Origens

[Holly Paterniti]

I was wondering if anyone here uses the Origen Red?  After being told by several people about Merrick, which Bear was on, I decided to change his food.  My cousin raves about Origen and so I decided to switch.  The first few days Bear would eat it when I gave it to him, but now it seems as if he is not as hungry anymore...........is this what happen to your doodle?

 

I just worry he is not eating as much food as he should.  Can you please give me some feedback?  THANKS!!!

 

Holly

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Even my uninterested eater (Ned) usually likes any new food and then slacks off. The others who like food better do the same.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Orijen is a great food - you could always try a different flavor....
How much is he eating? 1/2 of his food or is it just taking him longer than usual?

As Nancy said, most dogs act ravenous when they get a new food, but slow down once they are used to it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

IMO, Orijen is the absolute best kibble you can buy, as you will see if you browse thru our discussions here in TFG. The company is great and the food is great. Jack eats all three formulas, Adult, Red, and 6 Fish, but the Red is his favorite (naturally, it's also the most expensive.)
Orijen is more nutrient dense than many other kibbles, and the feeding guidelines call for less food than many, especially those that do contain grain, which Merrick does. Unlike Merrick and many other kibbles, Orijen contains no fillers and has a much higher protein content than Bear's previous food. So that may be why he's satisfied with a smaller amount of food. Check the feeding guidelines on the bag; if he's eating less than the minimum suggested amount for his weight, it may not be the right formula for him. There are some dogs who just don't like a particular food, and that goes for Orijen Red, like anything else. Otherwise, I'd relax. Now you don't have to worry about recalls.

[Holly Paterniti]

I just found the feeding guidelines........and it says he should be eating 2 1/4 c and I think he is pretty close. I think he ate so fast the first few days of his new food....he maybe over stuffed? He does eat when he is hungry, which he has always done, so I will just wait and see. Now the 2 1/4 c is for a 24 hour period correct? Because if that is so, then he is doing fine with the food. He usually does not eat it in the morning when I put it in bowl, but will eat later that evening and then I refill the food dish in the morning.

Does this sound ok? It is DEFINITELY more expensive, but my thought is we only have one and I want him to have the best he can have and that is why we started with Merrick because of their score. But then my cousin said the company had been sold several times and he really does not trust them as much anymore.

Thanks for all of your advice :) Holly

[Frannie & Callie]

I have Callie on Orijen and have for some time. When she seems bored with it (which happens), I sprinkle a little chicken stock, pumpkin, sweet potato, or cooked egg on her food and it seems to get her more interested for a while.

[Marilyn Norberg]

Sounds like Bear is just as fussy as our Irish - she's always excited about new food but then within about 3 days she tires of it and I'm back at square one. Irish really seems to be enjoying Merrick's canned food (for now) - so I'm going to keep her on it. From what I read the Merrick that is being recalled is the Texas Hold Em' and the Beef filet treat squares. So unless someone can tell me something different about Merrick Irish is going to keep remain on this. Thoughts anyone?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Marilyn, it's just that if there continues to be salmonella in product after product made by Merrick, which has been the case in the 20 months this group has existed, there is a problem at the facility that isn't getting fixed. Today, there's salmonella in the beef squares, and maybe tomorrow there's salmonella in the cans. The problem is not any one particular product, it's the company itself. Recalls come out after the food is in your home and probably in your dog. That's how a few thousand dogs died in 2007 from tainted pet foods. One recall can happen to any company- it's what the company does about it afterwards that tells the story. Merrick obviously doesn't care about our dogs enough to try to do a better job making sure their products don't kill them.

[Marilyn Norberg]

You sure seem to be very knowledgeable so I'm asking you - what food brand would you recommend?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Right now, the two companies that I like best (and feel 100% confident about) are Champion, which makes Orijen & Acana, and Fromm Family, which makes many varieties under the name Fromm. But there are other foods/companies that I would be much more comfortable using than Merrick. Solid Gold, Blue Buffalo, Petcurean, Horizon, Wellness, to name a few.

[Marilyn Norberg]

You have been most helpful. Tomorrow I will be paying a visit to my local feed store to look for the brands that you have listed for me above. And hopefully they will refund my money and taking back the Merrick - b/c my little "Irish is worth it"! Thanks again and if they have any of the above I will let you know how Irish likes her new food!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here is the warning letter sent by the FDA to Merrick just last month:
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm21708...

From the above linked FDA letter to Merrick:
"Pet treats bearing or containing Salmonella spp., including Salmonella meleagridis, a known animal and human pathogen posing an acute danger to human and or animal health, are considered adulterated within the meaning of section 402(a)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(1). A food, including food for animals, is adulterated within the meaning of section 402(a)(4) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(4), if it has been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with filth or may have been rendered injurious to health. Our inspections revealed that the manufacturing processes used by your firm to manufacture pet treats are not controlled and that contamination of these products may occur through inadequate treatment or through recontamination of the treated products due to improper storage or handling after processing.Specifically, your firm could not provide evidence that your manufacturing processes eliminate pathogens such as Salmonella during processing because your firm does not consistently monitor critical factors in the process such as time and temperature; nor could you provide evidence demonstrating that recontamination was not likely to occur post-processing. Further, your firm could not provide evidence supporting the adequacy of your in-house sampling and testing program, for example, explaining the location and number of samples collected for each lot of finished product."

This is the FDA saying that Merrick's manufacturing procedures are not adequate. The FDA is pretty darned lax in their regulations and monitoring, especially for dog products, so for them to reprimand Merrick, the situation must be really bad. To me, it is just not worth the risk.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

A friend of a friend's dog is currently suffering from the Iam's recalls - almost dying right now. Had him on the All Natural (supposedly) really great (supposedly) stuff. So just don't chance it. Not worth the heartache.
The Merrick situation is scary.