Orijen is the highest-meat dry dog food we stock. Original runs 38% protein and 85% animal ingredients, with a freeze-dried coating on the kibble. All of it is dry, made in Canada, in 2kg, 6kg and 11.4kg bags depending on the recipe.
Who Orijen suits
Working dogs, sporting dogs and anything that burns real energy. Also dogs who struggle to hold condition, because you can get a lot of nutrition into a small bowl.
The lifestage and breed-size coverage is better than most brands manage. There are separate recipes for puppies, large breed puppies, small breeds and seniors, so you can stay with one brand as a dog grows and slows down. Orijen Original meets FEDIAF all life stages standards, which helps in a multi-dog house.
Orijen Original is comfortably the most reviewed dog food on our site, with over 200 reviews and the great majority of them five star. That's the closest thing we have to a straight answer on whether dogs eat it.
Getting the portions right
Orijen Original is 3,860 kcal/kg. A 20 to 30kg dog on the quiet side needs roughly 160 to 240g a day, which looks like less food than owners expect. Weigh it out for the first couple of weeks. Most of the complaints we hear about rich food come down to portions rather than the food.
Orijen or Acana?
Same maker. Acana Classics is 27% protein and a 50/50 split of animal ingredients and grains, at a fraction of the price. Orijen is 38% and 85%. That's a genuine difference, but Classics is a good food and most dogs do perfectly well on it. If yours is thriving, we wouldn't push you up.
Who Orijen isn't for
There's no wet Orijen in the UK, so this is dry feeding. Look at wet dog food if you like to mix.
It's the wrong food for an inactive dog already carrying weight, unless you're weighing portions properly. Fit & Trim exists for that.
And think about bag size before you buy the biggest one. Dry food goes stale once it's open, so a small dog is better off with the 2kg or 6kg bag even though the large bag looks cheaper per kilo.