There are currently two varieties of this dog food available:
- Orijen Puppy (for all breeds)
- Orijen Puppy Large Breed
Differences between Orijen puppy and Orijen puppy large?
Orijen puppy is slightly more calorific at (490 kcal per 250ml cup). Orijen puppy large at (456 kcal per 250ml cup). Orijen puppy also has a higher overall fat content but the main content of both foods is very similar. For the sake of this Orijen Puppy Review, I’m going to look at Orijen puppy large, as I have personal experience with it.
Ingredients
Fresh deboned chicken (20%), dehydrated chicken (15%), fresh chicken liver (6%), fresh whole herring (5%), fresh deboned turkey (4%), dehydrated turkey (4%), fresh turkey liver (3%), fresh whole eggs (3%), fresh deboned walleye (3%), fresh whole salmon (3%), fresh chicken heart (3%), chicken cartilage (3%), dehydrated herring (3%), dehydrated salmon (3%), red lentils, green peas, green lentils, chicken liver oil (2%), sun-cured alfalfa, yams, pea fibre, chickpeas, pumpkin, butternut squash, spinach greens, carrots, Red Delicious apples, Bartlett pears, cranberries, blueberries, kelp, liquorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, Enterococcus faecium.
*Ingredients marked in red are controversial
Ingredient Analysis
- Chicken: Deboned chicken is the first ingredient listed. You want a quality protein to make up the majority of your dogs food.
- Chicken Meal: Dehydrated chicken at 15%, dehydrated chicken is basically chicken with the moisture taken out and actually contains around 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
- Salmon: It’s nice to see Salmon on the list of ingredients at 3% and dehydrated salmon at 3%. Salmon is a fatty freshwater fish which is also high in protein but also contains essential oils in the form of EPA and DPA omega 3 fatty acids, which are essential to all dogs. Salmon also helps give your husky a nice glossy coat.
- Other proteins include Fresh whole eggs, Dehydrated turkey, Fresh turkey liver and Herring.
- Marigold Flowers: Rich in flavonoids—plant-based antioxidants that protect the body against cell-damaging free radicals. Marigold also reduces fluctuations in blood sugar and aids in digestion.
- Peppermint and Fennel: Peppermint aids in the digestion of fat. It does this by calming the muscles of the dog’s stomach, thus improving the flow of bile which is used to digest the fat. Fennel is an anti-inflammatory.
- Pea Fibre: While pea fibre can be a concern in dog foods, not because it’s bad for your dog, but largely because some cheaper brands tend to use large quantities to bulk up the protein content in place of quality meats.
Locally Sourced
One of the great features of Orijen is that all their ingredients are sourced locally in Canada, no low quality, cheap imports, only high-quality ingredients. They also boast of using cage-free chicken and turkey, nest-laid eggs and wild-caught fish, which is important to many animal lovers. Orijen also limits the amount of calcium and prosperous in their puppy food to 1.7% and 1.4% respectively. High levels of these two ingredients can cause your pup to grow too quickly, which can lead to bone problems in later life.
There are no artificial preservatives present in Orijen puppy such as BHA or BHT, instead, Vitamin E is used, which is a much more beneficial ingredient.
The kibble size is ideal for a husky puppy and although a little hard, not a problem for the strong jaws of a snow dog. My Siberian husky Dakota was fed Orijen puppy from 8 weeks old and never had issues with either the size or hardness of the kibble.
I’ve read many reviews of this product from both professionals and husky owners alike, I’ve not read many reports of loose stools while feeding this product. My personal experience mirrors this. But in the rare case, your dog does experience loose stools, it may be due to the high protein and fat content, in which case it may be worth trying Acana dog food. Even with top quality ingredients and zero grain, there’s no one perfect food for all dogs.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our Orijen Puppy Review and now have a better understanding as to whether it’s a good fit.
