Rating: 
Acana Dog Food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
Currently, the Acana Dog Food product line includes ten kibbles… three for puppies, three for adults, one for dogs with allergies, one for performance dogs, one for overweight pets and one for seniors.
- Acana Puppy Small Breed
- Acana Puppy Large Breed
- Acana Puppy and Junior
- Acana Adult Dog
- Acana Adult Small Breed
- Acana Adult Large Breed
- Acana Lamb and Apple (allergies)
- Acana Sport and Agility
- Acana Light and Fit (overweight)
- Acana Senior Dog
Acana Adult Small Breed was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Acana Adult Small Breed
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken meal, steamed oats, fresh free-run chicken, peas, brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary), fresh de-boned salmon, chicken liver, fresh whole eggs, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon oil, pumpkin, chicken cartilage (natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin), red delicious apples, carrots, turnip greens, cranberries, saskatoon berries, organic sea vegetables (kelp, bladderwrack, dulse), burdock root, marshmallow root, juniper berries, fenugreek, sweet fennel, angelica root, sea buckthorn, chicory root, stinging nettle, red raspberry leaf, milk thistle, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, lactobacillus acidophilus, enterococcus faecium, Vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, riboflavin, lysine, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin). Minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, colbalt proteinate, copper proteinate)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains almost 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The second ingredient is steamed oats… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oats are naturally rich in fiber, B-vitamins and (unlike many other grains) are entirely gluten-free.
The third ingredient is fresh chicken. Raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
That’s what makes uncooked chicken a much smaller contributor to the overall protein content of a dry dog food… than chicken meal… the first ingredeitn already discussed.
For accuracy (and to reflect its lighter weight), the chicken should probably occupy a lower position on the list.
The fourth item includes peas. Peas are considered a quality source of carbohydrates… and (like all legumes) are loaded with natural fiber.
The fifth ingredient is brown rice. Brown rice is another quality ingredient. It’s a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The sixth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Another quality ingredient.
Because of their lower positions on the list, the remaining items tend to have less influence on the overall quality of the product. Just the same, many of them are noteworthy and deserve (at least) a mention here…
- Fresh salmon
- Chicken liver
- Whole eggs
- Alfalfa
- Salmon oil
- Pumpkin
- And several others
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to proteins. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Acana Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Although there are (of course) some differences, all ten Acana Dog Foods are remarkably similar in composition.
With the sole exception of the Lamb and Apple formula, each product features chicken meal as its predominant ingredient and its primary source of protein.
In the case of our example Acana product…
The dashboard reports a dry matter protein reading of 37%, a fat level of 19% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 36%.
High protein. Moderate fat. And low carbohydrate (especially for a dry kibble).
Even by themselves, the nutrient gauges suggest this Acana Dog Food to be a superior dry product.
What’s more, the exceptional quality of the listed ingredients along with the complete lack of any critical Red Flag items readily endorse that positive impression.
With our top five-star rating, Acana Dog Food is certainly worthy of your consideration.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Some Final Thoughts
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself?
Please feel free to share your comments below.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m in Australia, are these foods available to me and if so how do I find out where. Maybe they go by a different name here and if so again how do I find out what that is?
Hi Suzanne… I am not aware of any easy way to locate a dog food made in one country and sold in another. However, I do not believe companies routinely change the name of a product for sale elsewhere.
But be careful… quite a few manufacturers are notorious for using different formulations when they market their dog foods in other countries.
I’d like to review dog foods in other English-speaking countries. But I find myself limited to companies that report their ingredients in the same descending (pre-cooking weight) order and abiding by standards like our (US) “Guaranteed Analysis” nutrient statistics.
Stay tuned.
Hello!
My name is Nina and I come from Slovenia. I like what I have read so far about Acana food. I have a french bulldog puppy (5 months) and I’m thinking about changing her food. Since I got I have been feeding her with Royal Canin and now that I have seen the results of this study I decided to try with Acana dog food (dry). But I’m in dilemma – which one to pick
- Acana Puppy Small Breed
- Acana Puppy and Junior
I would like my dog to have a nice figure. French Bulldogs adult weight is 8-12. I want my Bella to have 8 or maximum 10 kg. I have read somewhere that Acana puppy Small Breed is for dogs whose adult weight is up to 9kg and that Acana Puppy and Junior is for dogs whose adult weight is 9-25 kg. Is it ok, if I choose Acana puppy Small Breed? Will she be geting all the things necessary with this food or would it be better for her if I choose Acana Puppy and Junior?
Thank you for your answer.
Nina
Hi Nina… Acana makes an excellent choice. The differences between these two products are mostly subtle. And actually both foods are a good match. According to Acana, the Puppy and Junior is rated from one to 25 kg (not just 9-25 kg as you suggest) for dogs from 6 weeks to one year of age.
Hi Mike, I showed your site to the gal who owns the specialty dog food store at which I shop. She said she liked your site but wanted to know more about where the foods were processed…she wouldn’t carry a food unless she knew it came from a clean facility…for example, she said Diamond’s facility was dirty.
