New Recipes for Orijen Dog Food

I wasn’t asking for help, I’ve been trying to determine whether her diet was causing her anal gland problem, this site came up and I saw this comment:

DogLover • 3 months ago−

My dogs both developed anal gland problems after being put on Orijen. Has anyone else had a similar problems??

I found it interesting and thought I’d reply to it. If you feel burdened by my comments, please don’t reply. All I was doing was share and didn’t find my comments to be disruptive.

It did occur to me to try the Orijen Six Fish, but since we live in the Philippines, options are very limited and I’ve only ever seen Orijen in 7.5 kg bags. It just wouldn’t be too practical to get another bag when we still have a bit of Royal Canin left. We’ve had her seen by vets three times in over a month. They agree that Orijen is better but since feeding her Orijen, she poops out tiny pieces, they seem hard and solid but they’re significantly smaller than when she was on Royal Canin.

Our cat, Butchi is a domestic shorthair. She was a stray, rescued at six months, spayed, vaccinated, dewormed, fostered for another six months and her foster told us she fed her Whiskas. We fed her Royal Canin for about a month when we adopted her about three months ago. Then we decided to give her Orijen because it was grain-free. She prefers the Royal Canin though, she refuses to eat wet food and any kind of treat and we have a small amount of Royal Canin left which we give to her as a treat. She always goes for the Royal Canin over the Orijen. It breaks our hearts. We want her to be healthy. It’s very frustrating, to say the least.

We’re really annoyed by having to switch her back to Royal Canin because Royal Canin is slightly more expensive than Orijen and we just got a 7.5 kg bag of Orijen Cat & Kitten which has poultry, fish and eggs. We’ll probably just donate it to an animal shelter.

We have a cat and we switched her from Royal Canin to Orijen and she’s been scooting. We clean her butt with baby wipes before bed. We had her seen by vets, although she’s already been dewormed, they gave her another dose and emptied her anal sacs. No worms in her stool though and she’s still scooting. We’re switching her back to Royal Canin and we’ll have to see how it goes.

I don’t feed it to them. If my dog walked away from it the cats would run to his bowl. I feed my dog raw now.

My dog isn’t too crazy about he 6 Fish I just bought him. And his already bad breath has gone to a whole new level… My cats LOVE it though!!!!!!!!

Hey Jess ….

To funny, what a complete abandonment of reason. To each his own. Cant stop laughing lol. 

Jess I can only tell you what works for my dogs. Orijen did not – I tried the red meat and Six fish for 6 months. Brothers really agrees with them and after 2 months (only feed kibble for first meal per day) Brothers has proven to be one of the best foods I have tried. Plus I prefer food made in the US.

Core, Blue Buffalo Wilderness and Nutrisca have a higher fiber content than Orijen which might help.

I am sorry, but brothers is so inferior to anything Champion makes it isn’t even funny. I am not bashing brothers, but with only one meat source and that source being a bone heavy meal, I personally see brothers as a meatless product made by someone else. Brothers has to be theee most over priced dog food on the market this side of Solid Gold.

I’m willing to bet quite a bit of money that it was the change in protein that was the issue. While Sun Dancer is above average, it’s still about 10% less than what Orijen is.

Now, Acana is right around the same level, and is a high quality food (like it’s sister-brand… Orijen, as both are made by Champion Pet Foods out of Canada).

Acjuelich…….

Hi. What were your dogs eating before? Orijen is a great food, it is high in fat. It could take months for a dog to get used to higher fat. Fat is very good for a dog as protein but they cant adjust over night or even in weeks some times. I feed my Black Lab Brother’s Complete. I like it for a variety of reasons, some of which might be pertinent here. Encapsulated probiotics,and enzymes that help start and maintain intestinal bacterial colonies, fed with tapioca. Used as a binding agent. Tapioca has a very low glycemic index. Also the food is grain and white potato free, with lots of meat. Any problems I had feeding my dog I could address right here with the family that makes the food. Consequently, my dog formerly in ill health is now looking and feeling great. No loose stools no yellow stools. super shiny coat. 

Had to stop Orijen after about 3 weeks.  Nothing but soft stools, dogs not eating the food, bad anal glands, vomiting……..just a mess.  It is no doubt a quality food, just not the food for our two terriers.  I just brought back a small bag of Wellness Core and they were into it right away.  Hopefully the stools start firming up.

Thanks!

