Orijen

Orijen Puppy Large review

Name: Orijen Puppy Large
Brand: Orijen

79.7/100Excellent

DryPuppy

A meat-first growth kibble tuned for dogs who will finish big, in our Excellent band. Fat is held to 16% and energy sits level with the typical puppy kibble, so the frame can grow at its own pace. Calcium is printed, at 1.48% of dry matter.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Puppies who will grow large or giant, the only sizes on the label
Owners who check the calcium line first
Pups who should grow steadily, at 376 kcal per 100g
Grain free homes. Lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans do the binding
Big appetites, with a chart running up to 80kg of adult bodyweight

Worth watching

Chicken, turkey, five fish and egg, so not a one protein plan
Large bags to keep fresh if you are rearing a single pup
Fibre at 6.8% of dry matter, so take the changeover slowly for a delicate gut

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

79.7/100Excellent

Protein and processingExcellent

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for large and giant breed puppies. Work from the maker's chart by expected adult size and keep adjusting as they fill out.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Orijen Puppy Large 79.7

All one Excellent. Typical dry food: Good.

Eleven animal entries at the top and low carbohydrate explain the lead over the puppy shelf; the restraint on fat is what makes it right for a big pup.

What's in it

Fresh chicken, raw turkey21% and 11%Fresh meat carries its water, so these shrink in the oven.
Fresh chicken giblets (liver, heart), raw turkey liver10% and 5%
Raw whole hake, raw whole herring5% eachTwo whole sea fish before any dried fish is counted.
Fresh eggs5%
Dehydrated chicken, mackerel, sardine, herring5% down to 4%Already dried, so these shares come through into the kibble. This block does much of the heavy lifting.
Whole red and green lentils, peas, chickpeas, pinto beans, navy beansThe starch, from whole pulses, with no cereal anywhere.
Lentil fibre, pea starch
Dehydrated turkey, chicken fat2% each
Pollock oil0.5%Finishes the marine fats, the long chain omega 3 a growing nervous system draws on.
Kelp, pumpkin, squash, courgette, carrots, apples, pears, greens, berries, herbsSmall measures that do not shift the nutrition. The meat has already done that.

Taurine at 400mg per kilo, reassuring in a grain free recipe, plus zinc, copper, B1, vitamin E and a live Enterococcus faecium culture.

Named ingredients

Fresh chicken (21%), raw turkey (11%), fresh chicken giblets (liver, heart) (10%), raw whole hake (5%), raw whole herring (5%), fresh eggs (5%), raw turkey liver (5%), dehydrated chicken (5%), dehydrated mackerel (5%), dehydrated sardine (4.5%), dehydrated herring (4%), whole red lentils, whole green lentils, whole peas, lentil fibre, whole chickpeas, whole pinto beans, pea starch, dehydrated turkey (2%), chicken fat (2%), whole navy beans, pollock oil (0.5%), 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.

Against the range

One recipe. The first eleven entries are all animal, fresh and raw meat and whole fish first, then a dehydrated block whose shares come through to the kibble almost untouched. Pulses carry the starch with no cereal, and a long tail of produce and herbs follows in small measures.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

376 kcal/100g

Protein

38%

Fat

16%

Fibre

Ash

Moisture

12%

Dry weight

Protein

43.2%

Fat

18.2%

Fibre

6.8%

Ash

9.1%

Carbs

22.7%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

77.5%

Carbs

14.7%

Veg

0.3%

Oils

2.5%

Other

Pricing & size