Ingredient quality
A top-quality dry dog food. Experts say Orijen is as good as dry dog food gets — and it earns top scores from every review site we consulted. Orijen has great meat content: Fresh chicken is the first ingredient, followed by fresh turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh chicken liver, fresh whole herring and fresh whole flounder. Most meats are fresh, with no preservatives, while others are air dried to produce a more concentrated protein source. The food is grain-free, and carbohydrates come from high-quality sources such as lentils, chickpeas, pumpkin, squash and other fruits and veggies.
Product safety
Canadian made, with local ingredients. Orijen dog food is made in the company’s own facilities (many dog foods, including some top brands, outsource manufacturing to a third party). Ingredients are locally sourced, all meats are either raised cage free or wild caught, and no ingredients made in China are used. Meats and other proteins are certified as fit for human consumption by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Orijen is based in Canada). All meats are now preservative free. Orijen dog food has never been subject to a recall.
Value
Quality doesn’t come cheap. While there are very few downsides to feeding your dog with this high-quality food, Orijen is harder to find than some other high-quality dog foods and it’s fairly expensive. Taste of the Wild High Prairie
(Est. $50 for a 30-lb. bag), another well-regarded grain-free kibble costs substantially less, though it has less meat content and a recall record that while good, is not quite as spotless.
Specs
Type Dry dog food
Top five ingredients Fresh chicken, fresh turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh chicken liver, fresh whole herring
Primary carbohydrate sources whole red lentils, whole green lentils, whole green peas, lentil fiber, whole chickpeas
Organic No
Grain-free Yes
By-products No
Ethoxyquin-free Yes
Sizes 4.5 lbs., 13 lbs., 25 lbs.
