Orijen Regional Red Dog Food
January 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Latest Dog Food Reviews, Orijen
Orijen Regional Red
Orijen Dog Food is made and manufactured by, Champion Pet Food. If you prefer a high protein, grain free dog food, Orijen should be a top choice. This type of food is good for very active working breed dogs.
Orijen Regional Red Dog Food Review
Orijen Regional Red Dog Food is Orijen’s “top of the line” dog food for those dog owners who are looking for a high quality, grain-free food. This is a high quality product that contains premium ingredients, and because of this you will be paying a premium.
Benefits of Orijen Regional Red Dog Food:
- 70% meat
- Grain-free
- Uses high quality “free range” meat ingredients
This is the right food for you if:
- You own an active, medium to large breed dog
- You are looking for a high quality food with no fillers
- Price & convenience are not a consideration
- Your dog is allergic to Chicken or Turkey
This is not the right food for you if:
- Your dog is small and/or inactive
- You are looking for a food that contains grains
- You are on a budget
Have you used Orijen’s Regional Red Dog Food for your dog? Please let us know and post a comment below!
First five ingredients of Orijen Regional Red Dog Food:
- Deboned Wild Boar
- Deboned Lamb
- Lamb Meal
- Russet Potato
- Deboned Pork
Deboned Wild Boar is the first ingredient in this food and contains a high amount of protein. Wild game meat generally contains more protein and less fat than domesticated animals. It also contains more vitamins and minerals, and more “healthy fats” due to the animals diet in the wild.
Deboned Lamb & Lamb Meal are the second and third ingredients in this formula, and help make up the majority of the protein content of this food after Wild Boar.
Russet Potato is the third ingredient in this food, and are the main source of carbohydrates in this food. They help provide your dog with energy.
Deboned Pork is the fifth ingredient in Orijen’s Regional Red formula. Although not as nutritious as Boar, pork offers a decent source of protein for your dog.
Further down the list of ingredients there are more sources of protein (fish and eggs), and plenty of vegetables and fruits that provide your dog with the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants essential for optimal health.
Orijen Adult Dog Food Full Ingredients List:
Fresh deboned wild boar, fresh deboned lamb, lamb meal, russet potato, fresh deboned pork, peas, salmon meal, whitefish meal*, herring meal, fresh deboned bison, fresh whole eggs, potato starch, fresh deboned salmon (a natural source of DHA and EPA), alfalfa, sweet potato, fresh deboned walleye, salmon oil (naturally preserved with vitamin E), pea fiber, psyllium, pumpkin, tomatoes, carrots, apples, cranberries, Saskatoon berries, black currants, chicory root, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, organic kelp, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, zinc proteinate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, iron proteinate, vitamin B6, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, selenium, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.
Orijen Adult Dog Food Guaranteed Analysis
| Crude Protein (min.) | 38.0% |
| Crude Fat (min.) | 18.0% |
| Crude Fiber (max.) | 3.0% |
| Moisture (max.) | 10.0% |
| Calcium (min.) | 1.7% |
| Calcium (max.) | 1.9% |
| Phosphorus (min.) | 1.2% |
| Phosphorus (max.) | 1.4% |
| *Omega-6 (min.) | 3.0% |
| *Omega-3 (min.) *DHA *EPA |
0.8% 0.5% 0.2% |
| *Carbohydrate (max.) | 22.0% |
| *Glucosamine (min.) | 250 mg/kg |
| *Chondroitin (min.) | 100 mg/kg |
| *Microorganisms (min.) | 120M cfu/kg |
| BOTANICAL INCLUSIONS | |
|---|---|
| Chicory root | 700 mg/kg |
| Licorice root | 500 mg/kg |
| Angelica root | 350 mg/kg |
| Fenugreek | 350 mg/kg |
| Marigold flowers | 350 mg/kg |
| Sweet Fennel | 350 mg/kg |
| Peppermint leaf | 300 mg/kg |
| Chamomile flowers | 300 mg/kg |
| Dandelion root | 150 mg/kg |
| Summer savory | 150 mg/kg |
| VITAMINS | |
| Vitamin A | 1500 UI/kg |
| Vitamin D3 | 2000 UI/kg |
| Vitamin E | 400 UI/kg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.5 mg/kg |
| Thiamine | 50 mg/kg |
| Riboflavin | 50 mg/kg |
| Niacin | 250 mg/kg |
| Pan. Acid (B5) | 40 mg/kg |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 26 mg/kg |
| Biotin | 1 mg/kg |
| Folic Acid | 3 mg/kg |
| Choline | 2700 mg/kg |
| Ascorbic Acid | 55 mg/kg |
| Beta carotene | 0.40 mg/kg |
| AMINO ACIDS | |
| Taurine | 0.3 mg/kg |
| T. Lysine | 2.7% |
| T. Threonine | 1.65% |
| T. Methionine | 0.87% |
| T. Isoleucine | 1.60% |
| T. Leucine | 2.9% |
| T. Valine | 1.9% |
| T. Arginine | 2.9% |
| T. Phen. | 1.6% |
| T. Histidine | 0.85% |
| T. Cystine | 0.5% |
| MINERALS | |
| Sodium | 0.4% |
| Chloride | 0.6% |
| Potassium | 0.65% |
| Magnesium | 0.10% |
| Sulphur | 0.4% |
| Manganese | 14 mg/kg |
| Cobalt | 0.47 mg/kg |
| Iodine | 3.5 mg/kg |
| Selenium | 0.5 mg/kg |
| Iron | 200 mg/kg |
| Zinc | 150 mg/kg |
| Copper | 13 mg/kg |
Review
They made a printing error, it has 38% protein and 70% meat.
