Orijen Dog food I did a lot of research and looked at ingredients and figured this is one of the best dog foods out there. However, everyone always says that a good dog food needs to have the AAFCO stamp or approval statement on it. Well, Orijen doesn't. We used Royal Canin Yorkshire Dog food before I realized how I was over paying for mediocre dog food at best, and I don't believe it had an AAFCO approval on it either. What am I missing? Does the dog food you use have an AAFCO approval statement or Stamp on it? Can you post a picture of it so that I know what to look for? Thank you. |
There isn't a seal. Usually there is a statement on the bag or can for most foods. |
Orijen has a lot of protein in it I would lean more toward Acana if you like that type of dog food. I personally love Royal Canin and its recommended by vet nutritionists who know more about dogs food needs then we do. |
We feed both Orijen and Royal Canin. The amount of protein is not usually a issue is the dog does not have kidney or liver problems. The quality of the protein is what is important. I watch more for high carbohydares rather than high protein. I like the quality of Orijen protein but the kibble size is our only issue. I have to use a blender to break down the kibble size (she is very small). She likes the taste of Royal Canin Yorkie so I use that if I don't have time to blender the Orijen. Again, if your dog has health issues special food considerations are needed, but if they are healthy the amount of protein is not a issue usually. That being said, all dogs have their own digestive process and that can be different from food to food. Good luck! |
There is no statement on either Royal Canin or Orijen or Acana since it's the same company that makes Orijen. I haven't looked at other dog foods but I will next time I am at the store. High in protein is a good thing. Dogs are meat eaters, meat is protein, their diet should be mostly protein. Just like you wouldn't feed a tiger a lot of veggies, nor would you feed dear or a cow food high in protein, food has to be species specific for dogs that's meat/protein. As for Royal Canin being recommended by nutrition vets, or vets in general, they recommend it because they get kick backs, i.e. money from Royal Canin for selling their food. You're paying around $7/lb for food filled with chemicals and fillers, you can buy fresh organic raw food in the refrigerator section of your pet store for cheaper than that. If you look at the ingredients you'll see a lot of questionable ingredients at best. Sure those things might bring up nutritional value of the food so it looks great on the label, but do you really want your dog eating feathers or chemicals? Can they even absorb those weird ingredients to get the nutritional value from them? It's like those sifi movies where people in the future don't eat real food but eat pastes or weird looking stuff that just provides vitamins and minerals but is made in a chemical factory. And once again back to my point, these food are highly recommended by Vets or Dog Nutrition experts, yet they are not recommended by the AAFCO, which is the organization that tests the food for nutritional content and makes sure it's accurate to what it says on the label and actually provides nutrition to our dogs. My follow up question, what do you feed your dog and does it have a statement from AAFCO saying that the food is nutritional for your dog? Can someone post a picture of that statement from their dog food? |
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This isn't an issue of protein amount or what the dog needs if they have health problems. The issue is that both of these dog foods are supposedly high quality dog foods, however, the #1 thing everyone says to look for as a sign of quality dog food is a statement from AAFCO on your dogs food saying it's been tested and meets nutritional breed specific standards. Which these dog foods don't have. Makes me wonder. |
Orijen site says it meets aafco standards. Im with you, after extensive research orijen and acana come out on top. Royal canin, science diet .. Etc. may work for some dogs . But not for all. I know of many success stories on orijen and acana. I was going to start raw, but decided on acana. Two of my dogs skin issues cleared up so quickly. My vet said as long as it meets the aafco standards thats what is most important. Just because it is has the aafco stamp of approval does not make it an ideal feed however. There are many many aafco approved feeds that i wouldnt dream of feeding my dogs. Our cat got switched to orijen and stopped itching with in 2-3 days . Both orijen and acana have formulas without chicken/ bird in them. And they are Very high quality feeds. And working amazing for all 4 my dogs. Vets recommend what they carry. I worked at a vet clinic for many many years. I know how it works. What they recommend does not mean its what is best. Its just what they know. |
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Thank you! I didn't check their website, I appreciate your post. This was my point exactly, that lots of worse quality dog foods have AAFCO approval printed on their labels but Orijen didn't. I just found that weird, but I guess they're saving money on ink by just stating it on their website and not on their bags of food. |
