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.

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.

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

I have a one year old female pit bull that I literaly bought off the street. No pedigree at all. The only food she has ever ate is orijen. People complain about the cost but you don't need to feed your dog that much food. It is high in calories so you end up breaking about even. The reason some dogs don't tolerate it is because most dogs are used to eating a big meal. I recently looked at a canned food feeding instrictions and I saw how much I had to feed my 48 lbs dog twice a day and I knew she would just through up or have diarrhea at the amount. I entered my dog at statewide fun show and she won best in show. They couldn't bealieve she had no pedigree. I asked around our neighborhood to see if I could find the parents. After two weeks I finaly was able to visit them and neither myself nor the owners could believe that my dog came from the two parents. They could not be more out of conformation and shape. The only thing I could attribute to how my dog looks and performed is the food and exercise I give it. People complain about the cost and I understand. But put it this way: My neighbor kept going from vet to vet and changing dog food due to gastrointestinal and skin problems. I gave her half of my bag and 2 weeks later the dog was greatly improved. She basically wasted a lot of time and money when all she needed was a good diet. Also, consider that some of you researched your breeder and payed good money for your dog and now you buy it cheap food. It doesn't make sense. Also like I said before. Many people feed there dogs too much. My dog is 48lbs and it does fine on 1 1/2 cups twice a day. She has tons of drive and energy and I exercise her at least one hour every day. Sometimes 2 hours. Not all dog food is for every dog, but I feel that this food when given in the right ammount can be very benificial to your dog. Also, remember to switch foods slowly even if your dog is an adult. Good Luck

Tried to be a "good parent" & switch my Westie puppy over from the "horrible" Puppy Chow to Orijen... did not work for him at all. It gave him really dark,smelly, loose stool and he was pooping constantly. He also seemed a lot hungrier than before and would actually try to eat his stool- something he never attempted while on Puppy Chow! I've switched him back to Chow... he's almost 1 year now and is thriving!

The only dry food my dog will eat. She loves the taste. I have feed her this food for a year now with great results. She is a Terrier mix is now 1 1/2 y.o now and very healthy. She is 20lbs and i feed 2/3 cup a day and she maintains her weight well. with other foods i had to feed her over a cup day, so even though it costs more, we get to use less.

Both are dogs are on this brand and are doing quite well, one's a puppy and the other is an adult. Excellent sources of protein and carbohydates and they love the taste

my dog eats the food then pukes it all back up, my buddy has the same kind of dog and it happened to them as well! And she would not even eat it at all in the end!

My dogs absolutely love this food. As a matter of fact, my cats try and eat the dogs food too. My 6 month old Rottweiler is on the large breed puppy formula and is growing very well. His coat is absolutely beautiful and my vet says he's in excellent condition. My Shepherd/Lab cross is almost 2 and he also has a beautiful coat and skin. They love the food so much that they practically inhale it. I do find it a little bit on the expensive side but it's a great food which makes it worth the price. I also like the fact that it's produced right here in Alberta. I love being able to support local companies. It's so difficult to pick a good food or to know what foods are good. I was getting conflicting messages from my vet and the local pet store that I normally deal with. I finally decided to investigate on my own and Orijen seemed to be the best choice. I'm glad I decided to try it because my dogs seem to be thriving on it.

This food is the best I've seen! I understand why high protein diets have gotten a bad rep, it's because protein with low bioavailability is bad for the kidneys. It works like this; there is protein in millions of different sources, including sawdust, yes, saw dust from wood. There may be a high protein content in something, but because the bioavailability in the source of the protein is low, the body cannot use the protein, causing the un-usable protein to build up on the kidneys and cause damage. As long as the protein you are feeding your pet comes from a healthy source, it is perfectly safe and healthy. I learned this from my nutrition professor and from several holistic animal nutrition books I've read. Beware: Iams dog food is one of the worst brands when it comes to un-usable protein.

update the food is good but i have to lower my rating to 4 stars due to the ridiculous cost. evo is still resonable. but almost 80 bucks a bag is absurd. at that price i'm switching to raw

also check out canidae grain free formula. good food too.

someone  is a little psycho and always needs the last word.been using for over a year now this is the best dry kibble ever made. the only better alternative to this would be raw . also there are some wierd people on here can't believe the dedication they put into trying to make a good food look bad. i guess even though ladanian tomlinson is the best running back in the nfl there will be idiots who try to justify that he's not  .......... 