This could be the best kibble on the market today. My German Shepherd is to young for this product but I do give him a little every now and then. He just loves this stuff.
Thanks Jess-post has been corrected
Someone must be jealous of this product, because they gave it a low review score. LOL, I have a pretty good idea who. Their is just nothing on the market that can compete with this food. Just look at how much meat in this and it isn’t that fatty crap.
which formula would you recomend for 10 month old lab -
Orijen large breed puppy is what I would recomend. Keep in mind when you change foods you do it “very slowly”, over a week or so AND A LITTLE AT A TIME. That way you won’t shock their system. I also think a little red would not be an issue, but red might be a little rich for him so just a little. You might want to take a look at Taste of the Wild. My GSP goes crazy over their Wetlands.
Does anyone have any comparative before and after pics of their dog eating the Orijen brand kibble. Currently I’m using Dick Van Pattens Sweet Pot & Fish. If this kibble honestly has a amazing affect on the dog I will be first in line purchasing a bag this weekend.
@ Antonio
I would recommend this to anyone. I have an extremely active cat which loves Orijen’s cat food product and also a Shar Pei that refused to eat anything but Orijen Puppy Formula. I’m currently transitioning him to the Red Meat Formula and he seems to love it so far as well.
The only negative thing that I would say is the availability of the product at a low cost. There are 2 natural pet stores where I live and they only receive them in small quantities. Today I purchased a 15lb (last one in stock) and a 5.5lb (they only had 3 left)… and they received their shipment today.
The lady that owns the store advised me to grab it when I see it because it is gone the same day that it arrives. She also said she would put me on a calling list and let me know when it arrives.
Oh yeah, and another thing to add…
When we switched the Shar Pei to Orijen Puppy we did noticed that his “droppings” became and remained a lot more potent.
Frankly I don’t understand the comment about not for small dogs. It is so generic and broad a statement as to be worthless, and helps perpetuate all these myths about high protein diets.
I own two 7 year old pugs. I would say they would be considered small in the dog world. It just so happens that these little guys evolved in the highlands of China/Tibet over several thousand years and what did they eat in the wild? Wild boar, yak, horse, deer, rabbit as well as the local fruits and vegetables, READ VERY MUCH LIKE THE ORIJEN RED PROFILE.
And by the way, they LOVE and have thrived on Orijen Adult and Orijen Red, as well as Primal raw.
Also, older dogs require substantially more protein than younger dogs. This is irrespective of activity level.
LET’S GET SCIENTIFIC PLEASE!
is canidae all life stages still considered a premium food? ive heard that the new formula is not a good food? ive been feeding my dog all life stages for a few years b ut i notice some farting a lot.
hes not a very active dog since i am at school a lot he has no choice but to lay in bed, nut that will change when the weather gets nicer and we take him for walks.
hes a 6 almost 7 (=() golden retrievor, and money is not an option. i figure even if it costs 50 dollars for a 30 pound bag it will last around a month and thats still pretty cheap to pay form a dog.
heres a vid of him. tell me if you think hed do good on this red fod.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpv_9vD8DjQ
Hey Jess & Antonio…Listen Folks, “Being Scientific” about food for us or our 4 footed friends is a no brainer. It’s “Common Sense” to eat smart and live long. My GSD or Cats have no choice like I do about what they eat…I have to make sure I give them the BEST possible food like I would my kids.
