Orijen: what is in it, and what we would feed instead
Original, Six Fish, Tundra, Regional Red · Pet Valu, independents (made in Alberta; Champion Petfoods is owned by Mars Petcare)
Our take
Orijen is the top of the kibble category. Our honest question is the one we ask every Orijen customer: at this price, why not feed the fresh version?
What the label says
Orijen is the premium tier above ACANA (same parent, Champion Petfoods, owned by Mars Petcare since 2023). Higher protein, more protein sources. It is still extruded kibble: the meats are cooked down at high heat, which creates the same advanced glycation end products (AGEs) found in any processed food, whatever the starting ingredients.
- Mars Petcare completed its purchase of Champion Petfoods in 2023
- The highest-priced kibble, and still an extruded pellet
- The "85% animal ingredients" figure includes rendered meals
- Fresh proteins on the label are weighed wet
- One formula, fed for years, is the norm
- Whole, named protein
- Moisture in the food (raw is about 70% water; kibble about 10%)
- Protein rotation
- No starch binder
- Fresh fats and omega-3s
The fresh-vs-meal trick: Orijen lists multiple "fresh" or "raw" proteins prominently — but those are weighed BEFORE cooking removes the 70% moisture. The actual finished-bag protein contribution from "fresh chicken" is roughly 30% of the listed weight. The meals (already-cooked-down concentrates) deliver more actual protein per gram.
The switch at Barks N Purrs
At Orijen pricing, fresh raw is often the same or less per day. Big Country Raw or Perfectly Raw gives you the fresh version of what Orijen markets.
Website prices on 2026-09-26. Cost per day is a starting estimate at 2.5% of body weight for an adult dog; your plan uses your pet's real weight and age.
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