# How to justify cost to SO?



## *Jenn* (Oct 14, 2010)

We're about to get our rescue pup, and I've been researching the best foods for him. I think I've settled on Orijen Grain-Free Puppy food. However, my boyfriend insists on Iams. [that's what his family feeds their dogs blah blah ] well, I've discovered that a 30-lb bag of Orijen costs the same as a 60LB BAG of Iams. So, it literally costs twice as much!! I know that he will probably not be so keen on getting the Orijen, given the price difference. How do you justify the added cost to a picky SO??

Please help! :redface:


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## PalmettoPaws (Dec 30, 2009)

Your dog will eat less of the Orijen than he would of the IAMS to stay in good body condition. Also, better nutrition will likely mean that you're saving on vet bills.


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## *Jenn* (Oct 14, 2010)

PalmettoPaws said:


> Your dog will eat less of the Orijen than he would of the IAMS to stay in good body condition. Also, better nutrition will likely mean that you're saving on vet bills.


thank you for your response! :smile:


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## PalmettoPaws (Dec 30, 2009)

You're welcome.


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## *Jenn* (Oct 14, 2010)

Also; the best price I've found is $60 for a 30 pound bag, thats at heartypet.com . I'm going to check the local pet supply places, as I know one of them carries Orijen, and one carries Innova Evo. Do you think they will be cheaper at an actual store v.s. online?


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## moon (Jul 15, 2010)

It's all a matter of perspective and priorities - people who don't blink twice at paying $100.00 per month their entertainment (tv, movies, etc) or paying $30.00-$100.00 for just one dinner out for themselves will balk on paying extra for food for their pets - who they claim are part of the family... ???

Champion foods has a "white paper" that explains their philosophy about biologically appropriate food for dogs. That's what I've used to sway a few people: http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/ORIJEN_White_Paper.pdf
(hope this link works!)

And my favorite argument is what someone here said: If you wouldn't feed meat to a cow, why would you feed corn to a dog?

Oh and one more thing: Should we believe what we see in advertising??.. At one time the biggest money for advertising was from the Tobacco companies - and we KNOW they never lied to America or encouraged us to do anything that would harm ourselves...


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

I love Champion/Orijen/Acana. And I would encourage you to push for it. 

However, if cost is the barrier to entry into this great food.... check out my posts on Taste of the Wild at Tractor Supply. 

For scale reference....1-10

I'd rank Orijen a 10
I'd rank Taste of the Wild a 7-8
I'd even rank Diamond Naturals a 5(see my other thread)

I'd rank Iams a 1 or 2. Its a pitiful food. There's not much else to say about it. Its filled with grains, fillers, a lack of meat...

I'd recommend your boyfriend do some research. Coming to a conclusion "because thats what my family feeds" is not a logical way to make decisions in the dog food arena or life for that matter. 

I know this sounds harsh but it drives me nuts when people make decisions in life that defy any type of logical decision making structure. Its a dangerous and inconsiderate way to live.


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## John Rambo (Sep 27, 2010)

go get yourself some chicken soup for the dog lovers soul...Decent food for a mid-grade price....


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

I'd agree w/ that, John. Chicken Soup is a decent food. 

But I would say this... I'm seeing Taste of the Wild almost cheaper than Chicken Soup. 

Personally, I'd rank TOTW ahead of the CS. My opinion.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

PalmettoPaws said:


> Your dog will eat less of the Orijen than he would of the IAMS to stay in good body condition. Also, better nutrition will likely mean that you're saving on vet bills.


Exactly, sure it's cheaper. Quanity over quality. If you feed crap food, you'll have crap health. Same goes for people. 

Need to be wise, because the effects are long standing and will rear it's ugly head sooner or later.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

Sounds like a deal-breaker to me. Lose the boyfriend and buy the Orijen. There are plenty of other guys out there.


