Orijen vs. Acana

[Chaser]

In the hope of saving a bit of money I've been thinking of switching the dogs from Orijen to Acana Provincial (which is also grain-free) since I had heard the Acana was a fair bit cheaper. I went to my local Global/Ryan's only to find that for the same-size bag (30 lbs.) Orijen is $64.99 and Acana is $61.99. Not a whole heck of a lot of difference there. I already have two bags of Orijen on one of their "Buy 10, Get 1 Free" cards, so I'm kind of thinking I'll just stick with the Orijen...

Has anyone found that Acana is much of a better deal at your local stores??? I had been expecting at least a $10 difference.....but as it is, I'll get a better deal getting a free bag of Orijen in a year than I will saving $4 every 1.5 months or so. Kind of disappointing :sad:

[kathryn]

Well, it's both by the same company. I don't believe Acana is highly available in my area, although I have heard of it. I really don't think it's much of a difference either way. Does the Acana have a frequent buyer card?

Just curious too, I wasn't aware Orijen had any frequent buyer thing. Is it only in Canada? Or only at the store you shop at? I work at a pet food store and I know Natura Pet (California Natural, Innova, Evo and Healthwise), Regal... um Breeders Choice (Avoderm and something else) and a few other people have buy X get X free. NP has the buy 12 get one free but some companies have buy 10.

[Chaser]

The frequent buyer program is through the store I shop at. I can do it with Acana too, but I've already got a start on the Orijen card so why waste what I've already earned

I was under the impression that Champion had created Acana Provincial (grain-free) with the intention of it being a fair bit more economical than Orijen....but it doesn't seem to be, (at least not at this store), so I'm kind of wondering why they bothered?

[kathryn]

Hmm... well personally I don't like Orijen at all.. my cats absolutely hate it and it's one of the few foods that gives them tummy problems. I have a gabillion cats and they are like garbage disposals, but Orijen doesn't belong in my house apparently.

Um, are your prices in Canada dollars or no? I think your price for Orijen is pretty fair. A big bag for dogs at my store is around $75!

[Chaser]

IMO Orijen is #1 for my dogs They are doing SO well - no gas issues, Kailey is putting on weight, coats are so good I swear Chase sparkles So Acana is probably the only food I would have considered switching them to....but the price difference is so negligable I think I just shouldn't mess with a good thing. I just thought I could get more of a deal without sacrificing quality and wondered if any other Canadian members were getting a better deal anywhere else if they bough Acana

(I am using Canadian $....and I do find Orijen expensive, but it's worth it so I guess I'll have to cut back somewhere else.)

[angeldogs]

I was going to switch to Acana and found it was around the same price as Orijin and was made by them i won't switch.jag had a real bad allergy to the Orijin after one week on Orijin i came home and he looked like one big swollen lump and eyes almost swollen shut.so i won't take the chance with Acana.
For the price difference i won't switch if yours are doing good on Orijin.

[Purpledomino]

I had been buying my Acana (large breed) at a petfood store which had the buy 10 bags...get one free offer. Then it changed to buy 12 bags, get one free. They charged $47.00 per bag. I checked out another local petfood store (that I like better) and they sold the same size bags for $42.00, without the deal, which when you do the math is cheaper.

I think it depends on the store whether or not they want to offer the free bag program, bother with the paperwork, and keep you on file for the rebate offer. It's also possible that they could jack up the price a bit to offset this. Check that out if you buy Acana or Orijen with the free bag offer.

[Chris21711]

Our guys eat Acana Provincial, right now they are eating the Grasslands, Global here does offer buy 12 get 1 free, cost of a large bag is $62.99 considerably more than you are paying Purpledomino. I don't understand why there should be such a difference in the price.

[Purpledomino]

Originally Posted by Chris21711

Our guys eat Acana Provincial, right now they are eating the Grasslands, Global here does offer buy 12 get 1 free, cost of a large bag is $62.99 considerably more than you are paying Purpledomino. I don't understand why there should be such a difference in the price.

