Acana vs. Orijen

[Jerry Kandel]

What is the difference between the two and would one be more preferable for a puppy (I know they come from the same company).

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Okay so now I'm learning how to play the game.  I went to order Acana and from the time I opened the website to the time I input my credit card the food went up four dollars??  So I backed up and was checking the other websites and they were the same?  Got lucky and ran across Wag.com who is offering 20% off the first order, done!  My girls will now be on Orijen adult formula since it's now cheaper than Acana?? Go figure.  I should have it tomorrow and we'll start the transition from TOTW to Orijen. 

I was once told to work it in increments equal to a palm size handful each day taking seven days does that sound about right? Wish us luck.

thanks Ü

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

The bag of Orijen arrived and Josie was waiting patiently for my arrival home to point out where my daughter had drug it into the house.  It's funny the breeder had named her Nosie Josie and appropriately so, she was nosing the box and bag when I got home almost as if she was saying mom here it is, here it is, right here, right here! lol  I offered both girls a few kibbles and they gobbleed it up.  This has to be a record, first time Josie has EVER inhaled her food!  Little miss grazer never left her bowl.  I wish I had my camera on me this morning, both girls were anxiously waiting for breakfast and again Josie never left her bowl.  Looks like Sassparilla won't be getting leftovers any more. Ü

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

So glad she likes it!  I'm wondering too about the people who rotate foods -- sometimes, is it just exciting b/c it's new?  I dread having to organize all of it (figuring out which to rotate with or if we have to supplement), but will go on good faith from the doodle experts that Orijen Puppy is a great choice!

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Jolene:  I've been searching for a more holistic food for my puppies for quite a few months.  As you know (since you know my fur babies in person) they are very healthy and happy with no skin issues and they do very well on the food they have been on since day one (they are 18 months old now).  I won't mention the name of their food since it's not on the list on this site, but they were doing so well on it and it had the same nutrient balance, grain free, and home delivery was included in the price.  But about a month ago, I had a personal horrible experience with a restaurant who got me very sick with some hidden MSG. It made me go review the ingredients of the dog food.  Sure enough.....there was Yeast Extract on the label!!!  Poor puppies have been dealing with that brain excitotoxin all this time.  Fortunately, they haven't shown any signs of migraines or allergy, but I wanted to shift them to a more holistic food ASAP.

I bought a small bag of both Orijen and Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch Grain Free Natural Dog Food based on the recommendations on this site.  I'm trying the Earthborn first and the puppies LOVE it!!!  They are not quite up to 100% yet (about 75% Earthborn and 25% of their old stuff mixed).  I've been adding it slowly over the last 10 days. The only complaint I have is that their turds are a little bigger and a little softer.  I'm anxious to hear the results you have with Orijen.  It is quite a bit more expensive than the Earthborn, but I'm willing to try it if their poop goes back to smaller and drier.  (No signs of diarrhea or tummy aches....just slightly bigger and slightly more "moist" poop)

I'm curious if this is just because of ANY food change and it will go back to usual poop, or if this is because of this particular food. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When JD was on Orijen, his poop was the smallest, firmest, and driest it's ever been. I used to say you could almost pick it up with your bare hands, lol. 

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

You said "was"....did you have to switch for allergy reasons?  I know you've mentioned JD has had skin issues in the past.  What food is he on now?  I think I've been pretty lucky with my pups. 

Which "flavor" of Orijens gave the "best" poop?  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack has allergies, but not to food. He has several health conditions, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which is an immune mediated disease like Crohn's Disease in humans. He has to be on a limited ingredient diet, half of which is homemade.

All of the Orijen formulas produced the same popp quality. :)  

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Good to hear.  I'll wait until I see if their poop "settles back down" in size over the next few weeks with the Earthborn. It is noticeably bigger now.  Maybe it was "abnormally small" on the other food!  I've only had cats before this, so I was totally cool with the small dry poo.  It was all easy and comparable to my kitties.  

[Debbie & Gibbs]

The other night I sat down and read food reviews for about 2 hours, and after I finished I was like....please someone tell me what food to order LOL. We have 3 Westie's and our Labradoodle. The Westie's have eaten Solid Gold Wee Bites for years and have done well on it. We do have one Westie that has a little bit of allergy and hopefully this new food might help with allergies issues. I am putting the Westie's on Acana Wild Prairie Grain Free and the Labradoodle on Orijen Puppy food. I'll report back and let you know how the crew is doing with their new food. Gibbs, the Labradoodle has been on TOTW, and he likes his food.

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

Exactly!  It is overwhelming =)  I plan to buy the Orijen Puppy food as well.  I hope they all do well on it - thanks for sharing any updates.

[Debbie & Gibbs]

Food has been shipped, we should have sometime next week. I don't want any upset tummies with the change in diet, so I will probably feed 1/4 new to 3/4 old and see how they do. Will let you know once they are eating 100 new food. I've got one that is a little bit of a picky eater, he really has to smell everything and nose it around before he decides to eat it. Funny little dogs....

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Meal number three and Josie is already picking out the TOTW and only eating the Orijen. She's gonna starve if she keeps this up. Sassy made sure it was cleaned up so no kibble left on the floor! Lol