It is sad to read some of the reviews....I guess it is just a lack of education or listening to the media. Not all dog foods are good for every dog, but because your dog doesn't do well on one food, it doesn't make it a bad food. I do want to say that I love this food, but not all my dogs do good on it. People who think high protein damages kidney's shouldn't listen to others including their vets and do some research themselves. All veterinarians and doctors are only educated for a few hours on nutrition during their shooling. The average vet knows less than many breeders about breeding or nutrition. My vet even admits that I probably know more about breeding, whelping litters and raising puppies than most of the vets out there. How many vets actually raise or breed cats or dogs?? Not many of them. I also would question how many cats or dogs have they fed?? Thank goodness my vet is involved in raising dogs. He knows more than most other vets I have experienced. If you do your research, you will find out that most mammals lose muscle mass each year as they grow older...hence, many broken bones as we age. This is because we don't eat enough protein. It is very plain and simple. We waste away and we lose muscle mass every year. Protein does not cause kidney disease. I am involved in laboratory medicine and have done a lot of research on this. We can obviously see how bad the carbs are for our society, look at the obesity in people and pets. This is going to kill your dog or cat. I have a 12 year old sheepdog who is in amazing shape. He has been eating Orijen for quite a few years now. His younger (11 year old) 1/2 sister has the most amazing blood work. The vet could not believe she was 11. There is no pending danger of kidney failure in any of my old dogs who have been fed Orijen for years. My 12 year old male sheepdog is in such good shape her won the US national at 11 years of age over 250+ sheepdogs.....and he was clipped!!! He also was invited to Westminster this year and the annual Top 20 Old English sheepdog show as he was in the top 5 for breed points. Orijen has kept him in great health, great weight and fabulous energy. People need to do their own research and not just take information as fact. Thanks Orijen.

My dogs have struggled many months with skin allergies. I have tried many high quality foods and products, and this one seems to be the best one so far. Plus, they absolutely love the food. I had no issues changing them over either. 1 of my dogs is a french bulldog and the other is a golden mix, both transferred over easily with no digestive issues at all. So far so good, and it has been about 6 weeks.

WOW....hard to believe so many people have so many nasty comments if someone doesn't like this food. This is the only brand where I see people argue so much and say such rude things. To say this is the greatest kibble is OK if you say it is just your opinion. But the greatest kibble ever made is different for every dog. Yes, the ingredients are way above average. It is still not right for every dog...no food is. Like people, dogs have different sensitivities to different ingredients and we should all respect eachother's opinion on what works best for our individual dogs.

I understand that this is a well loved food on this site, but there were too many ingredients and too much protein in it for my guy. It's great that it has 70% meat in it, but my guy is too sensitive for it. I would have tried the fish formula cause it would have worked better for him, but I had a friend who got a bag with the bones in it and I said "No, Thank you," Not every food is for every dog no matter how great the ingredients are. 

Great Food! My Vizslas love it. Skin and coat definitly show this food is Top. Pricey but your 4 legged family member will benefit. I recommend the fish formula once your pet hits adulthood. High protein and very lean.  

I mix it with Evanger Super Premium Venison or Buffalo...(tried them all and these two my vizslas go nuts over). Or I use Nature's Variety Chicken Raw Diet formula. Everytime these bowls are filled they are LICKED SPOTLESS! I also use Grizzly Pet Products Salmon Oil. Just a pump here and there goes a long way for that additional Omega.

I spend a lot of time and money searching for not just the best food but the best combination of raw, canned and kibble. Its all been worth it.

We all need to eat healthy why should our pet be any different? 

This food really is great. I prefer this brand over any other simply because its manufactured in Canada. I lose faith in the US companies every day. The greed is phenomenal and the cut corners really show when you read about all the food recalls.

I also like how the kibble is fairly small. I have a Beagle mix and he happens to be the pickiest dog I ever owned! He refuses to eat rawhide or regular biscuits. He also tires of dry kibble after a few days. Beef tendons, beef chews, flossies, and Merrick bully sticks seem to satisfy him though.

He always ate his Orijen but he would eat a a little at a time. Thats still an improvement over other dry kibble which he would just let sit there all day. The only dry kibble he devoured was Wellness Core. I was surprised because to me the Core smelled like vitamans! I decided to stick with Orijen because the price of Core for only a 26lb bag is rediculous. The 30lb bag of Orijen lasts me a long time too. My Beagle weighs about 30 lbs and only eats 1/2 to a whole cup per day, so a single bag literally lasts me almost 3 months--its great! Petfooddirect offers the 30lb bag for $53. The coupon code Per34 always works and gets you %12 off your total order! Don't be fooled by online companies offering free shipping but overcharging on all their items and charging $70 per bag of food!

I also started adding canned food as a topper for his evening meal. I tried Evo %95 meat and Wellness %95 meat. They are both very thick so I have to add water. I noticed the Evangers line of canned food and am extremely anxious to try that. They offer a huge variety but the price is great! They offer 24 13oz cans for LESS than a single 12 count case of Wellness or Evo! The ingrediants are almost the same. Evangers only lists Beef, chicken, chicken broth, and chicken liver. Thats it! No fillers, additives, etc. All healthy ingrediants and you get twice as much for less than a case of the other cans. I'm hoping my Beagle will like it as I'll switch in a heartbeat!

