Orijen vs wellness

[KLN]

I think I already know the answer to my first question because I used the "recommended food" discussion as a resource but I'm curious y'all's opinion on wellness and your opinion on frequently changing your dogs diet.

1. I am currently feeding wellness core and have for years. My dogs like it and I haven't had any issues. Y'all talk a lot about orijen and how good it is and list it as yiur favorite so I'm starting to wonder if I should switch over? From the research I've done, wellness is a great food but is orijen better? Cost is not an issue, I just want the best for my dogs.

2. My trainer, who I adore and is amazing with the pups, told me the other night in class that I should be switching their food every couple of months. Her reasons were two fold: she said it made their stomachs stronger (that they wouldn't get sick as much) and that they get bored eating the same thing. I have always heard exactly the opposite and wanted to get y'all's opinion. Again, I just want to make sure I am doing everything right and giving my pups the best food.

Thanks so much for all y'all's help in advance. I meant to ask my vet these questions this week and forget and know y'all are just as knowledgable, probably even more when it comes to food! :0)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I don't have all the answers here for you but just to say that your trainer may be a great trainer but an expert on dog nutrition and health is another matter entirely.  Orijen has many varieties and I have been feeding it to my dogs since they were pups. I alternate between three different ones and have never had a problem. 

[KLN]

Thanks! And I agree, great dog trainer but I'm not convinced she is the expert on nutrition which is why I'm hoping DK could help! I'm happy to switch up their food but had no idea I was supposed to be doing this (if I am)! I always thought it was the opposite and I was supposed to leave their food the same!

[Gabby]

I have heard the same thing on other websites regarding switching dog food brands as well.... I'm curious to see what others know about this topic. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

See my reply below. It's not about brands, it's about protein sources and formulas. 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I read somewhere that dogs taste buds are much blander than ours and so the idea of boredom is not really valid though they will sometimes try it on to get extra treats added!  I went through a period with Riley when he was less interested in his food and I started to add toppers. Not a good idea because I was constantly having to change them to keep him interested.  I took the advice here and left his food down for twenty minutes and if he hadn't finished I lifted it. After a few days when I was sure he was going to starve himself he got down to it and ate. The best thing though was getting a second doodle. Since Boris came along they both scarf their food down in jig time lol

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Your second question is easier to answer than your first. Your trainer, as Nicky said, may be a great trainer, but is not an expert on canine nutrition. She has the right idea, but didn't quite explain it correctly. 

It is believed that rotating the main animal protein sources in a dog's diet will help to keep them from developing a food intolerance  or allergy to a particular protein. Contrary to popular opinion, a dog has to have been eating the same protein source on a regular basis for an extended period of time to develop an intolerance (or more rarely, an actual allergy) to it. So the thinking now is that you rotate formulas with every bag or so, maybe once a month, to prevent that from happening. It is also true that changing up the protein sources may help to keep the dog from becoming bored with his food...but not always. 

However, almost every food we recommend has several formulas within each line that utilize different protein sources, so there is no reason to change brands; you just buy a different "flavor" within the same line you are already using. As Nicky mentioned, Orijen makes three different formulas for normal adult dogs: One which is fish based, one which is poultry based, and one which is red meat based. So each time she buys a new bag, she buys a different Orijen formula. She doesn't switch brands, she just switches "flavors". 

In the case of Wellness Core, you are limited to only two formulas for adult dogs: the poultry based "Original" formula, and the fish-based "Ocean" formula. It would be nice if there were more options, but you could try alternating between the two if you want to stay with Wellness. Be aware that your dog may not care for the fish formula, though. But if the food is working for your dog, you could give it a try.

Which brings us to your first question: Should you switch to Orijen? 

There is really no "best" food in the sense of one food that will work well for every dog. Some dogs do better with higher or lower protein, or more or less fat. Some dogs do better with grain-free, others do better with foods that contain some grains. 

It's important not to confuse brands with formulas, and to understand that within any brand, there may be several lines, and within each line, there may be several formulas. Wellness, for example, makes Core, which is their grain-free line, Super 5-Mix, which is their "healthy grain" line, and Simple Solutions, which is their limited ingredient line. Within each of these lines are several formulas, or "flavors": the Core line, as we mentioned, has two formulas, poultry or fish. The Simple line has four different formulas, all using different single protein sources: lamb, turkey, salmon, and duck. Many people feel that if a food isn't working for their dog, changing foods means changing brands when in fact they could stay with the same brand and just switch to the grain-free line, or to a different protein source, either of which might work better for their particular dog. This is why it makes no sense when you hear someone say, "my dog can't eat X brand food, he's allergic to it". A dog can have an intolerance to an ingredient, but he can't have an intolerance to a brand-name, lol. 

Getting back to wanting the "best", my own personal feeling is that Champion( makers of Orijen & Acana) is the best kibble brand, due to their manufacturing process. They own their manufacturing facility and make the food themselves, which is very very rare. They source their own ingredients locally, which is also rare. And they are very open about the sourcing. They have never had a recall. They treat their employees ethically. For these reasons, if you are going to feed a grain free kibble, I feel that you can't do "better" in terms of brand than Champion Foods. I also like their macronutrient percentages. But here again, Orijen will not work for every dog. It won't work for a dog like mine, who needs a grain free limited ingredient formula with a single protein source. It won't work for a dog who is prone to pancreatitis and needs a reduced fat diet, like Jane's Guinness. It won't work for a dog who seems to do better with rice, oatmeal, or another "healthy" grain in his diet. And it won't work for a dog who needs a food with more moisture in it, because they don't make a canned formula. 

For a dog that does well with a grain-free, multiple protein source dry kibble, Orijen would always be my first choice. But that doesn't mean that if you are feeding one of the other brands on our recommended list, you are not doing the "best" for your dog. 

Does that help?

[Janice Jones]

Very clear answer, and again a few new pointers for me :-) many thanks

[F, Calla & Luca]

Karen your patience and thoroughness are daunting.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

:-)

[KLN]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It has never been broken down for me like this before, this makes perfect sense. I really appreciate the lengthy explanation Karen! I might try orijen and see if they like it; they are somewhat picky eaters but if they don't, your explanation makes me feel comfortable with continuing with wellness. Unfortunately, Ellie won't eat the fish flavor with wellness so the orijen would give me some other options that I could rotate back and forth with. Thank you again!!!!

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

What a GREAT reply! so informative!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

On the subject of rotating protein sources, I would also like to mention one thing that I learned the hard way. It's very important that you reserve one or two animal proteins that you not put into the rotation, animal proteins that your dog never eats. The reason is that there are immune-mediated GI diseases which require that you feed a "novel" protein, one that your dog has never eaten before and therefore cannot have developed antibodies against. In the case of Orijen, even if you are rotating all three formulas, there is still no duck or venison in any of them. (Also, none of the "exotic" proteins like kangaroo or rabbit.) The very stupid thing that I did when I was rotating the Orijen formulas was to give my dog treats that contained venison & duck. So when he developed an auto-immune GI disease (IBD), I had the devil's own time trying to find a food with a "novel" protein source. 

There are very few lines that have formulas which contain every animal protein source, but there are a few. Fromm, for example, has a very wide variety. So choose a couple of common proteins, whether they be lamb, duck, whatever,  and don't put those into your dog's rotation. Just in case.