Thanks!  He is super sweet but about to be angry with me as I walk out the door with his daughter to go off to agility class   It’s sooo hard to treat all your “kids” equally!

Fresco is SUPER CUTE!!!

 Thanks Shawna…I’ve been reading but keeping quiet…hoping Orijen formulas don’t change and wondering how others have done with Acana’s regional changes.  Fresco (the boy in the photo) is donning his Santa hat – ha!

 My 45lb English setter eats less than a cup a day of Champion food.  She was eating 2 cups/day of Pro Plan or Wellness Core.  I started off feeding her 1.5 cups/day and within weeks, she was up to 53lb

Hi Acjuelich,

First going from a grain inclusive to grain free is a bit of a longer transition, depending on the dog of course. And with Orijen being as dense as it is, you should actually feed less of it. So you could have a little bit of both of these issues.

Another is the dog eliminating or detoxing from the grains in his previous food. Give it a good month and see how it goes.

Try mixing in some pumpkin for the next few days to help firm the stool. Make sure it is pure pumpkin and not pie filling.

How long did you do a switch over to Orijen? It usually takes anywhere from 1-2 weeks to adjust to a new higher protein/fat diet when your dogs were on a low protein/fat diet. It took my dogs 2 weeks and they have very sensitive tummies but we are 100% on Acana and Orijen mixed.

Jess L,

He’s adorable!

If you like the ingredients in Acana and want higher protein than Fromm I think it’d be a good food to try out. It just seems odd to me that the Bravo agrees with him but Orijen doesn’t, as Bravo is higher in protein and fat than Orijen. But every dog’s digestive system works differently and you just gotta do what works. Just keep trying foods until something works. Also, it’s not like Fromm is a bad food so if you had to stick with that in conjunction with the Bravo he’d still be eating a very high quality diet.

ha, i am just on the acana page as we speak. . Comparing it to the Fromm. Even as i was buying the Fromm i brought both Fromm and Acana to the counter and had a tough time deciding. lol.  Was a tad nervous about the amount of meat (based on my pups disagreement with Orijen), but it should still be cool, right? I liked the ingredients.

Chicken meal, russet potato, boneless chicken, boneless walleye, whitefish meal, peas, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E), sun-cured alfalfa, chicken liver, boneless Lake Whitefish*, whole eggs, salmon oil, sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach, turnip greens, tomatoes, carrots, apples, organic kelp, cranberries, blueberries, juniper berries, black currants, chicory root, licorice root, engelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers

33% protein in a dry made me slightly nervous. Which is what gave me the idea to get those tiny orijen packs to mix with the fromm. lol.

thanks.

Oh, he has always been on a kibble in conjunction with his raw, (not at the same feeding of course). i think before the orijen the kibble was… merrick maybe? (but of course he’d spit out those colored pieces. lol). So i tried orijen, after orijen gave him wicked tummy problems we went to Natural Balance kibble. he was totally fine with that, liked it, no tummy/poo problems but the fish formula was low in protein and low in fat, and they generally don’t have meat as the first ingredient so i knew i would want to end up with a different kibble. We tried “Rotations”, cuz they had that great deal, three 5lb bags for $10 and the ingredients looked really good. We did a transition period, no tummy problems, but he really had to be super hungry to eat it, and it’s hard to find, so that wasn’t a keeper either (As you can see, i’m trying to find ‘THE ONE’, .  We are almost about done with first bag of rotations, but i’m over it, so for the last 3 days his kibble has been some Fromm and some Rotations for the transition. No tum problems there either.

Just basically want a kibble we can keep around, a staple for him, and then we’ll also have our Bravo (although i just got a strange batch, so we’ll see about that). His other semi-staple is Ziwipeak, he loves it, it’s just a bit expensive, so i buy one every so often. He has never had a problem with that one either.

Fromm seems okay, and they have 4 flavors i would serve him, but just not enough meat if i decided to say, feed him nothing but dry for a few weeks. Dunno. Whaddya think? 

But since we’ve mentioned it, for some reason i felt like that much protein in a dry, vs. a real meat type of thing, might have made the difference, what are your thoughts on that?

Thanks.

Orijen also gave my dog diariah, it was really gross. lol. and i did do a slow transition (from bravo raw). I think it was just way too rich. Do you think it would be okay to buy one of the small package and just put like 10% of a serving in 90% of serving of Fromm? Which i just started recently but i’d love it to have a little more animal content. I would be getting the fish one b/c his Fromm is the salmon one. or would the 10-15% give him stomach issues.