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## *Jenn* (Oct 14, 2010)

moon said:


> It's all a matter of perspective and priorities - people who don't blink twice at paying $100.00 per month their entertainment (tv, movies, etc) or paying $30.00-$100.00 for just one dinner out for themselves will balk on paying extra for food for their pets - who they claim are part of the family... ???
> 
> Champion foods has a "white paper" that explains their philosophy about biologically appropriate food for dogs. That's what I've used to sway a few people: http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/ORIJEN_White_Paper.pdf
> (hope this link works!)
> ...



Thank you for the link! I will show it to him and see what he says. :smile:




kevin bradley said:


> I love Champion/Orijen/Acana. And I would encourage you to push for it.
> 
> However, if cost is the barrier to entry into this great food.... check out my posts on Taste of the Wild at Tractor Supply.
> 
> ...




Thank you! Is TOTW grain-free? From my research, that's what I think I'm going to try to feed. And, he is willing to try other foods, I'm just worried he'll balk at the price.




John Rambo said:


> go get yourself some chicken soup for the dog lovers soul...Decent food for a mid-grade price....





kevin bradley said:


> I'd agree w/ that, John. Chicken Soup is a decent food.
> 
> But I would say this... I'm seeing Taste of the Wild almost cheaper than Chicken Soup.
> 
> Personally, I'd rank TOTW ahead of the CS. My opinion.





Rye&Ted said:


> Exactly, sure it's cheaper. Quanity over quality. If you feed crap food, you'll have crap health. Same goes for people.
> 
> Need to be wise, because the effects are long standing and will rear it's ugly head sooner or later.



Thank you! :smile:




Jack Monzon said:


> Sounds like a deal-breaker to me. Lose the boyfriend and buy the Orijen. There are plenty of other guys out there.




Hahaha, thanks for the input! But I do think I'll keep him. :wink: Once I show him the difference in nutrition labels I'm sure he'll see why I'm pushing for Orijen.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I second the TOTW suggestion if your boyfriend won't spring for the Orijen!

It's a good quality grain free food, with pretty great protein sources, and excellent variety to rotate with.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Jenn,

Yes, Taste of the Wild is a grain free food. It IS made by Diamond which many of us don't LOVE.... they are a large company who makes multiple branded foods(4Health, Kirkland, Prem Edge, Chicken Soup)...they drew a lot of fire from us for not guaranteeing their food to be Ethoxyquin free(a preservative that has been linked to Cancer). As I understand it, Diamond now ensures their foods to be Ethoxyquin free. Overall, probably not the company that Champion(Orijen/Acana) is but Taste of the Wild is an overall outstanding food and without a doubt...THE best bang for your buck. 

If you have a Tractor Supply Store near you, it is actually on sale this week for $37.99 and if you go out to their website you can print out a $5 off coupon. I believe you can also get 10% off your entire order if you want to stock up and buy a bunch.

For $32.99, you are getting a food that is 10x superior to Iams. Look at the ingredient list on TOTW compared to Iams. Its almost a joke. 

good luck. I didn't mean to sound so harsh on your boyfriend. But I would encourage him to research the subject when he gets a chance. 

take care.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Iams puppy- 28% protein- 366 cal per cup. 


Orijen puppy- 40% protein- 450 cal per cup. 

so yes, you will be feeding less, in my case my dog ate 1/2 the amount of store bought kibble, so the big bag lasted forever. 

Same company also makes Acana, another great food, not as high protein, little cheaper. 

But if the price is still a deal breaker, I would go with Taste of the Wild, if you have a tractor supply, theres a $5 coupon on their site you can print off towards your next purchase.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

kevin bradley said:


> Jenn,
> 
> Yes, Taste of the Wild is a grain free food. It IS made by Diamond which many of us don't LOVE.... they are a large company who makes multiple branded foods(4Health, Kirkland, Prem Edge, Chicken Soup)...they drew a lot of fire from us for not guaranteeing their food to be Ethoxyquin free(a preservative that has been linked to Cancer). As I understand it, Diamond now ensures their foods to be Ethoxyquin free. Overall, probably not the company that Champion(Orijen/Acana) is but Taste of the Wild is an overall outstanding food and without a doubt...THE best bang for your buck.
> 
> ...