I believe AAFCO is just a standard, I don't believe it has to be on the bag? I think you can look at the AAFCO guidelines and see if it meets the standard? I love Acana for my dogs! Orijen - I have heard nothing but great things! |
I just looked at my bags and it actually does say under the ingredients list: " orijen regional red is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the aafco cat food nutrient profile for all life stages" And the acana heritage for dogs bag says the same thing I think they are fantastic foods. |
Lol- I figured it had to meet the standards- thank you for checking that!! |
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Every dog is different; what works for one may not work for another. I personally have fed Acana with great luck for the past 6-7 years... not exclusively, we've rotated in between, etc, but Acana has been our 'staple'. I always end up back on it because it's just what he does best on. For example: Fromm is a great brand IMO but has never worked for Jax. We get goopy eyes, weight gain, lackluster coat, softer/bigger poop... doesn't mean that Fromm is a bad food. On the flip side, Jackson has never had a bad reaction to Purina Beyond dry and canned food and tonight I am staying overnight where I wasn't planning to so had to run to the grocery store and pick up food for him. Beyond works fantastic in a pinch! Years ago I would've never considered feeding a horrific purina product. LoL... |
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I trust my vet as well. To each his own tho. I trust my vet, you trust yours. ANd vets get discounted food. The food they sell in their clinics, the employees get at a very discounted price. I worked for a vet clinic for many years, still go to the clinic and am still good friends with the owner, and girls who work there. This is still how it works. They get xtra coupons, and cheap food. And I have seen many many many dogs have skin and chronic ear problems on royal canin and science diet. Got off food these foods and ear prolems disappeared. So I also go with what works. |
Yes, before I choose the right dog food for my kids I check the label first, and the list ingredient of course and have an AAFCO approval statement. I've learned a lot of things in this site We set the pet first | We Love Animals about the right food and a healthy food for our babies, for me this It's been very useful, thankful about it. |
here is one thing I can tell you that I am excited about-Ella is now grain free for a few months, on acana, and no longer has any issues with runny eyes or tear stains. Just excited about that added bonus lol |
Oh and my independently owned pet food store said acana and orijen are two of their highest quality foods with no recalls (and my vet agreed when I asked her, so that felt great knowing all were in agreement). |
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There are many different options however. Great that it works for your girl:) but t definatly wont work for all. Feed trials dont change the fact that some dogs cant handle certain ingredients. . For the average pet without health concerns there are many different better options. |
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The whole "vet making money off food" thing is so exaggerated. I used to believe it too. If anything most vets find it to be a pain to stock the food because it's not like it's flying off the shelves and it takes extra time to do special orders and get it shipped. The RX foods are for the dogs who really need it so they need to have them in stock as an option. In my non-professional opinion, do a majority of vets support brands like Science Diet, Purina and Royal Canin? Yes. The reason for that could be debated. Those companies do often provide literature and free stuff to vets in school as well as vets offices. Is there a bias? Yeah, likely. But these foods, in general, are studied and proven and aren't going to (likely) kill a dog. They have research to back them up. A vet simply does not have time to research *every* brand of food out there and give an opinion on it. Let's say a vet recommended Taste of the Wild and then a dog gets sick from it and dies. The owner will come in and likely point the finger at the vet for recommending the food. I guess, simply put.... they stick with what "works". Maybe it's not ideal (I'm not a huge fan of a majority of formulas of these 3 brands but I can find at least one formula I would feed -- I've also learned reading ingredients is only a small portion of dog food... how they formulate it, balance it, manufacture it is more important). I am kind of curious to know why people think it's so terrible for vets to make a kick-back on anything they sell in the first place. Why not? They went to YEARS of school, likely took out student loans galore, and are there to help your pet (I believe a majority of veterinarians are not in it for financial gain -- some? Probably are, but most are probably not). But vets need to make a living too and there is nothing wrong with ensuring you can run a business as well. My vets office sells The Honest Kitchen in their lobby, a food considered much 'higher end' -- would folks perception change if the food was "better"... or would it STILL be bad for the vet to be making ANY financial gain on this food? |
