Has your local pet food store run out of your favorite Orijen recipe, or is the price of Orijen getting too high for you to keep up?
Well, you aren’t alone, and with the ongoing supply chain issues plaguing the world, Orijen recipes will likely be unavailable at times for the foreseeable future.
Most dog owners are painfully aware of how difficult switching a dog’s food can be, especially if they’ve been on their existing food for many years.
Finding an alternative to Orijen or any dog food brand isn’t easy, and there are many things to consider, including price, ingredients, nutrition, and availability.
What To Look For When Searching For An Alternative To Orijen Dog Food
Price
For most looking for an alternative to Orijen, price is the most critical factor. Upgrading or switching to a more expensive brand isn’t an option.
Depending on the recipe, Orijen dry dog food recipes typically cost between $95 to $120 for a 25lb bag. This is roughly $3.8 to $4.8 per pound of dry dog food when purchased in larger bags.
You’ll want to check the weight of prospective alternatives and ensure they are a similar price per pound.
Ingredients
The ingredients found in an alternative dog food recipe are another significant factor. Many dogs have a poor reaction to new ingredients, which you’ll want to avoid if possible.
Orijen dog food recipes utilize one of the largest ranges of meat ingredients in the industry, including industry favorites like Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Lamb, and Salmon but also far less common ingredients like Venison, Goat, and Wild Boar.
Orijen also extensively uses plant-based ingredients like Peas, Lentils, and Beans.
While a relatively new addition to their recipes, they have also started utilizing grain ingredients like Oat Groats, Millet, and Whole Oats, as well as other plant-based ingredients like Flaxseed.
You are extremely unlikely to be able to find an alternative dog food recipe with the same ingredient list as an Orijen recipe, but instead, you may want to aim for most of the first five ingredients to be the same or similar.
Nutrition
The nutritional value of a dog food recipe is also significant, with many dog owners picking dog food recipes because of their protein and fat content.
This is especially true for certain dogs with larger protein or fat requirements because of the high activity levels of life stages.
Orijen dry dog food recipes typically have between 35-40% protein and 15-20% fat; however, some recipes may fall outside of this range.
When selecting an alternative, you may want to find a recipe with a protein and fat proportion within this range or within 5% of your dog’s previous recipe.
Availability
Last but not least is the availability of the new dog food recipe. If you are switching because you can’t get your existing recipe reliably or it’s sold out, switching to another, which is challenging to get your hands on, is a bad idea.
You’ll want to check if the brand is available from multiple sources, such as at a local pet food store and online from pet food websites like Chewy.
Best Alternatives To Orijen Dog Food
Acana
The simplest solution to find an alternative to Orijen might be to look at their sister brand, Acana.
The two brands go hand in hand, and many dog owners alternate between their recipes or have used both in the past.
However, Acana is aimed at a slightly lower price point than Orijen and is more in line with other similar premium brands. In contrast, Orijen is considered by most to be a luxury brand.
A typical Acana recipe costs between $65 to $90 for a 22.5-25lb bag of dry dog food.
This is roughly $2.6 to $4 per pound of dry dog food which is noticeably below most similar Orijen recipes.
Acana uses very similar ingredients in their dry dog food recipes, including whole meat ingredients and meat meals like Beef, Beef Meal, Chicken, Turkey, and Chicken Meal.
On the plant-based side, Acana heavily relies on the same legumes found in Orijen recipes, like Peas, Lentils, Beans, and Chickpeas.
However, just as Orijen has expanded into grain-inclusive food, so has Acana, and their recipes use grains like Oats, Sorghum, and Millet.
We compared the nutritional value of five Acana recipes to five Orijen recipes. We found that the protein levels in their recipes varied from 27-31%, and the fat levels in their recipes were consistently 17%.
Based on this, the nutritional profile of most Acana dry dog food recipes is likely to be less impressive than Orijen, with slightly lower protein and fat proportions but still far better than most other brands.
We believe that Acana recipes should be relatively easy to purchase from physical retail pet stores across the United States.
However, you are more likely to find their recipes at dedicated pet stores than at large grocery stores like Walmart.
While some retail locations may have a limited selection of Acana products, Acana stocks all its recipes online at large pet food websites like Chewy and Amazon.
You can see which Acana recipes are stocked on Chewy here and see which are stocked on Amazon here.
One of our favorite traits of Acana is its consistent recipes that have similar nutritional values and ingredient quality.
For this reason, we would suggest that you select your Acana recipe based on your dog’s preference for meat and fish ingredients.
For example, if your dog enjoys red meat, you should consider the Red Meat Recipe, or if your dog enjoys fish, consider the Freshwater Fish recipe.
