Orijen vs. Wellness Core Puppy

[VScott & Lloyd]

Hi,

I'm looking into switching my 6 month old standard doodle from Orijen puppy to Wellness Core Puppy since I've read Wellness is a good alternative, more readily available, and seems to be cheaper with Orijen at $80 for 28.6lbs and Wellness at $57 for 26lbs.

Right now Lloyd is about 35 lbs and eating 2 cups per day of Orijen. According to the vet and his trainer he's at a healthy weight with a light padding over his ribs. I'm looking at the feeding guidelines for the Wellness Core Puppy food and it seems like a lot.

• For puppies weighing 30 lbs. 4-6 months 3 2/3 cups, 7-9 months 3 1/3 cup
• For puppies weighing 40 lbs. 7-9 months 4 cups

At that rate I think it would be more economical to stick with Orijen? Also is the protein level in Orijen too high for a lower-than-average energy dog? What about going to food with grain?

Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You've stumbled across the reasons that we are always saying you cannot judge the cost of a food by the price on the bag; if you have to feed more of the food with the lower price tag, it may end up costing more than the one with the higher price tag. Orijen is more calorie dense, so you feed less. If you have to buy 3-4 bags of Core in the same length of time that you now buy 2 bags of Orijen, you sure won't be saving any money. 

There is no such thing as too much protein or protein being too high for a normal healthy dog, regardless of energy level. Protein and carbs have the same exact calorie content per gram. And I would never recommend going to a food with grains when a dog is doing well on a grain-free food. That just makes no sense to me. There are better places to cut corners if you have to trim the budget. I'd stick with Orijen. As he reaches maturity, he'll require fewer calories per lb of body weight, too. 

[VScott & Lloyd]

Thank you! I'll stick with Orijen. I read somewhere that the protein content was high for a non athletic dog but thanks for the clarification. I wasn't sure I was reading the feeding guideline correctly for Wellness Core. That's a lot of kibble!

[Erin]

Also, does the company that own wellness offer any perks for frequent buyers like Orijen? Thanks

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think so. 

[Erin]

I was just reading this and had a question.... I see here it is clearly just as economical to stick with the Orijen puppy as the wellness core puppy per day recommends a much larger amount. However it seems as though the wellness core adult and Orijen adult amounts per day are more similar. Could this be? Also, I've looked at the daily cost comparison but it seems Orijen is much more expensive now than it was in 2013 when the list was created. Does anyone have experience in cost of feeding per day between wellness core and Orijen adult? Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Orijen's prices have recently increased due to their opening a new U.S. facility. 

[Erin]

The comparison list says 70$ per bag of Orijen now it's between 80-90$ I believe?!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm sure that the prices in the comparison discussion are all out of date, but it does still illustrate how a food with a higher price tag can cost less over time than one with a lower price tag. It would be great if anyone here wanted to re-calculate and update the comparison discussions. :) 

[Erin]

I agree, Karen. An update would be great! I do think all have gone up in cost slightly but it seems Orijen has gone up quite a bit more and many of the others only a few dollars. Orijen regional red is now over $100 on chewy.com for the 28 lb bag!

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Any thoughts on Wellness Small Breed Puppy foods ?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The only "small breed" formula Wellness makes is in their Complete Health line, which is my l;east favorite of all the Wellness lines.. It's not comparable to either Orijen or Wellness Core, as it contains grains and has a lower protein content. 

And Teddy no longer needs a "puppy" formula. He really doesn;t need a "small breed" formula either. With the exception of dogs at the extreme ends of the size range, most dogs do fine with the regular formulas

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Good to know, Karen....strangely, the Wellness rep didn't say the Core product was necessary even though it is more expensive.

I just bought Teddy the non-small breed Wellness Puppy which has Chicken instead of Turkey.