I think Orijin is manufactured in Canada. They may have different standards. I haven't checked it out lately. So many pet food companies get bought up by larger corporations, change their standards, but keep the same brand name. You have to investigate to know what is going on. As far as vets go....some are more informed about pet food than others. In the US many veterinary schools get funding and product from large pet food corporations. Then the pet food companies are there in whatever form of practice the vet goes into. Most veterinary offices are given plenty of product, advertising, and samples from pet food companies. I would not call it a kick back but those big pet food corporations are there from the start of a vets education right into every part of their career. Whether or not it influences them is pretty much an individual choice just as advertising on TV may influence some people and not others. It's not much different in human doctor's offices. Representatives from various drug companies are always trying to influence doctors to use their products with a multitude of perks that can be very inviting and costly. The consumer ends up paying for that expense. I have seen it for years where I work, free lunches and dinners at the best restaurants, tickets to ballgames, free samples, various items with brand names printed on them, the list goes on. Pharmaceuticals cost more in the US than anywhere else. Some states are trying to stop this kind of influence in medical practice but where big money is concerned change comes slowly. Influence peddling is involved in most big business and veterinary practice is no different. Every vet has to decide for themselves if they are going to be influenced or not. |
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Well, as they say, profit is not a dirty word! No business can keep,their doors open without it!! Soooo, vet can sell any food they want at whatever price they want, just like a pet store. Also, as many of us have learned-- lthough I love my vet, she is not a nutritionist specialist. For that I go to a real dog nutritionist and pay for their expertise just like i pay a vet for their veterinary knowledge. In vet school, most vets don't get a lot of nutrition education. When I was having trouble getting the right diet for my dog I contacted Dr Remillard @ Pet Diets and after some tests were done she got it nailed in no time. She worked with my vet. |
I could care less if they make money off it . I just thinks its funny how many people try to say they dont. They do make profit from it. They wouldnt sell it if they didnt. But thats how everything works . People sell things to make money. The pet stores who sell acana make profit and get xtra coupons as well. And our vet clinic sells all the prescription food along with regular food since you thought i meant something diff |
This is the same issue that was raised with physicians getting kick backs from pharmaceutical companies for prescribing their drugs. Docs would get vacations, text books, tickets to events you name it for prescribing their meds. the government stepped in a few years ago and now pharmaceutical companies can't even give away a pen. So obviously the government thought it was bad practice for pharmaceutical companies to give away free stuff to docs in return for them promoting their medications. I would say the same goes for vets. If they're promoting something because they get paid for promoting it they should have to disclose that first. I don't care if the vet promotes a certain food and makes a few extra bucks by doing that, but if I can get a significantly better food for half the price and the vet knew that, then I wouldn't trust that vet anymore. Quote:
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In a perfect world, the veterinarian field wouldn't be dominated by 3 major companies. But, it is for now and unfortunately they've done the most research. I don't see any better companies trying to make their way into vets offices or fund studies but maybe I'm missing something. Wysong is the only one I've personally seen that formulates RX foods and that I've seen some vets selling. I go to a vet who is a good blend of modern and "holistic" medicine. I love it. They treat the individual dog. They don't push any particular product. They have a few options in their lobby to purchase treat-wise and a few toys and collars. Like what I definitely don't agree with: a client bringing their dog to the vet for a wellness check-up, let's say the dog is eating Orijen, and checked out perfectly healthy during exam/bloodwork and vet states that the dog would be better off on Science Diet and to switch. No, I wouldn't put up with that blatant favoritism. If dog is having constant diarrhea, throwing up, etc, and the vet can't seem to find anything else that could be wrong and they maybe recommend one of their RX diets to try... then yes, that's fine. It may very well help the dog. And I don't like when people will continue to watch their dog suffer just to feed the "better" food when ya know what? maybe their dog NEEDS the RX food to be happy and thrive. |
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