So far, my recently adopted 5 year old Golden/Border Collie mix loves the stuff! I was a little worried after having read every single review and response here, but decided to try it anyway. Mia came from the pound, and she joined my other two on a raw diet. After 2 months of thriving on it, she suddenly came down with heinous itchies and was pulling her hair out. Her coat lost its luster and softness. Although it may be seasonal allergies, I really didn't want a red, bald dog. (Else I would have gotten a Mexican Hairless or a Chinese Crested)

Although I haven't taken her in yet, the vet suggested fish. The raw cost could be prohibitive, so I thought I'd try this. She LOVES it and gobbles it up. I was worried about reported diarrhea, but her stools are actually better than they were before. Another review suggested (in a lovely manner) that the diarrhea might be from the detox process of coming off grains and onto "good" food. Made sense to me. Mia is coming off 75% meat, 25% veggies, no worry about that. Also, the problem of gas from both ends seems not be be for her. Thank heavens -- she was already pretty gassy and belchy. Not much of a lady, in fact.

If Mia responds well to this diet, with some added raw meat, I may just put my other two on it, too. The cost of the quality raw meat and organic veggies is already pretty prohibitive -- why not make it easier on myself???

To be continued . . . .


OK, it has been a week on Orijen now. The digestive upset Mia had from before Orijen (gas and belching) is gone. The only thing is that she is pooping out more volume (for lack of a better word). I guess that's a good thing. I'm supplementing, for the time being, with 3V caps and a sardine in the morning.

I do have to agree with the reviews that say that the food is fairly stinky, but their breath isn't. At least the house is big and well-ventilated!!


One month into the 6-fish and I am very happy!! Mia's coat looks healthier and she is scratching much less. Her skin is clearing up, too. I'm hooked (so is Mia).

Put my 14.5 year old Westie on Orijen Senior about 8 months ago, she has done very,very well on it.

She had been on Nutro, when I decided to switch her to a high protein diet. She was constantly hungry, and never satisfied. First tried EVO, but she had some bloody stool, put her on the Orijen Senior and have had absolutely no problems. She eats a third of what she ate on the Nutro and is satisfied, after she eats she goes and lies down, before she would search for 30 minutes for any little scrap, everywhere. She is maintaining her weight and seems to feel a bit better, but I also added a glucosamine and chondrotin supplement at the same time. I also like that is is the only high protein diet in a senior formula, and that it has a lot of quality, holistic and natural ingredients. Only problem is availability, can only get it online in my area.

My English bulldog loves the 6-fish formula, and it basically solved his digestive issues overnight. I'd previously fed him Innova, California Natural (Herring and Sweet Potato) as well as the mixed-protein Orijen Adult and had to consistently supplement all food with pumpkin to provide fiber. Within a day of switching him over to the fish formula, his stomach challenges resolved themselves. I've never seen him be so interested in his food or eat it so quickly! His allergies also improved since going onto it, and the foot licking has finally (after 1 1/2 years) lessened!

Now for the problem - because it's a high protein food, the portion size is smaller than my bully wants and he constantly seems hungry. I've actually just started mixing in Acana Pacifica to bulk up the portion size a little bit. This combo seems to take off the hunger edge a little more, and though it's only been a few days, he's doing well even with the mix.

If anyone has an allergy prone dog, I'd definitely recommend trying one of these formulas. I have a vet-dermatologist who wanted to put him on a Royal Canin food to try and address the allergies, and thank god that I found this food first before having to resort to anything like that.

Pros: Cured a sensitive stomach! Improving allergies. Dog loves it unlike any other dry food.
Cons: Hungry dog - Have to be careful on portion size or else the dog is going to put on some pounds.

Finnaly after weeks of asking the local pet store to get this in, its arrived. I bought the big bag of adult formula for my 2-1/2 year old german shepherd. Absolutely loves it, he scarfs the whole bowl down. I have tried other grain free food but he would take all day to eat 1 bowl. He doesnt even listen to me when its feeding time, he acts like a shark lol. Coat looks wonderfull tons of energy and only poops once a day. I have reserched dog food for 3 years now and I cant find a better comercial food, I love my dog and want whats best for him so I will be using Orijen exclusively now that I can get it right up the road. It is a better value than most food since you dont have to feed as much and dont need to give vitamins because all the wonderfull ingrediants. I would 100% recomend at least trying a few bags to see how youre dog reacts, you wont regret it!!!

Hi this dog foog is great over dog food i give her was not good for her now she is so happy and no alergies, i am going to buy this dog food all the time love my dogs.

