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Orijen · Original · Dry food · All life stages
The label reads like a butcher's list. Ten animal ingredients open the recipe before anything else appears, the protein figure of 38% is the highest in this round of reviews, and there is not a grain, a filler or a colour anywhere near the top of the panel. On the facts a buyer can check, this is the strongest label we scored.
The trade offs are practical rather than nutritional. At 473 kcal a cup it is the most calorie dense food here, so portions run small and measuring matters, especially for dogs that gain weight easily. It is also sold at the top of the market, and the adequacy claim rests on formulation rather than feeding trials.
| Maker | Champion Petfoods |
|---|---|
| Format | Dry food |
| Life stage | All life stages |
| First 10 ingredients, in label order |
|
| Guaranteed analysis | Crude protein (min) 38% · crude fat (min) 18% · crude fibre (max) 4% · moisture (max) 12% |
| Calories | 3,940 kcal/kg, 473 kcal/cup, as labelled |
| AAFCO adequacy | Formulated to meet AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages, including growth of large size dogs. |
| Price | Not listed in this round. We publish a price only when we have verified it from a dated listing, and we had not for this recipe when the label was read. |
| Signal | Points | What the label shows |
|---|---|---|
| First ingredient | 20 / 20 | Chicken, a named whole meat, is the first ingredient. |
| Animal protein depth, first 10 ingredients | 15 / 15 | All ten of the first ten ingredients are named animal ingredients, from chicken and turkey to salmon, herring, liver and egg. |
| Protein level for the life stage | 15 / 15 | 38% crude protein (min) is the highest figure in this round. |
| Fat level fit | 10 / 10 | 18% crude fat (min) sits at the top of the 14 to 18% band. |
| Whole foods versus filler-flagged ingredients | 10 / 10 | No flagged ingredients in the first ten. |
| Artificial colours and preservatives | 10 / 10 | No artificial colours or preservatives appear in the label facts we publish. |
| AAFCO adequacy basis | 8 / 10 | Formulated for all life stages including large breed growth: broad coverage, but a formulation claim rather than feeding trials. |
| FDA recall history | 10 / 10 | No FDA posted recall events found in our November 2026 check. |
| Price tier | Not scored | Not scored in this round: no verified price data yet. |
| Total | 98 / 100 | Scaled from 98 of 100 available points. The method is published in full on the dog food hub. |
The review above covers this brand's flagship recipe in full. We also read and scored 44 more Orijen recipes from their own labels, each with its own page, its own ingredient notes and the same rubric:
No FDA posted dog food recall events for this brand were found in our November 2026 check of FDA recall records. That is a statement about what we could verify, not proof of a perfect history.
See the full dog food recall tracker for recent events across all brands.
Change foods gradually over about a week, mixing increasing amounts of the new food into the old, so the change does not upset your dog's stomach. Portion by calories, not by the look of the bowl: our feeding calculator works out a daily amount from your dog's weight. And because no ingredient list can answer what is safe for a dog to eat as a treat or a table scrap, check our Can Dogs Eat section before sharing food off your own plate.
Label read November 2026. Scores follow the rubric published on the dog food hub. This review is general information about a product label, not veterinary advice, and it is not a feeding trial: we score what a buyer can verify from the label and the public record.
Last updated: November 2026. Checked against the sources named on this page.