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Is Orijen Original grain-free food suitable for my 4-week-old puppy?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Schnauzer | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 1 day old | 1.1 lbs

Can I give Orijen Original to my 4 week old Mini Schnazuer puppy?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on September 15th, 2019

I don't recommend to feed this food. All life stages food is not developed specifically for puppies. That means it may not contain the best amounts of DHA and other supplements needed for brain, nerve and bone development. Additionally, due to a suspected link with heart disease, most veterinarians do not recommend feeding a grain free diet. Grains very rarely are a cause of allergies in pets. Instead feed a puppy food from a diet that is balanced. Many quality brands include Royala Canin, Science Diet and Purina ProPlan. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 2nd, 2019

    I do not recommend Orijen at all. Orijen is grain free, and we vets are seeing an increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy who are fed grain free diets. The FDA is now investigating that link. I don't recommend grain free diets for that reason, and also because grain free is a fad. There is no proof that grains are bad for dogs, and grain allergies are very rare. Brands of food I recommend for Jax include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. These brands have veterinary nutritionists on staff (Orijen does not) to make sure the food is balanced correctly, they meet AAFCO feeding standards, and run feeding trials. I would try one of those. I hope this helps!

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I do not recommend Orijen at all. Orijen is grain free, and we vets are seeing an increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy who are fed grain free diets. The FDA is now investigating that link. I don't recommend grain free diets for that reason, and also because grain free is a fad. There is no proof that grains are bad for dogs, and grain allergies are very rare. Brands of food I recommend for Jax include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. These brands have veterinary nutritionists on staff (Orijen does not) to make sure the food is balanced correctly, they meet AAFCO feeding standards, and run feeding trials. I would try one of those. I hope this helps!
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