My dog started out on Royal Canin first, and man did her poop stink. I already know poop is suppose to smell, but this was horrible. I've tried to switch her onto Blue Buffalo, but she didn't like the taste. While i was weaning her to Blue, she would always pick out the Royal from the blue. This, because of the higher salt content in Royal. So, i heard of this food called Orijen, but i was warned that my dog might have the runs, due to the high protein. But guess what? My dogs stomach took well to the food, so now im feeding her orijen puppy food. Shes looking good, and she loves the food. I'm also saving money as well. I was paying more money for that crappy royal canin. Its terrible to, it has corn gluten meal and brewers rice. If you were smart i would take your dog off that overpriced garbage food.

I have been feeding my Rottweiller and my Chiuauha Orijen for about a year and half i have found that i have to feed less than what is said on the bag do to extreme weight gain but my rottie is 80 pds and she can only eat 3 cups...if i give her more she wont eat any...my chiuauha eats 1/2 a cup a day and he loves it! i love this food...yard clean up is alot better do to less pooping and their coats have never been so shiny and soft..i only have one problem my rottie once a year loses an extreme amount of hair in about a month or 2 but the rest of the year she barely sheds at all...but she loses so much hair she almost goes bald in spots...i was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem? but i love this food i would recommend it to anyone

It's a decent dog food, but my dog seemed to not "fill up" on the recommended dose (I gave her the recommended throughout the big bag). She had some very bad gas that would just "seep" out of her butt...ewwww. The poo also didn't turn to white ash either (the Innova Evo Light I used prior DID). She also seemed very full after eating the Evo light. I will be moving her back to the Evo light. She is a 60# boarder/aussie mix mutt.

We just started using Orijen Senior for my 3 dogs.  I must say, this is the only food I have ever found that they will eat without adding something on top!  They also like it as treats!  They have only been on it for about a week, so I hope the good results continue!  If all goes well, we will eat Orijen Senior and rotate with Orijen 6 Fish from now on!

**Alert** There are 'fake posters who are spamming this board regarding protein content of this food. I work for a vet. Protein in and of itself does not cause kidney issues. Protein is contraindicated when kidney disease is already present.

Original Review: 4/22: After exhaustive research looking for a new understanding of pet foods (and all this time I thought that "Nutro" was a premium food!), I have a solid comfort level with Orijen. Orijen consumers tend to be a bit fanatical in our devotion with good reason. Cost: Although at first glance Orijen appears to be very expensive, the fact is that in most cases I use up to half the amount of this food, making this food as economical as any other (so-called) premium food. That and the (hopeful) long-term benefits of less medical problems makes this a no-brainer. This is a food I am able to use for my 11 year old chow/golden mix with bad hips as well as my 1 1/2 year old Ridgeback/Pit mix. There are a couple of other grain-free foods on the market that are excellent (Innov Evo, Go! Natural Grain Free, Barking at the Moon, Nature's Variety to name a few), however the reason I ultimately picked Orijen (aside from the well-known factor of their ingredients and the integrity of their food products in general) is because:

*Local fresh meat, and locally and regionally produced meat & fish meals
*The use of fat is 5th or lower on the food list (too high on the list can lead to bloat in some dogs in certain studies); *The use of botanicals for digestive system & overall health
*The use of glucosamine for joint health
*Ethoxyquin is not used as a preservative(used for preserving fish-products and believed to be carcinogenic). All preservatives are natural derivatives of Vitamine E, rosemary extract, etc.
*My perception of the company as being genuinely passionate about developing a truly healthful food product.
*The company's responsiveness to my inquiries.

Availability:www.k9cuisine.com offers free shipping over $50. For an excellent review on this and other grain-free foods, check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com; a wonderful resource. Remember not to feed super-high protein foods to your puppies. ___________________________________________________ ____________________ Update: 5/22/07- Since being on Orijen, *both* my dogs have stopped throwing up yellow frothy vomitus (prior food was Nutro). I am amazed. Also my 11 year old chow/golden mix is showing a certain (how do I put this...delicately) vitality that he has not shown since he was a puppy/young dog. So far, so great~

Update: 6/19/07: Both boys are doing splendidly. My yard clean up is a breeze nowhat the volume of their stools has diminshed dramatically! Training the young guy is almost effortless, because he will do anything for his food. All itching, self-biting, and scratching issues for both boys have been completely eliminated. Both boys have not vomited once since the switch. Dakota's (the 11 year old) hair has started growing more and actually curling on his back (it's soooo cute - looks like he got a body wave!~)

Update 8/3/2007: We have recently begun fostering CC (as of 8/15, we've adopted her) and since being on Orijen, not only does she not look like a shelter dog anymore, but a star! She's been on Orijen for a bit over a week and the results are wonderful, as usual.

Update 10/2/2007: Newest member of the pack: Columbo - was in the shelter for 7 months suffering from "shelter fatigue" and was severely underweight. After 3 weeks he is at goal weight and look & acts great! No transition - went straight on Orijen. Four dogs; I really must stop doing this! :)