Orijen, Evo, Canidae, Nature's Valley

[LilYorkieMomma]

I know this has been discussed numerous times and I have gone back and read the threads. I would like advice on these brands specifically: Orijen, Evo, Canidae, Nature's Valley Instinct.

I have a 2 year old chihuahua and a 12 week old yorkie girl. I used to feed my Chi purina little bites but after much reading I wanted to switch to healthier food. My Chi also has a LOT of trouble chewing kibble he was getting so thin we started feeding him soft foods. I tried the Solid Gold Wee Bites. He loved it and it was small enough but his fur began to fall out around his face and on his paws and legs. We thought maybe he has a fish allergy or maybe it was something else in the solid gold. So we switched to Evo. Then I read Evo can cause kidney and liver damage and dogs throw up bile or something like that. My new puppy came to me eating Orijen puppy and she loves it and my chi tries to sneak it but I didn't know if he should have it because it has fish. I like that it has the herbs and botanicals. I think it makes breath and poop not stink so much.

I am thoroughly confused. I want them to be on the same food. I am scared about high protein and liver/kidney damage. I just want them to be healthy. I also read about Chicken Soup and Royal Canin but I wasn't sure if they are good because they have grains such as rice. I thought we are supposed to feed grain free kibble. My husband is against feeding raw but thinks homecooked meats is fine. Truth is I don't know that I could cook them food everyday. We are very busy and I hate cooking. LOL I am open to hearing any advice. Please no bashing I just want what is best for my pets.

[SophieRose]

I feed Charlie (11 yo) Orijen Chicken and think it is superior food. What is the difference between adult and puppy? They have a website Champion Pet Foods, and you could see the calories, etc.

Orijen has been great because he digests it without tummy problems later. Today, I added cooked oatmeal and a bit of chicken to his breakfast meal, and chicken with his dinner meal. Sometimes I scramble an egg and mix into his kibble.

Researching their website (Orijen) Orijen is beneficial.

Warmly, Deborah

[gutu28]

Originally Posted by LilYorkieMomma

I know this has been discussed numerous times and I have gone back and read the threads. I would like advice on these brands specifically: Orijen, Evo, Canidae, Nature's Valley Instinct.

I have a 2 year old chihuahua and a 12 week old yorkie girl. I used to feed my Chi purina little bites but after much reading I wanted to switch to healthier food. My Chi also has a LOT of trouble chewing kibble he was getting so thin we started feeding him soft foods. Is there any reason he has started to have trouble? At only 2 years, he shouldn't be having any trouble. Have you seen the vet to look at his mouth/teeth? I tried the Solid Gold Wee Bites. He loved it and it was small enough but his fur began to fall out around his face and on his paws and legs. We thought maybe he has a fish allergy or maybe it was something else in the solid gold. So we switched to Evo. Then I read Evo can cause kidney and liver damage and dogs throw up bile or something like that. That happens in some dogs, but not all. Some of their tummies are more sensitive than others..How was he doing with the Evo?My new puppy came to me eating Orijen puppy and she loves it and my chi tries to sneak it but I didn't know if he should have it because it has fish. I like that it has the herbs and botanicals. I think it makes breath and poop not stink so much. Have you tried him on the Orijen yet? You're right..it is an excellent food and I think it is all life stages so both your babies can eat it. Some people have problems with it, but it might work out for you!

I am thoroughly confused. I want them to be on the same food. I am scared about high protein and liver/kidney damage. High protein foods are ok for dogs if they don't already have liver problems. If he has checked out ok in that department, he should be alright. I just want them to be healthy. I also read about Chicken Soup and Royal Canin but I wasn't sure if they are good because they have grains such as rice. They are both good foods, but there are better foods out there. I wouldn't trust RC..they have had a few too many recalls with other foods for my liking. Cali was on CS puppy for a long while and did great on it. When I switched her over to the adult food, she decided she was over it.. I thought we are supposed to feed grain free kibble. Some people choose to do this, mostly because of allergies to wheat, corn, etc. And while grains should never be the number one ingredient, I think they are still ok if there are some in there..it's not going to hurt your babies. My husband is against feeding raw but thinks homecooked meats is fine. Truth is I don't know that I could cook them food everyday. We are very busy and I hate cooking. LOL I am open to hearing any advice. Please no bashing I just want what is best for my pets.

I hope this helped! Nature's Variety makes the raw medallions..and I know you said you weren't wanting to try that, but they do also make a kibble that you could also look into. In the end, what works for someone else might not work for you..it just takes patience..and lots of it to find that right food. Hope this helped! Good luck on your search

[YorkieAunt]

Tessa (7mths) gets Orijen puppy and my LabXBorderCollie(11yrs)gets Acana (made by Orijen). I don't worry too much if Tessa eats the other food because they are both high quality foods. They both have healthy, shiny coats. I am prejudice though because Orijen gets most of its ingredients from my own "backyard"!

[Wylie's Mom]

Okay, well - first of all - I'm wondering why your baby would have trouble chewing - have his teeth been checked? Second, there is nothing wrong w/ feeding canned food - it is actually superior, in terms of nutrition, to kibble bc it is less processed. Or, you could mix the two.

High protein/grain free is fine for dogs as long as there aren't liver/kidney/pancreas issues. EVO - the thing to remember w/ EVO, in particular, is that for some odd reason - it is one higher protein food that has a higher FAT content - and I happen to think that THIS is the reason we hear of dogs vomiting on EVO (not the protein).