Kevin is right about the boyfriend. Get him on board, with EVERYTHING. From the smallest to the biggest. Pack is a pack, you are all included. IF one is not on board it affects the rest. I was the overall decision maker for PMR, but I got my husband on board, educated, printed things out, showed him, got him looking on the results, boards, testimontials, you name it. Through and through so he knew. Same with training. Same with anything else.

It's important BOTH of you do it. So there's no doubt, no conflict and 100% team work.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

If your BF is the one who picks up the dog crap, he'll appreciate the smaller and less frequent poops from a dog on higher quality (lower filler) food.

Just sayin'. :biggrin:


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## ann g (May 6, 2010)

*Jenn* said:


> We're about to get our rescue pup, and I've been researching the best foods for him. I think I've settled on Orijen Grain-Free Puppy food. However, my boyfriend insists on Iams. [that's what his family feeds their dogs blah blah ] well, I've discovered that a 30-lb bag of Orijen costs the same as a 60LB BAG of Iams. So, it literally costs twice as much!! I know that he will probably not be so keen on getting the Orijen, given the price difference. How do you justify the added cost to a picky SO??
> 
> Please help! :redface:


My last GSD ate Iams(before I knew better) and we were spending approx. $20 every 2wks(2 bags per month). We tried Orijen and the price here was $55 and it lasted 6wks because he ate a lot less of it. So overall, not any more expensive. Also if you get smaller bags they will be priced higher, its worth it to always get the largest bag.


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## chocolatelabguy (Nov 17, 2009)

Another point in favor of the higher quality food: My chocolate lab spent the first three years of her life on Science Diet, which is quite similar to Iams. After wising up and doing some research, I switched her over to Chicken Soup, and then to TOTW. Although she seemed to be doing fine on the Science Diet, the differences in her coat, breath, poops, energy level, and sheer enjoyment of her mealtimes is impossible to ignore after switching to the better food. We constantly get comments on her beautiful coat, and her minor dandruff issue that she had with the Science Diet dissappeared completely within weeks with the higher quality food. And she eats less of the better food as a previous poster stated. Orijen is a fabulous food, no doubt, but a very good compromise, as other posters have stated, would be TOTW or Chicken Soup. Believe me - you will notice a difference in your dog with the better food!


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

*Jenn* said:


> Thank you! Is TOTW grain-free? From my research, that's what I think I'm going to try to feed. And, he is willing to try other foods, I'm just worried he'll balk at the price.
> 
> ]


you didnt mention what type of pup it is, so i thoughtr id add many of us larger breed owners wont feed TOTW due to the higher calcium levels. the orijen is a bit lower so that is what we go for if we want to go grain free.

for a smaller breed pup, the Ca levels arent such an issue.


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## *Jenn* (Oct 14, 2010)

kevin bradley said:


> Jenn,
> 
> Yes, Taste of the Wild is a grain free food. It IS made by Diamond which many of us don't LOVE.... they are a large company who makes multiple branded foods(4Health, Kirkland, Prem Edge, Chicken Soup)...they drew a lot of fire from us for not guaranteeing their food to be Ethoxyquin free(a preservative that has been linked to Cancer). As I understand it, Diamond now ensures their foods to be Ethoxyquin free. Overall, probably not the company that Champion(Orijen/Acana) is but Taste of the Wild is an overall outstanding food and without a doubt...THE best bang for your buck.
> 
> ...


no worries on being harsh. I read your thread, good info, thanks!



Unosmom said:


> Iams puppy- 28% protein- 366 cal per cup.
> 
> 
> Orijen puppy- 40% protein- 450 cal per cup.
> ...





