# Nature’s Variety instinct vs orijen



## theprodigy001

hello,

i have a 7 month old bull mastiff/pitbull mix. he currently weights 70lbs and i have been feeding him orijen for a few months.but this past month when i went to get orijen they where all out so i was stuck getting a new brand.they had NV instinct on sale for a real good price so i picked up a bag of it.it has been a few weeks and he seems to be doing better on the NV instinct then he did on orijen.
so my question is. How does NV Instinct compare to orijen?also is there anything in either of there ingredients that you would consider suspect.


thanks


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## Maxy24

Most people on this forum are very big fans of Orijen because it's higher protein and they like the company, but if you've tried it and your dog does better on NV instinct, then I'd stay with the NV. The instinct appears to have fewer types of meat in the food, so perhaps your dog is sensitive to one of the meats in Orijen. Another big culprit could be the potato in Orijen. NV Instinct uses tapioca instead of potato, so perhaps your dog does better on tapioca than on potato.


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## doggiedad

next time you're in a pet store
compare the labels.


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## BrownieM

I think both are great - I have fed both.


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## theprodigy001

he did great on orijen but once a week he would get very loose stool.on the NV he has great stool all the time. another thing i dont like and my pup does not like either is the kibbles are so small in the NV.it looks like cat food. and in the NV i noticed the meats are meals.are the meat meals a quality meat.


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## CavePaws

If it is a named meat meal like "lamb meal" or "chicken meal" then yes, it is most likely quality.


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## kady05

I feed Orijen to one of my dogs, and NV Instinct to the other two (currently, 99% sure I'm switching Piper to raw here soon). I really like both foods.. I like the price of NV better because I can order it online for cheaper than any local store, Orijen I haven't found that with.


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## meggels

If your dog is doing great on it, no worries! I'd say NV is one of the few foods that is comparable to Orijen. I believe most of their formulas (except for their LID Instinct formulas) are 75% meat anyways, so it's prettty darn close  It's a great food, I would not hesitate to feed it myself.


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## PDXdogmom

I've fed both Orijen and NV Duck Meal and Turkey Meal (their best formula in my opinion) as part of my dogs' rotation. If your dog seems to be doing better with the NV, then I'd stick with it. Both brands are considered in the "high quality" category of kibble.

I do think some dogs do better with tapioca as the carb binder rather than potato. NV doesn't include all the botanicals or as many fruits/vegetables as Orijen does which can be a good thing for dogs who have more sensitive systems. A fair amount of Orijen's ingredient list is there for marketing purposes, IMO. Including 7 different proteins in Orijen isn't really providing anything more beneficial than the 4 or fewer proteins in the NV formulas. In fact, I would not recommend Orien products to those who think their dog may have some digestive intolerances.

The one thing I don't like about NV is that they don't include any fresh meat like "boneless chicken" along with the named meat meals. While "meals" provide very concentrated protein, they are highly processed. I often added a little fresh cooked meat from my kitchen to the NV.


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## cast71

Orijen uses human grade meats and NV uses denatured pet food grade. Also NV contains Montmorillonite Clay, which is probably used as a stool hardener. That's why your seeing better stools with it. Try reducing the amount of orijen your feeding and see if that helps you with loose stools. NV is a good food, but I consider Orijen and acana better.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5

cast71 said:


> Orijen uses human grade meats and NV uses denatured pet food grade. Also NV contains Montmorillonite Clay, which is probably used as a stool hardener. That's why your seeing better stools with it. Try reducing the amount of orijen your feeding and see if that helps you with loose stools. NV is a good food, but I consider Orijen and acana better.


im pretty sure human grade means, it was ONCE human grade.

OP, natures variety is a very good food, and i would say it is definitely comparable to orijen. their formulas are 75 percent meat, while orijens are 75-80. Not to mention that your dog is doing better on NV. the choice is clear to me. what formula are u using?


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## cast71

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> im pretty sure human grade means, it was ONCE human grade.


I contacted both companies awhile back regarding this subject. If you search this site, you'll find there responses that I posted. NV didn't really answer my questions the first email. In there second email, they stated they use pet grade meats and it is denatured with charcoal. Champion answered right away. They stated they use human grade meats and use human grade meats to make there meat meals. They also stated there meat is not denatured, nor do they denature there meats. Human grade meats mean, they are graded for human consumption. The once human grade that your talking about, is petfood grade. It cost more to use human grade ingredients and that's why orijen is more expensive.


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## PUNKem733

Triple hates Orijen. If NV is doing right for your dog then stick with it. Though I heard that some of the meat (I think the rabbit) is sourced from China? Also Nothing yet touches Orijen or Acana as far as the quality of the meat products go. 

R.I.P. Shane, I had no clue until know. Hope you're enjoying Winston.


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## nupe

i HAVE FED BOTH BEFORE...NO QUESTION THE Orijen.....the NV people do a good sales job with the kibble that is spray coated with freeze dried RAW..LOL...BUT THE ORIJEN WHEN IT COMES TO KIBBLE!!


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5

PUNKem733 said:


> Triple hates Orijen. If NV is doing right for your dog then stick with it. Though I heard that some of the meat (I think the rabbit) is sourced from China? Also Nothing yet touches Orijen or Acana as far as the quality of the meat products go.
> 
> R.I.P. Shane, I had no clue until know. Hope you're enjoying Winston.


well hate is a strong word, i'm just wary of them....ive been tempted many times to try them...but im just wary.
and thinking about it, i think acana is a better choice. than orijen.

and yes the rabbit is sourced from china. i actually saw instinct treats the other day...made sure to not een onsider the rabbit hah.
i ended up getting canidae treats.

and thanks man. he had grade 3 mast cell tumors...pretty bad cancer.
Winston has been great.


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## theprodigy001

i purchased 2 different formulas.i purchased the rabbit,and also the salmon.they where on sale for $40 each so i think i did ok.


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## theprodigy001

also another thing i don't like about NV is the smell.it smells like burnt kibble or or something.


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## Caty M

Why are you wary about them and not about Diamond food? Not saying ToTW is bad by any means but I'd consider Champion a far more reputable company than Diamond. Both have had their troubles in the past but Orijen's wasn't a problem with the plant/where it was manufactured but a problem with irradiation upon entry into Australia.


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## Unosmom

Thought I'd chime in to say that rabbit meal from kibble comes from France and their raw rabbit meat comes from china. Either way I think its a good food, little cheaper then orijen and lots of protein sources to chose from and rotate.


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## dr tim

Who is sourcing from China?


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## PUNKem733

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> well hate is a strong word, i'm just wary of them....ive been tempted many times to try them...but im just wary.
> and thinking about it, i think acana is a better choice. than orijen.
> 
> and yes the rabbit is sourced from china. i actually saw instinct treats the other day...made sure to not een onsider the rabbit hah.
> i ended up getting canidae treats.
> 
> and thanks man. he had grade 3 mast cell tumors...pretty bad cancer.
> Winston has been great.


You're wary of Orijen, but are OK with feeding a diamond food. That right there says it all, you are an enigma.


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## Javadoo

It doesn't matter which food is a "better" food, it only matters which is a better food for YOUR dog.
Orijen may be the best kibble on the market, but that doesn't mean it will work for every dog. 
I rotate NV Instinct (Duck and Turkey Meal) and my girls (both labs) do great on it.
Orijen was too rich for them...they didn't do well on it at all.


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