Pet
Food
Review

Product review - Orijen Pet Food

Orijen is something a little different, and is getting good reports from pet forums online. It is aimed, I guess at the RAW feeders who want a food that is full of meat and does not contain the usual grains that are found in most commercial pet foods.

There is no denying that Orijen food contains good quality ingredients. It can be compared to the new Applaws food which has recently been introduced. And there has been a lot of comment on the internet forums about the food - with good comments coming I think mainly from those who are in the RAW feeding camp. I guess this is a much more convenient way to feed than buying raw meat and all the necessary ingredients to make a raw diet complete.

There seems to be little or no independent research on feeding high protein/low carb diets to dogs other than one I have found which suggests that they may be good for weight loss.

If you are thinking of changing to a food such as Orijen then you would be well advised to do so gradually over a week or two to avoid digestive upset, because this is a lot different to the usual pet foods available. It is also quite expensive, but then that's what you might expect from a high meat content food.

This is what they have to say about their product:
ORIJEN's Biologically Appropriate concept is simple: include the fresh, whole foods that nature intended cats and dogs to eat, and exclude ingredients like cereal grains that your dog or cat is not evolved to eat. High-protein, low-carbohydrate and Grain-FREE, ORIJEN diets feature farm-fresh ingredients in a Biologically Appropriate ratio of 70 percent meat, 30 percent fruit and vegetables, and zero grain (70/30/0). Made with a diversity of fresh (but never frozen) meats - including free-range chicken and turkey, fresh whole eggs and wild-caught regional fish; ORIJEN's grain-free recipes match the evolutionary diets of dogs and cats and promote their peak physical well-being.

There is a comprehensive range of products available from ORIJEN: for dogs there is ORIJEN Puppy, ORIJEN Puppy Large, ORIJEN Adult, ORIJEN 6 Fish and ORIJEN Senior; for cats and kittens there is ORIJEN Cat and NEW for 2009 - ORIJEN 6 Fish. The products are available for purchase in a vareity of bag sizes from the Trial Size bag of 400g, through the 2.5Kg, 7.0Kg and 13.5Kg.

Expect to pay around £55 upwards for a 13.5kg bag (the equivalent of £61/15kg bag) which is expensive, but you may find discounts at Pet Supermarket online!

ORIJEN ADULT 6 FISH 13.5KG

FRESH REGIONAL INGREDIENTS
Fresh salmon (includes chinook. coho and sockeye species), salmon meal, russet potato, herring meal, fresh lake whitefish, sweet potato, fresh lake trout, fresh Northern walleye, freshwater cod, fresh herring, sunflower oil, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherals, a natural source of vitamin E), sun-cured alfalfa, dried sea vegetables (brown kelp, Irish moss, dulse and bladder wrack), leeks, psyllium, crab shell, rosemary, lecithin, apples, black currants..

TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS
Chicory root (FOS), licorice root, fennel seed, zea mays, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, rosehips.

ORGANIC MINERALS
Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS
Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product..

PREMIUM VITAMINS
Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, pyridoxine (source of vitamin B6).