In addition to that, 24% – 6 % (fat & oils) = 18% fresh meat/fish/egg, and how much (or little) it would be after it has dried…

Calcium-

not getting what your saying-36% dried meat products plus 24% animal products = 60% animal ingredients-just as they state?!?!

SandyDuarte,

You don’t need liver in a dry food or canned food. They add vitamins and minerals to compensate for what would be found in the liver.

 Orijen = 80% premium animal ingredients vs Acana = 60% premium animal ingredients

SandyDuarte,

If she likes the Acana Pacifica I’m sure she’d enjoy the Orijen 6 Fish. They’re are basically the same, as Kaliberknl stated, the only significant difference is the Orijen contains 80% meat and 20% fruits and veggies, while Acana has 60% meat and 40% fruits and veggies. Acana and Orijen are made by the same company and the formulas are extremely similar except that Orijen has a higher meat content than Acana. They’re both great foods and I use both in my “kong-cicle rotation”.

Good to know about the bag information, thanks. She seems to like the Acana Pacifica and Brothers Fish Formula so I just wanted to see what else to try. She still has a little left of both so I probably won’t try another until she’s done.

I’ve been transitioning her slowly over the past 3 weeks to the Earthborn Holistic GF, today was the first without the Canidae since I got her over 6 weeks ago and was just looking at a fish formula that would be great for her so she won’t get tired of the same old thing everyday. She likes the Brothers sample I got and also had her try Acana Pacifica today and she liked it as well. Of course she’s tried a lot of different canned and dehydrated foods some she liked more than others, none she likes more than the Tripett that’s for sure. I saw a trial size of the 6 fish today but will probably get it after she finishes the Acana. I was impressed that it has 80% meat and is GF and was just wondering if anyone had tried it. I’m sure I’ll be trying a white meat alternative soon also. I know I spoil her but I’m just getting what’s best for her :)

You remind me of me a few years ago trying lots of different foods and can’t deciding and wondering what’s better and should I try this or that…that’s how I ended up mixing foods together because I couldn’t decide!

I haven’t tried the 6 Fish flavor, only the Adult and Red Meats over a year ago.

Thanks Mark for sharing this superb article.

Mark,
Thanks for the above info on GI vs GL. Been ready a lot of those papers lately, that was a much clearer explanation. 2thumbs!

Mike

I do not know for certain but I do not believe there have been any published studies on the GI of many foods or any for that matter in canines or felines. I do know that a complex mixture such as a dog or cat food by definition can not have a GI but can have a GL, and these are two very different measurements – by definition.

Thanks Mike! My post showed up, warts and all, LOL I finished it!

Mike,
To Mike Sagman,
Thanki you for providing a website with a wealth of information. Question:
Our newly diagnosed minature poodle has diabetes. What would you recommend we feed him for optimal health and quality of life? We live in Canada and not all the top rated dog foods are available in our country.
We welcome your reply. Thank you.

Test #A via Disqus Comment Box

Lauren as far as I know they are only coming out with new flavors and not changing the current ones. I was told a duck formula was coming, but was told to keep and eye on their website for updates.

Correction: I ment to say *fresh boneless*

Hi Adam,

I really do not know why they do not have ACANA in your country. Maybe someone else here could answer.

Hello everyone,

I also wanted to mention that champion pet foods, who make Orijen and ACANA , is changing the ACANA formula. Champion petfoods have a notice on the website to expect to see the new formula for ACANA late 2011 (which we are now in, obviously). When I went to my local specialty petfood store, they were re stocking with the new ACANA I think because everything was out of place and I did not see the full line like they usually carry, and that was unusual for that shop. I did not see any of the ACANA with grain formulas, only grainless, like prairie harvest and pasifica for example.

I looked through champion petfoods faq to see why they are changing the formulas to begin with. I didn’t find the answer so I emailed them yesterday. We will see if I get a statement back from them.

It’s also sad and scary that dog food companies do not have to inform the customer immediately (not sure how long they have) concerning formula changes. Sometimes….actually happens quite often….a minor change will upset a dog’s digestion. It boggles the mind. I wonder why Orijen changed their formula? It was already top-notch ingredient wise. Did they change it because they thought they were making it “better” or did they do it for monetary reasons? Who knows, but when you have such a high quality product like Orijen, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” would be my motto!

