High-Protein from Fresh Meats

Dogs and cats are not vegetarians. They are biologically adapted to require meat-based, high-protein diets and are highly efficient at metabolizing proteins as an energy source.

With a minimum of 70 percent (70%) veterinary-inspected meat ingredients from 6 sources, ORIJEN features the highest inclusions of fresh grain-fed chicken, fresh wild-caught Whitefish and fresh whole eggs — regional ingredients that arrive at our factory fresh — never frozen or dried, and are low temperature cooked at 90c to preserve their natural goodness.

ORIJEN’s high-protein formulas eliminate the need for grains (which are inexpensive but inappropriate energy sources), and as high-protein diets are naturally more satiating, dogs and cats naturally consume less ORIJEN than they would any other commercial pet food.

Unlike carbohydrates which can adversely affect blood sugars and are easily stored in the body as fat, unused protein is naturally removed through normal bodily functions.

With high-protein from fresh meats, ORIJEN diets nourish your dog or cat as Nature originally intended, promoting total wellness, vitality and unequalled physical health.

Dogs and cats did not evolve to eat grains... so why include grains in pet food?

Grains first appeared in pet foods about 70 years ago when consumers wanted the convenience of pet food in a bag and manufacturers wanted to reduce costs with inexpensive calories from grains.

Although grains such as rice or wheat provide low-cost calories, their high carbohydrate content contributes to obesity, diabetes and a host of other health problems in cats and dogs.

Cats and dogs are simply not evolved to eat processed cereal grains, which is why ORIJEN's grain-free, reduced-carbohydrate diet more closely matches the diet Natural intended for your dog or cat.

Indeed, veterinarians are increasingly citing grains and carbohydrates as primary causes of health problems common to dogs and cats.

And although it overlooks the most fundamental purpose of pet food (to provide nourishment) the “grain-and-carbohydrate” approach to pet nutrition is still widely practiced due to the lower cost, ready availability and long shelf life that grains provide. Unfortunately, dogs and cats care nothing for these benefits.

Dogs and cats have a very low biological requirement for carbohydrate, and the diets of wild canines and felines that most closely resemble our domestic pets contain very few carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate is one of the largest factors in pet health, contributing to a variety of health problems from digestive disorders to variable blood sugar, obesity and diabetes.

The problem with carbohydrates is that - in the body of a cat or dog - they are recognized as sugars and easily stored as fat.

As carbohydrates from grains are inexpensive, readily available and easily processed into pet foods, most pet foods exceed 40% in total dietary carbohydrates (that's almost half!).

And while carbohydrate is neither "natural" or "holistic" for dogs and cats, it is almost always the largest nutrient in "super premium" or "holistic" pet foods.

In contrast to conventional pet foods, ORIJEN is Biologically Appropriate - which means no grain, very low carbohydrate (14-18%) and a food that truly promotes wellness and reduces obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes.

So what does a low-carbohydrate Biologically Appropriate food mean to your dog or cat? Unequalled vitality and optimal physical health!

High-Protein from Fresh Meats

Dogs and cats are not vegetarians. They are biologically adapted to require meat-based, high-protein diets and are highly efficient at metabolizing proteins as an energy source.

Dogs and cats did not evolve to eat grains... so why include grains in pet food?

Farm-Fresh Regional Meats

Biologically Correct High Protein-Low Carbohydrate Formulas

Essential Oils

Grain Free

Natural And Organic Minerals

Dogs and cats have a very low biological requirement for carbohydrate, and the diets of wild canines and felines that most closely resemble our domestic pets contain very few carbohydrates.