I just started Orijen for my 4-years old Golden Retreiver, he was on Eagle Pack for the last 3 years.
The only problem with this food- he eats it so fast that I start to wonder whether I gave him food or not:)

I love it, for my three year old jack russel terrior origen. she is allergic to chicken, wheat, milk & dairy products.orijen is good for her becaise the fish formula she loves it. Gladly it is made in my home province alberta. thx origen

Great ingredients, reasonably priced, etc., but my dog gets really horrible gas (from both ends)/has bowel movements really often (and a LOT) on certain types of food, and apparently this is one of those. Haha. She was on Ziwipeak before Orijen (and will be going back on it starting today!) and only had BMs once a day, and very little, very solid ones.. (sorry if this is TMI for everyone! LOL). I had switched her to the Orijen because it's grainless and with the hopes that I could get her on a more reasonably priced, easier to find food, but unfortunately her gas problems and frequent BMs came back after only one or two days of being exclusively on the Orijen.

So, I just ended up going back to Ziwipeak. I guess I'll have to resort to buying it online.

awesome

So far the best dog food I have tried. My rottweilers coat improved and my other dogs like it and seem to do well on it.

After six months on Orijen, my dog was quite gassy and had no interest in eating his food. I switched him to Eagle Pack Holistic Select, and his coat improved remarkably, as did his digestion. He did ok on Orijen, but I see marked improvement in his coat with Eagle Pack...

The food is very good - it was just a little too rich for our Shiba Inu. We just got a Siberian Husky puppy, however, and he kept having chronic diarrhea which no vet could figure out. I read somewhere that breeds like huskies often do better with high protein, no grain diet, especially raw, but feeding raw is too expensive for my budget, so I decided to try Orijen again. (They have a puppy formula with controlled calcium levels for larger breeds - hurray!) After a month of diarrhea on Eagle Pack and Innova - both excellent foods - he is finally perfectly solid, and I'm happy I can feed him a good, grain-free food.

I can see how this food can be too rich for some dogs, but it seems to be just right for our husky.

Upgrade: Our puppy got incredibly gassy, and after dealing with the stinker for a week, I finally decided to try raw feeding. Incredible. No more gas, and stools are beautiful. So I'm feeding raw now, but I still think Orijen is a great food --- just didn't work out for my dogs.

Excellent quality food! I have my dogs (9 & 10 years old) on Orijen Senior dry mixed with Merrick canned food, and both are doing extremely well. I had them on Blue Buffalo Senior, which I also think is a good food, but since the switch I definitely notice an improvement in their coats (more shine and less shedding). They are also more energetic, bright-eyed, much less gassy and the bad breath is gone. Highly recommend!

I just bought 6 Fresh Fish for my 11 year old dog to try and see if it will help with her gas and itchy paws. She has been on Wellness SuperMix Lamb and Rice for the last 3 years and before that, Wellness Supermix Ocean Fish, and before that Nutro (she was allergic to chicken). Wellness worked pretty well for the last few years, but recently (in the last few months) she has been having terrible gas and itchy paws and ears. The itching is almost as bad as when she was on dry food with chicken from other brands.

This isn't a real review (yet) because my dog is just starting on Orijen, but I will update it in 2-3 weeks when the effects of the new food become evident...Meanwhile, I have a question:

After reading several comments (positive and negative) about Orijen foods, and in particular the post about Lake Athabasca and the oil sands operations there, I did more research about that area and am a little concerned...

I read on the Orijen website that their fish comes from the "lakes of northern Alberta and Saskatchewan" and off the pacific northwest.

Does anyone know if the oil/tar sands operations in Alberta, specifically around the Athabasca River, Lake Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake or similar regions have affected the fish that they use in their dog food such as 6 Fresh Fish?

Or does anyone know where/which lakes they get their fish from specifically? I've emailed them and am waiting for a reply.

Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I've been feeding my dog this food for two months. In that time he's had bad diarrhea twice. At first I thought it was something else but I now suspect the food. The combination of high protein and fat does not agree with him. He's a running partner and thought the high protein would be best...but I don't think so anymore.

i did my own taste test for my dogs, which i breed pomeranians, i tested -blue buffalo,- fromm, -prairie,- instinct,- natural balance, and orijen. all of the dogs choose "orijen" they wont touch anything else now that they've tried it, & much to my surprise, their stools have all firmed up! they were previously on blue buffalo and all had loose stools, so that's why i was on a quest to find a new food, but since the orijen seems to work, i'll will look no further!

