orijen food - Page 1

Has anybody any experience with using orijen food.I have read their web page which is impressive but aren't they all.It contains no grains and has a 70% meat composition.I am a little sceptical of the the fact that it has a 42% protein content in the large breed puppy food.Is this too high or would it benefit my 4month old shepherd

That does seem high, What does your vet think ??

have consulted my vet yet will do later today. Just hoping someone has feedback having used this food.Thanks for the response

I have changed to Eagle Pack, Holistic Select. The dogs just loved it!! No wheat,No Corn, in the Holistic line. They also have large breed puppy in the holistic line. They make their own food. 1 800 255 5959 is their phone number.

I went on http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com and it says for Orijen Puppy Large: The first three ingredients of this food are all named meat products, two of which are in meal form. There are further meat ingredients fourth and seventh on the ingredient list. We can thus have a high level of confidence in the meat content of this food, which the manufacturer states to be 70% of the total. This is an entirely grainless dog food. The major carbohydrate source is potatoes, which are also a good source of B vitamins and other minerals. There is a good range of fruits/vegetables in the food, whole eggs and a good range of probiotics. This food is outstanding in that it contains no grains whatsoever. Grains are not a natural part of a canine diet and it is pleasing to see dog foods on the market that exclude grains completely from the diet. This is a far more natural food concept and combined with a complete lack of any low quality or controversial ingredients is the reason this food is placed in a class above the more conventional form dry dog foods. The only caution we would make on this food is that the high protein content makes it suitable for adult dogs only, particularly in the case of large breeds. Note: Our review is based on information about the ingredients in the food only, not manufacturing processes. We are unable to locate any guarantee on the manufacturer website of the use of solely Ethoxyquin-free ingredients. Ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative commonly added to fish ingredients and that is believed to be carcinogenic. Potential users of the food would be advised to contact the manufacturer for information before buying this product.

This dogfood sounds pretty great - but once again based on my experience using many dogfoods, I recommend the holistic Canine Caviar.... JMO http://www.caninecaviar.com

High protein food fed to pups "can cause rapid growth and subsequent weaknesses in either the joints or long bones of a very heavy and quickly growing puppy. At 7-8 months a puppy's bone structure is not mature enough to maintain that weight without injury while just running and playing. Some well meaning but ignorant people may suggest supplementing your puppy with certain vitamins and calcium tablets, this practice has been linked to developing OCD (Osteochondritis Dessicans) a crippling condition that usually affects the shoulders or elbows. OCD is considered to be partially hereditary in that large, rapidly growing breeds of dogs are more prone to develop this problem, but OCD is usually attributed to over-feeding, over-supplementation, over-exertion or injury or a combination of all four.They should be fed on a raised platform, they should not play immediately before or after a meal. They should be fed a high-quality/low-protein food at least twice daily."

Alan G. I concur with the others here; that while this appears to be an excellent food, the protein content is far too high for a growing puppy. I am curious why this is even marketed towards puppy owners, but it is no secret that many people are delighted by a puppy that grows very quickly and very large, but I think most of us know the consequences this growth rate/pattern can cause in the form of joint and long bone issues. I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but let's remember that dog food manufacturers are in the business to sell dog food, not successfully raise puppies. For an adult dog-especially one that has a strenuous activity level this may be a good food as it provides much protein of high quality for building and maintaining strong muscle mass. I agree that being free from grain (essentially a partially-digestable filler at best) makes this food take a place above many others. Bob-O

Sounds like a decent food for an adult dog but you can only get it in WA, OR, GA, and FL :(

Thanks guys makes interesting reading.I emailed the company and was glad to see that they responded quickly to me.I have attached their response to the protein concerns,it begins I want to leave you with an email that was sent to us by Dr. Steve Marsden. He assisted us in formulating this food. He is very well known and respected in his industry(he is a homeopathic vet and nutritionist). Below he addresses some typical concerns regarding high protein diets-including large breed puppies and accelerated growth. * higher protein diets are believed to accelerate bone growth o Nap RC, Hazewinkel HA, Voorhout G, Van den Brom WE, Goedegebuure SA, Van 'T Klooster AT reported on this issue in J Nutr. 1991 Nov;121(11 Suppl):S107-13. The study was entitled Growth and skeletal development in Great Dane pups fed different levels of protein intake. The authors found that while relationships exist among growth rate, calcium/phosphorus ratios and overall energy content of the diet, dietary proteins have no discernible accelerating effect. The maximum protein level tested was essentially the same as the protein level in Orijen. * higher protein diets cause kidney problems o Many studies have demonstrated that protein restriction is often helpful in managing chronic renal failure in dogs, but there are no studies to suggest higher protein diets can cause renal failure. Some studies have demonstrated rises in blood urea nitrogen following use of higher protein diets, but none show significant increases in creatinine. Between the two, urea and creatinine, only creatinine is a specific indicator of renal failure. Urea levels vary widely for a number of reasons, including the level of protein in the diet, anorexia, the effect of various drugs, and of course impaired renal blood flow. Rises in urea in the absence of rises in creatinine and normal urine concentration do not indicate renal failure. o Following is a reference specifically confirming that high protein diets do not cause renal failure: o Bovee KC; High dietary protein intake does not cause progressive renal failure in dogs after 75% nephrectomy or aging; Semin Vet Med Surg (Small Anim). 1992 Aug;7(3):227-36. * Lastly, it is commonly held that high protein diets predispose to calcium loss from bone, since low protein diets are often used to manage calcium oxalate stones in the bladder, and since high protein diets are an oft-touted (though unproven?) risk factor for osteoporosis in people. Interestingly, a recent study shows the exact opposite, that higher protein and even high calcium diets in dogs promote lower incidence of calcium oxalate stones. That study's citation is as follows: o Lekcharoensuk C, Osborne CA, Lulich JP, Pusoonthornthum R, Kirk CA, Ulrich LK, Koehler LA, Carpenter KA, Swanson LL. Associations between dry dietary factors and canine calcium oxalate uroliths. Am J Vet Res. 2002 Mar;63(3):330-7 Clinically, I would have to say that all our experiences with this kind of diet are in agreement with these studies. Much of the perception that higher protein diets are harmful has been promulgated by the veterinary profession based on old and incomplete information. It is entrenched in owner's minds because of the credible source. Until the most recent research on the subject becomes mainstream in the veterinary profession, you are constantly going to be encountering this kind of bias. At least now, though, you can cite some studies to back up your beliefs. Thanks very much, Dr. Steve Marsden DVM ND MSOM LAc Dipl.CH AHG