Prairie. We don’t like the quality of Bil Jac and didn’t realize TOTW was Diamond, and there have been recent complaints about it. We dont want orijen/acana until the new plant formulas get straightened out, unless there’s additional information on that I’ve missed.
We’ve had some samples that she hasn’t liked but she’s starting to open up to more choices so we might go back to those (zignature turkey and fish- she hates all fish flavors).

I have a coupon for a free bag of zignature so especially one of those flavors would be great. I also have a buy one get one free for fromms. In the end I don’t care about the coupons, just finding her a food she likes. So, what is out there that is high quality that might have comparable tastes to those two foods? Chicken/chicken liver and buffalo/lamb. We’ve also had luck with wet food containing beef and duck. We only have a enough food for today and tomorrow so I need something I can pick up today and am willing to order something else later.

[Linda C]

I had read this on some of the reviews so was very hesitant to order from the Kentucky kitchen! I hope the reviews were untrue. I always read reviews before making a final decision. My girls have been on Canadian Orijen or Acana for 4 yrs. I ordered a different food but they eat whats in their Acana bowl. I free feed, neither has a weight problem due to a fenced yard so they get to do lots of running and playing. I would love to hear your views!
Linda

[a c]

It’s CleanLabelProject.org report. Sorry. Orijen received one star out of five.

[a c]

I feel the same way. The more I read the more I don’t know if I am feeding them the right food. Too much conflicting information out there.

I was gong to try Fromm, but I decided not to because all the bad reviews out there. I already trying to get them off Orijen due to the bad report from the Clean Project report.

In the end, they all are process food even the raw diet. Is one really better than the other?

[Avia M R]

Champion (Orijen & Acana) has stated that Amazon is not an authorized dealer, but they have little control over sellers on Amazon, so it is a buyer beware situation. I imagine the same applies to at least some of the other companies leaving Chewy.

[Susan]

Hi Heather,
Daisy needs a diet high in Omega 3, have you tried a salmon/fish diet yet? you write you give her Omega 3 but what brand are you using, is it a New Zealand brand? in America they tested a heap different brands of un opened fish oils supplements off the shop shelves & 70% of them were no good, a waste of money, then they tested the fish oil supplements from New Zealand & their fish oil capsule were of better quality, the whether is cooler in NZ, so there’s no damage while being made.. Oxidation occurs when unsaturated fats such as omega -3 fatty acids EPA & DHA are exposed to heat, light or oxygen…how you’ll know if capsules are rancid/oxidized the smell is awful, smells real fishy smell & the gel capsules may have discoloration… store any fish oil in fridge…
same as oils in a kibble as soon as you open bag of kibble & the oxygen hits the kibble the oils start to oxidize, they say you have 2 weeks life on a kibble, so make sure its put in an air tight container & stored in a very cool place in the house, alot of people put their dog food in the garage or hot shed…
Cause you don’t know if the fish oil capsules are good or bad, best to buy tin sardines in spring water or olive oil, take sardines out of the tin & put in a glass air tight small container, store in fridge & give Daisy 2-3 sardines a day either as a treat or as a topper on her dry food….
I would start looking for a Salmon dry formula but not Orijen or Acana, Orijen & Acana tested high for toxins & contaminates….
Have a look at “Canidae” Pure Sea formula, alot of dogs with skin problems do really well on the Canidae Pure Sea formula, ingredients are good, its high in omega 3, feed for 2-3 months then rotate & feed the Canidae Pure Sky it has turkey meal & duck meal, turkey & chicken are cleaner meats, or rotate with the Canidae Pure Elements also the wet tin foods are really good to use as a topper, read thru the ingredient list see which formula you prefer but make sure you rotate with the Pure Sea especially when Spring & Summer is coming start back on the Canidae Pure Sea, https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