Rye&Ted said:


> Kevin is right about the boyfriend. Get him on board, with EVERYTHING. From the smallest to the biggest. Pack is a pack, you are all included. IF one is not on board it affects the rest. I was the overall decision maker for PMR, but I got my husband on board, educated, printed things out, showed him, got him looking on the results, boards, testimontials, you name it. Through and through so he knew. Same with training. Same with anything else.
> 
> It's important BOTH of you do it. So there's no doubt, no conflict and 100% team work.


don't worry, we've already discussed everything as far as training, discipline, feeding, etc. :smile:



JayJayisme said:


> If your BF is the one who picks up the dog crap, he'll appreciate the smaller and less frequent poops from a dog on higher quality (lower filler) food.
> 
> Just sayin'.


lol :biggrin: we'll be sharing that responsibility.



ann g said:


> My last GSD ate Iams(before I knew better) and we were spending approx. $20 every 2wks(2 bags per month). We tried Orijen and the price here was $55 and it lasted 6wks because he ate a lot less of it. So overall, not any more expensive. Also if you get smaller bags they will be priced higher, its worth it to always get the largest bag.


THANK YOU! this is the information I was needing! :smile:



chocolatelabguy said:


> Another point in favor of the higher quality food: My chocolate lab spent the first three years of her life on Science Diet, which is quite similar to Iams. After wising up and doing some research, I switched her over to Chicken Soup, and then to TOTW. Although she seemed to be doing fine on the Science Diet, the differences in her coat, breath, poops, energy level, and sheer enjoyment of her mealtimes is impossible to ignore after switching to the better food. We constantly get comments on her beautiful coat, and her minor dandruff issue that she had with the Science Diet dissappeared completely within weeks with the higher quality food. And she eats less of the better food as a previous poster stated. Orijen is a fabulous food, no doubt, but a very good compromise, as other posters have stated, would be TOTW or Chicken Soup. Believe me - you will notice a difference in your dog with the better food!





buddy97 said:


> you didn't mention what type of pup it is, so i thought id add many of us larger breed owners wont feed TOTW due to the higher calcium levels. the orijen is a bit lower so that is what we go for if we want to go grain free.
> 
> for a smaller breed pup, the Ca levels aren't such an issue.


he is actual a mixed breed, he's a rescue. he looks to me like a border collie/lab mix. he is actually quite small, only weighing about 30 pounds.

Good News: With the info posted above, I got him to agree to feed our Pup Orijen!! [specifically the cost vs the amount they consume] :biggrin:


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

good choice, make sure to transition slowly from shelter food to new food since Orijen is quite rich.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

i gotta agree with kevo on this one. totw is 38 dollars or so after taxes,for 30 pounds of food. totw is now ethox free,although from what i hear, most stores usually have old expired bags of totw in their stores, so i dont know if your bag will be ethox free. your best bet is going with lamb cause thats their brand new formula.

jdatwood likes lamb .


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> jdatwood likes lamb .


Heck YES I do. It tastes AWESOME


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

lol what the helll.....lamb is yummy, but apparently not the best protein cause it doesn't pump your dog full of strength and testosterone like bison or wolverine does....


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

I can't count the times that someone comes in my store, racks up $80.00 worth of high end treats and chews and tells me they feed IAMs, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, etc. 

It SIMPLY isn't worth saving a few dollars on the lesser quality food, period. Science Diet's feeding guidelines for a 100lbs. dog is 9 1/2 cups a day! That's ridiculous. 3 cups of most quality grain free kibble is all you need for that body weight.

Just comes to show how nutrient dense a quality product is and how much more digestable it is where you would need 3+ times as much of the cheap stuff all the while taxing the poor dog's organs to extract the amino acids from the poor quality protein source.


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## *Jenn* (Oct 14, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> good choice, make sure to transition slowly from shelter food to new food since Orijen is quite rich.


yes, we're going to find out what she's feeding him, and then get the smallest bag possible and switch over slowly.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> i gotta agree with kevo on this one. totw is 38 dollars or so after taxes,for 30 pounds of food. totw is now ethox free,although from what i hear, most stores usually have old expired bags of totw in their stores, so i dont know if your bag will be ethox free. your best bet is going with lamb cause thats their brand new formula.
> 
> jdatwood likes lamb .


