When it comes to dog food, there is no "best" or "worst" food. Each pet is unique and has different responses to different diets. Acana and Orijen are two brands that advertise themselves as being "biologically appropriate," but how do their claims stack up? If you're planning a trip to your local pet store, you have to know which brand you should get for your pet. Let us take a closer look at the distinctions between these brands so you can see which is better for your fur friend.
What Does "Biologically Appropriate" Mean?
This term, which both Acana and Orijen use, refers to the freshness and variety of meats in their products. The claim is that the kind of food suitable for dogs hasn't changed much since they evolved from their wolf ancestors. Some scientists note that this is a big claim to make, though, ignoring the effects of thousands of years of natural selection. Nevertheless, you could take a label of "biologically appropriate" to mean that the food item has various types of meat from different sources.
What Types Of Food Does The Brand Offer?
Orijen offers only two main types of dog food—dry and freeze-dried. There is a range of choices within these two, though. If you visit your local pet store, you might find seven varieties of Orijen dry food and three of freeze-dried food. The dry variant looks like kibble, while you can rehydrate the freeze-dried kind and serve it like wet food. Some of Orijen's dry food is formulated for puppies and senior dogs.
Meanwhile, Acana has a few more options available. In the "Heritage" range, there are low-carbohydrate, high protein options, while the "regionals" range carries meat and fish available in the Kentucky area, the manufacturing center of Acana. The singles range has just one protein source, which makes it great for pets with sensitive stomachs, those recovering from an illness, or ones who have allergies.
What Is The Difference In Meat Content Between Them?
According to Orijen, each of their products contains 75 to 80 percent meat. Of that percentage, half consists of fresh meat. Furthermore, each type of Orijen food has six different kinds of fresh meat. They also take a "whole prey" approach to making their products, so their food items contain parts like marrow, cartilage, and organ meat, since these are things wolves would have in their natural diet.
Acana's products contain 40 to 65 percent meat, of which nine to 30 percent is fresh. Also, Acana adds at least three types of fresh meat to their products. However, they do not take Orijen's "whole prey" approach, and their products do not have bone or offal.
Conclusion
If you want to provide your dog with a natural diet, Orijen food products are a better option for you. They contain more fresh meat and in a wider variety. However, Acana is the more affordable option and is still of a higher quality than commercial dog food brands. Consider as well whether your dog thrives in a high-protein or high-carbohydrate diet; if it is the former, Orijen might be better, but if it is the latter, choose Acana. Picking the right dog food for your pet, in the end, is a matter of judgment. Since you are the owner, you know what is best for them!
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