Deep dive into these top brands. We compare ingredients, expert advice, AND your budget to help you pick the best for your dog.
Some years ago, colorful dog food treats were a craze. When the products hit the stores, I was among the folks who excitedly lined up to buy them. I thought the combination of bright colors and fun shapes would make my puppy the happiest eater in the hood. For a time, it seemed to be the case—until the little one developed some strange rashes.
As it turned out, my dog had allergies to certain ingredients in those products. Fortunately, I found a healthier alternative in Orijen, a dog food company from Canada.
If you’d rather cut to the chase, the best overall Orijen puppy for was Orijen Original. This food is going to work well for all manner of dog breeds and sizes, though you may find better more specific options in our Orijen dog food reviews below.
This dog food formula is rich in protein that’s just perfect for large breed puppies, like golden retrievers, and those with giant builds like Great Danes and Mastiffs.
Orijen Puppy Large is formulated according to the dietary needs of large breed puppies. Its most important component is its 38 percent meat protein. What’s impressive with this product is that its source of protein and other minerals isn’t limited to only one type of animal meat.
Aside from the meat, they also use fruit and vegetables that are excellent quality and locally-sourced. But high-quality ingredients also mean high production cost, which in turn makes this product a bit pricey.
If you own a large breed puppy, you could never go wrong with Orijen Puppy Large. Give it a try!
Puppies need the right amount of protein and other nutrients for them to grow healthy, avoid joint issues (arthritis) and be strong. Orijen Puppy is the standard puppy kibble of this brand, designed specifically for smaller breed dogs.
What I like about this product is that it comes with a detailed feeding guide, which is easy to follow. It clearly indicates how much puppies should consume according to their weight. This ensures that the dogs get the right nutrients without necessarily overfeeding them.
The only issue I have with Orijen Puppy is that its smell tends to be strong, so there are times when the pups need a few days to adjust to the product’s odor and flavor.
Orijen puppy uses premium ingredients consisting of meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables to mirror the natural diet of small breed puppies such as beagles..
Orijen Original uses the combination of meat, poultry, and fish to mimic the natural diet of dogs. With fat content at 18 percent, it is not as high as Orijen Puppy, nor too low as Orijen Puppy Large, but still has enough protein to meet your puppy’s nutritional needs.
I like the versatility of this dog food, considering that I can use it to feed my puppy until she gets old. I don’t need to switch to other formulation for every stage of her life.
Orijen Original comes in a beautiful packaging that’s easy to carry. The only problem I see is that the kibbles inside don’t have a uniform shape and they easily break apart.
Orijen Original is the one that started the brand’s biologically appropriate philosophy. Its great appeal comes from the fact that it is well-suited to different varieties of dogs.
Like humans, dogs can become overweight too if they are not fed properly. Dog breeds like Dachshund and Dalmatian are more prone to obesity, so you need to be more careful about the treats you give them. If you are thinking of buying them a dog food formula, Orijen Fit & Trim might be an excellent place to start.
What I like about this product is that 2/3 of its ingredients are fresh. The rest is cooked at a low temperature to extract the maximum amount of nutrients.
A 13-pound package of this product contains around 4 pounds of chicken, which is generally reasonable. However, this might be bad news to dog lovers whose pets are allergic to chicken.
Orijen Fit &Trim is a specialized product optimized to provide the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients to keep dogs healthy without gaining too much weight.
What separates Orijen Six Fish from other Orijen kibbles is that its source of meat is only fish. To be exact, it has six kinds of fish freshly-caught in the wild.
This product has 85 percent meat protein from six kinds of fish, which is great for dogs which are allergic to poultry or beef. It also contains the right amount of other nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, amino acids, magnesium, and potassium, among many others. The only issue with this product is its foul fish stench that may not appeal to some dogs.
If you don’t want to feed your dog some beef or chicken meat, but still want them to consume the right amount of protein, Orijen Six Fish is a dog food you might want to try. Instead of poultry or beef, its primary source of protein is from a variety of high-grade fish. These fishes are not only rich in protein but also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Orijen Tundra contains high levels of meat protein that comes from a variety of game, fish, and fowl. However, compared to other Orijen products, this pet food uses duck meat instead of chicken.
What I like about Orijen Tundra is the variety of meat that it’s made of. They use goat, boar, venison, mutton, arctic char, and duck in varying amounts to give your dogs a balanced diet.
The only issue with Orijen Tundra is that dogs may need some time to adjust to its smell and flavor. It’s also a bit expensive considering the amount of fresh meat that it contains.
Orijen Tundra contains 40 percent meat protein, which is good for your dog considering that she is by nature, a carnivore. Its duck meat content is a novel protein source, which is an excellent alternative to chicken. The rest of the nutrients are derived from different kinds of fruits and vegetables.
Orijen Regional Red contains different types of animal meat that are either fresh or dehydrated. This is quite impressive, considering that conventional dog food products are mostly made of processed ingredients that may come from questionable sources.
What I like about Orijen Regional Red is that the majority of its ingredients come from trusted local farms and ranches, so the meat, fruit, and vegetables are delivered fresh before processing.
Some Orijen puppy food reviews I have seen online raised some concerns about the awful smell that this product has. It is true that Orijen dog food, in general, has a strong smell that may be disgusting even to some dogs.
Orijen Regional Red has a formulation that’s appropriate to all kinds of dogs regardless of their age. It has very high protein content from a wide range of animal meats. If you want a versatile dog food that contains the right amount of nutrients, you might want to see if this product works for your dogs.
Orijen is a dog and cat food product founded by Reinhard Muhlenfeld in 1985. The goal was to create a product line that closely resembles the foods that dogs and cats eat according to their evolution.
To achieve the most nutritious pet food, Orijen has included a wide range of game, fowl, fish, fruits, and vegetables in processing its products. Through the years, the company has produced more than 20 types of dog and cat foods. Each class addresses the different feeding requirements of pets according to their breeds, environment, age, and activity.
Due to its high-quality products, Orijen has received several recognitions and awards from industry leaders including Pet Food of the Year from 2009-2012 from Glycemic Research Institute, Pet Food of the Decade from RateItAll, a consumer review site, and Brand of the Year From World Branding Forum in Vienna in 2017.
Despite its excellent reputation, Orijen was never immune to controversies. In 2008, its cat food products in Australia were recalled due to its failure to follow the irradiation protocols of the country.
Also, in 2018, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the Champion Petfoods, which is the parent company of Orijen. The complaint alleged that the company was engaging in negligent practices, and false advertising due to its non-disclosure of the presence of heavy metals in its products.
A lot of Orijen puppy food reviews have mentioned the high-quality ingredients that this company uses in its dog food products. Its meat, fish, fruits, and vegetable inclusions come from trusted local sources, delivered either fresh or dehydrated in low temperatures to avoid nutrient wastage before processing.
They use not only premium meat, but also the organs and cartilage of cattle, chicken, turkey, and other animals to create a balanced and highly-nutritious dog food. The aim is always to mimic the natural diet of dogs according to evolution.
Despite some controversies, Orijen puppy food is a reliable, healthy product that is worth a try!
Deep dive into these top brands. We compare ingredients, expert advice, AND your budget to help you pick the best for your dog.
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