Changes to Orijen formulas

It seems Orijen has recently changed their formulas.

I had stopped feeding Orijen 6-Fish because my dog (who has an allergy to corn) started to have trouble on Orijen 6-Fish after 24 full hours on the food. Within a week she was super gassy, had loose stools and had her hot spots back. This was when we switched to Wellness Core Ocean.

I highly respect the Champion Foods company and their full disclosure of their foods.

Compare the list of ingredients I had saved as a tool for determining my dog's sensitivity to the food (saved in January 09):

Fresh salmon (includes chinook. coho and sockeye species), salmon meal, russet potato, herring meal, fresh lake whitefish, sweet potato, fresh lake trout, fresh Northern walleye, freshwater cod, fresh herring, sunflower oil, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherals, a natural source of vitamin E), sun-cured alfalfa, dried sea vegetables (brown kelp, Irish moss, dulse and bladder wrack), leeks, psyllium, crab shell, rosemary, lecithin, apples, black currants..

TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS: Chicory root (FOS), licorice root, fennel seed, zea mays, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, rosehips.

ORGANIC MINERALS: Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS: Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product..

PREMIUM VITAMINS: Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, pyridoxine (source of vitamin B6).

To the ingredients now listed on Orijen's website:
INGREDIENTS
Fresh deboned salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, russet potato, fresh deboned lake whitefish, sweet potato, peas, salmon oil (preserved with vitamin E), fresh deboned walleye, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, fresh deboned flounder, fresh deboned lake trout, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, choline chloride, psyllium, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, sea salt, vitamin supplements (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12), mineral supplements (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Most notably is the subtraction of zea mays and leeks, and the addition of pumpkin.

Analysis wise, old (saved 01/09):

Guaranteed Analysis %:

Protein 44 Fat 18 Carbohydrate 18 Moisture 10 Fiber 2.5 Omega-6 2.4 Calcium (min) 1.4 Omega-3 1.3 Phosphorus (min) 1.1

Extra Information: Glucosamine 700 mg/kg Chondroitin 250 mg/kg Microorganisms 80M cfu/kg pH 5.0

New:

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (min.)	40.0%
Crude Fat (min.)	18.0%
Crude Fiber (max.)	3.0%
Moisture (max.)	10.0%
Calcium (min.)	1.5%
Calcium (max.)	1.7%
Phosphorus (min.)	1.2%
Phosphorus (max.)	1.4%
*Omega-6 (min.)	3.0%
*Omega-3 (min.) *DHA *EPA	1.2% 0.7% 0.3%
*Carbohydrate (max.)	20.0%
*Glucosamine (min.)	1200 mg/kg
*Chondroitin (min.)	900 mg/kg
Microorganisms (min.)	120M cfu/kg

And in other Orijen news - they just released a new formula called Regional Red

Raw vs. Dry Protein

When I first discovered Orijen I was so excited about the ingredients and nutrients! It was the answer to many a food quandary up until that point. Going grain free really helped pushed me towards feeding a raw diet, as well.

I think it was their "Biologically Appropriate"-ness that had me.

Yet, something always bothered by about the sky high protein analysis of foods like Orijen and EVO, compared to raw foods in the pure form.

Kibble like EVO and Orijen are so high because if you look at the dry matter basis of raw food the protein content is much higher. Since kibble is severely lacking in water that's where you get the high protein numbers. Raw food is mostly water which brings those percentages down.

For comparison:
Orijen 6-Fresh Fish
44% protein (min)
10% moisture (max)

Acana Pacifica
33% protein (min)
10% moisture (max)

EVO Small Meat Red Bites:
42.42% protein (min)
7.50% moisture (max)

Wellness Core Ocean
34% protein (min)
10% moisture (max)

Canidae Grain Free ALS
34% protein (min)
10% moisture (max)

Raw proteins:
Green Tripe (per 1oz):
14.56% protein
81.43% water

Large Raw Egg (per gram):
12.58% protein
75.84% water

Beef Liver (per 1oz):
20% protein
68.99% water

Herring (per 100g):
17.96% protein
72.05% water

Beef Heart (per 1oz):
28.23% protein
65.15% water

Chicken, whole with bone and skin (per 1oz):
25% protein
59% water

Find other protein/water percentages through the USDA calculator