I have a Golden Retriver who has been on Orijen Senior for approximately 12 months now - I switched her late in life ... She is now 10. No problems at all when I first swiched. She loves the taste. I cut back from 3 cups of her old dog food to 2 cups of Orijen. She lost 2 lbs however still holding at a perfect weight of 70 lbs. You can see better muscle tone. And the best news, Since she switched 12 months ago, we had 2 senior blood tests. Absolutly no issues with kidney or other major organs. The high protein is causing NO problems. Just helping her live a longer healthier life ... The sad part for me, I had another Golden Retriever who passed away a little more then a year ago. He lost most of his muscle in his back legs, just could not walk any more plus some other issues. Even though he passed away at 14 and 1/2 years, I truly believe I could have had him with me another year IF I had him on Orijen earlier in life ... Oh well, I'm learning, but it was the hard way ...

I have a Jack Russell and a Scottish Terrier and they both get fed Orijen adult dog food.
They have both been on this food for about 1 year and they both love it. I was feeding Evo which I also feel is an excellent food, before switching to Orijen. The switch was made because my Scottie keep having frequent bouts of vomiting on the Evo brand, so I decided to try Orijen. Since switching to Orijen we've had no problems, the vomiting stopped. Both dogs have beautiful coats , no skin problems at all, and are full of energy. Their yearly blood work results were excellent. The only problem that I have with Orijen is it is a problem for me to get hold of. No one in my vicinity carries it so I must make special trips to purchase it. Other than that I would highly recommend Orijen for anyone that feeds their dog dry kibble. At one time our Vet. tried to give me a sample of Science diet, I just laughed and told him he needed to take a course in doggie nutrtion. Who are they kidding when they try to push that stuff.....obviously they are getting kick backs to sell that stuff in their clinics! YIPES!
Anyway give Orijen a try, I think you will be happy with the results you see in your pet.

I have researched holistic foods for years, have tried a lot, my dogs have the best results with this food! They like it the most, and the stool is excellent, not too hard, not too soft. Their digestion is excellent.

Most other companies's sources of their meat and vegetable are not comparable, nor additional engredients like herbs are not in other foods. The way they process it etc. is amazing, it all reflects in a perfect digestion and perfect coat.

While reading people's post, here is a tip: When you transition your dog to this food, do it slowly, beause your dog might not be used to the vegetables in it, it cannot digest them, that is why somethimes they then get diarria, just transition it slowly or get Eagle pack transition supplement.

I also like to add Eagle pack and wellness cans to my dogs diets. I also cook vegetables and meats for their meals. My dogs are very happy and healthy. I have heard eagle pack gets their foods from the amish people and they also buy their fish from alaska. They don't buy from china, and are just great, so is wellness. You stick to these, you will have a very healthy pet. I don't like innova or solid gold, they use regular meats and vegetables, they have hormones, pesticites etc. in it.

The dog loves it, he has a great coat and improved energy and focus. We rotate this food with Innova every 3 months or so -- he appears to do better on the Orijen.

For those of you who want to vilify Orijen, and extoll the virtues of Puppy Chow and others please visit some of the following websites with your dogfood in hand and compare to the first link for additives and supplements to the food.

For the second link this is what standard meats are expected in most if not all grocery store and some " high-quality " vet approved foods.

When reading the ingredient list on my Large Breed Puppy Orijen I recognize 50 of the 54 listed ingredients. I can honestly say I do not get more than 10 or so before having to jump to the internet for explanation on any Iams product or Mainstay or other.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=bading redients

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-should-i-consider-when-buying-healthy-dog-food.htm

Diseased, disabled, dying or dead livestock, known as 4-D livestock, commonly find its way into commercial dog food as a cheap source of protein.
These diseased, chemically treated carcasses are sold to rendering plants.
Rendering plants are not controlled by government oversight and legally render all kinds of animals, including roadkill and euthanized pets picked up from veterinarian’s offices.

We just recently got our new Aussie puppy, Gomer. The breeder was feeding Diamond. Gomer would not and still will not eat that food for us. The breeder gave us a bag of her food for us to wean him to Orijen with. If I mix in the Diamond, he will not eat, if I just lay down Orijen, he scarfs it down. We had been giving 75(old)/25(Orijen), then 50/50, and now 25/75 and were worried because he wouldn't eat much of his food at all, maybe a few kibbles and walk away. I tried feeding him the Orijen portion first and the Diamond portion second, and I saw what the issue was. He ate all of the orijen and maybe a third of the other food.

For about two days he had very runny stool but no gas and plenty of energy, but now his stool is solid, he has rediculous energy and we have nothing to worry about now because he'll actually eat his food.

I just want to mention that I haven't tried any other foods because I decided on Orijen before we brought Gomer home, and I'm glad I did. We have a holistic dog store within dog walking distance from our house. They gave us several samples of puppy food, though I wasn't sure why, because I always thought it best to wean him to a new food and keep it there, maybe rotating every so often.

I got the puppy formula and will get the adult formula when he is about 6mo old.

I couldn't be happier, I'm glad I looked into it, because we were feeding our two cats Iams for the longest time and have now got them the 15lb bag of Orijen cat food that we will switch over to soon.