ㅤ
If you’d like to learn more about Acana, check out our Acana Brand Review for a detailed discussion and analysis.
Nature’s Logic
While Orijen and Acana are some of the most well-known dog food brands in the United States and Canada, Nature’s Logic is far less popular.
However, this doesn’t mean you should dismiss it, and we consider it a very viable option when looking for an alternative for Orijen.
While not as low as Acana, Nature’s Logic recipes are also aimed at a slightly lower price than Orijen.
A typical Nature’s Logic recipe costs between $75 to $95 for a 25lb bag of dry dog food.
This is roughly $3 to $3.8 per pound of dry dog food which is marginally below most similar Orijen recipes.
While most Orijen recipes have an extensive range of high-quality meat and fish ingredients, Nature’s Logic recipes focus on one ingredient.
Some examples of these meat and fish ingredients include Beef Meal, Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal, Pork Meal, and Turkey Meal.
For most of the brand’s life, Nature’s Logic has focused on a single plant-based ingredient, Millet, which was used in all of their recipes.
However, some recent grain-free additions to their product range have seen them stick to a single plant-based ingredient but utilize Tapioca instead of Millet.
We compared the nutritional value of five Nature’s Logic recipes to five Orijen recipes. We found that the protein levels in their recipes varied from 32–36%, and the fat levels in their recipes were consistently 15%.
Based on this, the nutritional profile of most Nature’s Logic dry dog food recipes is likely to be almost as impressive as Orijen, with similar or slightly lower protein and fat proportions.
However, Nature’s Logic may not be as easy to purchase from physical retail pet stores across the United States, Orijen, or Acana.
You will likely find their recipes at dedicated pet stores rather than large grocery stores like Walmart.
While some retail locations may have a limited selection, Nature’s Logic stocks all its recipes online at large pet food websites like Chewy.
You can see which Nature’s Logic recipes are stocked on Chewy here.
Given that Nature’s Logic recipes tend to have a much smaller ingredient list than Orijen, they might be a good choice if your dog has specific allergens or sensitivities, but you still want them to maintain a high protein diet.
Two of our favorite Nature’s Logic recipes include their Canine Pork Meal Feast, notable as Pork is rarely seen in dog food, and their Canine Duck & Salmon Meal Feast, thanks to its high levels of the Omega Fatty Acids.
ㅤ
If you’d like to learn more about Nature’s Logic, check out our Nature’s Logic Brand Review for a detailed discussion and analysis.
Wellness
While Nature’s Logic was more of a niche dog food brand, Wellness is back in the mainstream and a staple many will be familiar with.
With a vast range of products varying from dry dog food to wet dog food and treats to toppers, many dog owners never feel the need to stray from the brand.
However, we will focus on their CORE range which is the closest to Orijen. Like Acana, most Wellness CORE recipes are aimed at a notably lower price than Orijen.
A typical Wellness recipe costs between $70 to $80 for a 26lb bag of dry dog food.
This is roughly $2.7 to $3.1 per pound of dry dog food which is noticeably below most similar Orijen recipes.
Wellness uses similar ingredients in their dry dog food recipes, including whole meat ingredients and meat meals like Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, and Lamb Meal.
On the plant-based side, Wellness utilizes three industry-favorite ingredients, some of which are used in Orijen recipes. These include Peas, Lentils, and Potatoes.
However, like most other brands, Wellness has also expanded into grain-inclusive food, and their recipes use grains like Barley, Oatmeal, and Quinoa.
We compared the nutritional value of five Wellness Core recipes to five Orijen recipes and found that the protein levels in their recipes varied from 32-36%, and the fat levels in their recipes were between 15-17%.
Based on this, the nutritional profile of most Wellness Core dry dog food recipes is likely to be slightly less impressive than Orijen but still very similar, with marginally lower protein and fat proportions.
Wellness should be relatively easy to purchase from physical retail pet stores like PetSmart and Petco, as well as smaller locations across the United States.
While some retail locations may have a limited selection, Wellness stocks all its recipes online at large pet food websites like Chewy and Amazon.
You can see which Acana recipes are stocked on Chewy here and see which are stocked on Amazon here.
Another attractive trait of Wellness is its RawRev products which combine traditional kibble with freeze-dried meat.
This is an appealing choice for many considering how expensive freeze-dried food can be, and it tends to make the kibble far more attractive.
If you want to try out their RawRev products, we recommend their CORE RawRev Original recipe.
However, if you’d prefer to stick to their tried and tested dry dog food, their CORE Ocean recipe is one of our favorites.
If you’d like to learn more about Wellness, check out our Wellness Brand Review for a detailed discussion and analysis.
Instinct
Instinct is a brand we’ve discussed and highlighted for years on the site, primarily due to the reliability and consistency of their recipes.