The Grasslands is more costly than the original ACANA formula. I am feeding the ACANA large breed.

[loveyadogs]

Hi there
Wee bazil gets smelly ears , (not infections or mites) and his coat looks drab and oily, he licks himself into a state.i have done a lot of research and have chaged him off science heinze food to Orijin as of this AM.
I bought small sample bags to see how it goes.I have three dogs.
One is a Senior, one is 6 and bazil is 3. His coat is a state and I feel bad, I know he is allergy to somehting in the food. I am hopeful this may make a differnce for him, and am watching clsoely to everything he has.
I put a little bit of warm water in it as they all are used to DRY and WET mixed and this only came in dry so the gal suggested some hot water

[Ielsrmf]

Originally Posted by loveyadogs

Hi there
Wee bazil gets smelly ears , (not infections or mites) and his coat looks drab and oily, he licks himself into a state.i have done a lot of research and have chaged him off science heinze food to Orijin as of this AM.
I bought small sample bags to see how it goes.I have three dogs.
One is a Senior, one is 6 and bazil is 3. His coat is a state and I feel bad, I know he is allergy to somehting in the food. I am hopeful this may make a differnce for him, and am watching clsoely to everything he has.
I put a little bit of warm water in it as they all are used to DRY and WET mixed and this only came in dry so the gal suggested some hot water

One of my dogs are allergic to Orijen, didn't work for us so I hope it is ok since you know your dog is allergic to something, 5 fish was any better for him. Good luck!

[zomo]

Originally Posted by loveyadogs

Hi there
Wee bazil gets smelly ears , (not infections or mites) and his coat looks drab and oily, he licks himself into a state.i have done a lot of research and have chaged him off science heinze food to Orijin as of this AM.
I bought small sample bags to see how it goes.I have three dogs.
One is a Senior, one is 6 and bazil is 3. His coat is a state and I feel bad, I know he is allergy to somehting in the food. I am hopeful this may make a differnce for him, and am watching clsoely to everything he has.
I put a little bit of warm water in it as they all are used to DRY and WET mixed and this only came in dry so the gal suggested some hot water

Orijen has done wonders for Melvin who has allergies to grains. He was licking his paws endlessly and having recurrent ear infections. If you have switched to Orijen just make sure any snacks ex: (dog biscuits) that you give him are grain free also. Good luck sure hope he is feeling better soon

[loveyadogs]

oh gosh
dog treats
oh dear I didnt think on that.what ones are good do you use?
also they do not like the food
I added some salmon into it (the juice form a can) and they scarfed it up. can i buy somehting to add to this????

[Chaser]

Originally Posted by loveyadogs

oh gosh
dog treats
oh dear I didnt think on that.what ones are good do you use?
also they do not like the food
I added some salmon into it (the juice form a can) and they scarfed it up. can i buy somehting to add to this????

I would suggest starting a new thread for this question as it has now gone off topic.

[babysweet]

The biggest difference in the Acana grain free is that instead of using strictly potato as a binder (which some animals have an issue with), the Acana uses potato, peas and pumpkin. So far, the response we have gotten from our clients (I run a rescue) has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly from the Grasslands.

Lots of people have even switched right over without much digestive upset.

The pumpkin serves as a great binder, unfortunately it's not an easy ingredient to source in large quantities and so raises the price of the food. However, it's a top quality binder and a great source of fibre with a great nutritional profile.

We've actually switched our guys from the Orijen chicken to the Grasslands Acana (about the same price). If you're purchasing your food from a Ryan's, you can continue your Orijen card with Acana, and you will get a free bag of Acana at the end.

The Acana Low Grain variety is their cheaper version (20% oatmeal) and is still what I would consider a top quality food. Oatmeal is one of the best grains, a great binder and causes very few allergies. Also, all ingredients (with the exception of the New Zealand Lamb) are from Canada.

