# How long does Orijen puppy food keep for?



## bboylayz (Sep 7, 2010)

It is another 4 weeks til my pup comes home, but I am just making sure I have everything for when that happens. I've done research on foods and I definitely want to go grain free, and it seems everyone says Orijen is the way to go, so I am buying Orijen Large Breed Puppy. It is one of the most expensive brands for sure but it seems to be the best choice second to raw diet (which I don't think I'm ready for yet).

Anyways, I found an awesome deal on it ($73 bucks including shipping for 30lb bag) online. Everywhere else was upwards of 90 bucks +. If I buy it now and don't open it yet, will it last long enough for my puppy to get here and the month or so it will take him to finish it? It may take a bit longer because I'll probably be mixing his old food with new and phasing the old one out over a 2 week period. Second question, how long do you usually take to phase out old food when introducing a new rich food like Orijen? Is 2 weeks enough time?


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## tierra nuestra (Sep 8, 2010)

bboylayz said:


> It is another 4 weeks til my pup comes home, but I am just making sure I have everything for when that happens. I've done research on foods and I definitely want to go grain free, and it seems everyone says Orijen is the way to go, so I am buying Orijen Large Breed Puppy. It is one of the most expensive brands for sure but it seems to be the best choice second to raw diet (which I don't think I'm ready for yet).
> 
> Anyways, I found an awesome deal on it ($73 bucks including shipping for 30lb bag) online. Everywhere else was upwards of 90 bucks +. If I buy it now and don't open it yet, will it last long enough for my puppy to get here and the month or so it will take him to finish it? It may take a bit longer because I'll probably be mixing his old food with new and phasing the old one out over a 2 week period. Second question, how long do you usually take to phase out old food when introducing a new rich food like Orijen? Is 2 weeks enough time?


$73 IS JUST CRAZY!There are equal too and better brands than orijen from actual experience and alot less costly.More does not always mean better.
But if thats what works for you and your budget,great.I find now that the price of food is up and the bags keep getting smaller and smaller.30 lbs used to be 50 lbs before.Now they sell acana which is the same brand as orijen and the bag is even less than 30 lbs now but the price has increased.Nobody complains enough anymore when company's do this to their products.Just say oh well and move on.


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## bboylayz (Sep 7, 2010)

tierra nuestra said:


> $73 IS JUST CRAZY!There are equal too and better brands than orijen from actual experience and alot less costly.More does not always mean better.
> But if thats what works for you and your budget,great.I find now that the price of food is up and the bags keep getting smaller and smaller.30 lbs used to be 50 lbs before.Now they sell acana which is the same brand as orijen and the bag is even less than 30 lbs now but the price has increased.Nobody complains enough anymore when company's do this to their products.Just say oh well and move on.


So what brand do you suggest for puppy food? I was looking into Canidae but I hear they have high Ca levels. I'm looking for something that is high protein, good quality protein at that, low fat low carb, and low levels of Calcium and Phosphorus in fears of my pup developing skeletal problems.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

bboylayz said:


> If I buy it now and don't open it yet, will it last long enough for my puppy to get here and the month or so it will take him to finish it? It may take a bit longer because I'll probably be mixing his old food with new and phasing the old one out over a 2 week period. Second question, how long do you usually take to phase out old food when introducing a new rich food like Orijen? Is 2 weeks enough time?


There should be a best buy date on the bag. Most bags I have bought have had a best buy date about a year after I purchased it. Without seeing the date on the bag, no way to know how long it will be ok.

Isn't there a place you can buy your food locally to save on shipping? If you want to pay $73 for a bag of food then do it but you could probably find something cheaper and use the money for training instead. 

Two weeks should be enough time to slowly introduce a new food.


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## bboylayz (Sep 7, 2010)

I haven't looked around to see what shops carry which brand. I've just heard that Orijen is pretty tough to find. So I assumed Petco and all those big chain places wouldn't have them. And all those places are in plazas which make them easy to get to and park at. I live in Boston so parking is a pain. Enough of a pain to keep me from jumping from small specialty pet shop to pet shop to look for Orijen. I suppose I could call...


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Petco and PetSmart won't carry Orijen that's correct. But being in Boston, I would think you could find a smaller specialty store that might carry it. Also, the smaller stores are more likely to order it for you if they don't and probably won't charge you shipping.

Petco has done good things with improving on the kinds of food they carry.

ETA: I didn't fully read your post and see that you already said you were going to check out small stores.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Massachusetts Store Listings

Maybe start with these stores?


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## NoVAGSDGuy (Mar 7, 2011)

I dunno 73 sounds pretty cheap, I saw a 5.5 lb bag of orijen for 21 dollars at a local pet specialty store.


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## tierra nuestra (Sep 8, 2010)

NoVAGSDGuy said:


> I dunno 73 sounds pretty cheap, I saw a 5.5 lb bag of orijen for 21 dollars at a local pet specialty store.


I have 3 huge dogs and I through alot of poundage.So I have been fairly impressed with kirkland and the ingredients are well put together.Fat to protein ratio is balanced well for a growing dog.$28 for a 40 lbs bag.I also throw in fresh raw lamb from our flock and I throw in fresh veggies from the garden when I can.I also top with olive oil or grape seed oil and kelp tabs ,probiotics 3 times a week.They also get to chew on lamb shanks(bones in).They all look great and have healthy shiny coats,no runny stool or gas,maintain their weight and are happy dogs.So,I don't see the need for myself to shell out $73 plus a bag.I have had orijen go rank on me twice too.I mean it stunk to high **** a couple days after opening the bag(rotten lamb).I wouldn't have minded so much if they replaced the bag but the store owner took the bag both times and did not give me a refund or a new bag either.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I live in the Boston area. I feed Wolfie, Fromms, and I have a hard time finding it. The store owner at Everything But The Dog, in Reading, orders Fromms for me, even though she doesn't carry it in her store. You might try her for Orjen. She's pretty reasonable with her prices. Also, Pet Life, in Stoneham, said they would order Fromms for me, even though they don't carry it. I'm not sure if they would order Orjen, but it's worth a try.


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

I just opened a new bag of Orijen adult tonight. The best before date on it is for March 2012. 

Kibble tends to keep for a long time if properly stored, though Orijen doesn't last as long as some foods that use artificial preservatives.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you can find a lot of preminum brands at the big
stores. 



bboylayz said:


> I haven't looked around to see what shops carry which brand. I've just heard that Orijen is pretty tough to find. So I assumed Petco and all those big chain places wouldn't have them.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

If it's kibble the shelf life should be years. I'd say that's not a terrible price for orijen, but that's why i feed Eukanuba instead, for $40 i get 40 lbs and it's premium grade kibble. If I had more time in my day I'd feed BARF, but it is just inconvenient and time consuming. I 'd rather spend the spare time on grooming, baths and training.


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