They are best known for their raw and semi-raw dog food recipes but also have many traditional dry and wet dog food recipes.
Most Instinct recipes are comfortably lower cost than Orijen, but they vary depending on whether they are semi-raw, traditional kibble, or limited ingredient.
A typical Instinct recipe costs between $65 to $90 for a 20-22lb bag of dry dog food.
This is roughly $3 to $4.5 per pound of dry dog food, usually below most similar Orijen recipes.
Instinct uses many of the same ingredients in their dry dog food recipes as Orijen, including whole meat ingredients and meat meals like Salmon, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Beef, Lamb, Lamb Meal, and Herring Meal.
On the plant-based side, Instinct doesn’t utilize the same broad mix of legumes that Orijen does but makes extensive use of Peas and Tapioca.
Their newly created grain-inclusive range uses many of the same grains we’ve mentioned for brands like Barley, Oatmeal, and Brown Rice.
We compared the nutritional value of five Instinct recipes to five Orijen recipes and found that the protein levels in their recipes varied from 25-37%, and the fat levels in their recipes that are between 13-21%.
Based on this, the nutritional profile of Instinct recipes varies tremendously. Still, with a few exceptions, their dry dog food recipes are likely to be slightly less impressive than Orijen’s but still similar, with lower protein and fat proportions.
Instinct should be relatively easy to purchase from physical retail pet stores like PetSmart and Petco and smaller locations across the United States.
While some retail locations may have a limited selection, Instinct stocks all its recipes online at large pet food websites like Chewy and Amazon.
You can see which Acana recipes are stocked on Chewy here and see which are stocked on Amazon here.
Instinct’s Original Salmon recipe is one we’ve returned to several times over the years for dry dog food recommendations.
We continue to recommend it thanks to its impressive nutrition, especially its vast levels of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids at a whopping 1.8%.
ㅤ
However, if you feel a little more adventurous, we recommend checking out the various Raw Boost recipes from Instinct.
These recipes combine the reliability and cost-effectiveness of dry kibble with small portions of freeze-dried raw food that pack flavor and high levels of protein and fat.
You can find the full range of Instinct’s Raw Boost recipes on Chewy here.
If you’d like to learn more about Instinct, check out our Instinct Brand Review for a detailed discussion and analysis.
The Honest Kitchen
A final premium option that dog owners may have heard of previously is The Honest Kitchen.
While the brand has a wide selection of dog food products, it is best known for its dehydrated dog food, a premium niche that has yet to become widely popular.
Other attractive traits of the brand include using human-grade facilities and high levels of transparency on their ingredients and nutrition.
The Honest Kitchen is far from low-cost and is priced similarly to many of the other alternatives discussed but with slightly smaller quantities in their bags.
A typical The Honest Kitchen recipe costs between $75 to $90 for a 20lb bag of dry dog food.
This is roughly $3.75 to $4.5 per pound of dry dog food, almost identical to most similar Orijen recipes.
The Honest Kitchen sticks to basics regarding meat ingredients in their dry dog food recipes, with additions like Beef, Chicken, and Turkey.
On the plant-based side, The Honest Kitchen heavily relies on some legumes found in Orijen recipes, like Peas, Lentils, and starches, like Potatoes.
However, The Honest Kitchen also has some grain-inclusive recipes, and in these recipes, they use grains like Oats and Barley.
We compared the nutritional value of five The Honest Kitchen recipes to five Orijen recipes and found that the protein levels in their recipes varied from 24–27%, and the fat levels in their recipes that are between 14-17%.
Based on this, the nutritional profile of most The Honest Kitchen dry dog food recipes is likely to be noticeably less impressive than Orijen, with lower protein and fat proportions.
The Honest Kitchen should be moderately easy to purchase from physical retail pet stores across the United States.
This is especially true at smaller, independent pet food stores, where The Honest Kitchen focuses its effort. However, they are also stocked at larger stores like Petco and Pet Supplies Plus.
While some retail locations may have a limited selection, The Honest Kitchen stocks all its recipes online at large pet food websites like Chewy and Amazon.
You can see which Acana recipes are stocked on Chewy here and see which are stocked on Amazon here.
While it might not be flashy and use exotic ingredients or contain a massive portion of protein and fat, we’d recommend The Honest Kitchen’s Chicken & Oat Recipe if you want to try the brand out.
Alternatively, if you are feeling adventurous, you may want to try out The Honest Kitchen’s bread and butter – their dehydrated dog food recipes.
While the concept is sometimes difficult to wrap your head around, many dogs love it and benefit from the softer, semi-moist food.
If you’d like to learn more about The Honest Kitchen, check out our The Honest Kitchen Brand Review for a detailed discussion and analysis.
