Orijen Dog Food Review
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Orijen dog foods have long been considered some of the top foods available for dogs. Owned by Champion Petfoods, a Canadian company, Orijen was one of the first pet food companies to focus on the idea of “biologically appropriate” pet foods.
However, in 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration named Orijen (and another brand made by Champion Petfoods, Acana) as one of the foods most closely linked to producing dilated cardiomyopathy in the cases they had studied.
Are you curious about buying Orijen for your dogs? Read more with our unbiased review.
Orijen Dog Food: Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Protein | kcal/Cup/Medallion |
| Orijen Original | Dry | 38% | 449 kcal/cup |
| Orijen Freeze-Dried Tundra | Dry | 37% | 75 kcal per medallion |
| Orijen Six Fish Formula Dry Dog Food | Wet | 38% | 445 kcal/cup |
About Orijen
Champion Pet Foods, based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is a leading manufacturer of pet foods like Orijen. Established in 1985, the company has two manufacturing facilities in Alberta and Kentucky. They primarily produce kibbles, freeze-dried foods, and treats, using fresh, regionally-sourced ingredients.
Orijen emphasizes the importance of protein in dogs’ diets, with all their products containing a high percentage of protein.
The company also promotes the whole prey diet, which includes various animal proteins. Champion has received numerous awards as a community leader in Alberta and for their pet foods.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Orijen is very clear about the sourcing of their ingredients. They use fresh, regional ingredients which arrive at their kitchens quickly and which are used in their foods quickly.
They make their own pet foods in their own facilities in Canada and the U.S. Champion Pet Foods does not make any foods for other brands and no one else makes their foods.
Recall History
Orijen had a limited recall of dog food in the U.S. 2003 related to the beef in the food. Per the FDA information at the time, the beef may have been affected with BSE.
The recall was limited to one state in the western United States. Orijen cat food was recalled in Australia in 2008.
In 2011, Champion Pet Foods had a recall for some of their Acana foods.
What Kinds Of Dog Food Does Orijen Offer?
Orijen makes dry kibbles, freeze-dried foods, and freeze-dried treats for dogs. They currently produce six kibbles, nine freeze-dried treats, and three freeze-dried dog food formulas.
They make food for puppies, large breed puppies, their original formula, the six fish formula, regional red (a meat formula), tundra (meat and fish), a fit and trim formula, and a senior dog food.
Champion recently announced that they will be launching a new Orijen Small Breed formula in the spring and summer of 2020.
“The company’s new small breed dog food, ORIJEN Small Breed, is designed to support immune system health and joint mobility. The formula includes poultry animal proteins, including free-run chicken, turkey and quail, as well as three kinds of whole, wild-caught fish, the company says.”
All of Orijen’s foods are high in protein and relatively high in fat. Most of them feature several kinds of lentils.
Orijen Dog Food: Top Three Recipes Reviewed
We’re taking a look at three of the top-selling Orijen dog foods as found on Amazon.com.
Orijen Original Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 38% Min
- Fat: 18% Min
- Fiber: 4% Max
- Moisture: 12% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Deboned chicken, deboned turkey, Atlantic flounder, cage-free eggs, whole Atlantic mackerel, chicken liver, turkey liver, chicken heart, turkey heart, whole Atlantic herring, dehydrated chicken, dehydrated turkey, dehydrated mackerel, dehydrated chicken liver, dehydrated egg, whole red lentils, whole pinto beans, whole green peas, chicken necks, chicken kidney, whole green lentils, whole navy beans, whole chickpeas, lentil fiber, chicken fat, natural chicken flavor, pollock oil, ground chicken bone, chicken cartilage, turkey cartilage, mixed tocopherols (preservative), whole pumpkin, whole butternut squash, freeze-dried chicken liver, dried kelp, zinc proteinate, kale, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, whole carrots, whole apples, whole pears, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, thiamine mononitrate, D-calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rosehips, juniper berries, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product.
As you can see, this formula has numerous legumes (lentils, beans, peas, etc.). Legumes have been associated with some of the problems related to the dietary form of dilated cardiomyopathy. Orijen (as well as Acana, also made by Champion) is one of the brands singled out by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration as most often being fed to dogs that developed dietary DCM in the cases they have examined.
This research has not yet found a definitive cause of dietary DCM and the FDA has not suggested that people stop buying grain free dog foods. However, they have suggested that dog lovers use caution about buying dog foods that have large amounts of legumes.
While it looks like this food contains a lot of animal protein because it lists 17 kinds of animal protein in various forms before a fat is even named (chicken fat, in this case), this could be deceptive.
Most kibbles list 4-7 ingredients before a fat is named and these make up the bulk of the weight of the food before cooking.
The fact that there are 17 animal protein ingredients named before the fat in this food might suggest that there are only small amounts of each of these proteins, even though they sound impressive.
It’s likely that the chicken and turkey make up most of the meat protein.
According to the dry matter basis (DMB), this food has 43.2 percent protein, 20.5 percent fat, 4.5 percent fiber, 23.9 percent carbohydrates, and 449 kcal/cup. It is very high in both protein and fat.
Our rating for this food is 4 out of 5 stars.
Orijen Freeze-Dried Tundra Formula
Product Info
- Protein: 37% Min
- Fat: 34% Min
- Fiber: 5% Max
- Moisture: 4% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Venison, duck (ground with bone), flounder, lamb meat, duck liver, herring, lamb liver, wild boar liver, wild boar, goat meat, pea fiber, whole pumpkin, collard greens, carrots, apples, wild boar bone, lamb kidney, lamb tripe, wild boar heart, goat liver, goat tripe, goat kidney, duck heart, dried kelp, zinc proteinate, potassium chloride, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, calcium pantothenate, vitamin E supplement, mixed tocopherols (preservative).
