The Dog Food Comparison Blog

Reading the Dog Food Review at Ask Susan Peters I found
this information that she gives about: ORIJEN ADULT Dog Food from Acana Pet Foods

First, here is a list of the ingredients

INGREDIENTS

Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.

HERBS

Chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, funugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosehips.

MINERALS

Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS

Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

VITAMINS

Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin.

Here is what her review said

    * Animal Digest – Plus 1 point = No Animal Digest
    * Corn – Plus 1 point = No corn
    * Wheat – Plus 1 point = No wheat
    * Soy – Plus 1 point = no soy
    * Gluten – Plus 1 point = No gluten
    * Extra Goodies – Plus 1 point = Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal
    * By-Products – Plus 1 point = No by-products
    * Animal Fat – Minus 1 point = Chicken Fat
    * Pet Food Recalls – Plus 1 point = No Recalls Acana Pet Foods
    * Class Action – Plus 1 point = No Class Action Acana Pet Foods

Dog Food Rating for ORIJEN Dog Food

Total Score = 9/10

Read the labels! Every pet food should be up to these standards!

Negatives found:
I don’t like the use of “natural flavor” because the pet food companies don’t tell us where this flavor comes from it is safe to assume the flavor is of the animal the product is supposed to taste of. Chicken flavor comes from chicken manure. Potatoes are a bad deal since pets don’t need potatoes in their diet this is another cheap filler. Animal fat is a bad deal because the fat is usually obtained from restuarant grease and other less desirable locations. Animal fat is used to get pets to eat a product that the pet would not normally have a desire to eat.

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Sadly, you just can’t be to careful about where you are getting your dog’s food.  The safest way is to make it yourself from ingredients that you are confident in.

Since March 16, 2007, more than 150 brands of pet food have been voluntarily recalled by a number of companies. Types of pet foods recalled include:

• moist (packaged in pouches) dog food & cat food

• canned dog food & cat food

• dry dog food and cat food

• dog treats

• dry ferret food

For a full listing of recalled pet food products, see www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/

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Of the top 10 most common reasons why dogs need veterinary treatment listed by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) “Most could be helped or minimized by a change in diet” according to VPI field veterinarian Dr. Cori Gross.

These 10 most common health problems for dogs in descending order of frequency are:

Ear infections

Skin allergies

Pyoderma (hot spots)

Stomach upsets

Intestinal inflammation/diarrhea

Bladder disease

Eye infections

Arthritis

Hypothyroidism

Sprains

When it comes to feeding your dog, the quality of the food is more important than most people think.  Many people try to economize by feeding their dog the most inexpensive food they can find.  Unfortunately for you and your dog this is a false economy.  The problem with this is that a dog needs certain proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to have optimum health.

Without these nutrients you dog will likely have health problems and you will end up spending all the money you saved on dog food (and more) on veterinary bills instead.  And you and your dog will have to suffer the effects of his or her poor health.

Take the time to compare ingredients and make sure your dog is getting the best quality dog food possible.  (See the post on comparing dog food ingredients for how to make comparisons of various dog food brands.)  Do your dog and yourself a favor by making sure he is getting the nutrition he needs to live a long and healthy life.

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According to pet health experts, bad human habits, like eating too much, consuming food with poor nutritional value and exercising too little, are contributing to what is being called an animal obesity epedemic.  There is a need for owners to put their dogs on diets and exercise programs.

One of the main problems with obesity in our dogs is that they can end up with the same obesity-related diseases we humans get including: diabetes, cancer, liver disease and heart diseases. Owners think they are pampering their dogs when in fact they are shortening their lives.

One family learned this lesson with their seven-year-old Jack Russell terrier when they realize he was more than double his recommended weight.  He was so heavy he could hardly walk and spent most of his day sleeping.  After putting him on a strict diet for a year he lost 46 pounds.  Their dog is now playful and energetic dog, swims and goes on walks.

Other dog owners have had similar success helping their companions lose weight and improve in health.  The best strategy is to not let your dog get overweight in the first place, because putting a dog on a diet is not without it’s drawbacks.  Dogs on a diet may become craky like their human counterparts do when going on a diet.  Dogs often become aggressive or hyperactive and may bark incessantly to compensate for the reduction in available food.

The benefits, however, outweigh the negative aspects of helping your dog lose weight.  A very common problem of dogs that are overweight is diebetes.  This is compounded by the fact that many dog food producers add sugar and other sweeteners to their poor quality food to cover up the bad taste.  These sweeteners are something that a dogs digestive system was never meant to deal with and can increase the possibility of dog diabetes.  Again, keeping your dogs weight down and providing high quality dog food that is high in quality protiens and low in other additives will help keep your dog healthy and strong for years to come.

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