Jess…My GSD & Cats love the Orijen!!! I know my Kids are loving the meals now! It’s great to sleep at night!
david, yes it is a good food and has a 5 star rating. Check out the review.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php/product/2038/cat/3
Hi all,
Dog nutrition newbie here, asking for advice.
I have two Shih Tzu’s (6mo. old; 1yr. 6mo. old). I just started reading about dogs’ nutrition, never thought to do my own research. I’ve always tried to do the best for my dogs according to the recommendations of the vets. However, seems like the vet’s recommendations (Science Diet) isn’t the best.
Anyways, looking to find the BEST food for my two Shih Tzu’s. I recently switched 6mo. old Mocha to Acana Puppy Small Breed and 1yr. 60mo. old Nike to Acana Adult Small Breed. They’re doing well. I’m just wondering, is that seriously a complete complete complete food for them? Anything I can supplement to make it the BEST food for them?
Also, regarding Orijen, I heard it is “too strong” or “too potent” in terms of its meat content and is only for dogs genetically closer to their wolf ancestors (ie. large dogs like Huskies) and not for small breeds that are “far removed” from wolves? Do you think that Orijen is just too much like wild food and that Shih Tzu’s need a more domesticated and “tame” food content? Should I switch them both to Orijen Adult when Mocha is between 10mo. and 1 yr. old? How come Orijen doesn’t distinguish Adult Small Breed from Adult Large Breed, should I be concerned about this?
Appreciate any help. Much thanks in advance.
Now I will answer your question, NO, I DO NOT THINK IT IS TO STRONG, but it can be to rich and you need to get the puppy formula for dogs under a year. When they get to be about 9 or 10 months old you coulds start on the adult formula but go really really slow. My dog Tony is 9 months and the majority of his food is Large breed puppy, Orijen. I really can’t stress upon people how important this is. Now I also feed Fromm duck and TOTW wetlands, because he loves duck so much. Both of these are, all-life stages food. I would stay with puppy until at least 9 months.
Hopes that helps, ERIC GOT ANYTHING ELSE, Michelle?
Acana is made by Champion food, who also makes Orijen. Acana is a very very good food and if you wish to change foods go for it, but personally I feel if your dog is doing good on Acana leave him their. It is a great food. Now I like to rotate in 3 or 4 really good foods and that would be a thought for you. If you decide to do thats go very slowly and just a little at a time. Now with Red it is really a great food and I feed it, but I feed very little at a time because my dog gets the runs if I feed him to much. Another great brand I really like is EVO and or Innova. Evo is the top brand from Natra pet who makes a whole list of very fine foods. Here are links to 2 of the 3 best foods made today
http://www.championpetfoods.com/
http://www.naturapet.com/
Why is my last post deleted?? It was for a product called Prozyme-it improves the nutrient absorbtion of you pets food. http://pawsitiveexperience.tripod.com/id4.html
I posted 5 posts only 2 are here and one is half gone.
Joseph
You’ve done a marvelous switch by switching to Acana. The two you have switched to do have grain in them. It’s not a bad thing at all to have grain in the food, just making sure you are aware that Acana does make a grain free blend as well.
My belief, based on ingredients, nutrition analysis, and metabolized energy is that Acana grain free and Orijen are equal. I like the food rotation of Orijen Adult, Orijen 6 Fish and Acana Grasslands.
You also asked about supplements. EVERY kibble needs a digestive supplement to help the dog breakdown the food and consume it into the body. You can do a study for yourself giving a digestive supplement for a week and then take it away for a week. You’ll notice larger stools without the supplement. I personally use supplements from Springtime (www.springtimeinc.com). They have a product called Fresh Factors that is a digestive supplement among other things.
Be careful with “puppy” formulas. They are gimmicky aimed at humans not puppy’s. High protein is excellant, so long as the protein is being sourced from meat, not grain. A meat and grain food for you puppy should have around 26% to 28% protein. They say keep fat levels low, but if it is meat based, it’s not going to be low. So yes, fat levels should be low if you’ve lowered the meat content and added grain. Again, grain is not a bad thing, just make sure there is enough meat. Calcium levels should not be higher than around 1.7% to 1.8% and phosporus levels should really not be higher than 1.5%. Your puppy does need EPA and DHA for brain and heart development, but there is not enough in any kibble to truly support this, (again, gimmicky) so you really should support this with a supplement (form of Omega 3). It’s not imperative that you do, but you said you want the best for your dogs.