Hi,
I find it important to share that I also have bad experiences with the new Orijen formula. When starting my dog ( Rott Lab mix)on Orijen a couple fo years ago, I was pleased and comfortable with it. Now it was time for a new bag. I was told only the protein % and a few other ( better) things have changed. I can’t believe that. My dog refused to eat the new formula for three days. Now that he is hungry and can’t live of the freeze dried raw diet treats, he ate some. Since a week and a half ago he developped hot spots under his ribcage and he itches in other spots. He does not have allergies, but similar happened when I had him on Earthborn holistic when they still had the vitamin K additive in it. So now last week he puked the food out all over my car. So not like him. He has not puked in over 7 years! His stool is very soft…. something is just not right. There is no way I will continue trying to make him eat it just because the bag says Orijen and I trusted that brand. Something is very wrong with it, but now it will be a hassle to find a new good food source for him. I hope our feedbacks here will help others to make good choices.

Just checking in to say that both our dogs (alaskan klee kai) loved the original formula, but since the switch to 80/20, one has refused to eat it (even when soaking in chicken broth!) and the other only eats a small portion of her usual bowl. We tried several things over a week or so to get them to eat (just bought a 30lb bag!), but nothing works. We’ve tried a few samples of various other foods and they seem excited about almost anything but the new Orijen. Quite frustrating as I’d LOVED the food for several years now, but it’s just no good if they won’t eat it, no matter what the ingredients are.

I have been feeding my dog Orijen dog food for about a year now. Being the only formula (the old one) that he had solid stool with, I was willing to pay the higher price for the food. However, about half a year ago, Orijen changed their formula; since then, my dog’s poop has been soft. Because everything else (his health, his coat) were great, I decided to look over the effects on his poop for the time-being, until I find a comparable dog food to switch to.
The reason why I’m finally writing this review is because of my dog’s negative reactions to perhaps a particular bag of Orijen dog food. After purchasing a new 30lbs bag from the usual store that I buy from, my dog has been having watery diarrhea as well as vomiting EVERYWHERE on my carpet. I was so distressed over his vomiting fit that I took him to the ER immediately and his vet the next day. Both of the doctors agreed that it’s probably due to something that he ate. Since he hasn’t been out of my sight (he follows me everywhere) for the days before the event, I can only assume that it is the dog food. I decided to feed him chicken and rice, and slowly adding in the kibble before I made any conclusions. Maybe he did get into something that he was not supposed to?
Today is the 2nd day that he has had only kibble. Unfortunately, his poop is a complete mess. Although it is not watery, it’s a big pile of mush. In addition to that, I’ve noticed that his farts are barely noticeable with the chicken and rice. With Orijen, however, it’s a pain to be in the car with him without the windows rolled down.
Maybe this is only happening to my dog… I would love to hear from other people if they have similar experiences with their dogs and what they switched to.
Picking up this morning’s poop was my last straw… I am going out today to switch his food.

There is also information about the switch on the Champion Pet Foods website.

SueW – You write “The only change to the Orijen formula was they have added more meat to bump up the protein to a higher level.”
Is that true?
I haven’t compared, but Mike S writes this in the above article New Recipes for Orijen Dog Food:
“reported protein content has dropped by 2% to reflect the products’ fewer meat meal concentrates for the previous figure.”

You say the protein is a higher level; Mike says protein content has dropped.
???

I’ve been giving my two Cocker Spaniels Orijen for almost 4 years now and have never had a problem with my dogs eating their food. In fact when I feed them the devour the food in 1 minute or less. I didn’t realize that when the packaging changed so did the formula of the food. I thought it was weird that it smelt kind of “fishy” (after all it is the 6 Fish they’re both on) and that they wouldn’t eat it. I thought hmm…maybe we got a bad bag of food…since that can happen I suppose. I went back to the store we bought it from to tell them and they weren’t a bit surprised about my story. The owner then told me that not only did the packaging change so did the formula of the food. I was SOOOO disappointed since I know Orijen is 5+ food and my dogs loved it. I’m not sure what I’m going to do I’ve switched to Fromm at the moment but even that they’re not eating like they did the old formula of Orijen 6 Fish. I’m bummed that they made the change since it took double the time for my dogs to finish the same size bag of food as before. My dogs have never gotten the runs or vomited with the change but something isin’t quite right even with the smell. If my dogs didn’t eat after 10 mins I had to put the food aways cause it smelt so bad. I wish they’d go back to the original formula. I believe in the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While they’re trying to make the food better there was nothing wrong with the original recipe in my view. Still far healthier than any grocery store brand full of by-products and grain. Please go back to the way it was!

