New Orijen Formula, Too Much Fish?

[foxxycat]

Oh man! Maybe they have partnered with merrick. Another company that has lost lots of customers.

 

[Kat0121]

Oh man! Maybe they have partnered with merrick. Another company that has lost lots of customers.

That would put them in the clutches of Purina who already bought out Merrick.

 

 

[foxxycat]

your image is coming up an x-ed out box-wont show-I tried to refresh the page a few times..yeah I knew about merrick getting bought out by purina.someone needed that mansion and foolish rich stuff. like we don't already have enough STUFF

 

Instead they trick the less smart folks with fancy comercials and catchy lines. If you ever took marketing courses then you would see through the BS. so SICK Of BS companies and how we have to work so hard to get the TRUTH about pet food. the food should be better than what we eat. Animals deserve the best.

 

[sarahlove]

I have a few questions about there new formulas.
1. Are dehydrated meats the same as meal? Example: dehydrated chicken vs chicken meal.
2. The new cats and kitten has whole eggs as the third ingredient after deboned chicken, deboned turkey, and yellowtail flounder. Would eggs account for a bit of the protein or would it still mostly be meat?

 

[rickr]

 
It's just some of their ingredients are a bit dubious to me

Chicken, Tapioca, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Dried Tomato Pomace, Dried Whey Protein Concentrate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Montmorillonite Clay, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Chicken (including Freeze Dried Ground Chicken Bone), Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Pumpkinseeds, Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Carrots, Apples, Rosemary Extract, Butternut Squash, Dried Kelp, Broccoli, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salmon Oil, Dried Chicory Root, Blueberries

Don't know what "natural flavor" means. I always read to avoid tomato pomace. And why does their need to be whey protein concentrate if this is supposed to be a meat heavy food?

Thanks for clarifying.  I'm certainly not a nutritional expert and there is so much conflicting, contradictory information.  Based on my limited research.  Flaxseed helps control inflamation, like fish oil only not as effective.  Dried Tomato Pomace provides fiber and antioxidants.  While, some people feel it's a low quality filler with minimal nutritional value, I could not find anything pointing toward harm.  Dried Whey - I couldn't find anything useful about it pro or con related to cats.  Natural Flavor...agree, who knows what that is.

 

[missmimz]

2. The new cats and kitten has whole eggs as the third ingredient after deboned chicken, deboned turkey, and yellowtail flounder. Would eggs account for a bit of the protein or would it still mostly be meat?

Eggs yolks are really good for cats, so it's not entirely bad that they moved egg up on the ingredients list. It may count as a bit of protein but I wouldn't imagine it would be that much. 

 

[the3rdname]

 

 
i just went on the facebook site-holy MOLY lots of P***ED OFF PEOPLE!!!

I will comment too. Just trying to figure out how to word it so they hear our voices. we wanted imported food because Canadas standards are much higher than USAs. 

I saw it too. Yes they are mad. Orijen just keeps telling people to call customer service. Has anyone here ever called their customer service? You cannot get through. It tells you to leave a voice mail and one of their FIVE representatives will get back to you. 

 

I just contacted them through their website to let them know they've lost a loyal customer. Fortunately, Chewy.com is still selling the old Canadian formula. I just purchased a couple of bags not knowing about the plant/formula change and thank goodness I got the old stuff. 

*sigh* I guess this would be a perfect time to wean them off of kibble. 

 

[mosimom]

Regional doesn't exactly mean regional. Looks like they do outsource their dried meats. This is a response on Orijen Facebook. You can find it in "visiter posts."


ORIJEN Dog and Cat Food Hi Cecilia, our foods aren't labeled organic, our focus rather is on fresh and regional ingredients. All fresh meat ingredients as well as fruit and vegetables will come from US for our DogStar Kitchens. Some of our dried meats will come from other countries, for example our herring meal comes from Europe, it is made to our specifications using the whole fish. Using ingredients like this in whole prey ratios allows us to dramatically reduce the supplementation in our foods. If you'd like more information regarding ingredients please reach out to our Customer Care team, they are on the phones Monday through Friday and also available through live chat. Have a great week!

 

[neely]

I was thinking about maybe the Acana Grasslands or Meadowlands, since he seems to like those. Or are those too low in protein?

Seven months ago we adopted an adult Persian cat and gradually switched him to Acana Wild Prairie.  I joined a Persian cat forum and some of their members had excellent results with Acana, i.e. they said Orijen was too rich but Acana worked very well.  Yesterday I went to buy a new bag and couldn't believe it when I saw they changed the name from Wild Prairie to Meadowlands.  I talked to the store manager who told me, "the original Acana and Orijen are still made in Canada but they no longer distribute it to the U.S. - Champion has taken over the U.S. production in Kentucky."  Luckily I still had my old bag of Acana and compared it to the new Meadowlands bag by Champion - the formula was different!

  They had one very large size bag left of the original Acana Wild Prairie so I bought it.  Our kitty has done remarkably well on it and I was thoroughly upset about the change.  The store manager told me he has had complaints from other customers so he researched how to purchase it from Canada.  He printed out a sheet with contact info. and told me to call and see if they would ship it to me.  Since I bought such a large bag I won't need a new supply for awhile which will give me time to contact this number.  If anyone is interested I'd be glad to pass this info. along.  I plan to call my vet tomorrow and get her advice about switching vs. trying to order from Canada.  

I'm so thankful to have found this thread and hear what others are saying about Champion's new food.  There's an old saying that definitely applies to this topic, "if it's not broke, don't fix it."  I haven't been on the cat site forum for some time and will have to reintroduce myself and my new Persian kitty.  Once again, thanks for starting this thread and posting everyone's experience with the new formula.