or try a vet diet try Hills new “Derma Defense” wet & dry, it’s a vet diet for Environment allergies, skin problems, with high levels of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid, the Omega 3 is high at 1.80% the Omega 6-3.96%, the Omega 3 should be around 1/2 of what the Omega 6% is, alot of pet foods aren’t balanced properly & are very low in Omega 3 & very high in Omega 6, they’re not balanced properly & cause skin problems….
Hills Derm Defense helps strengthen skin barrier, formulated to help soothe & nourish skin & coat, helps skin recover naturally, supporting a healthy immune system, works with proprietary complex of bioactives & phytonutrients, antioxidants, including vitamin E, high levels of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids….
I know I lot of people don’t like the ingredients in vet diets, but they’re formulated for certain health problems, you could give the Derm Defense a try for just 3 months & see does her fur start to grow back, you’ve got nothing to lose also Hills is guaranteed to work or money back, contact Hills speak with one of their Vet Nutritionist & see what formula they recommend… I rotate & feed the Hills D/D Venison & Potato Skin health & Stomach, my boy has IBD & Skin Allergies or try the Canidae Pure Sea & Pure Sky formula’s first & see how Daisy goes…. Canidae will be cheaper then the vet diet… Canidae gets 5 stars on American consumer affairs site, Canidae grow all their own vegetables, Canidae is a family run business…. what your feeding at the moment isn’t helping, so you have nothing to lose..
also shampoo what are you bathing Daisy in to moisturize & nourish her skin?
Start bathing Daisy weekly with Malaseb medicated shampoo to wash off any allergens on her skin…

[a c]

Pet food stores need to stop telling people that Orijen and Acana have the best dog food because inexperience pet owners most likely will buy what pet food stores tell them to. Not everyone know about this website and the Clean Label.

I addition, you will think pet insurance companies will be jumping on those toxic pet food manufacturers. If those dog food are making dogs sick or die, pet insurance companies will be paying.

[a c]

C C, I am sorry about your Sheltie. I also lost my miniature schnauzer a few months ago to lymphoma. He was on Hill’s Science diet with topper of other kibbles, wet food, or human food all his life. At that time, I thought science diet was the best. It was recommended by multiple vets. I later learned that was not the case. I agree with you that vets just aren’t trained regarding food issues or other ways to treat diseases, just dispense drugs… I know first hand on that. My schnauzer was misdiagnosed by our regular vet. Three visits within the same month and the vet though he has hurt his back and put him on steroids which
probably was one of the reason that he was not responsed to the chemotherapy later on. It was the ER vet who diagnosed him with lymphoma. The vet oncologists just followed the protocols to dispense medications like the assembly line.

Back to the topic. I am in the process switching from Orijen puppy to Horizon Amicus puppy, but has to deal with sloppy stool. Horizon Amicus is make in Canada. It was not tested by the Clean Label. I don’t know if I make the right choice? Do you know anything about Horizon dog food? There are so many information out there and it’s very overwhelming and confusing. I am so new on the dog food issues. I was blinded by the dog food marketing for years.

Btw. I have a new discovery this morning. I have been soaking the kibbles in water. I noticed the soaked kibbles smells really bad. Since I soaked Orijen and Horizen Amicus together, I couldn’t tell which one is it. Both kibbles smells ok when it’s dry. So, I soaked them separately this morning. It was the Orijen. 10 minutes into soaking, the kibbles smells bad but the kibbles are still pretty hard. Horizon Amicus still has the same herb smell as the dry and it’s very soft.

[BooPacerKing]

Our vet was quite literally floored when we started describing to him what we gathered from this thread and began to suspect. The vet feels terrible because he’d had us giving our dog allergy medication, acid-control medication, and probiotics, not realizing that the only thing those meds were doing was allowing our dog to tolerate the Acana that may have something wrong with it.

After the Kentucky Ancana, not only did our lab start vomiting up the food (and eventually wouldn’t eat it), but he had also started drooling excessively and having a runny nose.

Turns out the dog quite literally needs none of those medications or dietary supplements. Those meds were merely masking the basic problem. Perhaps some owners would’ve switched foods earlier (and we would’ve if the vet had even hinted at this being related to the food in any of the many times they looked at the dogs for any of these snowballing symptoms), but we had fallen for all the marketing, etc. indicating that Acana was one of the best foods out there. And it remains the best-selling food carried by our local pet store.

When the lab refused to eat the food, one of our other dogs (a small dog who is fed a science diet brand food) grabbed several mouths full. Isn’t it fascinating that the small dog threw up later that day. Different dog, same result. Hmmmm.