Hi John;
Canidae is not made by Champion Pet Foods, (makers of Orijen). The only other brand Champion makes is “Acana”. In the past I have fed Acana to my lab with great success. He is a picky eater when it comes to kibble. It has a meat content of 60% and is a little less expensive than Orijen. The Acana line has more varieties including some formulas with grains. So look for the ‘grain-free’ versions. This might be an easier transition since the basic formula is similar to the Orijen.

What is the concern with Orion in Austria ? Anything to be concerned about

Glad to read that I’m not the only one having problem with the new Orijen. My dogs doesn’t have diarrhea but soft poo twice a day!!!!
They are eating Orijen for 1 year and never had problem before they eat the new Orijen chicken formula 80/20.
I stopped given them Orijen.

I have 70lb much loved female shepadoodle. Meesha is 2 1/2 years old and I have tried every grain free four and five star dry food on the market. I have wasted so much money trying to find a dry food she will eat without doctoring it up with human meats and broths. Even with that, she would eat the good stuff and leave the dry food behind.

Today I bought my first bag of Orijen Region red meat formula with wild boar, lamb, heritage pork and bison. OMG, she devoured this food as if it were her last meal.

I am so happy that I finally found a healthy dry food she loves. I love my dog more than life, and I want her to live a long heathly life. Giving a dog cheap food made out of Monkey crap and by-products is false economy. Your vet bills will go up and your dog will suffer and more than likely die prematurely.

Johnny, You are right! We tend to report our bad experiences. These complaints are a cry for help. When I have good experience with a product. I refer my friends. When I have a have a bad experience with a product which loved and recommended to friends. I try to get to the bottom of it. My dog loves the new formula as well but unlike the old formula it gives her the runs and sometimes causes vomiting. The Siberian was doing fine on Orijen for months until I gave her the new bags. She was fine with all of the orijen mixes red, puppy, fish whatever. Perhaps the new formula is now too rich for some dogs. We need to find out what’s going on. I applaud Orijen for attempting to improve an already great dog food. However, my dog was already eating better than me.

I don’t know what everyone is talking about the new formula is fine with my dogs..I don’t think I’ve read one good thing Which I really don’t understand cuz both my dogs are doing FABULOUS on it! My minpin is OMG picky but will happily eat orijen and has firm stools and a beautiful coat, my 12 yo Morkie is doing fabulous! He is more active than he has been in 4 years and is losing weight (a great thing). I am completely satisfied w/ the orijen!! It’s a fantastic food and the new formula is to be applauded. Yay new formula!!

I have to wonder if there isn’t something wrong with this new recipe? My dog LOVED Orijen but now she won’t touch the food. She’s probably the world’s pickiest eater. She went almost 3 days without eating because she hated the new food. She was also violently ill (vomiting all over the house) but I can’t be sure that it was that the food didn’t agree with her or if she’d somehow eaten a nasty rodent while in the park (it happens). Anyway, I had to switch to Nature’s Variety Instinct which, even though it’s good, I feel is not as good as the old Orijen recipe.

btw . . I spoke to the manager at the store I buy my dog food today. It’s a high end store in a large city . . . she said she contacted Orijen by phone AND emails regarding this issue (left messages). She told them who she was and that she was concerned about the dogs and customers. That was over two weeks ago and she has heard nothing from them. Pretty rotten business practice if you ask me. I didn’t ask what the distributers are saying, but she did tell me she took all of her dogs off Orijen.

A friend has been feeding Orijen for quite a while, for at least a couple of years. She recently bought a new bag with the new formula. Two of her dogs had severe diarrhea for almost a week. Nothing seemed to stop it (Metronidazole, pumpkin). After several of us told her to take her dogs off Orijen, she finally did and the diarrhea stopped within a day. I wonder if there is an issue with salmonella, e. coli, etc in some batches of the food?