 

[mosimom]

Seven months ago we adopted an adult Persian cat and gradually switched him to Acana Wild Prairie.  I joined a Persian cat forum and some of their members had excellent results with Acana, i.e. they said Orijen was too rich but Acana worked very well.  Yesterday I went to buy a new bag and couldn't believe it when I saw they changed the name from Wild Prairie to Meadowlands.  I talked to the store manager who told me, "the original Acana and Orijen are still made in Canada but they no longer distribute it to the U.S. - Champion has taken over the U.S. production in Kentucky."  Luckily I still had my old bag of Acana and compared it to the new Meadowlands bag by Champion - the formula was different!   They had one very large size bag left of the original Acana Wild Prairie so I bought it.  Our kitty has done remarkably well on it and I was thoroughly upset about the change.  The store manager told me he has had complaints from other customers so he researched how to purchase it from Canada.  He printed out a sheet with contact info. and told me to call and see if they would ship it to me.  Since I bought such a large bag I won't need a new supply for awhile which will give me time to contact this number.  If anyone is interested I'd be glad to pass this info. along.  I plan to call my vet tomorrow and get her advice about switching vs. trying to order from Canada.  

I'm so thankful to have found this thread and hear what others are saying about Champion's new food.  There's an old saying that definitely applies to this topic, "if it's not broke, don't fix it."  I haven't been on the cat site forum for some time and will have to reintroduce myself and my new Persian kitty.  Once again, thanks for starting this thread and posting everyone's experience with the new formula.

Would love to know how to get the Canadian Acana. What info did the store manager give you?
You can go to Canada and come back with up to 45-50 lbs. cannot bring in anything with lamb though. Just need a passport, time and a plan.

 

[neely]

Would love to know how to get the Canadian Acana. What info did the store manager give you?
You can go to Canada and come back with up to 45-50 lbs. cannot bring in anything with lamb though. Just need a passport, time and a plan.

Here's the info: 1-800-839-7232  Homes Alive Pets, it says, "talk to a friendly Canadian"

If you call please let me know what they say.  I have had such good results with Acana and would hate to have to switch to another food.  Good luck!

 

[mosimom]

From their FAQ's page:

Do you ship to the USA?
Unfortunately, at this time we do not ship any orders outside of Canada

[emoji]128533[/emoji]

 

[mosimom]

If you can find the Wild Prairie anywhere in the USA, buy it. I see some on eBay. It is a little high for 5 lbs, but I would buy if desperate. Verify that it is Canadian because it says "new formula" and don't know why. You can always vacuum seal and freeze for long time storage.

 

[neely]

Thanks for calling the number in Canada to check if they will ship to the US.  We paid $40 for a 15# bag of the original Acana Wild Prairie and my husband said he saw it for $75 on e-bay.  But as you said, you have to check if it is the revised formula.  We are scouring our area for another 15# bag.  

Update:  I just called Champion and they told me Canada will no longer be keeping the same formula either.  I don't know it that's true or not.

 

[mosimom]

Thanks for calling the number in Canada to check if they will ship to the US.  We paid $40 for a 15# bag of the original Acana Wild Prairie and my husband said he saw it for $75 on e-bay.  But as you said, you have to check if it is the revised formula.  We are scouring our area for another 15# bag.  

Update:  I just called Champion and they told me Canada will no longer be keeping the same formula either.  I don't know it that's true or not.

True. Canadian version is changing a bit too. Just not as drastic. Like instead of salmon, it will be salmon meal for instance. Just learned that they do import their dried meats from Europe. Don't know if a new thing or not for Canada as well.

Try googling Wild Prairie cat and you may find independent pet stores still have it and will ship to you.
Call entirelypets.com to see what version they have....
Healthypets.com
Naturalk9supplies.com

 

[neely]

I followed up on your lead and called EntirelyPets - they only have the new formula and the rep. I spoke to was not even aware of the change in formula.  I'm on a mission now to educate as many distributors as I can.  Unfortunately I feel like a little fish in a big pond.

 

[mosimom]

Try this place. They will ship. Out of Omaha, NE. I would call first.
https://longdogfatcat.com/shop/acana-wild-prairie-cat-kitten-food/

 

[neely]

I just called - yes, they will ship anywhere in the U.S. BUT they are all out of the original Acana formula and only have the new one.

Back to the drawing board.  Thanks for all your help and support.

 

[psychomama]

I just saw the ingredients for Orijen Regional Red on their website. They look pretty good. 2 fish mackerel and herring both oil and meal. I think that will be ok. Thoughts atone?

 

[mosimom]

I just saw the ingredients for Orijen Regional Red on their website. They look pretty good. 2 fish mackerel and herring both oil and meal. I think that will be ok. Thoughts atone?

The fish meals make me very uncomfortable since they are probably imported.

"Although Federal regulations state that ‘e’ (Ethoxyquin) must be used as a preservative on fish meal entering the United States, ANY fish meal supplier can opt for an approved safer preservative with full government approval. One such safer preservative is Naturox (used by many pet food companies). I spoke with Jim Mann of Kemin Industries the manufacturer of Naturox.
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/misinformation-about-ethoxyquin-from-pet-food/
Also, remember an interview Dr. Jean Hofve gave where she stated the regulation about imported pet food meals and other nasty preservatives, but cannot find it.

I have been keeping up with Orijen and Acana Facebook. Seems like pets are getting sick even with slow transitions to the new formulas. Some it happens weeks later after thinking it was an easy transition. Also talk about the water source used in Kentucky about being contaminated from a leather company, but was signed off as cleaned up by our trusty government. Sorry, but I don't trust our government and no longer trust ChampionPet Foods. The son is kinda still with the original company, but has given a lot of influence and control to an investment group that got them into the highly profitable USA pet food market. They are profit driven right now paying for that new plant. Good luck.