As it turns out, the lab would’ve been better off eating any grocery-store brand than the Acana. We now have small bags of three different high-end foods (not Acana or Orijen) that he is currently testing. We have not seen this Labrador this happy and perky in years. No meds or supplements. And seems to be completely symptom free.

Without the science, though, we cannot definitely blame this on the Acana. But the coincidences and the severity of the symptoms on the Acana are too great. If there is something wrong with that food, we can’t just let people feed it to their animals.

My fear is that even if the science says that there are elevated levels of something bad in the food, we will be told that the ingredients are within industry-accepted levels. But it sure seems like there are some dogs not tolerating it and that it is actually causing injury or worse to others. That? Is not ok. But it could be that dog food manufacturers may shrug it off. After all, there must be thousands of dogs in the U.S. eating this food.

But we shall see. The university scientists have already jumped on board to get to the bottom of it, and they themselves will be doing the reporting to the FDA if the tests turn up something untoward.

Someone asked where they could send their dog food to be tested. I believe that Caroline C listed the name of the laboratory that tested her food.

[a c]

This is very scary. My puppy has been on Orijen(same manufacturer as Acana) puppy food for about 2 months now. I hate to think I am feeding him the poison. Where can I take the food to get it tested? I wish Clean Label Project would publish their findings in detail info.

I never use Orijen made in Canada, so I don’t have anything to compare to.

[pitlove]

Hi Holly-

My first piece of advice is to slow down and take a breath. I understand how confusing all the conflicting information you read on the internet is. I went through the same thought process as you, until I realized that my best option was reading up on the literature offered by veterinary nutritionists. I feel I’m now able to make much more informed, rational choices for my pets and not get hung up on propaganda from documentaries like PetFooled and all the complaints about different dog food brands.

If Canidae is working well for your dog, whats the harm in keeping her on that? Although based only on ingredients Orijen looks like the “best” food on paper, it is not appropriate for every dog, nor does it work for every dog. The right food for your dog is the food they thrive on, not the food everyone tells you is the best and you MUST feed to be a “good pet parent”.

[anonymous]

Excerpt from a recent discussion on this topic: https://disqus.com/home/discussion/dogfoodadvisor/acana_regionals_usa_dry/#comment-3352454949
Mike Sagman Mod Caroline C • 2 months ago
Exercise caution when relying on these kinds of reports.
When testing any (human or pet) food, the results can differ significantly from day to day based on the specific farm or batch used as a source for any one individual ingredient.
As with any laboratory study, it is absolutely critical to collect a statistically significant (large) number of test samples from multiple batches to avoid a misleading variable known as sampling error. Read about that here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
In addition, guidelines used for interpreting the results can also be change or manipulated. This can cause certain products to move from one rating category to another — and even from “best” to “worst” lists. Read about that here:
https://wagbrag.com/clean-l…
By the way, Champion Petfoods, the maker of Acana and Orijen, has recently (2017) been recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) for its food safety program at the company’s new Kentucky DogStar facility. You can read about that here:
http://www.bgdailynews.com/…
You can also learn about the GFSI program here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
Hope this helps.

[Anne B]

All right, at first this CleanLabelProject report threw me for a loop. I started looking for another brand of kibble based on CLP’s findings. What they deemed to be healthier for our dogs have corn meal as the first ingredient for starters. They included primarily plant based proteins and other carbs that I do not eat let alone our dogs.
As we are transitioning our two dogs from kibble based diets to primarily raw diet and the occasional kibble included meal we are not changing from Orijen. I think about how unhealthy it was for my husband and I on a high carb diet so why should we subject our dogs to the same high carb, high fat stuff?
We give our dogs Organic Bragg’s ACV, prebiotics and probiotics, Organic Coconut Oil and minimal kibble that has a low carbohydrate percentage ratio. I believe in the “everything in moderation” along with a nice piece of beef rather than this report as gospel and a grain of any kind.

