[Tyler G]

I’m wanting to start my rescue dog (Dachshund 1.5 years old) on some better food. I currently have her own eukanuba dachshund mix and I just recently bought a trial bag of orijen adult and she picks through the eukanuba and eats all the orijen. She’s a very lazy dog and needs to gain some weight but I’m having trouble deciding which between the two to put her on? She needs to up her energy level and gain a few pounds but not too much more than that. Do I go with the high protein orijen or start her on some acana?

[Pitlove]

Hi Tyler- Why not feed her both? Both Orijen and Acana are very high quality foods and offer a lot of different formulas to use in a rotational diet. Variety is very healthy for dogs, just like it is for humans.

If she needs to gain weight I would feed her the recommended amount for her weight or maybe just a little bit more and then add something like coconut oil to her food. Coconut oil is very high in calories, but also offers great health benefits for humans as well as dogs and cats. Once she is at an ideal weight you can cut back on the coconut oil.

[Kristin C]

If those are the 2 you are deciding upon I would say start with Acana and move up to Orijen. Although, Orijen sounds like they are changing their formula next year since they now have a Kentucky plant.

Have you looked at Farmina?

I feed mostly raw, but I feed kibble a few times per week and have been rotating the brands for variety. If I fed kibble exclusively I would probably change the brand with each bag to give the most variety.

[Jonathan S]

I have the same dilemma. I wanted to go directly to Orijen as it seems to get higher ratings here, but I decided on the Acana because there are more varieties to choose from and fewer protein sources per formula. I also like the idea of the single protein source varieties.

I feel good about either choice as they are the same company and I’ve seen very good feedback on them. I’m making the switch this week!

[aquariangt]

Acana is nice if you have food intolerances, but if cost is no concern, Orijen is where I’d lean due to the great protein levels. Acana is on the lower end of protein that I feed. There are 4 varieties all with a wide amount of animal protein within them. Classic, Red, Six Fish, and the new Tundra (I haven’t found that online yet though ~.~) I don’t stick to one brand however, and certainly would recommend rotational diet even with Champion’s outstanding track record

[Tyler G]

Update:

I ended up buying a 5 lb bag of orijen to give her a run of. I also bought a trial bag of acana grasslands and Pacifica. I’m gonna let her do side by side taste test and then rotate flavors every couple months. She loves orijen so far. I did have her on eukanuba and she picked through it straight to the orijen.

[Tyler G]

By the way, for a 12 lb dog would a cup a day be good? That’s what I was doing with eukanuba. Anything less seems like to little. I usually do a half cup in the morning before work (6 am) and a half cup at around 6 in the evening after I take her out for a walk.

[aquariangt]

For orijen i’d say that’s way too much. Every dog is different, so calorie intake requirements can vary. I feed my 18 lb dog from 2/3-3/4 cup a day depending on the food, every food is different from a calorie perspective. My 23 lb dog usually eats a cup a day, because she doesn’t get the variation as the smaller one due to some food allergies. Orijen is significantly more nutrient dense than Euk.

Is she in ideal condition right now?
How much exercise does she get?
What extras does she get? Dani gets a ton of training so she eats closer to the minimum, ad I keep unbalanced toppers to a minimum, Liesl doesn’t train as much, so she gets more middle calorie needs. I guess in general I don’t use a ton of unbalanced toppers, mostly canned and dehydrated.

I’d probably cut her down to 2/3 cup a day and watch her weight. Don’t let her trick you into thinking she needs more, dogs are shifty like that 🙂 Doxies also are prone to overweight and back issues, so you want to help keep those at bay by keeping her condition

[Naturella]

I second aquariangt. I feed my 14.5lb terrier mix about 1/2 cup of kibble/day (the high-cal kibbles) or a little more (if the kibble is below 400 kcal/cup). I use canned food at dinner time and some other additives as toppers at breakfast so he gets calories from that too, and he is at ideal body condition – lean, good muscle toning, high energy. He also gets about 3-4 treats/day, and if we do training, I use kibble for that and I just count it toward his daily kibble intake.

