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Post by tdesign709 on Aug 12, 2013 11:30:20 GMT -5
Hi Guys
First time starting a thread.
I am looking for reviews and possibly experiences for any of the Orijen Dry Dog Food.
I am currently looking for the Summit Holistic Chicken for Enzo for when he comes home. That way there is not as much of a shock to his system.
I plan on either changing him to another Petcurian food in the Go! line as I am having a difficult time locating the Summit line so I want to make sure that I have a constant supply.
Almost all of the Pet centers in Newfoundland have either the Go! Line or a few options for Orijen.
The reason I ask about Orijen is that it ranked higher quality on a few reviews (I will do my own research so that I know what will be best for Enzo).
Now after that mini Rant, does anyone have any experience with the Orijen Brand?
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Post by dobermoms on Aug 15, 2013 9:49:19 GMT -5
Sorry.....we are currently using the Acana brand dog foods for our 2 dogs. I just wanted to let you know...we have had success with this brand, but actually are going to do proper research into raw feeding next month when we have more available time. Unfortunately, we have experienced that the ingredients change in the food usually without proper notice being given to the dog owners. This can play havoc with some dogs...we have been fortunate that it hasn't with our dogs. That being said, it seems that raw is a superior way to feed your dog, but you also must have a "good grasp" on what you are doing so they are receiving their proper nutrients. Until we have achieved this knowledge, we will remain feeding our dogs the Acana brands. Hope this helps...
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Post by tdesign709 on Aug 15, 2013 9:54:13 GMT -5
Thanks, any info helps.
Seems like the Orijen brand does have alot of good qualities. For now I am trying to determine a excellent source of food for Enzo by comparing ingredient list as well as availability in my area. Like any dog food I have seen both good and bad reviews.
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Post by nzelic01 on Aug 16, 2013 21:15:16 GMT -5
We feed Orijen to our dogs. We love it. My male has a super sensitive stomach and orijen was the only food he could tolerate. Minimal gas, solid poops and they completely thrive off of it. It is a rich food, so we dont usually give extra treats as that will usually lead to a looser stool. With a recent formula alteration, they didnt experience any changes in their stool or appearance on coat. I had my female on the fish diet which made hee coat really really shiny but it kept her too lean so we have her and my male on the adult chicken/fish combo. Wish we could feed the red meat diet but its soo expensive. Actually if you go on their webpage under the freeze dried section you can see my male (sorry that was a proud mommy moment lol)
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Post by Dobereich on Aug 17, 2013 13:46:25 GMT -5
I have too much inside information, can't support Champion anymore. Other stores have discontinued carrying this product for the same reason I stopped feeding it to my dogs. If the food was only as good as it reads on the label. I liked it before their shareholders had a say, before fluctuating commodities prompted a bean based diet, and before it almost killed Isis!
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Post by Andreina on Aug 17, 2013 13:52:54 GMT -5
Champion Pet Foods is our reason for switching to raw food also. I know it's not possible for everyone to feed raw and not everyone even wants to but I do advocate it.
I could not stand to feed kibble anymore after all the crap these companies were trying to pull changing their formulas, etc. We had Scar on the Acana grasslands, then to burbank potatoe then sport and agility. Through out the switch between burbank and agility she was lethargic, and had stopped eating! I decided enough was enough and started raw. I'm not going to say I'm a qualified professional who can give you a meal plan for your dog because I do not have that knowledge. Just an average pet owner looking to always improve and learn more about what goes into my dogs body. My 2 cents on kibble - I don't like it! LOL.
Read the labels carefully.... I think Monica recommends the summit brand chicken or salmon?
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Post by Dobereich on Aug 17, 2013 14:24:06 GMT -5
Go'Natural is definitely better then the Summit, higher meat content. so if you're only feeding kibble, I would consider the Go over the Summit. But if you are adding meat, either cooked or raw, then I would recommend the Summit. Vitamin assay are the same, I like the carbs better in the Summit, and I like adding my own meat and veggies so that I know the dogs are getting the whole food value. I just don't have time to prepare raw for 9 Dobes and 2 Pugs.
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Post by nzelic01 on Aug 17, 2013 19:23:51 GMT -5
Monica - is there somewhere specific i can learn as well as to why champions is no good anymore? Id hate to be feeding my dogs food that wont be good for them anymore. I havent noticed any change in them so thays why we stuck to it but if there is more id love to be informed so i can make an educated decision. I was so pumped on raw but once i found out i was expecting, the though of dealing with raw meat on such a big level grossed me out. Ill rethink it once my baby comes.