Again, it’s not a bad thing to feed your puppy, adult food….but you need to be able to read and understand the Nutrition Analysis and the only two companies that provide the complete analysis are Champion Pet Foods (Orijen & Acana) and Natura Pet Foods (Evo, Innova, California Naturals, Karma). There is no such thing as raw puppy food, you have to know what you are doing. Puppy food is for those that don’t know what to look for, so the company puts a formula together that is suitable for a puppy and lables it puppy. You can also feed adult dogs puppy food. In fact, quality companies like Wellness, Merrick (certainly not on the same playing field as Orijen, Acana or Evo) make puppy formulas that are better suited for adults than their adult formulas in my opinion. I think Merrick Puppy Plate is one of the based foods out there. It does have grain in, which my dogs are not on, but I would totally give Puppy Plate a two thumbs up recomendation to anyone but with the calcium level so high, (2.45%) it’s only for small breed pups and large breed adults. Wellness has a good ingredients list and good NA’s, it’s just to bad that all of their food is made by American Nutrition and Diamond.
If you want to do a switch to Orijen, just do it slow. Take 14 days or more to do it, but I’d also add a digestive supplement to anything you are doing in the kibble group.
Hey Eric, Orijen Large Breed Puppy and the Orijen Adult food are the same price where I shop. It’s not like Innova, where the Large Breed Puppy is 10-11 bucks more a bag than the Adult formula and the Innova L.B.P is 6 or 7 bucks more a bag than the Regular Puppy. GRRRRR, and the formula’s are very very simular.
Hey Giorgio stick your nose in a bag of Orijen (I don’t have to do that I have a great nose), then you’ll know why, “droppings” became and remained a lot more potent. LOL
Jess….price is the same for me too
I am concerned about the online reviews I keep on reading the Regional Red is not good for small dogs. Why is that?? I have a 14lb lhasa that I feed Timberwolf Ocean Blue and mix it with Regional Red (just started..no loose poop)….will he have digestive problems in the long wrong? Or worse, kidney because he had some of the Regional Red. ( Mind you, I mix a 5lbs of Regional Red with a 35lbs of Ocean Blue)
Heck no, this is a great dog food for any breed of dog !!
My only concern with Regional Red is the inclusion of the pork. Swine are fed the worst of the worst all over the world.
I’ve also heard both sides of the story about pork causing pancreatitis. I have good sources on this for both sides of the argument.
I think the Orijen Adult and Orijen 6 Fish are fantastic as far as kibble go and I don’t feel I need to feed this one regardless of the pork inclusion.
I believe Evo has a “Red” formula as well that does not include pork.
I couldn’t find anything saying pork was bad for dogs, except one site about feeding raw pork. But I did find this and it was interesting seeing tomatoes on the list.
http://www.missouriscenicrivers.com/baddogfoods.html
huh….interesting find. I feed my dogs granny smith apples all the time as a snack. That is the first time I ever saw apples where bad for dogs.
In regards to the pork….after looking at that list, maybe it is the bacon and sausage (fatty foods) that is the pancreatitis problem. I’ll have to ask my vet about it again. Pork is just so uncommon in a dog kibble, it may be tough to find any real evidence online about it.
Hey Eric-The apples are fine-it’s the SEEDS that are a problem-cyanide poisoning.So if you cut the apple up yourself-it’s fine.
Quick question: How would you expect a two year old, 55 lb., inactive English Bulldog to fare w/this product? It sounds great, and I’m excited to try it for her, but I’ve read it may not be the best for an inactive dog. Any input would certainly be appreciated. Thanks!
It is the best dog food (kibble) made today and your dog well do fine, but watch how much you feed you don’t want your dog to get fat. Also take your time changing foods it can shock a dogs systems changing foods to quickly. It is very rich so buy a small bag and make sure he does good on it.
After researching Regional Red now for about a week, I feel, based on ingredients and the nutrient analysis, that the red formula from Evo is a better red formula. I ordered a small bag so we’ll see how the older one takes to it.
Don’t read this thinking that I think that Orijen Regional Red is bad….it is just my opinion that the Evo Red is a little better.
