Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:38 am Post subject: Burns v Orijen or other
Have just read Fee's post on another thread but decided not to hijack it with my food questions!
Both mine are on Burns and are fit,healthy and in good condition.
I did have to dabble a bit with CSJ, eggs/fish last winter to keep weight on Boo (she is very small and lean). She gets fed a little bit more than the feeding guide for her weight.
Dee gets fed slightly less than the feeding guide as she has gained a bit of weight since she lost her toe, probably due to reduced exercise, as her paw tends to get irritated and flare up. The weight doesn't seem to be coming off very easily though
I've just googled the nutritional info on Burns v Orijen and the obvious difference is the protein 18.5% v 38% which seems a huge difference??
Just asking for any thoughts really particularly on Burns v Orijen and on pros/cons of feeding the 'Active' 'Extra' 'Alert' or the 'High Oats' versions of Burns.
Or how others manage a short term weight gain or loss.
If Fee sees this I'd really like to know why you are swopping over from Burns - I know from foody posts you were always a fan and also I think Laura (Stauntonvale) uses Orijen
Tbh I've never really considered swopping food because overall Burns suits them fine, just would be interested to know a bit more.
Thanks Nic
I fed orijen for a few months a couple of years ago, and while I think the ingredients are very good, it didn't suit my dogs. Amber lost weight (she needed to), but couldn't be satisfied by it. She was ravenous, like she was when she was on steroids for her allergies. She is such a foody it was making her really unhappy. I couldn't feed Melvin enough of it to keep any weight on him, so not brilliant for him either. I guess these problems could have been sorted by adding things to the food (tripe, veg, etc) but I objected to paying SO much for a food I'd need to add to.
I fed Burns for 3 years, and was happy with it but started looking for alternatives when they kept bumping up the price. Nowadays I would rather feed a food with higher protein levels than Burns, which really is very low and I think my dogs are overall happier, healthier and in better condition with a little more protein in their lives I couldn't tell you why though, it's just an observation.
I've pretty much fed Burns from the start and am generally very happy with it. But... because of Pascos health issues we couldn't have him on it any more. At one point all three of them were on different foods and it drove me potty particularly if we were away somewhere as it became a pain in the cheeks transporting all the different foods!!!
So I managed to get Zephyr and Huds on the same food (Burns active) but I couldn't keep weight on Zephyr and that drove me mad too! I was topping Zephyr up with Natures diet.
I've never been happy with the prescription foods that Pasco was on and wanted to get him off of them, couple that with looking for something that would put some condition on Zephyr I looked around for alternatives that would please me. I met Laura at Crufts in March and had read up about their breeders offers. Nic (druimmuir) signed up for them and now I get the food through her. Zephyr was moved onto it in May while he was staying at Nics and put on 2 kilos! I was thrilled so started to slowly change Pasco over (literally 5 grams at a time) over about 6 weeks so that been then since about July both on it. We still have some Burns so Huds is plodding his way through that till its finished then we'll be on Orijen completely.
There is absoloutely nothing wrong with Burns and had Pasco been able to tolerate it, we would likely still be on it now. Having said that the quality of ingredients that is in Orijen is second to none of the market. Really can't be beat - you are paying for it though as it obvioulsy not cheap. But its top notch.
Other than the price, the only very slight negative and it is teeny tiny slight is that its harder to make into a soft paste to freeze in Kongs. Simply because there are no grains in it!!
As far as feeding guides goes - I feed Pasco less than the feeding guide - 140g twice a day and Zephyr just about the Max for him - 180g twice a day. But then he is 13 months and still filling out.
Hope thats helpful
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both my boys are now on orijen. Both were on skinners but coal was losing coat condition and he felt very bony. Like he had no fat covering at all Altho he'd got Plenty of muscle and didn't look too thin.
I'd love to feed raw but its just not practical for me so after reading up and speaking to my trainer Laura i decided to swap them to half orijen half skinners.
With Coal's recent health scare i decided to go fully over to orijen. He deserves the best and whilst i can afford it he'll get it.
Both boys are looking fab and it suits them really well. They have kept a nice weight and are getting about 275 per day at the moment.
