Orijen Adult: Original review

All four varieties reach our Excellent band, a step above the Good band where most adult dry food finishes. The meat share does nearly all of that on its own. Carbohydrate estimated at between 18.1% and 20.9% of dry matter, against the 46.2% that is typical for a dry food, is the figure that tells the story. The protein and fat readings follow from it. With the four finishing so close together, choose by which animals suit your dog.

Ingredients, as declared: Fresh chicken (25%), raw turkey (8%), fresh chicken giblets (liver, heart) (7%), raw whole herring (6%), raw whole hake (5%), fresh eggs (5%), raw turkey liver (5%), dehydrated chicken (4%), dehydrated turkey (4%), dehydrated mackerel (4%), dehydrated sardine (4%), dehydrated herring (4%), whole red lentils, whole chickpeas, whole peas, chicken fat (3%), whole green lentils, whole pinto beans, whole navy beans, lentil fibre, pollock oil (1%), pea starch, dried kelp, fresh whole pumpkin, fresh whole butternut squash, fresh whole zucchini, fresh whole carrots, fresh whole apples, fresh whole pears, dried chicory root, fresh kale, fresh spinach, fresh beet greens, fresh turnip greens, whole cranberries, whole blueberries, whole saskatoon berries, turmeric, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rosehips.

The opening stretch of every label in this range is animal, and each entry carries its own percentage. In the Original that means fresh chicken at 25%, raw turkey at 8%, chicken giblets at 7% and whole herring at 6% before anything plant based gets a look in. Several of those are raw or fresh, and much of that weight is water lost to the oven. The dehydrated entries behind them therefore contribute more to the finished kibble than their smaller percentages suggest.

Organ meat is deliberate here rather than incidental. Liver, kidney and tripe are named across the range. Liver in particular is about as nutrient-dense as anything a dog can eat, heavy in the B vitamins and in vitamin A, with copper and selenium alongside. That is why these recipes lean on it and do not top everything up from a supplement drum.

In place of grain the range uses whole red and green lentils, chickpeas, peas, pinto beans and navy beans, with lentil fibre and a little pea starch. Legumes bring protein and fibre of their own, and they hold estimated carbohydrate down to between 18.1% and 20.9% of dry matter, well under the 46.2% typical of adult dry food. Whole pulses are a different proposition from refined pea protein, and it is the whole form that is used here.

Fish is never far away whichever bag you pick. The Original carries herring, hake, mackerel and sardine alongside its birds, the Tundra carries arctic char, pilchard and steelhead trout, and the Regional Red carries salmon, herring and sardine. Skin and coat gain from that, and joints do too. It is also the reason none of these recipes can serve a fish-avoiding dog.

The plant tail is identical across the range: pumpkin, butternut squash, courgette, carrots, apples, pears, kale and spinach, then the berries, with dried kelp and dried chicory root ahead of them. Chicory is the useful one, since its inulin feeds the gut's own bacteria. Trace level is where the closing herbs sit, from milk thistle to marshmallow root, and they season the bag more than they feed it.

Preservation is done naturally, with tocopherol extract from vegetable oils and rosemary extract, and citric acid alongside them. Three of the four recipes also carry a live Enterococcus faecium culture, a probiotic added for the gut.

Ash and calcium both read high. That is what a recipe does when it carries this much whole animal with the bone still attached. On an adult dog that is simply the arithmetic of a meat-dense food. On a large breed puppy sharing the bag, calcium is the figure to keep an eye on, and only the Original stays inside the range growth wants.

The poultry recipe, led by fresh chicken at 25%, with raw turkey, chicken giblets and turkey liver behind it and fresh eggs alongside. Herring and hake supply the fish. It is the only variety whose calcium, at 1.59% of dry matter, stays inside the band a growing large breed needs, and the only one sold in a 340g bag.

Per kilo, the Original is £8.33, the Six Fish £9.65, the Regional Red £10.79 and the Tundra £11.75. The Original is sold in 340g, 2kg, 6kg and 11.4kg bags, and the other three in 2kg, 6kg and 11.4kg.

As a guide, a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition eats about 218 grams a day of the Original, reckoned from around 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75, the standard maintenance estimate). That works out at £1.81 a day. The same dog would be at £2.09 a day on the Six Fish, £2.35 on the Regional Red and £2.56 on the Tundra. The label's own table sorts dogs by activity as well as weight, so read it against your dog's actual week.