Having said that and how much my dogs love Orijen, I also believe that Orijen Large Puppy formula is just a touch better than the adult formula. The large puppy formula can be fed to any adult dog as well.
LOL, traitor….and I disagree.. But for me I have been checking out the amount of Glucosamine that is in the food and Orijen Adult seems to be way ahead of all of them. I still have to go to Evo’s site and check there, but so far I have found very little in their product. I realize I can get it in powder form but I have been giving this some serious thought. Tony is pushing 11 months and I well be changing to big boy food soon so Glucosamine is an issue for him.
Glucosamine in food is not enough. It is is measured on the bag in kilograms, not cups. So to get the full 1200mg of glucosamine you’d have to feed about 7 cups.
If your dog has a hip or joint issue it is always better to supplement it rather than relying on the food.
Two recomendations is:
Springtime Joint Health (the powder not the tablet) http://www.springtimeinc.com
OR
CanEVA Elk Antler. http://www.caneva.ca
The reason I like Evo Red over Orijen Regional Red is that Evo does not include Pork and does use beef. Evo has a much higher calculated calorie per cup and a higher protein and fat percentage. Again, I don’t think Regional Red is bad at all and would never tell anyone using to stop. I just like the Evo formula better
orijen chicken formula is ok but.. heres a Veterinarians advice listen to eric evo red way better product same price or if your in the states LESS $. also try wellness core fish your dogs will look like you waxed them. seriously. if your in canada there all the same price give or take a cpl $ not much. also i like go (grainfree). but have seen best results myself with hundreds if not thousands of dogs&cats . if you have a bit of a budget try taste of the wild i also find their results better than all the orijen formnulas. and jen your local store is ripping you off all orijen chicken formulas should all be roughly 65$ pup-L.b.pup-adlt. p.s. ERIC check your facts about who makes wellness dog food.. they have their own shop… and yess taste of the wild is from diamond but that label has its own plant. now these are researched facts.
C.DRABANT
You can call Wellness yourself. They DO NOT produce their own food. It is manufactured in six different plants across the states, including Diamond as well. And the Wellness Core that you speak of? That is made by American Nutrition, the makers of Atta Boy!
Check your facts….call or email Wellness, they have to disclose where their products are made and by who. Unfortunately, they do not have to disclose what country their meat is coming from???
I will agree with you that for $40 a bag (30lb) Taste Of The Wild is a great value….but I’m still a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. For $40, something (a lot of meat?) is missing.
eric ,
and then i guess you beleive ORIJEN 6 fresh fish ,is fresh fish NEVER frozen???ha. do you live in canada? you know how cold winter is here lakes freeze solid cold! i would like to see this magical ice fiherman that gets them all this fresh fish lol!!! my ratings are EVO red meat best , then TASTE of WILD (bison), and this expensive regional red (swine) for people that just want to pay alot of $$$$ for an inferior product( just came out ) and already a reciepe change , and price increase??same time makes me think back to other companys that have done the same. exmpl. IAMS . if people want to shop CANADIAN try GO
LOL, you are something. LOL…..IT IS THE BEST FOOD MADE TODAY!!!!I have a new bag of Orijen Red right in front of me BOUGHT TODAY from a store who sells alot of Orijen. AND THE FORMULA IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ONE ABOVE & ON DFA, SO QUIT YOU DAM* LIEING. ANNND EVO HAS UPPED IT’S PRICE TWICE IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS ORIJEN ZERO NADDA SAME PRICE AS IT WAS 6 MONTHS AGO. You a vet, LOL,LOL,LOL no college grad I know are as half as bad as you in their sentence structure. Dude get you facts straight if you like Evo great it is very very good product,BUT QUIT MAKING STUFF UP. Now TOTW has ethoxyquin in it, so to put that above Orijen is down right nutty. How do I know? I asked them and below is their reply yo my email, also check their reply out in the forums….Geez,it really never ends!!!
Jess,
We know that the heat from our pet food process destroys whatever antioxidants are used in the ingredients that we purchase. After the heat process (extrusion and drying), we apply natural tocopherols (Vitamin E) in order to carry the shelf life of the food. The cooking process at our facilities is at or above 240 degrees. Ethoxyquin that may be in the ingredients is destroyed due to its lack of heat stability. Diamond does not preserve any of its products with ethoxyquin, only with mixed tocopherols.
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dog-food-ingredients/2292-i-got-answer-totw-2.html
And actually Horizon Legacy is way better than anything Petcurean (makers of Now & Go)produces. Now, Now does have one very very good product but I like Horizon better.