Such a relief to find this website today. I’m in Scotland and buy Orijen Adult online. My two greyhounds have happily eaten Orijen for the last 8 months. Finally I found a food that they both liked. When I ordered my lastest 3 bags I noticed the change in protein levels and thought they would be fine. Both have runny bottoms and chronic wind. My girl isn’t enjoying the food at all and has on occasion been sick. I’m really sad about this. Emailed our supplier and asked if they would take the product back in exchange for another Orijen product but after reading this it looks like all the products have changed. I’m going to try adding some rice in to see if that helps. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve been feeding my dog Orijen adult for about 6 months and recently bought a bag of the new formula. I think the previous bag might have been the new formula too, but I didn’t know about it at the time, and I don’t store the food in the bag. Anyway, I’ve noticed a combination of firm and very loose stools for about 1-2 months now. After reading about the formula change I suspected that might be the reason. To find out for sure I’ve only been feeding her the Orijen (no treats or anything) for the past few days and her stool is firm, exactly as it should be. So, I think the formula change was just a coincidence, and maybe something else I’ve been giving her is the problem.
It’s a relief for me knowing I don’t have to go crazy trying to find another quality food.

@ Mike

I called and emailed Champion asking about the new blend and for their reply about so many complaints. They did not even bother to get back to me. Its been over a week with no reply to a voicemail and email. Pathetic, coming from a company who claims they care so much about our pets. Might be the last bag of Orijens I buy. Luckily I was able to get the old formula so I’m OK for a little while longer. Looking for a suitable replacement.

Maybe you ought to contact Champion and point them here. I suspect they already know they have a problem and are scrambling to address it.

I hope Champion PetFoods takes serious action regarding the stream of negative reactions taking place as a possible result of their new formula. I considered switching my dog over to Orijen until I read all of the negative reviews (from other sites too). I mean coincidental vomiting, loose stool, organ failure, and loss of appetite?? I’m not paying that price for this food unless some of these issues are addressed. I wish they still had the old formula. I see hardly anything but fabulous reviews for the old formula.

I have been feeding my dog Orijens for two years and she gobbles it up. Got a new bag a few weeks ago and the pet store informed me that they had changed the formula. She won’t eat it and she has never been picky (opposite actually, I have to try and slow her eating). I am going to have to change brands.

I am also having problems with the new Orijen Adult dog food 80/20. I have been feeding my 2 1/2 year old GSD the old formula for sometime with great results. However, when I tried to transition my dog over to the new formula a little at a time he became ill. He vomited and had very runny stools. He couldn’t even make it through the night without having to go outside to relieve himself. There’s obviously more going on with this new food then we have been led to believe. Too bad for us dog owners that used to rely on Orijen and are now stuck with sick dogs because of Champion Petfoods new dog food formula.

I came on here to see if anyone else was having problems with the new formula and now I realize it’s been a problem for a lot of people. My lab also was doing so well on the original formula. I got my first bag of the new formula about three weeks ago and she has still not adjusted to it. Her stools are really runny now, but were great on the original formula. If anyone else has had this problem and found another food that is as good as the original orijen formula, please let me know. I don’t think I can keep my dog on Orijen after this bag runs out. Thanks!

I have been feeding my dogs Orijen adult formula for well over two years and they were doing beautifully in it, good weights, firm stool, great coats. I began mixing the new formula with the old until all dogs are competely on the new formula, none of my dogs are doing well on it, from the beginning when I began mixing in the new formula we had from very loose stools to constant diarrhea. All the dogs have blown their coats, lost weight and two no longer want to eat it at all. I have three boxers and 8 french bulldogs & I have been feeding this food for over a month now and it’s not getting any better… I am now forced to switch them to either Acana Grasslands or Go! Natural Grain free. Wish we could convince Champion petfoods to leave a good product alone or to offer both products to us consumers

If you are having a problem switched slowly, and give it time, people tend to think these things happen over night, they don’t as with my English it can take 3-4 weeks of slowly mixing new foods otherwise his stool goes crazy.

Both of my dogs English Bulldog, and Boston Terrier have done great on the new formula. I had to switch the English over slowly 3-4 weeks before totally switched, and he did better on the new version (Six fish), my Boston I can switch without mixing without a single problem I swear she has an iron gut.

My dog is a year-old Border Collie mix who has been on Orijen since she was a puppy. She has had soft stools and bad gas ever since I opened the bag of the new adult dog food I purchased two weeks ago. I tried to return it but had thrown away the bag. I am changing my dog’s food before she gets really sick.