I don't think I'd feed a grain based food again and if i ever couldn't afford orijen i think I'd move to Simpson which does a meat and potato range which has good reviews
____________ Sam, Coal & Finn
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:25 am Post subject: Re: Burns v Orijen or other
Nic2 wrote:
I've just googled the nutritional info on Burns v Orijen and the obvious difference is the protein 18.5% v 38% which seems a huge difference??....Thanks Nic
No, the obvious difference is the meat content! Orijen is 80% meat, and I don't know off the top of my head, but Burns is probably only about 25%? So, you are paying for cheap grain or rice fillers....
Primary protein source for dogs should be meat, not cereal, as that is not what their digestive systems are designed for processing.
Coco is on Burns Canine Alert and it seems to suit her, it is a low protein "working dog food" aimed at assistance dogs, very similar to chicken & brown rice but with a few added intelligence supplements . I pay £37 for 15kg which I think is a pretty good price as it lasts me 10 weeks. This is a saving of about £7 on the standard chicken & brown rice version.
We didn't get on with Canine Active, Coco put weight on and has loose poo. I may be wrong but I think it contains white rice rather than brown and it felt greasier. You get 3kg free in the sack but it still only filled the two boxes that a 15kg sack normally fills so I did wonder if the kibble was slightly heavier.
We tried Skinners but didn't get on with that (loose poo) which I assumed to be due to white rice rather than brown.
I don't doubt that Origen is a very good food but the price puts me off. Is it over £50 per sack?
I had been feeding my two Orijen for about a year, they are both of a good weight, have shiny healthy coats and minimal amounts of poop
As the price for the Orijen in my local pet store increased to £57.99 I decided to try Acana which they also stock and works out at £47.99 a bag. The main difference between the two is Acana has 60% meat 40% fruit/vegetables where as the Orijen has a higher meat content of 80%
Ruby and Tom are also doing great on this, to be honest I cant see a difference in them and ive just started on there 2nd 13.5kg sack
Okay, this won't print out as a table, but hopefully you can get the gist of the price comparison of various popular complete dry dog foods.
The table gives:
Food Name
Size of Bag in KG
Recommended feeding guide (from bag)
No. of Days the bag will last, and
Cost per day
Pricing Analysis (Summary)
DOG
Product Size (Kg) Price Grams per day No. of days bag will last Cost per Day
Royal Canin Maxi Adult 26 15.0 £50.03 385 38 £1.32
James Wellbeloved Adult Turkey & Rice 15.0 £46.97 390 38 £1.23
Arden Grange Adult White Fish & Potato 15.0 £51.09 345 43 £1.18
ProPlan Chicken & Rice 15.0 £45.76 355 39 £1.17
Hill's Adult with Chicken 12.0 £40.89 325 36 £1.14
Barking Heads TLC 12.0 £39.82 312 38 £1.05
Symply Lamb & Rice 12.0 £39.99 312 38 £1.05
ORIJEN Adult 80.20 13.5 £55.99 250 54 £1.03
Burns Adult Chicken & Brown Rice 15.0 £47.17 300 50 £0.94
Arden Grange Adult Chicken & Rice 15.0 £38.29 345 43 £0.89
Bakers Adult Beef & Country Veg 15.0 £26.07 485 30 £0.87
Eukanuba Adult Lamb & Rice 15.0 £49.99 250 60 £0.83
N.B. The above figures are based on the recomended feeding guides for an average activity dog weighing 30 Kg (oviously this is only the guide and some dogs need more than others if in heavy work or kenneled).
Prices correct at January 2011
As you can see, there is only a 9p price difference between Burns & Orijen, so yes, the bag does cost more, but that doesn't tell the whole story... You need to look at cost per day, and then also at the quality of ingredients.
I wouldn't say approx £1 a day to feed a dog is excessive (when you look at all the other costs involved, such as vets/training/bedding/kennels/mileage etc)...
We will be feeding our puppy on Orijen when he comes home, his breeder feeds her dogs on Orijen and will be weaning puppy onto it.
Yes it is a little more expensive than other brands but when you look at the ingredients and how much your dog will actually need, i dont think its expensive atall.
The nutritional content to me is really second to none and better nutrition = better health.
I know Burns is a good food aswell and obviously everyone has a budget to work with, but going on ingredients of a complete food alone, Orijen cannot be beaten.
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I couldn't tell you why though, it's just an observation.
Simply because there are no grains in it!!
. I pay £37 for 15kg which I think is a pretty good price as it lasts me 10 weeks. This is a saving of about £7 on the standard chicken & brown rice version.
but I am amazed at how long that bag lasts compared to the RC he was on before.