Maybe when I am write fast my sentence structure is not the best. I didnt know we are being judged by the way we write, kind of low to make fun of someones sentences. I sell orijen and yes prices increaced in the last year 2 TIMES. The red meat no it has not, but 80$ for pork dont you think it is expensive for such an inferior meat. You are talking about the last 6 months, no it has not increased in the last 6 months. And yes Orijen and Acana have changed their formulas, adding chicken fat to formulas that should be hypo-allergenic. Expensive ingrediences were also taken off especially in the Orijen formulas. I sell a lot of the Orijen and Acana too, but the truth must be told and I am damn upset that they did not tell us about the ingredient change. Also in Austarlia didnt it kill a lot of cats. Yes I know the company says its not their fault, but didnt Iams and Eukanuba say the same thing about their product on the food recall. Orijen is a fine product, but not with what they are doing. I feel that they are going down the same path as many other companies I have seen in the past. Start with a geat product cheap, change the ingredients to less quality without telling anyone (changing packaging to fool you) up the price. Making at the end a product not worth the money you are spending.
Evo had one increase lately when they came out with the fish formula and be far you get the best results on your dog and the ingredients and meat content are by far better that Orijen. So Jess since you are the EXPERT why do you think Orijen is the best? Maybe because they sign your paycheck? Orijen now is the same price as Evo. I trust Evo better havent changed the ingredients.
Taste of the Wild does not use ethoxyquin in their formula, First of all it is not made with other Diamond products. They have their own plant and no were is ethoxyquin used or written. You must know that the US are much more strict on their dog food than Canada and that is a fact. So they must list all the ingredients on the bag or they get shut down. Canadain manufactures its not the same so we have to go on their word, until they change the laws, which we should enforce. Eric, how do you know that TOTW dose not have enough meat content, you can not go by what the protien level says in the back of the bag, you should know that. And we are comparing RED MEAT, which TOTW does not have pork, the meat content is just as much as ORIJEN if not more, for LESS $$$$. So JESS I think you should stop your LIEING and tell the public the truth.
Last I heard Wellness had bought a plant in Quebec and that is where it is manufacturing their food. I know that the company is US, but the boxes that they come in say made in CANADA. Anyways these are all older companies, which are really good. Go in your area, because where you live makes a differnce in PRICES and get any of these products. These are the true facts about the products so you can make a informed decision because at the end we speak for our dogs.
Also see how many people have trouble with gas and diareah since they changed the ingredients.
Hi. I am a new dog owner, 16 years old. And I have a ton of questions! I’ll start off with what kind of dog I’m getting. He is a Alaskan Malamute Husky mix. He is about 3 and half months old. My fist questions is on what food to feed him. I have been reading http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com and that helped me a lot. but now I need to narrow my search. I have a job, but I will be paying for all his food. So I’m looking for good food at a reasonable price. Is Merrick puppy plate good food? Also how long do i feed my puppy on puppy food? I also have a question on Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, and Innova EVO large bites, and Welness Just for puppy. Like I said please nothing to expensive. Please answer back, I am getting him in a week.
My favorite large breed puppy food is Orijen Large Breed Puppy. With the kinds of foods you listed, the price of this is in the same ballpark.
I personally LIKE Merrick Puppy Plate, but for the adult grown size of an Alaskan Malamute, it’s to high in calcium and has the potential to cause bone deformalities
I’m not familiar enough with Solid Gold products to comment on them. Evo is not suitable at all for your puppy (great food in about a year). And I’m personally not a fan of anything Wellness. I’ve used it all before and am very unsatisfied with their products for the money. The price of Wellness is the same as Evo and Orijen products.
I also like Canine Caviar Puppy Chicken formula.
On a side note…..I cannot stand Dog Food Analysis. You will learn so much more here and more importantly, you will learn why. DFA is a bogus grading system that does not classify feeds correctly.
yes, stay away from any grainless foods (such as TOTW, EVO, Barking at the Moon, and others) for now (except orijen) due to high Ca content.
Eric, is correct about Orijen LBP. I also like Horizon Legacy puppy and California Natural puppy. I like the C.N.P. because it doesn’t have a lot of crap in it that dogs don’t need. My dog is old enough to feed twice a day and I feed C.N. in the AM and Orijen LBP in the PM but this kind of feeding might not work for your dog. If you do change foods change very slowly and I recomend you feed more than one brand of food. I also like Innova puppy and I also mix some good powdered vity’s with a third of a can of Innova puppy, daily. I only give him a little more than half the recommended amount because I feed really good dog foods.