Chris, small dogs actually tend to have higher metabolisms. Any so called “small breed formula” usually contains more protein than it’s regular counterpart.

Also, if you read through all these comments, they are left by people who have been feeding this food to their dogs for a long time and have only had problems with it since the formula change.

My dogs have been on Orijen for a few years and have always done wonderfully. I constantly tell others about how wonderful Orijen is and have convinced several people to switch over to it.

Recently, we bought a new bag of Orijen (two weekends ago) and my dog stopped eating. I can’t cajole her into eating. Then she started vomiting (undigested food) and having the most horrendous gas. She’s lost several pounds, she has such bad gas that she’s in pain and her she’s acting really lethargic and freaked out. Per the vet, she is now on 2 Pepcids per day, is now eating only hamburger and rice and on a special medication to coat the GI tract. She has had full blood work, an ultrasound (both perfectly normal) and we’re hoping the bland diet and meds will resolve the issues. If not, we’re looking at endoscopy.

My parents dog developed pancreatitis after eating the new formula as well.

It absolutely breaks my heart. I LOVED Orijen. I don’t know what I’ll feed now…

Lastly, I contacted Orijen and spoke with a rep there who stated that her dogs aren’t even eating it. If the employees are having trouble and so are we, I sure wish they’d change it back.

I have 4 tiny pomeranians on the Orijen 6 fish, just bought a new bag 3 weeks ago, and in that amt of time:
(1) was rushed to ER for intravenous fluids, blood tests and electrolyte treatments to treat dehydration and nonstop vomiting all that was in the vomit? undigested ORIJEN, clear water and what looked like tiny fish BONES!)
(2) threw up lots of stiff brown slivers that looked like BONES!
(2) have diarreah – one had what felt like BONES in the stool I had to wash off her backend fur
And my pom who is on a strict RX diet was give FIVE Orijen kibbles as a treat and he threw up last night.

It has to be the Orijen dog food! I am so bummed, as I ordered an $80.00 bag online after they did so fabulous on their first $40.00 bag.

Now I need to switch foods yet again, take the $$ hit on hit on the new useless bag of 4 months worth of food AND have a big vet bill and sick pups

I did so much research and chose so carefully when I selected this food, I am VERY dissapointed.

BTW, I did get the new formula, it was the same 70% one, just a new bag of it shipped from nationalpetpharmacy.com

My 1.5 y/o golden has been on Origin adult for about 5 months now. Since we picked up the ‘new formula’ last week, his stools have become very loose. We are continuing to feed him Orijen for the next week or two and eliminating any treats, bones etc to see what happens.

Very disappointing as it was difficult to find a dog food that agreed with his stomach. Even Fromm would upset him and we were glad when we tried Orijen. Time will tell I guess…

We have a miniature and standard schnauzer both who have been on Orijen adult food for about 7 months now and were doing fine. I just purchased my first bag since the release of the new formula and introduced it to their diet 2 days ago.

It is too soon to draw any conclusions, but this morning our standard schnauzer had a seizure and we rushed him to our veterinarian’s office. The vet himself said it was unlikely the change in formulation of the food would have caused the seizure, but that is was possible. I have always been very confident in Orijen, but the timing of the dog’s first-ever seizure shortly after starting him on the new formula definitely has me concerned.

Our miniature schnauzer seems to be doing fine on the new formula so far, but he is younger and more active. It leaves me with a lot of questions and not much info to go on with the new formula Orijen since it was so recently released.

Our Murphy has been on Orijen for about 10 months, since she turned 1. We picked the brand due to its high rating here and also because it was one of her top picks when we put about 10 different brands’ sample packs on the floor for her to choose from. I just got the new recipe two days ago, and I’m a little worried. She has stopped eating the food since we got it for her. She used to eat about 2 1/4 cups a day over two meals. Yesterday she ate only 1 1/8, and today hasn’t even finished her first morning bowl. The price increase was pretty steep to pay for a food my dog doesn’t want to eat anymore. I’m a little frustrated.

I’ve been feeding my dog Orijen 6-fish with no problems up until a few weeks ago when I opened a new bag. Suddenly he started vomiting badly and had to be rushed to the vet. After weeks on medication for pancreatitis & a bland diet he improved. That is until I tried to start incorporating Orijen back in. Even the smallest amount sets him off. I suspected that there might have been an ingredient change & it looks like I’m right.

Negative results in comparison to the product I was previously using.