ORIJEN Original Dry Dog Food

Why it is listed

High-protein U.S. ORIJEN Original with an ALS AAFCO sentence on the official page. Everyday adults can eat ALS kibble; this is still not an adult-only maintenance SKU. No maker price. Not a feeding trial.

Pros & cons

Pros

• orijenpetfoods.com/en-US Original PDP 2026-09-02: All Breeds & Life Stages. ORIJEN Original Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages, including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult).
• Metabolizable energy 3940 kcal/kg (473 kcal per 8 oz cup). Available sizes 4.5 lb / 13 lb / 23.5 lb / 31 lb. Made in the USA (U.S. page copy). First 5 ingredients described as fresh or raw poultry and fish; 85% quality animal ingredients (approximate, unprocessed state).
• Guaranteed analysis on the PDP includes crude protein min 38%, DHA min 0.2%, EPA min 0.2%. Feeding copy includes an adult starting chart plus separate puppy/gestation multipliers because this is ALS, not adult-only.

Cons

• This is not an adult-maintenance-only bag. The same SKU is sold for puppies (with large-size growth in the AAFCO line). Energy density is 473 kcal/cup - higher than the Hill's adult row. Do not treat ALS as automatically better for a typical adult.
• Formulated, not feeding-trial language. No official consumer USD on the U.S. PDP. No numbered 7-day transition captured. Animal-first recipe is not extra credit (FDA DCM still open).
• We are not veterinarians. 85% animal ingredients is an unprocessed-state approximation on the page, not a guaranteed analysis number.

Score breakdown