Orijen canned dog food reviews

With an average score of 7.8, Orijen’s canned food lineup is considered a low risk dog food. The canned line is low in carbohydrate, average less than 10%. Excessive carbohydrate is in indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.

The Orijen canned offerings contain a largish number of added vitamins and minerals, which is disappointing to see in a high protein/low carbohydrate food. This causes a loss in the ingredient quality score. 

The food safety score is lower because canned foods highly processed. The heating can cause a loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients, which is evident by the added vitamins and minerals.

Rounding out the food safety scores, Orijen’s canned food loses ingredient safety points for natural flavor, which is often either animal digest or MSG, which are low quality ingredients with limited safety studies. But unlike most foods in this category, there are no known high pesticide or GMO foods, mainly because this food is low in starch. 

Finally, the food does not provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.