I started feeding my two dogs on this food a couple of weeks ago. I have a havanese that is an extremely picky eater, and a shepherd mix who has almost always been at least a few pounds overweight. I was giving them Eukanuba Naturals before this, which isn't cheap food. We have tried many different foods over the years for our havanese, and she barely eats any of them, always had to entice her, but she absolutely loves Orijen. For the first time ever she runs to the bowl and just gobbles it down. With our shepherd we have tried many different diet dog foods, and feeding her less and less, but no matter what we did she would never lose those few pounds, but after this short time on Orijen she has already lost 2 pounds. Orijen has much fewer carbs than the other foods out there, less than half the carbs of what we were feeding her, and carbs are empty calories for dogs. This food is great. My dogs absolutely love it, and I love what it is doing for them. And no gas!!

This food may be ok for some pets (and if it works for yours, that's great!), but I will not feed it to mine (2 dogs & 3 cats). One big reason is the marketing. Do they honestly expect us to believe it (which icy, northern lakes are they using for fishing in Alberta...Lake Athabasca perhaps? The lake contaminated by the oil sands development??)? I've always trusted: if it's too good to be true, it probably is!

I am a biologist and I know that they are not basing any of their claims on scientific evidence. I read all their documents and they do quote published scientific journals here and there, but when you actually read the journal articles the quotes are taken out of context. Also, the 'conclusions' they are drawing about what 'carnivores' (our dogs & cats) truly need is only speculation (really they are misdirecting consumers from the available facts about pet nutrition - and I mean the facts that come from solid research and not on biased opinions). There is no evidence to back up what they're saying and to me, that's just not good enough for my pets.

To me, this is just the latest fad. Once it's no longer profitable, they will find a new angle and create another brilliant marketing strategy to sell you on those products too. Anyone remember 'Holistic' foods or 'Natural' foods? Those catchy terms are no longer as appealing or exciting since they've been around a while, so now it's 'Grain Free'.

This food was recommended to me for my 12 week old golden retriever. He's been on it for 3 1/2 weeks and he has HORRIBLE gas from it. I was told by both my vet and the store which I bought it from to give it 2-3 more weeks. I've read some other reviews in which people said their dogs have had bad gas and pooped a lot from this food. I want this food to work out for my dog cause it seems like a really good product but I just don't know what to do. Has anyone else experienced this "clear the room gas" before with their dog and did it eventually goes away or should I be looking for other options? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I want to do what's best for my dog.

The only dog food my dog will eat without adding a topper. Makes her stop shedding as well. Good stuff.

I have a 8 months old Newfie puppy. I got him from a breeder who has 30 years of experience, genetically wise, he is solid. Since day one, he was on Wysong Maintenance. It's a good food, his coat is good and his energy level is good. But he picks up Giardia/Worm/Diarrhea quite easy...and yes, he did go to doggy daycare few times a week to get socialization and he could get it from there, but none of the dogs there have problems other than him. The vet is pushing me to change his diet to one of those medi-cal thing. Personally, I absolutely don't trust those products...so I start my quest of searching a better food for BonBon (my dog). I consulted the breeder and few organic retailers. Finally I settled on either Orijen and it's sister brand Acana. In the process, what I found is not about grain that makes my dog has sensitive tummy, it's the starch content. Have to be careful, starch = carbohydrate and grain = starch, potato = starch, tapioca = starch, so grain free does not necessary mean starch free. So I feed my dog few days on Acana and few days on Orijen. What I found is his stool formed better with Orijen and he responds to the Orijen food just slightly more (he is very food motivated and likes all food). When I read the label, Acana's starch is more than Orijen.

Wysong is VERY good food and may be the starch content is too high for my dog. I also recommend Wysong Archetype. It's basically raw food in dry form. Wysong is very against packaged frozen raw food. In its website, it provides all the answers (please read). Archetype is the best solution if you don't want to go raw, you can use it as complement to the kibbles. They are very good to the dog.

My dogs absolutely LOVE this food. I feed my babies only no grain dog foods and I switch them between this and TOTW. Some people might think that the cost is prohibitive but for my dogs, 1 bag of this will last a little over 3 weeks (2 feedings daily)and my dogs aren't small (siberian husky & black lab/golden retriever mix).
I recently got my neighbor to switch her pets to a no grain diet and she has noticed a marked improvement in her pets activity levels, bad breath is gone, and they are eating/pooping less.

Best kibble you can buy. After changing from Fromm gold (also good) my puppies ate a lot less. Took them to the vet and turns out thy were fine and perfectly healthy. Stool is fine, although i heard its not for large breeds, My two yorkies are fine and loving it. For all the weary of the "recall". It was only in australia for the cat food, NOT dog food. And the reason was Australia law required that the cat food be irradiated, which Champion foods did not want to do, hence the recall.