This is a rich, concentrated food that probably would not be suitable for dogs unless they get plenty of exercise.
This food has 38.5 percent protein and 35.4 percent fat, according to the dry matter basis (DMB). It has 5.2 percent fiber and 11.5 percent carbohydrates.
Contains 75 kcal per medallion with 30 medallions in a one-pound package. Add warm water to make a meal for your dog. The reconstituted guaranteed analysis of this food, per Orijen, says it has 13 percent crude protein, 12 percent crude fat, and 2 percent crude fiber, based on a moisture content of 65 percent.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars.
Orijen Six Fish Formula Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 38% Min
- Fat: 18% Min
- Fiber: 5% Max
- Moisture: 12% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Whole Atlantic mackerel, whole Atlantic herring, monkfish, Acadian redfish, flounder, whole silver hake, mackerel meal, herring meal, blue whiting meal, sunflower oil, whole red lentils, whole pinto beans, cod meal, pollock meal, safflower oil, whole green peas, whole green lentils, whole navy beans, lentil fiber, natural cod flavor, whole chickpeas, pollock oil, freeze-dried cod liver, whole pumpkin, whole butternut squash, mixed tocopherols (preservative), kale, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, whole carrots, whole apples, whole pears, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried kelp, zinc proteinate, D-calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rosehips, juniper berries, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product.
As with other Orijen dog foods, this Six Fish formula contains lots of legumes of different kinds. At least here they come after the first named fat (sunflower oil). Still, if you add up all of these different legumes, they form quite a large amount of your dog’s food. You are paying a lot of money for food that contains so many beans and lentils.
The fish in the food look good but you have to wonder why a dog food needs to have so many different kinds of fish. Most dogs are probably happy to have just one kind of fish.
Two or three is great. But all of these different kinds in one food? There are lots of good dog foods that use fish and cost a lot less, since this is an unbiased review.
“Biologically appropriate” is one thing, but no dog (or wolf) in nature is going to get lucky enough to haul in all of those different kinds of fish in one day for a meal – and he’s probably not going to want to eat those pinto beans either.
According to the dry matter analysis for this food, it has 43.2 percent protein, 20.5 percent fat, 4.5 percent fiber, 23.9 percent carbohydrates, and 445 kcal/cup. It is very high in both protein and fat.
Despite our questions, this does appear to be a good dog food. Our rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
How Much Does Orijen Dog Food Cost?
Orijen is probably the most expensive dog food sold.
What Do Customers Think Of Orijen Dog Food?
Many customers are in love with Orijen and believe it’s the best dog food available. Other customers have doubts. Some customers have been disgruntled since Champion built their second kitchen in Kentucky and began selling foods made there to American customers.
There is some belief that the Kentucky-made foods are not as good as the foods made in Canada. They can have different ingredients, in order to use “regionally-fresh” foods. Some customers just don’t like the American-made dog foods.
Some other customers have been unhappy since Champion pulled their products from Chewy.com when Chewy.com was sold to PetSmart in 2017. As for Orijen and the food’s connection to dietary dilated cardiomyopathy, few customers seem to be aware of the issue.
Overall, Is Orijen Dog Food A Good Choice?
Orijen does use good ingredients and they have always been a good pet food manufacturer. However, we have been following their brands for many years and noticed that they frequently change the formulas of their dog foods.
While they have long been grain free, at one time they used some less common and even some fruits and vegetables to take the place of grains in their foods.
It was only in recent years that they began using more and more legumes and it seemed like their quality suffered. It is good to see a slight reduction in some of the legumes in their foods, though it would be nice to see them disappear completely.
Yes, Orijen is a good dog food though you will have to consider your budget to decide if you want to spend this much money on dog food.
Where Is Orijen Dog Food Sold?
You can buy Orijen dog foods from Amazon.com and other online retailers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has orijen dog food ever been recalled?
Orijen had a limited recall of dog food in the U.S. 2003, in Australia in 2008 and In 2011, Champion Pet Foods had a recall for some of their Acana foods.
Is orijen the best dog food?
Yes, Orijen is a good dog food though you will have to consider your budget to decide if you want to spend this much money on dog food.
Is orijen original dog food grain free?
Orijen Original Dry Dog Food is Orijen’s first recipe. This formula is made in Kentucky for U.S. customers. This is a grain free dog food made for all life stages.
Franny
We just got our puppy 2 weeks ago, and he was on Purina puppy kibbles. I want to change him over to Orijen puppy appropriate dog food. I plan to wean him off gradually, but I worry after reading some of the comments, that it willl not be good for him. I bought this food, thinking as I was told that it was baked. After I read the description I realized that it could be raw or dehydrated. My vet recommended not given raw food to my puppy, so I am not sure I should start him on this diet.
Carlotta Cooper
Hi Franny, thanks for your comment. I understand how you feel. The claims made by pet food companies aren't always easy to decipher. As far as I could tell, Orijen cooks their kibbles at a lower temperature than some other dog foods (90 C for 3-5 minutes) but they don't bake them. They also freeze-dry some of their foods. Their raw foods are marked "freeze-dried raw." I don't think the kibbles that contain some frozen raw material would really qualify as raw food but you could ask your veterinarian to be sure. I understand why s/he might be cautious about feeding raw food to a puppy. I think the reason that some people have been wary of Orijen recently is because of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announcement that included the company among the 16 with the most dietary dilated cardiomyopathy cases. That investigation is still ongoing. It seems to be linked to grain-free foods (foods that contain a lot of peas, lentils, and legumes). Many of the companies that were named have made changes to their ingredients. There are still no definite answers about the cause of the DCM cases. Researchers and veterinarians are still working on it. I hope some of this information helps you with your puppy's food.