Acana dog food is one of the most popular brands on the market today and one that pet owners ( including myself ) trust with great confidence. The company (Champion Petfood) who manufactures this dog food take a great deal of pride in the recipes they create and base their beliefs on three simple principles. Here are those principles:
- Throughout the natural evolution of dogs, a meat-based diet should remain as a constant in recipes
- All formulas/recipes are made from fresh ingredients that are produced on a daily basis
- None of the ingredients used in their recipes are out-sourced. In a nutshell, their recipes are meat-based, fresh, and derived from local, natural sources. More on that later. Although Acana dog food is produced in Canada as well as the United States, both under the Champion PetFood watch, I will look at those recipes being produced within the United States.
To be precise, Acana pet food is manufactured in their plant located in Kentucky. This facility is located on 85 acres of farmland where many of these fresh ingredients are supplied. Their state-of-the-art kitchens (Kentucky Dog StarKitchens) is second to none where only Acana and Orijen are produced. These kitchens are indeed some of nicest, cleanest of any facility in the manufacturing of pet food. Let’s take a look at what Acana has to offer:
Acana … The Product Line
Acana Heritage Acana Singles Acana Regionals
Free-Run Poultry Lamb & Apple Meadowland
Freshwater Fish Duck & Pear Wild Atlantic
Heritage Meats Pork & Squash Grasslands
Wild Mackerel Appalachian Ranch
Acana Heritage – This is their original recipe going back some twenty-five years. The ‘ biologically appropriate ‘ formula is one that includes fresh ingredients from a close, regional location supplied by farmers, fisherman and ranchers. For those unfamiliar with the term, ‘ biologically appropriate, ‘ it based on the concept that our dogs have evolved from wolves and therefore should be consuming a similar diet as their ancestors. Meat-based.
Acana Singles – This specific recipe is targeted for those dogs who may need a diet that suffers from a sensitivity. The formula is one of a limited ingredient but still provides a healthy portion of fresh meat which includes a choice of grass-fed lamb, Muscovy duck, Yorkshire pork, and Atlantic mackerel. In addition, this formula contains squash and whole-pumpkin which supports a healthy digestive system.
Acana Regionals – Another ‘ biological appropriate ‘ formula that contains a diversity of fresh, home-grown ingredients. This particular recipe is limited with carbohydrates, protein-rich containing 70% of ranch-raised meats that offers poultry, eggs, wild-caught fish, fruits and vegetables.
Pros
- Made exclusively and entirely at home within their Kentucky Dog Star Kitchen
- Fresh, healthy almost ‘ fit for human consumption ‘ ingredients
- Biologically suitable for all dogs
- Unprocessed, natural ingredients ( no artificial coloring, flavoring)
- Minimal amount of carbohydrates
- High in fresh meats providing a great source of protein
- Botanicals
- Easily accessible ( Can be found throughout the USA at local stores, online)
- No recalls to date
Cons
- A little pricey for some dog owners
- Not available in a ‘ canned ‘ version
- Some dogs do not do well on a high-protein diet ( May cause weight-gain in less than active dogs )
Why Should You Choose Acana?
In one word, QUALITY! Champion PetFoods has quite the reputation in the pet foods market as dog owners all over the world have come to trust this brand. With all of the dog food brands on the market today claiming to be the best, this particular product lives up to its promise. Quality ingredients, quality freshness, quality facilities and a quality company.
In addition, Acana provides recipes to meet the nutritional needs of all dogs in various life cycles. From puppyhood to your senior, less active dog, Acana has a formula that provides a healthy, nutritional diet. As I mentioned earlier, the ingredients used within their recipes are fresh, natural and fit for human consumption. Other pet food companies simply can not make this claim.
Acana and Fromm … Two Brands That I Have Used
As a dog owner throughout my life, I certainly have enjoyed my pets and wanted to do everything possible to give them a healthy, happy life. Nothing was more important than supplying them with a nutritional diet so I took it upon myself to find a brand that I trusted. After extensive research and becoming educated in reading the ingredients of product labels, Acana and Fromm dog food are two brands that came to the forefront.
I am and have been the proud owner of Afghan Hounds throughout my adult life. In total, two of my hounds were fed the Acana brand and the other with Fromm. I am telling you this not to compare the two brands, but rather to inform you that both provided my pets with a wholesome, healthy diet. My dogs really seemed to enjoy the meat-based protein supplied with the Acana recipes, so this is what I used with great results. For me, and my dogs, Acana was the right choice.
Acana … My Results
Within a month’s time of switching from Fromm to Acana, I started to notice some distinct changes with my dogs. First of all, and probably the most important was the increase in the energy levels of my dogs. Both of my adult dogs ( 7 years ) showed a distinct increase in their play. Afghans, being ‘sight’ hounds, will basically chase anything that moves. The birds and rabbits who once felt secure in my backyard were now running for their lives when my hounds entered the yard!
Another huge benefit from feeding Acana dry to my dogs was quite visible as well. I quickly noticed that my dog’s fur and skin seemed to have a much more healthier look to it. The coat became shiny and fuller which was easily detected as I spend quite a lot of time brushing these dogs to keep those nasty mats away. Any flaking was minimal at best, and my dogs actually seemed to enjoy the grooming process with little resistance on their part.
I also noticed that my dogs seemed to be digesting the Acana diet without difficulty. This is seen when I use the ‘pooper-scooper’ to pick up the waste from the backyard. The stools are solid which comes as a nice benefit to me as well. In addition, my dogs seem to be ‘fuller’ after enjoying their meals which in turn leads to less consumption and less money coming out of my wallet.
Finally, I am able to have ‘peace of mind’ knowing that my dogs are consuming a food that is natural, healthy and nutritional. I no longer have to worry about a diet that may be harmful to my pets as I have total trust in this product. My dogs get excited around feeding time which comes as an added bonus.
Final Thoughts
I’s sure you have noticed by now that I am a huge proponent of the Acana dog food brand. Having first-hand knowledge and experience with this product, I can only tell you that this product has paid huge dividends with my dogs. You can certainly find other products out there where you can find at a lower cost, but for me, a few extra dollars is well worth the price in keeping my dogs healthy and happy. For your convenience, I will list a number of the Acana products that you may want to take a look at.
0 Comments