origen adult dog food

Question
Hi, I have a 53lb. pit bull and want to switch her to an all natural grain free diet because she seems to have a sensitive stomach. I found Origen dog food to be rated the highest and my vet said I should try it, but I would like to get a second opinion. Here are the ingredients and nutritional facts in Origen:
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.     
Protein 42.0% Fat 16.0% Carbohydrate 18.0% Moisture 10.0% Fiber 3.0% Calcium (min.) 1.6% Calcium (max.) 1.8% Phosphorus (min.) 1.2% Phosphorus (max.) 1.4% Omega-6 2.0% Omega-3 0.7% Glucosamine 500 mg/kg Chondroitin 150 mg/kg Microorganisms 80M cfu/kg pH 5.0 Ash (min.) 7.0%
How do you feel about this food choice? Do you think it is too much protein?

Answer
Hi Brynn,
This is an excellent question and one I am asked on a daily basis. I have to say I do not agree with all of the ratings systems that have become popular over the past few years. While Orijen is a good food, there is really no one food that will be "the best" for all dogs - or even for ONE dog.  One individual dog may do well on a whole range of products.  And to address, YOUR dog - in dealing with hundreds of cases of senstive stomach, sometimes a more moderate protein level is avctually better. Sometimes fat is what triggers an attack. I don't really know a lot about your dog's condition - how the food she has been eating affects her and what you mean by sensitive stomach. Overall, I might start with a somewhat more moderate protein level.

Have you seen this food? It's made by the company that makes Orijen and I actually prefer it:

http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/products.php

Finding the best food for your girl will take some experimentation on your part, and for some sensitive dogs, the answer is a limited ingredient "sensitive" food; many good companies make a sensitive line such . Please bear in mind, too, that using protein content alone as a criteria for rating a food is not reliable. While dogs have a high tolerance for protein, under normal conditions, does not mean they have a high requirement. One of my own dogs became very hyper active on the Orijen and even the Acana provoked excitability; he is doing well on a food called Fromm FourStar that is grainfree but uses more moderate (25%) protein.

In summary; it's entirely possible that your dog's issues will be helped by the Orijen. But if this isn't the case, you might consider another premium food such as Acana or Fromm. You can only tell by trying - and do transition slowly to Orijen, perhaps about 1/3 at a time. I'm not a fan of the 40% protein range myself, but many dogs do well on it, it's a very popular food. I worry about longterm consequences, so I tend to stick around the 30% mark, if at all possible.

I hope this helps,
and best wishes,
Catherine