To all those who have had issues with Orijen, I do suggest giving Acana a try. Start with the low grain Acana, and if things go well, try the Prarie Harvest, or the Grasslands/Pacifica if your guys have allergies.

We'll be starting our new puppy on a mix of the Puppy & Junior and the Prairie Harvest. The Acana Grain Free is approved for all LifeStages, but I want to try out the Puppy & Junior personally. We'll use it alone for a few months, and then add in the Grain free. My poor test subject dogs.

[pieperd]

We have always valued good quality dog food. With a lab that has ear infections and foot chewing issues, we've tried a few to figure out what is triggering the allergies.

Our first encounter with Acana was with their regular line. After 2 bags, there was not a difference in the ear and foot situation. Our second dog, who happens to be quite fussy, didn't like the taste of the food either. In doing some research, I felt that it was the grains but worried about the amount of protein. I chose to try the Provincial - Pacifica. We are very pleased. It has been 2 weeks, and her coat is looking really nice, and the chewing has drastically reduced. We are ending an ear issue, so we will see if this will last longer than a few weeks.

Our second dog, likes the taste of the food, and we don't have to use gravy to get her to eat. We also noticed that the hair loss has reduced. We tried a cheap brand before, and what we didn't pay in price, we paid in effort to clean up the hair.

[rainbow]

Our bag of Orijen is almost finished and as most of you know I have always raved about this food.

We will be switching to Acana Provincial for the next one just to give it a try so will do an update our results afterwards.

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by rainbow

Our bag of Orijen is almost finished and as most of you know I have always raved about this food.

We will be switching to Acana Provincial for the next one just to give it a try so will do an update our results afterwards.

Why are you switching if they like Orijen

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by Chris21711

Why are you switching if they like Orijen

Chase keeps licking his chops at night which I always thought was a sign of nausea but just recently found out that it can also mean heartburn caused by too rich of a food being fed so thought I'd try a lower protein kibble.

[jillybeanrocks]

We had our cats and dog in our household on Orijen. The outdoor cat and Cooper, my Yorkie, were extremely gassy on it so we switched everyone to Acana. I mixed it all 50/50 until the Orijen is done and so far no problems We will probably continue everyone on Acana.

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by rainbow

Chase keeps licking his chops at night which I always thought was a sign of nausea but just recently found out that it can also mean heartburn caused by too rich of a food being fed so thought I'd try a lower protein kibble.

It isn't really that much lower Rainbow, do you switch your flavours around? So far I have only given them the Grasslands and all seems good although Reb not the others seems to be getting goopy eyes, not excessive I only clean them once a day but I don't remember that happening before.

Today I picked up a bag of the chicken grain free for Iggy, Ethel said he hasn't been eating as well as he should lately, so gonna try this. It is a bit cheaper too, that's not the reason though. Do you find that sometimes Logan is iffy about his food, could it be Huskies..........?

[clm]

Why don't you try mixing the Orijen with something like Kirkland brand. Kirkland isn't the greatest, but far from being the worst and mixing with the Orijen will stretch your dollar a lot further. I had to do that after DH lost his job. The kibble isn't all they get, I do mix it with homecooked, but they like the mix.

Cindy

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by Chris21711

It isn't really that much lower Rainbow, do you switch your flavours around? So far I have only given them the Grasslands and all seems good although Reb not the others seems to be getting goopy eyes, not excessive I only clean them once a day but I don't remember that happening before.

Today I picked up a bag of the chicken grain free for Iggy, Ethel said he hasn't been eating as well as he should lately, so gonna try this. It is a bit cheaper too, that's not the reason though. Do you find that sometimes Logan is iffy about his food, could it be Huskies..........?

I know it's only about 8% or 9% lower than Orijen but I would prefer to keep them on a grain free kibble they don't come any lower than that. I was feeding them the chicken based Orijen but I think I'm going to switch to the Acana Pacifica if the store doesn't have trouble keeping it in stock otherwise it will be the Prairie Harvest formula.

