Orijen vs. Wellness
In this comparison article for Orijen vs Wellness, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Orijen and Wellness, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.
Throughout this Wellness vs Orijen comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Orijen Review Page or Wellness Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Wellness vs. Orijen
According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.
All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.
Orijen Dog Food vs. Wellness Dog Food
Dry Dog Food | Orijen | Wellness |
Crude Protein | 42.9% | 34.6% |
Crude Fat | 22.6% | 15.8% |
Crude Fiber | 5.5% | 5.6% |
Wet/Canned Dog Food | Orijen | Wellness |
Crude Protein | 57.4% | 41.8% |
Crude Fat | 24.7% | 24.1% |
Crude Fiber | 7.8% | 4.9% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
When you look at the average percentages of crude protein for dry dog food, it's clear that Orijen provides significantly more protein. On average, Orijen guarantees about 8.24% more protein than Wellness. Similarly, Orijen wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Wellness wet foods.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.
Our analysis shows that Orijen guarantees 6.85% more fat than Wellness dry dog food recipes. For wet dog foods, Orijen and Wellness provide roughly the same amount of fat.
Orijen and Wellness both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Orijen typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.96% more).
Orijen Cat Food vs. Wellness Cat Food
Dry Cat Food | Orijen | Wellness |
Crude Protein | 44.8% | 42.0% |
Crude Fat | 21.0% | 16.0% |
Crude Fiber | 4.0% | 4.7% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
According to our data, Orijen guarantees 2.80% more protein than Wellness. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference.
Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food
There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):
- Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
- Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.
There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of Orijen and Wellness. On average, Wellness dry cat food recipes contain 4.95% less fat than Orijen recipes.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands.
Orijen Pet Food Ingredients vs. Wellness Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Wellness.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Wellness.
Product Safety: Recall History of Orijen & Wellness?
Orijen has been recalled once.
- Nov. 22, 2008: irradiation treatment consequences
Wellness has been recalled 5 times.
- March 18, 2017: elevated beef throid hormone
- Feb. 10, 2017: foreign material
- Oct. 30, 2012: High Moisture
- May 4, 2012: Salmonella
- Feb. 28, 2011: Low Levels of Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
Dry Dog Food | Orijen | Wellness |
Per Pound | $12.58 | $3.61 |
Per Calorie | $0.0060 | $0.0022 |
Dry Cat Food | Orijen | Wellness |
Per Pound | $6.57 | $3.90 |
Per Calorie | $0.0036 | $0.0023 |
The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.
If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Orijen or Wellness, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.
Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Orijen or Wellness will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Orijen and Wellness. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
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Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!
Where To Buy Orijen Pet Foods
You can purchase Orijen pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Wellness Pet Foods
You can purchase Wellness pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
Product | Orijen | Wellness |
Dry Dog Food | 14 Recipes | 59 Recipes |
Wet Dog Food | 3 Recipes | 53 Recipes |
Dog Treats | 13 Treats | 25 Treats |
Dry Cat Food | 7 Recipes | 19 Recipes |
Wet Cat Food | None | 74 Recipes |
Cat Treats | 6 Treats | 5 Treats |