[Dave R]

Okay, after reading the testing for heavy metals for dog food i.e purity, I’m even more concerned. Honest Kitchen, except for their fish formula rates great but Acana and Orijen all rate 1 star with a few rating 3 which is average. Nulo also rates 1 in wet food and three in dry, which saddens me.

Has any tried that ‘I and Love and You’ brand?? Zig looks great but it has yet to grt tested. The tests also could be bunk.

[Dave R]

So, my three dry options are;

Orijen – Seens great, filler free, high protein

Acana – Looks great ingredient wise, high protein; however, there’s some horrid negative reviews on kidney failure, not sure if theyre recent or due to the new kentucky plant. And they contain catfish meal, are they not bottom dwellers?

Nulo – Not many reviews, USA Made, looks great, no negative reviews

Honest Kitchen – Already Have it. I’ll probably just add this to his dry and wet foods on occasion.
________

Wet foods;

Nulo
Koha
Natures Logic – Possible raw frozen as well
________

So man to choose from it can be overwhelming.

[Dave R]

Lots of people have said their Acana dry has caused Kidney problems once they moved to Kentucky. I am wondering what others think of Acana grasslands formula and its use of catfish meal. Are they not bottom dwellers and suck up PCB’s and all kinds of crap in the silt at the bottom.

Other than that it’s regional, not outsourcing from China an looks great! I have a medium sized poodle mix.

My other choices are dry orijen which also looks great but has a lot of protein, Koha for wet food or natures logic wet food or Nulo which seems like a great dry food, and a honest kitchen topper.

So confusing and hard to choose.

[a c]

I use Orijen puppy since he was 6 weeks old with no problem. Tootsie roll stool. 3-4 times a day. Groomer noticed his beautiful fur. I have heard a lot of bad things about Orijen lately. I am trying to mix some Horizon Amicus puppy to Orijen puppy food. So far so good.

I wish I can feed a Orijen senior to my 10 years old. Unfortunately, it may be too rich for her. She has pancreatitis history. Our vet put her on Purina One Smartblend Healthy Weight Management. I feel so bad to feed her that, but don’t know what to do. I do add a little Natural Receipe wet food to make it taste/smell better.

[Nancy J K]

Hi
I have a mixed terrier, she is 13 years old. I noticed an immediate change in her energy, when I changed her food from Blue to Orijen SENIOR. It was like night and day! My dog’s arthritis was so bad she couldn’t even jump on the sofa. I have had her on Orijen now for 4 years, and for my dog it has been extremely successful. 2 weeks ago, this 13 year old dog caught a rabbit! That should tell you something!

It is a little pricey, but it is worth it. My other two dogs are on Orijen Fit and Trim. It’s amazing!. It’s important to know, none of the meat in Orijen or Acana come from China. Just because a product says made in USA, you need to know where the products used in the food are imported.
Good Luck.
Oh one more thing… I used to get my dogs food from Chewy. Unfortunately, they sold the Orijen and Acana contract to PetSmart. I now order through http://www.hollywoodfeed.com
Nancy

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Nancy J K.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Nancy J K.

[Nancy J K]

We have 4 dogs, 2 are on Orijen Senior (which I think is the best!) and the other 2 are on Acana Duck and Pear… now that Orijen Fit and Trim is new and finally available in the USA. My next order will be with the Fit and Trim (I’ll keep you posted with our dogs performance and acceptance of the new brand)

I was very disappointed that Chewy.com no longer contracts with Orijen and Acana Foods. I was lucky to find http://www.Hollywoodfeed.com with the same free delivery service and auto ship, and same price as Chewy.com. If you have been ordering through Chewy and now they have cancelled your orders, checkout Hollywood Feed!

[Yx]

Hello pitluv – While it it true that we cannot tell the quality of the meats used by simply reading an ingredient label, we do know that there are companies that never use generic by-products, animal digests, meat and bone meals, artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, ingredients sourced from China, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, toxic preservatives such as BHA, BHT, TBHQ and Ethoxyquin,, and those that do.
For example, these are the ingredients in Purina’s Alpo brand Prime Cuts Savory Beef Flavor – Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Beef Tallow Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Corn Gluten Meal, Egg and Chicken Flavor, Poultry and Pork Digest, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Red 40, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Yellow 5, Manganese Sulfate, Blue 2, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Garlic Oil, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Selenite. I-5020.