Logan has never been fussy with his food and has been fed a few different brands. My two previous sibes were never fussy eaters either. What was Iggy eating before the Acana?

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by rainbow

I know it's only about 8% or 9% lower than Orijen but I would prefer to keep them on a grain free kibble they don't come any lower than that. I was feeding them the chicken based Orijen but I think I'm going to switch to the Acana Pacifica if the store doesn't have trouble keeping it in stock otherwise it will be the Prairie Harvest formula.

Prairie Harvest is that the chicken grain free (I have one in my truck but too lazy to go and look )

Logan has never been fussy with his food and has been fed a few different brands. My two previous sibes were never fussy eaters either. What was Iggy eating before the Acana?

I had all dogs on Merrick chicken before, then they got the runs - all of them, then Cocoa got it again, so I had my doubts about quality control - Ethel kept Iggy on Merrick though. Then I went to Acana Lamb and Apple, before I decided to go grain free, now everyone is on the Grasslands but Iggy has been losing interest lately so we got the chicken for him to try and see if it will get him drooling again.....not.....I think she babies him too much.

Funny you saying about Chase licking his chops, Skip was doing that, but seems to have stopped, I have noticed though that he licks his paws a lot at night, is that a sign of anything other than he thinks that they taste good?

[Sib.HuskyMom]

Originally Posted by zomo

If you have switched to Orijen just make sure any snacks ex: (dog biscuits) that you give him are grain free also.

If you're having trouble finding grain-free treats in the pet store, you can always just make your own. It's super easy, doesn't really take much time, and that way you have full control over what's going in them.
You can just do a google search and I'm sure a million recipes will pop up.

In a pinch, I just give my dogs a little bit of fruit as a treat. Not too much though, or they'll get the runs
But a couple small apple slices (without the seeds) will always put a smile on their face. And their all-time, hands-down favourite snack - BANANAS!
The riper the better!

[Luvmypitgirls]

I buy my Orijen at my local Global store as well, with gst I'm paying $73. and change.
The Ancana is only a couple bucks cheaper, and I too am on the buy 10 get one free program.

I cannot believe the difference in my dogs since going on the 6 fish and sea veggies Orijen.
Their coats are much improved already (i'm still mixing 50/50 with Kirkland until the Kirkland is used up), but the difference already is huge.
The one thing I have noticed is that their "flatuence" stinks more than ever! Pitties and Rotties, usually have bad gas as it is but holy hannah now it's bad enough to make us run outside on occassion!

[Mgue]

I also switched from Orijen to Acana - the Prairie Harvest one. Although it is only slightly less protein, it did wonders for my puppy. He now has MUCH less gas, and it is MUCH less smelly. And his poops are a bit firmer too.

Although it is only a bit cheaper for a bag, I noticed the bag says to feed less of Acana than I was feeding on Orijen. So that has saved additional money too.

[Pepsi]

I am feeding my dogs with orijen adult chicken as well, the result was exellent compare to kirkland, I used to feed. The noticeble differences after the first bag are more glossy coat, way less poop, and body odor. . but I bought them from a local seller for $63 (tax included) per bag~

[Luvmypitgirls]

Orijen, is going up to 71.99 per bag, went to get some yesterday and noticed two bags at the bottom of the pile priced at 69.99, so I grabbed them. It's only a couple bucks difference, but a couple bucks is a couple bucks, especially in this economy.
Thankfully I only have one more bag to buy before I get my free bag.

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by Luvmypitgirls

Orijen, is going up to 71.99 per bag, went to get some yesterday and noticed two bags at the bottom of the pile priced at 69.99, so I grabbed them. It's only a couple bucks difference, but a couple bucks is a couple bucks, especially in this economy.
Thankfully I only have one more bag to buy before I get my free bag.

Acana went up in price too, now for the Grasslands it is $64.99 a bag (I get a 10% spca discount on anything I buy in the store), the owner said that all kibbles are rising in price.....what else is new