Does anyone feed Acana or Orijen?

 I probably wouldn't switch straight from Pedigree to Acana, because of the HUGE risk of nasty stools, and the HUGE risk of unintentionally overfeeding. People do, and I'm sure it's fine, but if they're sensitive at all, I wouldn't. I'd try a more mid grade food, first. I feed Precise Foundation, and love it. Their plant is in Texas. It's a low moderate protein and fat level. It's chicken and rice based.

In that same middle ground, you have Chicken Soup (a Diamond food), several Eagle Pack varieties, Wellness, Canidae, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, and a myriad of other good, nutritious foods that are free of corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors and flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. There are plenty of options in the middle.

I've fed Orijen in the past, and really liked it. I switched my dogs from Science Diet straight to Blue Buffalo, with no problem. I always switch my foster dogs straight to Blue Buffalo, and have not had any issues.

Orijen is a very rich food, but a very good food. I would feed it, but it's a bit out of my price range, and harder for me to get. Both of my boys do very well on the Blue, look and feel great. Like Jennie said, you're not going to feed as much on a higher quality food, so be careful not to overfeed. My 13lb dog only eats 1/2 cup of food a day.

 Mine are both 13 lbs and eat 1/2 cup, too. Blue is another one that's nice and moderate, and won't break the bank. So many good options.

Neither of my dogs have a problem with food being switched. I was told ACANA was rich so I should do the switch gradually but maybe I will try a mid grade grain free food for a while then switch.

Just keep in mind that not every food works for every dog. My smaller dog did not do nearly as well on grain free, as he does on food with limited grains. My aussie got VERY itchy on EVO, and is much better now that we're back on his regular food. You always want to mix the foods together to make things easier on the stomach, otherwise you may be dealing with a messy backside!!!

You may also have to play around with a few different foods before you find the one that will work best for your dog. We all have our favorites :)

Once again I know how to transition foods. I even said that in the original post.

please remember this is a public forum, and while you may know something - someone lurking may not. it never hurts to give a little extra information for our lurkers.

My two guys do wonderfully on Orijen.  Unless they start having issues with it, this is the food we'll stick with.  Acana & Orijen are made by the same company, Champion Pet Foods.  I trust that company more than many US-based companies who have had issues with quality control, so the fact that Champion is a Canadian company doesn't concern me in the least.

Acana isn't as rich as Orijen, and has a lower protein content, but they're both excellent foods, IMO, providing your dog does well on them.  Not every food is best for every dog.  It's pretty much a trial and error process to find the right food for your particular pup.

Harry was on Natural Balance prior to switching to Orijen.  We had completed the transition for him when we adopted Sammy, and I still had quite a bit of Natural Balance left.  I put Sammy on the NB right off the bat, a cold turkey switch from the Purina Dog Chow he'd been fed at the shelter.  I wasn't too nervous about doing it cold turkey, since NB is a mild, minimal ingredient food designed for allergy dogs.  He took the change very well.  After a couple weeks, I began transitioning him to Orijen as well.

You could try switching from Pedigree to Natural Balance (also grain-free) for a while, then move up to Acana or Orijen.  I think that may work out well for you, if you're concerned about your end result food being too rich right away.

Good luck!

 I've used both and had great results with both.  That said my guy does amazing on the Orjen - we can only use the fish version of both due to allergies.

The Arcana is only slightly lower in protein but it didn't seem as rich - some dogs have really struggled with Orjen and messy poops.

We will stay on Orjen fish as long as they never mess with it and add things he is allergic to.  It is expensive but gosh you really do feed less, even compared to foods like TOTW, Wellness Core, Barking at the Moon and any other grain free we have used.  

The other thing to consider is that some dogs do really well on the high protein kibbles and others do better with a moderate protein food.

I've fed both without any problems. Currently on Acana, but have fed Orijen many many times in the past.

kpwlee

It is expensive but gosh you really do feed less

Absolutely. 

My guys get 1 cup twice a day (they're both 55 lbs) and they maintain a good weight on that amount.  Feed even a 1/4 cup more and they'd gain weight.  That, too, can be a trial and error process...finding the right amount to feed daily.  But you will find a 30 lb bag of Acana or Orijen will go much farther than the same size bag of Pedigree.  And their poops will be much smaller, since there is more digestible & usable content.

One bag of Orijen lasts right about a month for my two dogs.  If they've had a particularly active day, like when we take them swimming at the river for a couple hours, I will up their dinner by a 1/4 cup, but for the most part, 2 cups a day is perfect for them.

Some people have a real issue wrapping their heads around the fact that even though Barky McBarkerton needed 6 cups of Pedigree, he really only needs 1.5 of Orijen. (and yes, it can be that drastic) Then those people give him an extra cup or so. BB's body rejects it and gets the runs. Food starts to just rush through the system without being utilized at all. The lack of nutrients that the body can absorb begins to show up in the coat, the eyes, the energy and people think,"Oh, Orijen is too rich for my dog." I don't really think its the case. I would bet that 9 times out of 10, those people are overfeeding. But that's just my opinion.