Acana<------Orijen?

[daking]

so I am set on Orijen, I got a bag for waaaay too much, I just found a place near where I pick my daughter up that has the bags for 19 dollars less!! Online I checked their site, they also carry Acana... I was reading what I could and I found that it is made by the same company as Orijen. The one Acana I read said grain free but had "alberta oats".
Can someone in the "know" tell me the difference in Acana to Orijen (LB puppy), I think I am gunna stop the puppy formula as he is almost 10 months anyways. The orijen was 72 canadian and the acana was something like 55. My mother paid 87 for the same thing!!

[deepnite10]

they re pretty equal i quality..it ll just depend on which kibble your dog prefers..

Toby s pretty particular..even the shape of the kibble comes in to play..it s gotta be just right

[daking]

so if toby wasnt picky and you had to choose between the two, you would choose acana if it was available for 35dollars less? the quality is similar just curious as to why it is soo much cheaper (I realize that the lps was over charging)

[deepnite10]

if Toby was nt so picky..i d probably would nt be feeding him something so high in protein and fat..

Toby does nt have any food allergies..so if there are some grain s in the kibble it won t adversly affect him..

another great food is Evo..and if Toby was nt so fussy..i d probably be feeding him Innova which partners with Evo..

and yes..id go with the Acana given the choice of the two if Toby was nt so picky..price does matter..if i could afford it..i d be eating alot better too..

[doodleheaven]

I believe the general rule is that Orijen has a higher concentration of protein. I did the research sometime ago.

My doodle was on Orijen from birth to about 2 years or so. He had major skin issues and just seemed to be doing worse and worse on it. I think the protein was just too high for him and in the back of my mind (I'm a nurse) I always thought that can't be too good on his kidneys.

I switched him to Acana Pacifica (fish) and he is doing better on that. My previous dog had been on it for 10 years and did great so I trusted it. It is still a very high grade food and is made by the same company as Orijen.

On a side note, my vet said that almost every obese dog that has come into her practice has been on Orijen. For that reason alone she does not like it. You must be very careful with your serving sizes with this food.

My vote is for the Acana. My previous dog (labxgolden) was also on Acana for 10 years and did great on it. She started on it soon after it was first introduced to the market.

[Nikkiey]

From my understanding there is the Acana Grain-Free and the Acana Classic. The classic do contain minimal amounts of grain in them, however the Grain-Free are just that - grain-free.

I have fed my dog Acana Grassland (or more recently Ranchland) since he was about 3.5 months old. The main reason I chose Acana over Orijen was my concern over the protein levels. The Acana Grassland has a protein level of 32% whereas the Orijen was closer to 40% depending on which "flavor" you buy. I have a friend who's dog has acute kidney disease and therefore must be on a low protein diet. I suppose this may have swayed my decision in picking Acana, but please know that her kidney disease was not caused by EATING too much protein.

The reason I believe Orijen is more expensive than Acana is that Orijen claims to have at least 80% meat whereas Acana has 60% meat and 40% fruits and vegetables so you pay for the increase in meat.

I know dogs who are fed one or the other and they are happy healthy dogs. I suppose it really depends on your dog and how their body functions when on a higher protein diet.

Like DoodleHeaven mentioned you do have to be careful in the amount that you feed them. Based on my dogs current weight and activity level he should be eating around 3/3.5 cups of food a day, but because he is a high energy dog he burns though his food a lot faster so we are actually feeding him a little over 4 cups a day right now. We do monitor the amount we feed him though because it is very easy to over feed a dog when they are on a high quality food. As Juneau (my labradoodle) starts to calm down and become less energetic his food portion will also be doing the same.

Good Luck!

P.s. We pay $67.99 for a large bag of Acana Grassland and $65.99 for a large bag of Acana Ranchland

[lindamarie]

OKAY! Now I am thoroughly confused.......
I just started Bogart on Orijen and wonder what to do now. Keeping the kidneys in mind, this all makes me quite nervous! I also don't want him overweight.
What to do?

[doodleheaven]

I know dogs that are fine on Orijen too. If you have a healthy, active dog I think it is a fine dog food. The average person might think that 1 cup of say, Iams, is equal to 1 cup of Orijen and that is where they run into problems. The back of the Orijen bag (as with any dog food) states how much you should give your dog depending on weight, activity, age etc. and it is usually much less then a lower quality food. If you follow their general instructions it should be fine.

In the back of my mind I was never quite comfortable with Bailey being on Orijen and wondered if it caused some of his skin problems because of the high protein. He just seems a little healthier on the Acana Pacifica but I understand each dog is different. When my vet told me about the weight problems with Orijen that gave me the excuse to take him off and try the Acana.

[daking]

I just picked up a large bag of the Acana large breed puppy, it was 51.99 for the 30 pound bag. Rens pet depot in oakville ontario (I think they ship too), I couldnt believe how much cheaper that place is!!
I willlet you know how he likes the Acana vs the Orijen.

[lindamarie]

I called Orijen and spoke with a very well educated woman, Bonnie, at he company.
All my questions were answered and Orijen is it for me!

As far as kidney failure.....No.
As far as obesity.......you have to watch your dogs weight and exercise. Cut back on amount if need be and don't be feeding heavy duty treats! Like humans, anything that goes into us, all those extra desserts etc........WILL show up on the body!

There are 4 people at Orijen you can speak to. I really appreciated Bonnie's knowledge.
Their number is:
877-939-0006

[daking]

are you able to give a short version of what she said?(pm )

[Nikkiey]

Kidney function should not be a great concern when picking between the two brands if your dog is totally healthy. There are thousands of dogs out there who eat either-or every day and they are happy, fully functioning dogs.

If you watch your dogs weight, excersise them and let them live a balanced life you shouldn't have a problem. I only used my friends dog as an excuse almost to chose Acana. Don't get me wrong, the higher protein does concern me, but if my dog was 100% healthy I would give it to him willingly (if it was the same price as Acana).

My dog is great on Acana and it really seems to agree with his system. Please know that I only talk from my experience with my dog and what his little belly tells me of it's needs - every dog is different!


On a side note, think of what wild dogs live off of, it would be almost 100% protein most of the time and they all seem quite healthy (at least the ones in this area).

[daking]

i agree, however, winston seems to eat less, and slower with acana. I am getting the impression he doesnt like it as much as orijen.... he better get use to it! it is 30 bucks cheaper!

[lindamarie]

Originally Posted by daking

are you able to give a short version of what she said?(pm )

Omygosh! No! I wish I had recorded it.
I put her on speaker phone so my husband could hear her. I couldn't recall it all had I not.
There's nothing wrong with Acana. But as a first choice, Orijen comes out better. I mean, they make both and Acana was their first. They improved Acana and newly fomulated Orijen.......so yes, they believe the meat, chicken, fish, to be a very important part of the dogs diet. And that is why it IS more expensive.