It would stand to reason that a company that avoids the above low-quality ingredients would likely be using higher quality meats in their formulations, in fact, there are brands such as ORIJEN that use “human grade ingredients” – “The fresh meats, meat meals and fat ingredients we use are produced exclusively from animals that have been deemed as fit for human consumption, and are produced in category 3 facilities (human grade facilities, no flushing, and no 4-D animal parts permitted on premises). All fruits and vegetables used in ORIJEN foods are also passed as fit for human consumption.” -https://www.orijen.ca/faq/#fresh_regional_ingredients

In any case, I am glad to read that all your animals are doing well.

[Lewis F]

I use Orijen Original and puppy and have had no problems

[Carter K]

I have been feeding Orijen to my Golden Retriever since he was a puppy. I never had a single complaint with the Canadian food. It consistently came vacuum sealed, and opening the bag you could see that the food was moist and rich in nutrients.

The new formula from Kentucky is so lousy I can’t stand it. I had several bags that the color was extremely light colored, the pieces were very thin or small, and there was an abundance of food particles all over the bag. I was getting ready to switch, when I bought another bag. FINALLY, I got a bag where the kibble was larger, darker in color, and appeared to be the same type of quality as the Canadian plant. I thought that perhaps they had corrected whatever issues they may have been having at the Kentucky plant, but I have not been able to find another bag of this quality since.

Orijen sent me a long-winded response about using “fresh ingredients” and how this causes variation in the food; however, this was never an issue with the Canadian formula. At this point, I don’t know what to feed him as I had previously been so thrilled with Six Fish as it has kept him lean, his muscles strong, and his coat beautiful. If there was SOME way for me to still buy the Canadian food I absolutely would! 🙁

[a c]

My 14 weeks puppy has been on Orijen puppy kibbles since I got him when he was 6 weeks old. I have been slowly adding Horizon Amicus puppy kibbles for the past week. I am now using 3/4 Orijen puppy and 1/4 Horizon Amicus puppy kibbles pre soaked in the water overnight. No problems. 4 stools a day. Toosie roll like.

Horizon Amicus puppy dry food is actually one of the puppy dry food recommend by the website. I like to get him off Orijen puppy food if possible because all the things that I read about Orijen lately. It’s also very rich. I have tried to add Freshspot as toper, but it didn’t go so well.

I noticed even with homemade food. You have to add it slowly. I gave them some cooked ground turkey with broccoli. They have soft stool for a few days. I now use it as a toper.

As for my 10 years old, she has pancreatitis history. Our vet put her on Purina One Smartblend Healthy management kibbles. I have been adding a little Natural Receipe wet food and I also pre soaked the kibbles. The ingredients on Purina One is terrible, but what choice do I have? I must keep fat level low so she won’t have another pancreatitis.

[a c]

I am trying to transition my 3 months old puppy from Orijen puppy to Horizon Amicus puppy small breed due to the high protein in Orijen and some other things that I read about Orijen USA. It has been over a week now. His stools finally have firm up and I think I will stop given him pumpkin. I hope this will work.

I first tried to transition him to Zignature Zissential. No success. His got diarrhea every two hours, so I switched him right back to Orijen puppy.

[Dana F]

I had no luck transitioning my dog from the Canadian version of Orijen to the U.S. version. Even with a slow transition my dog developed diarrhea. I tried more than one formula/recipe.
This was very frustrating because he had been doing remarkably well on the Canadian formula. Starting over and I am now trying various other foods including Holistic Blend.

[Dana F]

I recently contacted Chewy and asked why Fromm and I think, Orijen, would no longer be available at Chewy’s. Chewy answered with a very honest response. They stated that since Chewy had become a subsidiary of Petsmart, Fromm, and possibly Orijen, decided to part ways with Chewy because these companies believe in promoting small businesses and Chewy, having become part of the Petsmart conglomeration, no longer fit their business model.

[InkedMarie]

Why are you choosing to put her on a senior food? Most are too low in protein with Orijen being the exception. If your dog is overweight, try Annamaet Lean or Wellness Core reduced fat.