You can check out how this worked for him by going to his website
http://3toestony.shutterfly.com/
Thank you for answering so quick. But I’m a little confused, and have more questions. How long do I feed my puppy puppy food? Is it 6 months or a year?
I think Im leaning toward’s Orijen large breed puppy. But as he gets older what would you recommend? So I need to stay away from grainless foods? I thought they were better for dogs? Also what are some good healthy treats to feed him. Is there a good site that helps with basic training?
There s very lttle difference. My dog is almost a year old and I well most likely keep him on Orijen LBP until he is about 15 months or so. His morning feeding I am gonna change to California Natural adult the next bag. Also I well keep him on puppy vity’s for at least another 2 months or so. Well I disagree with the grainless because the best puppy food is grainless. But I feed grain in the AM and grainless in the PM. I like brown rice and only brown rice way more than potatoes.
Thank you. That answered my question about how to to feed him puppy food. So is it good to feed a dog two different kinds of kibble? I once heard it was hard on the dogs body to switch foods. Also, some people put yogurt and berries with their god food. Does that help with anything? And did you use any training books to train your dog?
I think some people well diagree with me and I expect that. Some like to rotate, which I do in my own little way. I’ll buy a small bag of something, lets say Fromm duck and since it is a grain dog food I might give him a little after feeding his usual CN. I know dogs like a new taste. At night I might give him some TOTW wetlands after he eats his Orijen or maybe some surf and turf. I must say I stay with grainless foods with grainless and the ones with grain I keep with other grain foods. If you do this be carefull and don’t feed to much until you are sure your dog can acept doing this, yours might not. I like to feed two different kinds of food daily and as you can tell he “might” get 4 different kinds in one day. But please realize that I have done this over a long period of time and I now know which foods he can take and which ones he can’t.
If I add anything it would be a small amount of meat or an egg, the egg I cook, the meat I might or might not, but I don’t give him much, because I don’t want him to get diarrhea. I don’t do this all the time and that is my concern about him getting diarrhea not the fact that I am adding meat or an egg. I believe more meat the better, but the diarrhea thing can be an issue with new foods of any kind.
As far as training goes I have a pretty good grip on what needs to be done. Now, he does have very selective hearing at the dog parks.
Now Eric, derrick and Michelle might have a whole different routine with their dogs and that is cool because they all seem to know what is best for their dogs.
Hey Jess I found some info-I’m not sure if you have ever seen the Orijen plant-also their is a picture of the Natura plant posted here.Just scroll down to the comments and click on the names. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/orijen-dog-food-adult/
nikki,
grainless foods tend to have much higher meat content than grain inclusive foods. the problem is most grainless foods arent suitable for larger breed pups due to high Ca cntent. Orijen is an exception to this.
Orijen large breed puppy is a great choice if your dog tolerates it. if you like feeding foods with higher meat content (which is closer to a natural diet for a canine) you could rotate every month or so to a different grainless food (which uses a different primary protein source). id wait til he is done with most of his primary growth, so tick with the orijen until 1 year, then there are a bunch of grainleess foods that you could rotate.
while grainless foods tend to use potato versus rice in grain inclusive foods, much less potato is used in grainless foods compared to the amount of rice used in grain inclusive foods. this is evidenced in the fact that most grainless foods have a higher meat content with some potato as binder compared to grain inclusive foods with more grains and less meat.
many grainless foods with high meat content will be around 40% protein, where most grain inclusive foods are at around 24% protein due to a much reduced meat content.
personally, id prefer more meat with some potato than less meat with even more rice ingredients. Orijen has a pretty low glycemic index, which indicates that it is not very potato heavy.
rotating foods once in a while is good because it gives your dog some variety in what he is eating (after all, who likes eating the same tasting food forever), it helps prevent any nutritional defincies that any given kibble might be causing, and it helps prevent allergies from constantly eating the same protein source for long periods of time.
i would also add than grains are a well known inflammatory, and thus can be a problem for arthritic dogs or dogs other joint disorders, and even some younger dogs can be afflicted by these things (especially larger dogs).
potato can also be an inflammatory, but usualy only for dogs sensitive to the alkaloids in them, which is a small percentage of dogs.