Written On November 13th, 2019.
Deciding on the right dog food brand for your dog varies from dog to dog. It can be quite difficult.
You not only want to decide on a healthy food option for your dog but something they’ll like.
We’ve all been in that situation where we spend a ton of money on certain dog food, just for our dog to hate it and not even bother eating it. What a waste of money.
In this comparison, I’ll be looking at Merrick vs Orijen. How great is that?
Also, once we’re done consider checking out our article on Merrick Vs Blue Buffalo.
Table of Contents
Merrick Vs Orijen: Comparing Dog Food Brands
Which brand has better nutrition amongst their products?
Merrick
Merrick dog food is one of the healthiest options for dog food. There are plenty of options with Merrick; including healthy ones.
If you want your dog living a happy life, definitely go with Merrick!
Orijen
Although Merrick is regarded as one of the healthiest options for dog food, Orijen is definitely superior.
They guarantee a healthy nutritional value in all of their products. What more could you want?
Winner: Orijen (Slightly)
What Brand Has Better Ingredients?
Merrick
Merrick dog food is filled with healthy ingredients. Some of their ingredients include chicken, turkey, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, and natural flavors.
It’s jammed pack with ingredients that are great.
Orijen
As you’d expect, Orijen has a ton of healthy ingredients in their food too (shocker). Orijen guarantees that 85% of its dog food has quality animal products.
Their products are typically made with chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, and more.
Winner: Orijen (Slightly)
Which is better for a Small Dog?
Merrick
Merrick has a ton of options for small dogs. Their most popular being the Merrick Classic Small Breed Recipe for Adult Dry Food.
Orijen
Orijen also has a ton of options for small dogs. Their most popular being the Orijen Puppy Dry Food.
Although this is meant for puppies, this is one of the best dog foods available for puppies.
As noted, Orijen has a ton of other specific recipes for smaller dogs.
Both of these brands are pretty similar with regard to smaller dog options. You can’t go wrong with either option.
Winner: Tie
Which is Better for a Large Dog?
Merrick
Merrick has a ton of options for larger dogs.
If your dog is anything like my dog then you know they enjoy their food.
Their most popular recipe for large dogs is the Merrick Grain Free Large Breed Dog.
Orijen
Just like Merrick, Orijen has a ton of options for larger dogs.
We all know the importance of finding the right dog food for our dogs; especially for bigger dogs with more nutrition requirements.
Their most popular recipe for large dogs is the Orijen Puppy Large High-Protein.
Both of these brands are pretty similar with regard to larger dog options. The reality is that they’re both great!
Winner: Tie
Which is more affordable?
Merrick
Since Merrick is high-quality dog food, they tend to be pretty expensive. You can buy a 25lbs of Merrick Dog Food will cost you quite a bit.
It’s very expensive but it is definitely worth it.
Orijen
Just like Merrick, Orijen is a high-quality dog food brand. It’s arguably even more high quality than Merrick.
Which is why the price can go pretty high depending on the variety.
Although both of these brands are expensive, you get what you pay for. They’re made with great ingredients and don’t hide anything from you.
I know I only want my dog to eat the best food, just like I eat the best food for me!
Winner: Merrick
Who has more options available?
Merrick
Merrick offers over 200 recipes for different kinds of pet food. WOW!
Orijen
Orijen only offers 28 recipes of pet food. Kind of disappointing since Orijen is such a prestigious pet food brand.
It’s pretty clear who’s the winner of this. Although Orijen is a great brand, Merrick definitely wins this debate.
So, if you have a fussy dog, your best bet is to go down the list of foods appropriate for them from Merrick.
Or you can risk it and spend a ton of money on some Orijen food. Your call!
Winner: Merrick
Which has the best dry food?
Merrick
Merrick offers 37 recipes of dry dog food. A decent amount of variety for dry dog food. Surely Orijen offers more though?
Orijen
Wrong. Orijen only offers 8 recipes of dry dog food. As noted before, this is very disappointing considering how expensive Orijen is.
It’s self-explanatory who the winner is here. Your best bet is to go with the cheaper and wide variety of choices with Merrick. Sorry, Orijen.
Winner: Merrick
Which Has The Best Wet Dog Food?
Merrick
Merrick offers over 65 different kinds of wet food! This is remarkable since most dog food brands offer more dry food than wet food.
If your dog prefers wet food then definitely look into the large amount of wet food Merrick offers.
Orijen
If you’re thinking Orijen has to have a ton of wet food since they’re so expensive; you’re wrong. Orijen offers a total of 0 wet food recipes.
Winner: Merrick
Conclusion
Upon my research into both of these dog food brands, I realized how close they were in comparison. For the nutritional value, I have to give the slight edge to Orijen.
All of their dog food has no preservatives, no artificial flavors, and no sweeteners; all of which are big pluses in my mind.
Where Orijen falls short is the average price of Orijen and their lack of variety. Merrick is not only a little bit cheaper but destroyed Orijen with variety.
However, the true decision of Merrick vs Orijen is up to you. You may find a brand that works for you and you can just stick with it. Do whatever you want!
Just keep these notes in mind in case you’re making a decision about dog food.
Winner: Merrick (Barely)