So for your dog, if you’re feeding just kibble, start with the recommended amount for the weight she should be at, and you can add some coconut oil as a start and see how she responds. For coconut oil, use the unrefined, extra-virgin stuff. Costco has a very affordable 52-oz jar of the good stuff for about $15-17. Haven’t found a better deal yet.

[Deanna Y]

Hello. I am brand new to this site and finding lots of great info! We just got a boxer on Saturday – he is 9 weeks old and truly the sweetest. I bought Orijin for Large Breed Puppy, and will transition him over from what he is currently on now which is Purina Pro Savor for puppies. I have never had a large dog and want to make sure I am doing everything right by this pup. Is this the best food for him to be on? I am confused about the calcium and proteins and am hoping we made a good choice. Also, ideally with this being a “better” food, how much should he be getting daily? THANK YOU for you input.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Deanna Y.

[C4D]

Hi Tyler G!

Everyone has given you some good advice! As long as the food is working digestively, you can use whichever she likes. I do rotate my foods as the others do. If the Orijen gives loose stools, you might want to go with the Acana. They’re both good foods. I do think you might be feeding too much. I have an active 13 lb dog and she gets about the equivelant of 2/3 cup of food per day even though she takes long walks (over a mile) daily. If you need to get her to gain weight, you could also feed her a midday snack to get her weight up. A lot of fosters do this to get the skinny dogs to gain weight. How does she look? She should have a distinct waist when viewed from above and a distinct tuck from her ribs to her back legs. You should be able to easily feel her ribs without pressing in. You should not see her hip or spine. Sometimes we think they’re too thin because we are so used to seeing overweight dogs. As aquariangt said, you want to keep your Doxie on the slim side to prevent back issues.

Deanna Y, I think the Orijen has been reformulated with a lower calcium level, but I’m not feeding any LB puppies currently. Here’s the DFA forum link that’s really helpful:

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

[Pitlove]

Deanna- As far as I’m aware Orijen LBP now meets the requirements for calcium and phosphorus. Orijen is an excellent food and a great choice compared to ProPlan. Another food that I really like and intend to use for my next dog which will also be a large, actually giant breed, is Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy.

Protein is of no concern when it comes to optimal growth for large breeds. Many many current studies have disproven the myth that high protein diets can cause overgrowth in LBP’s. You can feed low, normal or high protein with no different effects as long as the calcium and phosphorus levels are correct.

To answer your last question, you can start with the recommended amounts on the bag and adjust as you moniter is growth. You will be feeding less with Orijen than ProPlan because it is a more nutrient dense food.

Lastly, congrats on your Boxer! They are great dogs 🙂

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.

[Tyler G]

My dog is very lazy! Unfortunately it has been over 100 degrees for about a month straight here so going for a walk with her is straight miserable. Soon though! I’m feeding her about 3/4 of a cup a day of orijen adult. She seems to love it! She also gets a greenie a day. As much as I would love to train her I rescued her and she has really bad anxiety and any kind of hand movements and she ducks and runs. Maybe one day I can teach her tricks. When I do give her treats it’s the Stella and chewy treats. I think they’re like 8 calories per treat.

[joanne l]

Hi Deanna, if your pup is used to pro plan I would not try orijen just yet, is may be too rich for a puppy. if you want something better for right now, I would use eagle pack or holistic select or nutrisource then try acana when he or she is 2 yrs old.

[joanne l]

I have read a lot and I had a GSD, and I have another GSD and too much protein is not good. First they will be hyper and it is an overload. I have a book on these breeds and 24-26 percent protein is ideal. Now high protein in natural meat is fine, but anything processed with high protein is not fine. Processed kibble weather the best or the worst is harder on the system oppose to fresh meats like we eat. So if people are feeding kibble the best percentage is 25…if you are feeding fresh meat is doesn’t matter. My first GSD ate 2lbs of cooked chicken with only 1 1/2 cups of dry that had a 26 percent protein. His protein level was boosted by my chicken. He never had problems with joints and he lived to 14 yrs old. This one I have now can’t have chicken so I buy red meat for him. I too want to try acana but I am afraid of the richness in the livers and protein concentrate.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by joanne l.

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