Orijen has helped out my large breed Mastiff. He wouldn't eat any kibble on the market without chicken or something mixed in. We tried everything and the mess after he ate was out of control. I mean he is a big dog. I had a friend turn me on to Orijen and i'm so thankful i did. He loves it. He actaully eats out of his bowl now with just kibble. I can't tell you how happy that makes a me. He is so healthy and really a different dog. The label alone sold me. I have now sold the rest of my dog owner friends on it. What is the best is that there is a place that does free shipping and has a entire site of healthy kibble and treats. pawschoice.com. Check it out and i swear by it!
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We have been using Orijen for about the past two years since coming out on the market. Our Aussie Shepherds were on Nutro and doing okay...one had constant skin irritation and scratching, and barley in other foods resulted in major skin/hair problems. After changing to Orijen it took about 2 weeks and her skin totally cleared. We've had no issues with either dog refusing to eat; in fact our 7 month old will eat 4 cups in one sitting if allowed. Last summer our female whelped 5 puppies and we put the pups on Orijen puppy food when they were ready and people couldn't believe how health they were...even a friend of ours who breeds said they were the brightest puppies she's seen in a very long time. We also noticed less clean up in the yard and that both dogs seem much happier and brighter. You really get what you pay for. If you buy Ol "mort" from Walmart...as in "mort" french for dead, then expect your pet to live a shortened life span. We want to spend as long as possible with our dogs, as they are an important part of our family. One of our past dogs lived to be 17 with a grainless diet, so we're hopeful that Orijen will promote a long life too.

We received our English Bulldog at 5 weeks - very young, and she was on Eukanuba. We knew we wanted to switch the food because she was constantly going to the bathroom, tons of mess outside - it was a nightmare. We switched her pretty much cold turkey to Orijen. Normally we never would have done this, but she was doing terrible on Eukanuba, so to make things easier for her we added a teaspoon of yogurt to her food in the morning.

She is now 10 weeks old, thriving, doing incredibly well. Her coat is perfect, he loves her food. We also use kibble as a training mechanism and she can't get enough.

Our friend has an English Bulldog and has been pushing us to try raw, but from my research it seems that Orijen is the perfect scientific balance for dogs so we decided to stay on it. I would recommend this food to anyone.

By the way she doesn't make nearly as much mess as she used to and cleaning the yard is very easy, if you know what I mean.

Update as of 01/31/09: Bacchus spent 6-7 months on Origen diets and with amazing results. He has been off kibble for almost a year as I switched him to commercially available frozen raw foods (Paw naturaw, Primal, nature's variety and Aunt Jenni's). As insanely expensive as raw diets are, when you have only 1 dog, the cost isn't so hard to swallow. What has become apparent over the last year or so, it that many pet food manufacturers have decided that profit supercedes our pets' well-being. Companies like Timberwolf and Canidae are prime examples of once great foods becoming at best mediocre and untrustworthy. Origen, on the the other hand has maintained the high quality that made them the darling of kibble diets. One would hope that they will not let us down, but unless that happens this food still deserves a 5 star rating.

Update 09/14/07:Bacchus has been on Orijen ( fish formula) for almost 4 weeks and continues to do exceptionally well. There was no problem with the switch from the Timberwolf<span>  </span>brand (which I have also rated a 5 and intend to continue using as part of a rotation diet). For anyone interested, my original review is now in the comments section dated 09/14/07. What follows is just an observation that I hope will appeal to most with posts for Orijen, or at least those who have rated this product a 4 star or better.

Conspiracy theories abound on this site, and although I am not one to particularly revel in them, I do have one of my own. I have been a contributor on Rateitall for 6-7 months and have agreed and certainly disagreed, privately or publicly, with much of what is written in the dog food section. There is however an individual among us, whose behavior is very much reminiscent of a pesky fly in our homes that simply does not want to go away. It is best not to anthropomorphize flies, so even though I think this particular fly is a he, I will simply refer to him more aptly as IT for now on. We leave windows and doors open hoping that IT might find greener pastures elsewhere, but for some inexplicable reason IT seems intent and gratified in just harassing us. Some of us may have even considered<span>  </span>swatting IT or, worse yet, using Raid on IT. But we are after all, animal lovers and bug-spray or fly-traps seem just so inhumane. And so we have resigned ourselves to just tolerating ITs presence and waiting for the day that we will feel that presence no more. In the meantime, while occasionally contemplating our navels, we can come-up with all sorts of theories about this flys obsession with our homes. I mean, everywhere you look, there IT is, incessantly buzzing around the same circular pattern, leaving the same calling cards, over and over and over, again and again! So who is this fly? If flies have psychiatrists, why is this one allowed to roam freely and unmedicated?<span>  </span>I guess, they have yet to invent a drug for Obnoxious Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the fly kingdom. Back to my question: who is this fly? And here is the conspiracy theory: IT is someone which is directly or indirectly affiliated with a rival. A rival who is so incensed by our well being that they decided to unleash that pesky fly on us.  Mind you all, this is only a conspiracy theory, and therefore almost impossible to prove or disprove.