I love Orijen - was the other pup on 6-Fish then? Could you try the other one? They are a great company - and I've actually corresponded w/ their nutritionist - who really impressed me.

I feed Natures Variety Raw - but I like their ingredients in the Instinct kibble as well. I talked to someone at NV about how they manufacture their kibble and was pleased to hear that they direct the manufacturer EXACTLY where to get each and every ingredient in their kibble - down to the vitamin, the farm, the vendor etcetera - so, I like that. You could mix their kibble w/ their canned as well.

I used to feed kibble, then homecooked (too complicated for me), then moved to raw - and I love raw and what it has done for my boys. But, you have to do what is best for you and your babies - and know that there'll be support for you here whatever you decide .

[LilYorkieMomma]

Thank you for the responses. My chihuahua has trouble chewing kibble because his teeth are so tiny and his mouth is very small. It takes a lot of work for him to chew big kibble and he gives up. He doesn't enjoy chewing bones either. He does fine with the tiny pieces that come in solid gold and evo. He doesn't have any problems with his teeth they are healthy he is just a little guy with itty bitty teeth.His teeth are the size of my ferret's front teeth. He only weighs three pounds. He was the runt of his litter. Other than his small mouth he is very healthy.

He is doing well on the Evo. He occasionally throws up but that is because he occasionally tastes his poop and then throws it up. Gross, I know. I think he tastes it because he would rather eat something soft than chew something.

I think I am going to feed them both Orijen puppy. I was wondering if it is okay for him to eat the puppy version. Does it matter if adult dogs eat puppy food. Do they have to eat adult formula?That way I can leave the food out and the dogs can share. Do you have any recommendations for canned food? I would like to feed canned and kibble. I looked at Petco and all they have are Purina, Nutro, and other bad brands.

[gutu28]

I think hell be find eating the puppy food. Puppy food normally in higher in fat than adult food. But since he's so little, it should be good for him to get a little extra. Just make sure he's getting plenty of walks and exercise so he doesn't become overweight.

You can put a little meat tenderizer on their food to get hime to stop eating his poop.

Does Orijen have a canned food that you can try? That would probably be better than the stuff you find at PetSmart and PetCo...

[LilYorkieMomma]

Meat tenderizer? I have never heard of doing that. You just sprinkle a little on their kibble? It doesn't hurt them?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by LilYorkieMomma

Meat tenderizer? I have never heard of doing that. You just sprinkle a little on their kibble? It doesn't hurt them?

Doesn't hurt 'em . My Wylie went through a poo-eatin' stage too - I bought Solid Gold's S.E.P. (stop eating poop) - I think you can get it at Amazon and Only Natural Pet and other places. Worked great for us.

Does Orijen make canned, can't recall? It probably won't hurt the chi to eat the puppy food - but you could easily just do a quick compare of the 2 labels - mostly just compare fat and protein - and if they're reasonably close, it should be fine. Other canned food you could try would be Canidae, Natures Variety - or, what about just moistening the kibble a bit? That can help too.

[LilYorkieMomma]

The ingredients are exactly same. The protien is the same 42%. The fat is a little differerent. Puppy is 20%. Adult is 16%.

I don't see any canned food.

What if I fed the kibble and the the NV Raw medallions?

[gutu28]

Originally Posted by LilYorkieMomma

The ingredients are exactly same. The protien is the same 42%. The fat is a little differerent. Puppy is 20%. Adult is 16%.

I don't see any canned food.

What if I fed the kibble and the the NV Raw medallions?

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If you are going to go ahead and feed the raw medallions, I would go ahead and do just that. Many people here have had great success with feeding raw. It would probably be a lot easier on your 2 year old's little mouth, too. If you want to do both, make sure you feed them at seperate meals because it takes longer to digest the kibble than the raw which can upset tummies...

[LilYorkieMomma]

I just noticed I put Nature's Valley as the dog food brand in my title. LOL It looks like I am asking if I can feed my dogs granola bars. I meant Nature's Variety, which I'm sure you figured out.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by LilYorkieMomma

The ingredients are exactly same. The protien is the same 42%. The fat is a little differerent. Puppy is 20%. Adult is 16%.

What if I fed the kibble and the the NV Raw medallions?

Well, if your chi needs to gain a little weight then the extra fat would probably be a benefit, at this point.

I love NV Medallions - that's what I feed - do you want to go that route instead? Or?

You can certainly feed them together, but if you're going to spend the money on raw - you'll see more benefits of the raw by feeding it alone.

[LilYorkieMomma]

I just thought I could give them the raw medallions instead of canned food since it was healthier. It would be more of a supplement/treat. I am just scared because it says thier poop can have bacteria. My dogs are pee pad trained. I don't know if it is safe to give them raw medallions.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by LilYorkieMomma

I just thought I could give them the raw medallions instead of canned food since it was healthier. It would be more of a supplement/treat. I am just scared because it says thier poop can have bacteria. My dogs are pee pad trained. I don't know if it is safe to give them raw medallions.

Poo is already chock full of bacteria - so, it wouldn't change anything there. There are a lot of us on here feeding raw - I would encourage you to read the raw threads and also go to the Natures Variety website and read: Natures Variety

I have seen incredible benefits of feeding NV.