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).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jolene, I would go ahead and switch her cold turkey. 

[Bonnie & Bodhi]

Karen; I can't find the question that you were answering here. I am trying to switch Bodhi's food one more time. He came home with Puppy Pro-Plan (Purina),  I changed over to Taste of the Wild and starting tonight, Orijen Puppy. Karen, were you giving advice to switch cold turkey for any food or were you referring to a particular food? I would very much like to do that with this latest change.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It was in response to Jolene's comment that her dog is picking out just the Orijen. It would not apply to any dog or any two foods.

How long has Bodhi been eating just the TOTW?

[Bonnie & Bodhi]

Bodhi has been on TOLW for 1 month but during that period I had him on Salmon then Bison and then back to Salmon. I'm sure all of this change is irritating his stomach. He was doing best on the Purina but I can't, with good conscious, go back to feeding him that.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm assuming that the protein source in the Pro-Plan was chicken, as that's the main animal protein in most of their formulas. It's usually a good idea when switching brands to stay with a similar formula and not introduce several new ingredients at the same time you are drastically changing the nutrient profile and switching from a food that contains grains to a grain-free besides. Too many changes, and that makes it hard to know what is working and what isn't.

If he is not having any major digestive issues, you should be fine going cold turkey with the Orijen puppy formula at this point. Expect some gas or minor digestive changes until he adjusts. And don't introduce any other new foods or treats for a while.   

[Bonnie & Bodhi]

Do you know why, if chicken is one of the foods that are often hard on dogs, why does Orijen have that ingredient as number one in their puppy food formula? I was seriously considering getting an Acana adult food formula that had anything but chicken in it. The teacher of the training class we are attending said not to buy food that is more than 30% protein and to start giving adult food to a puppy that is older than 5 months. The research that I could find said that there is a myth about too much protein for puppies/dogs.

Thanks for your advice; I appreciate it and this forum. I will convert his entire dinner to Orijen puppy formula tonight.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unless the trainer can present with some formal credentials in nutrition education, I would disregard her advice on food. There is no such thing as "too much protein for puppies". When you can consider that dogs who are fed a prey model raw diet get nothing but protein and fat, you can see how ridiculous it is to think that a food that contains more than 30% protein is inappropriate for a puppy. 

It is not that chicken is "one of the foods that is often hard on dogs." That idea is actually backwards, in a way. 

Food allergies or intolerances develop when a dog eats the same proteins consistently over a long period of time. Most dog foods and puppy foods contain chicken as the main protein source, since it is plentiful and inexpensive. So most dogs eat chicken consistently from the time they are started on solid foods. If the dog is prone to food sensitivities, it's going to then be chicken that provokes them, because that's what he's been exposed to. If you started a puppy on a lamb or duck based food and never gave him chicken, he might develop an intolerance or allergy to lamb or duck and be fine with chicken. There is nothing about the particular combination of amino acids in chicken that makes it any more likely to provoke a food intolerance or allergy than any other animal protein; it's just that chicken is so commonly fed. 

And then you have the huge number of people who believe incorrectly that any digestive issue is an "allergy", and since the dog has been eating chicken based food, they assume (and publicly state) that their dogs are allergic to chicken, which then further perpetuates the myth that chicken is "hard on dogs". 

Does that make sense?

[Bonnie & Bodhi]

It makes a great deal of sense and your case is well stated: Thank you. Do you believe in giving dogs' fish oil and or raw/scrambled eggs a few days a week in addition to Orijen?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't believe in giving raw eggs at all, ever. There is no benefit to a raw egg versus a cooked egg, although people who feed raw diets give raw eggshells for the calcium. And a dog on a high protein diet doesn't need additional protein, so there's no reason to add eggs to the diet. :)

Orijen has more than enough of the Omega 3 fatty acids EPA & DHA for most normal dogs. There's no reason to give additional fish oil unless there is a health issue that requires it. And you absolutely do not want to introduce anything else to his diet when you are in the process of changing foods. It is extremely important to never make more than one change at a time. If the new food doesn't agree with him, and you have also added supplements, treats or other new foods to his diet at the same time, how will you know what is working and what is causing a problem? :)

[Susan aka Ruby's Mom]

I too have been overwhelmed with the great amount of information here in the Food Group.  Only wish I had read it sooner!!  Ruby (now 6 months) has been on Life's Abundance since we brought her home from the breeder.  She is healthy on it and poops are very regular with no problems.  But now after reading all the great reviews of other foods, I am leaning towards giving Orijen a try also.   She's never been really excited about eating either, so I'm guessing she doesn't like the food much.  So hopefully she will like the Orijen or new food a lot better as it sounds like many other dogs do!!

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Susan:  Whenever I see advertisements for special bowl designs that help to slow your puppy down during their meal so that they don't eat so fast, I just laugh.  Both of my kids are very slow and intermittent eaters.  It is a combination of the flavor along with the fact that they both want me to be in the room watching them while they eat.  If I feed them and then have to leave the house for a few hours, they will leave the bowl completely full until I return, and then run to the kitchen to eat because mom is home to watch them eat.  Very strange!  

They are loving the switchover to the Earthborn Holistic and will eat it a little bit faster, but they still will only eat it if I am home and in the room.  Funny little creatures.  (But they definitely are eating faster and will sometimes eat half of their portion at one setting before running off to play.  I swear that they are the reincarnation of my two kitties)

[Susan aka Ruby's Mom]

Gwyndolyn, I laugh too :)  I've never had a dog that gobbled down their food quickly.  Ruby is the same way.  And our last dog, a Shih Tzu we had for over 15 years, was the same too.  I always said she was like a cat, we free fed her and she never overate just nibbled at random times but always while we were home.