As for some of the mess IT has left behind, I have decided to simply ignore it (a very good advice, btw). Can we reason with IT? Probably as much or less than we could reason with an unruly and spoiled 5-year old who is intent on throwing a hissy-fit in a supermarket aisle until he gets what he wants. Has anyone else noticed that the more effort we expend in silencing this particular fly the louder ITs buzzing sound gets?! Strangely enough, IT seems to be attracted to the sound of his own flap!

Flies will be flies, and to us humans they will always be pests. They come in all shapes and colors but they all share those characteristics that distinguish them as flies. I'll leave it up to you to decide what those characteristics are and whether you think it is worth any effort on your part for the rehabilitation of IT and ITs brethren.

<span>I will close by saying that I do not respond to tirades or anger as comments to this post, and I will certainly not respond to that all too familiar buzzing sound of the fly.</span> 

great dog food, I'd reccomed it to people I know. I also love the fact that is a canadian brand. They only catch---my dogs are picky eaters, and well....no matter how good it is for them, they stopped eating it only after a month.

I have a four month old samoyed who was started on Royan Canin puppy - red label. Royal Canin is not a bad food, but I am an absolute stickler when it comes to feeding my dogs the best of the best. After exhaustive research I settled on Orijen for puppy in yellow bag. Dog loves it, he is absolutely gorgeous. When compared to his littler mates, his coat is highly superior and his bone and development are superior - even thoug he wasn't picked as a show dog. I think the breeders are wondering about their decision now! lol. He is happy, highly energetic and I am confidant with what he eats. I am an animal nutrition researcher so I spend a lot of time researching every ingredient that could and does go into dog foods. I have to tell you, dog foods like Purina - Old Roy, etc basically starve a dog to death. You must have a very high quality protein as your first set of ingredients as well as a balance of other ingredients to satisfy and promote the correct growth in your puppy. Yes, it is rather expensive, but..... the puppy doesn't have to eat nearly as much as the Royal Canin because his nutritional needs are satisfied. Do the comparison. I also suggest supplementing ANY dog feeding program with home cooked meals once to twice a week and pure icelandic salmon oil. I feed my crew organic chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, wild maine bluberries, green beans, carrots and a supplement from the Honest Kitchen. If your dog is currently on a different dog food, especially one with a lower protein content and a lower 'good' fatty acid content - they will experience a rather nasty detox and it's gonna smell to high heaven - it takes three weeks to detox and switch over. I suggest using some dry mix raw food from Honest Kitchen - Embark to facilitate the detox. You can improve your dogs life and extend it - I home fed my 15 year old Samoyed to the age of 17 with only organic food. We had to put him down not due to internal issues - his liver, kidneys, etc etc were perfect but due to breaking down of muscle in the back - old age basically.
Good Luck - :)

I got my red doberman when she was 2, and her coat/skin wasn't that great (lots of dandruff, not very shiny), but I didn't think much of it. We tried several dry foods with her and she for one, didn't like most of them, but it didn't make any improvement on her physically. I also found she got sick a lot, and I figured it was just a dog thing. I tried orijen for the first time and she LOVED it, right away, now I don't have to worry about her pickiness anymore with the dry - and it improved her coat in amazing ways - I haven't seen dandruff on her for 2 years now, she's so shiny and healthy, and she doesn't get sick anymore at all. I would recommend other dobermans with any of these problems to give it a try.

This is the first grain kibble we ve tried,and I can just say,overrated,my dogs aren t picky eaters,but still didn t like it,and after some time,two of them started scratching(they have an allergy to corn) and I didn t know what was going on,cause that was the reason I went grain free,and Orijen is supposed to be such food,but then I found zea mays in the ingredients list,and it means corn,I was very dissappointed,and this is definitely an overrated kibble.

Great quality,but not good for large breed puppies,or my old dog...

This is by far the best dog food available, and an independent laboratory just agreed...

http://www.gripetfoods.com/PetFoodoftheYear.htm

We all know that no food will fit every dog's needs, but Orijen is hard to beat and worth a try for every pooch!