RC, what did you hear about expired bags in stores? I just checked a couple of our farm stores and the Bison TOTW bags had exp dates Aug 2011


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## speeddts (Sep 3, 2010)

*Orijen vs TOTW*

Our pup Cosmo (Welsh Terrier) was fed TOTW by his breeder. 

We decided/agreed early on that we would buy the best dog food available for him and decided on Orijen.

Orijen is an expensive dog food, but the quality cannot be beat, the ingredient list is amazing. We also have now introduced Cosmo to Instinct Rabbit so he gets accustom to protein and carbs from different ingredients and also has some variety.

Cosmo has "phenomenal poops", and they occur in small quantity. For a dog that is only going to be 20 lbs, he eats roughly 3/4 to 1 cup, twice a day. A large bag will last a long time.

Another good suggestion for Dog Food is Instinct or Petcurean Go, both are in the same price range as Orijen and are high quality. Upon emailing both companies they were happy to send a coupon for a free 5 to 10 lbs bag to start off.:smile:


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## NikkiSue (Oct 16, 2010)

My 110 lb. Rott eats a little over 2 cups per day of Orijen 6-Fish. I had her at 2-1/2 cups, and she was maintaining at that level, but she's overweight so I've cut back a little bit.

She has poultry allergies, so we're limited in our options. I had her on Natural Balance Duck & Potato, and I'm absolutely thrilled with the improvement I've seen since switching her to Orijen. I wish I'd discovered this brand years ago.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

speeddts said:


> We also have now introduced Cosmo to Instinct Rabbit:


i always let people know this in case they dont know. Natures Variety sources its rabbit from China. my dog love the Instinct rabbit, but i am a bit wary of anything coming from China.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

speeddts said:


> Our pup Cosmo (Welsh Terrier) was fed TOTW by his breeder.
> 
> We decided/agreed early on that we would buy the best dog food available for him and decided on Orijen.
> 
> ...


1 cup twice a day is a lot for a 20 pound dog..you are prob overfeeding him. my 76 pound golden gets 3ish cups.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

NikkiSue said:


> My 110 lb. Rott eats a little over 2 cups per day of Orijen 6-Fish. I had her at 2-1/2 cups, and she was maintaining at that level, but she's overweight so I've cut back a little bit.
> 
> She has poultry allergies, so we're limited in our options. I had her on Natural Balance Duck & Potato, and I'm absolutely thrilled with the improvement I've seen since switching her to Orijen. I wish I'd discovered this brand years ago.


your rottie is adoarble.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

kevin bradley said:


> RC, what did you hear about expired bags in stores? I just checked a couple of our farm stores and the Bison TOTW bags had exp dates Aug 2011


ive seen some posts on this forum saying that. i think linsey said it,and unosmom, but i could be wrong....

after looking on the site though, i take what i said back about using the lamb totw. id def stick with the high prairie, or wetlands. they are the only ones that seem to have any meat in them....32 percent protein vs 24-25 in the others.

plus i just cant get over the fact that shane is a water dog, and i msure hed love the wetlands...but hes on canidae right now.
although arent all dogs technically water dogs..dont all dogs prefer to swim


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> ive seen some posts on this forum saying that. i think linsey said it,and unosmom, but i could be wrong....


I said what?


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

i said you MIGHT HAVE SAID..AND I COULD BE WRONG....that a lot of bags of totw are expired in stores. i thought isaw you say that...i know i saw somebody here say it...a few actually..i thought it was you or unos


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> i always let people know this in case they dont know. Natures Variety sources its rabbit from China. my dog love the Instinct rabbit, but i am a bit wary of anything coming from China.


I was under the impression the rabbit comes from China for their NV raw food. _Not_ the Instinct kibble. But I could be wrong.


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