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Post by Lisa on Aug 17, 2013 22:32:27 GMT -5
We feed our dogs raw food. I heard many people could not handle it... it's messy and expensive. Nikki you are not the only one who grossed out. Feeding raw is great for dogs. Gino and Asha don't have loose stool or upset stomach. Their appetite is strong and consistent. Their coats are great. There energy... omg... they wear me down! ...and NO GAS
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Post by nzelic01 on Aug 18, 2013 20:20:04 GMT -5
I didnt mind before I got pregnant as i was feeding my little ones raw, but i had to stop it all together temporarily. I will forsure revisit raw after my girl comes. I still have lots of meat frozen for my little ones.
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Post by tdesign709 on Aug 19, 2013 7:28:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the information. The Go! Brand has a few formulas to try which is why I like the idea of going to Go instead of Summit (Plus it is made by the same company) I will continue my research, but I wanted to get some opinions from everyone before even buying a bag.
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Post by Dobereich on Aug 20, 2013 17:24:54 GMT -5
Go, Daily defense chicken is the closest to what Enzo is eating now. This would be the formula I wold recommend TJ.
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Post by tdesign709 on Aug 21, 2013 7:19:43 GMT -5
What about Go Fit Chicken and salmon?
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Post by Dobereich on Aug 21, 2013 9:10:10 GMT -5
What about Go Fit Chicken and salmon? after the fat, next ingredients are not bioavailable... "peas, tapioca, lentil beans, chickpeas". Its the boost in legumes that turns me (and other nutritionist) away. Even for those folks who feed raw, question... how much lentils, soybeans, chickpeas, and field beans (a open description that often times includes soybeans) do your recipes call for? I have used the Go daily defense (wasn't always called that) for 10 years and can honestly say its never failed my dogs. The Salmon is wonderful for the red coats, or dogs with sensitive stomachs, etc. I fed Canidae from 2002-2012, I fed Go' from 2004 - 2012. I fed most my dogs the Canidae, however my reds did better on the Go', as well I found that my males held their weight better on the Go'. Then Canidae had to recall their food at the worst time, when they moved to a new plant. They couldn't meed my dog's feeding needs for several months, so I was forced to switch. I had already been trialing the Acana Grasslands, started Eden on it, as well as Apollo. I was happy with the ingredients, so when I had to switch I went over to Acana gransslands and had a couple of the dogs on the Chicken and Burbank (because of the peas). I stopped feeding the Go' because it seemed to be very comparative to the Acana.... which at the time read fabulously on the label. Then the Grasslands changed, all their grain-free formulas changed to add several legumes, including field beans. So I put everyone on the Chicken and Burbank, as well as the Sport and Agility. After their kitchen fire Champion took on some financial backers, who also had some input into operations. I don't know what changed, but my dogs started to look like crap! For the first time I can honestly say that my dogs did not reflect the shiny luster they always did before. Then hot spots started errupting on Isis and all my pugs, Cleo started to scratch bald spots along both her sides, as well as Isis was so itchy you couldn't even touch her. Last straw for me was when Isis started having G.I. crisis... that could have killed her! I switched Isis first to the Go, she improved almost immediately. Then everyone else went over to the Summit and the Go'. Again, the summit I like because it has absolutely no legumes, and my dogs over the years have never done poorly on the regular meat and grain diets. Mainly because I also cook a stew for them, so they get their meat, fruit, and veggies fresh. It seemed that every time I tried a food that had all these ingredients in them, I could not ever find a food that I could feed to all my dogs. I have tried them all, not just as a breeder, but because I was a homeopath for pets, I had a pet supply store where I sold nutritional supplements and good food for pets. I dealt with a lot of customers with dogs that had skin and coat issues, apparent allergies, etc. I researched the pet food companies, and I know what is really behind the list of ingredients. Of some of the brands that lasted the longest in my trials, were Innova, Healthwise, Evo (all Natura pet products). The one good food that didn't do well at all for my dogs was Wellness. The low volume feed does not do well with a high volume eater like the Dobermann. My males couldn't eat enough to keep their weight and had stools the size of elephant patties! Taste of the Wild is OK for another option. There's a few more goodies out there, but there's no point in me starting your pups onto these as they're too hard to find in the marketplace.
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Post by ladydon on Aug 21, 2013 10:59:57 GMT -5
I too changed Diesel's food recently. I had him on Acana (Prairie, Grasslands and Ranchlands) for the last two years however I noticed he started scratching himself more frequently - this started oh I don't know mid Spring/early Summer...it wasn't until I noticed his paws were all raw from constant licking and his coat was horrible....really dull and was shedding way too much. He's on Taste of the Wild now and he seems to really like it - all I know is that his coat has tremendously improved and his paws are no longer raw.
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