Our eleven year old Doberman has constantly licked her paws and legs her entire life. We have always fed what we thought were premium foods including a completely raw diet with Vit. B supplement powder. Her licking subsided on the raw diet, but I was determined to find a premium dry food so she would be getting the proper ratio of nutrients. We have been feeding her Orijen (Senior formula) for over a month now and what an improvement! No licking, nice firm stools, and the best part....she is full of energy (more so than when she was on the raw diet). Also, her coat looks better and her fatty tumors seem to be diminishing in size. All of these years we were feeding her foods with grains with the exception of the raw diet. Orijen's explanation of why dogs and cats should not be fed grains makes me wonder why so many companies use them at all. (could it be for a larger profit margin?) We are so pleased with Orijen that we will switch our younger Doberman and our 2 cats to it.

I have only put one star because with out a rating my comment would not post. I will rate in a few weeks. Sorry for the misunderstanding



My Schnauzer puppy was fed PRO PAC from the breeder when I went to the vet they put her on Pro Plan Select for Puppies. She now, it's her poop but did not when using up her Pro Pac that was sent to cross over to any other brand.

Today I bought 2 sample packs of Orijen and will find out what this does to my puppy. After reading so much about dog food brands lately I'm totally confused. The only thing I know is that every dog is different and for one to find what your precious pet needs personally is the most important thing you can do.

Orijen showed it was recalled once, so was Pro Pac in a comparison I found That wasn't for 2008-09. Either your dog doesn't do well on brands or the brand has grain or what ever seems like this whole thing is very hard to figure out unless you are going to make home made food.

Just my thoughts...

I hope Orijen works for my puppy I really do. I will give a rating in a few weeks

It's been 3 month's since my kids changed to Orijen 6 Fish and Sea Vegetables. They LOVE it, are more energetic, their coats shine like never before and their hair is so soft! For years I fed them Mother Hubbard Wellness dog food with the belief it was the best. When Mother Hubbard changed their formula all 3 of my kids intermitently, but almost on a weekly basis expelled a yellow bile. Since changing, no more early morning vomiting! Another benefit for me, my Yellow Lab, Sunny not longer hunkers down 3 plus bowel movements a day! Now he lets it rip no more than my other 2, 2 times a day! Thank God! In the beginning Sunny's bowels were soft but after 1-2 weeks he is good to go! I love this site and all of your opinions which helped me decide to choose this brand [with the exception of the poor miserable "Magot's" irrelevant rants!]. Enjoy!

Five months later, and I am still extremely satisfied with the results of this dog food. My Yellow Labrador Retreiver, Sunny has been diagnosed with a Thyroid difficiency which requires food with high amounts of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids. No other dog food I've found contains greater amounts than Orijen Fish, including the Science Diet Veternarian kibble d/d for canines recommended for dogs with tyroid disorders.

I supplement his food with some of California Natural and a weekly serving of salmon WITH the skin(which contains the greatest amount of the Omega3's) and he looks marvelous with shiny hair and a high energy level. I have also needed to supplement his diet with a small dosage of thyroid medication and an occasional steroid, again a very low dose to contain the stratching.

However, nothing compares to good medical advise. It wasn't until I sought a second medical opinion to find out why Sunny continued severe scratchcing even after changing his environment by removing the carpet in the Family room where he spent most of his day and switching dog foods, was a correct diagnosis rendered.

This new Vet, conducted several tests which revealed a thyroid disorder. My other vet is a graduate of the Cornell Veternary College, yet he did't diagnose the root cause of his severe scratching disorder which let to severe bald spots and rashes. He attributed it to dog food and the enviorment.

My advise would be to secure a second opinion, even though you have the utmost trust in your vet. Good medical advise combined with the right diet resulted in a 9 year old Lab acting like a kid again! Joy!!

I had a female giant schnauzer that developed liver disease and passed away a year ago. I had her for 5 years and she ate Solid Gold Hund N Flocken. It was referred by the rescue so I figured it was a great food (& I don't know if it contributed to her disease). I never suspected the food might be a problem. She also developed itchy feet and ears. The vet just gave me solutions to cleanse/rinse her feet & ears, plus Benedryl. I had ( & still have) a male GS that ate Solid Gold too. He was never excited about eating and often times his stool was soft.

I got the new GS rescue in July - the Solid Gold Puppy Hunchen Flocken did not work well with her. Bad poops, large poops, stinky poops, loose poops, frequent poops, some diarrhea. My male was still eating the Hund N Flocken - loose stools every week but not as constant as my girl GS.

So, a vet tech recommended Canidae about 2 months ago. I transitioned both of them but the stool problems did not stop. They both developed swolen lips. My girl scratches her lips all the time. They are puffy and swollen. The vet said she'd been getting a lot of dogs with allergies. Also, their coats seem to be dull. And something looks different in my male's eyes. They almost look too glossy and really dark. They used to be wide and bright.

I did some research and found that Canidae had changed ingredients and many people were angry as a result of the terrible impact it had on their dogs - many dogs became very sick, and a lot of them had the same stool problems that I am having. I didn't realize the damaging stuff contained in what's supposed to be high quality dog food.

So starting today we are transitioning to Orijen and I really hope this solves the issues my dogs are experiencing. It seems like I've read something bad about all of the dog foods. It's hard to figure out what is best.

Does anyone else have problems with swollen lips?

I am rating a 4 until I have more time to see the effects.

My dog is fed an exclusively raw diet now and as most people have mentioned, nothing dry in a bag compares. However, I fed Orijen to him for a while and it was a pretty big hit as far as kibble goes. I've always said my Shepherd was 'dogorexic' because he is super lean, super active, and VERY picky with his food. He gobbled this stuff up though and had no problems with his stool like some of the other pets discussed here.
It scares me that it was recalled though. I had no idea. Glad I don't use it anymore I guess!

a lying company! and highly overpriced!
to be honest there is now way to justify the price for this food! and there lying marketing campains claiming they catch the wild salmon out of there canadian rivers with their own fishing poles is the most insane thing ive ever heard of!! there is many other foods out there that are better and comparable for a better cost. i.e canidae grain free salmon compared to their fish formula price wise:
Orijen 6 fresh fish:
-5.5-lb-bag
$16.49
-15.4-lb bag
$39.99
-29.7-lb bag
$66.99

Canidae grain free salmon:
-5-lb bag
$12.29
-15-lb bag
$31.69
-30-lb bag
$56.59
as you can see canidae has more or equal weight and is much cheaper.

When I first got my year old from a rescuer, he fed him cheap canned food for months because he was a picky eater and wouldn't eat dry. When I saw what he had been eating, I was horrified. So I did some research and found Orijen. Durring the switch over process he got really runny stools, shedding too much, and very smelly poop. Once he got his system cleared out, he is doing amazing on the Orijen. I can tell he really likes his food. I heard that dogs have a natural life span of 24 years and dry kibble food is to blame for the 12 year average, so I am looking into suplementing his Orijen with some homemade meat and veggie meal. I think we all want what is best for our dogs and I will remain an avid student of my dogs health, as well as my own. Please read, Nourishing Traditions. That cook book saved me from surgery and 2 chronic illnesses that I had since childhood. By the way, my rating is only in comparison to other dry kibble. I am not saying it's the only way I will feed my dog.

Just adopted a 5 year old Pit Bull mix that was on Chicken Soup for a couple of years. She arrived with bad skin problems and her coat did not look that great. She was scratching herself all over constantly. She did not seem to enjoy eating Chicken Soup and never really finished her meals. When I switched her to my JRT's dog food (Orijen) without really giving a chance to wean her off the Chicken Soup, I was worried about upset stomach and bathroom issues. It was a risk I had to take. The results are: She LOVES Orijen and eats the entire meal each time. And, in only a matter of two or three days, we could actually see that her coat improved tremendously. She does not seem to feel as itchy anymore. Hair in her few bald spots is starting to grow back. Her stools looks good. It's amazing!

I have been feeding Orijen to my male American Eskimo for almost a year now. He has had issues in the past with maintaining weight and allergies. He also has a thyroid condition. He absoluty loves this food and finishes every last bit. He is looking very good these days as well. I agree totally that not all foods are for all dogs... i have 5 dogs and feed 4 different foods!!! they all have their own needs. I am lucky enough to have a vet that works with me on these things. I do know that most aren't as educated on nutrition as we'd like.

ii have fed my dogue de bordeaux orijen puppy large breed and she is the most amazing looking dog. Her build is awesome skin and coat are perfect and she is as healthy as can be. When i bring her to the doggy salon she is adored and i attribute all this to orijen.

As far as people saying their dogs got ill, I would gently suggest those people look up a little thing called detox. Dogs fed a poor diet that are then switched to a quality diet sometimes go through a short period where their skin, stools, and breath actually get worse. This is because their systems are in purge mode and they are ridding themselves of the toxins and other harmful things they accumulated from eating the lower quality food. Since the skin is the body's largest organ, detox usually comes out in the form of itchy or oily skin. Detox lasts a short period of time and afterwards the improvement will likely astound anyone who has seen the dog before.

I have to say I love the ingredients and althought the price is up there I never let that be an issue when it comes to buying my dogs food. But...yes I have a but this food was no good for my dogs they all got the runs from it and yes I did switch them slowly and mix it in with the old food in the beginning ect and I gave it 2 weeks but each dog I tried the food on had the same results which is sad because we bought a bulk order. In case anyone was wandering my dogs are APBT's, American Bulldogs & Boxers