Is it possible that you can include such info?
Thanks, Sunday
Hi Sunday… Thanks for the suggestion. However, providing accurate information like this would be almost impossible. To my knowledge there are no laws requiring manufacturers to provide this information. Even our own “people food” contains (hidden) imported ingredients… critical information almost never clearly stated on the labels.
Many pet food companies don’t even have facilities to manufacture their own products and (in fact) sub-contract the production of their dog foods to other facilities.
Diamond is one of the largest pet food “contract outsourcers” in the country. Because they were involved in the infamous Melamine Pet Food Recall of 2007, they have become more conscientious in how and from whom they obtain their ingredients.
Unfortunately, the pet food industry goes largely unsupervised… and (contrary to what you may have heard) the rumors continue to circulate regarding which facilities are “clean”… and which ones aren’t. Who can say (with authority) a particular facility is clean and safe anyway?
And that’s the real problem here. There’s simply no way I (or anyone else) can guarantee your dog’s food (or your own “people food”) is perfectly safe and clean. I wish I could personally inspect each and every facility myself… and then be able to report my findings to all my readers. But I can’t.
For now, it’s good to be skeptical. But don’t believe all the rumors… for there are many. Read what you can… and use common sense. As much as we all hate to admit it, price can be a fairly good (and admittedly unscientific) indicator. In general, if a food is unusually cheap, you should probably question its quality. As most things go in life, you usually get what you pay for.
On the other side of the coin, I have found a number of expensive dog foods… that only rated 1 or 2 stars! So, there goes my “theory” about price.
Anyway, hope this helps.
I was looking at acana grain free and not grain free. They are almost identical in protein and fat content from looking at the web site, so now I have to make a choice. Should I go grain? or grain free? I have a smaller not so active dog if that helps. He’s just 15 pounds.
Hi Brad… grain free dog foods are designed for those wishing to avoid cereal grains in their dog’s food. In this case (Acana), since both choices have similar nutrient profiles, the decision should have nothing to do with your dog’s activity level but rather whether or not she can tolerate these ingredients in her diet.
Serving size is based upon the total energy content of the food. And that must always be adjusted to fit the dog’s weight, life stage and activity level.
So, buy what you want and then adjust the serving size for energy content. Follow the recommendations on the package… or consult our dog food calculator for a suggested serving size. Then adjust as needed over time.
Thanks Mike. Just one last question I think. You know things like salmon meal or other types of fish meal? Well for people some say don’t eat salmon every day as it has high levels of mercury. Will this hurt dogs or is the mercury removed somehow?
Hi Brad… Actually, it’s true. Larger predatory marine fish (like tuna) can contain mercury. And fed to a pet regularly… day after day… year-after-year… can be like any other toxin. The long-term build-up of mercury (and other industrial metals) in a dog’s tissues can eventually lead to toxic levels.
But the good news is that most (but not all) of the species of fish used in making dog food are relatively low in mercury. According to the American Heart Association, salmon has about 0.01 parts per million whereas tuna contains 0.12 ppm (12 times as much as salmon).
Both are very low numbers… but not zero.
That’s one of the many arguments in favor of “rotation-style” feeding plans. Changing foods periodically can be a healthy idea. And not just for fish-containing recipes. Changing any formula once in a while can help prevent the build-up of any (unknown) toxin.
Hi Mike i just want your opinion on Acana grassland and Acana pacifica, is one better than the other ? which one do you recommend?
My Cavalier King Charles, ages 3 and 5, have been on Acana Grasslands for a couple of months. The past few days they both have been vomitting so much that the smaller female had to be hospitalized for the day because of dehydration and the male was just in the vet today. He was wondering if the Acana dog food had too much fat. Do you think I should switch from lamb to chicken only?
Thank you so much.
Hi Suzanne… I can certainly understand your concerns for your dog’s dehydration. However, the main purpose of our website is to review and rate dog foods and not to recommend a particular product to treat a specific health condition.
I wish I could help you more, but since I’m not a veterinarian, I haven’t been properly trained to provide you with the kind of sound professional advice you’re looking for.
That said, average fat content in most dry kibbles is about 15%. Acana’s Lamb and Apple product looks to have about 16% fat (about average). Try visiting the Acana website and compare the fat content of their products. Hope this helps.
Just a question about Acana Adult Dog food. I switched him over to the one with grain (in the blue bag.) I spent 7 days slowly mixing his old food with the new food.
I noticed my dog has a little bit of gas now. When he uses the bathroom, it’s mostly solid except for the last bit with is runny. He’ll then walk away and do it a second time but this time all runny.
June 28th was when I purchased the new food.
Just wondering is this normal for dogs and is it just his system getting used to the new food?
Hi Brad… Yes, of course, it could be your dog getting used to the new food. However, since I’m not a veterinarian, I’m not clear on what’s causing your dog’s problem. Since no dog food can be appropriate for every animal and every condition (and if things don’t improve), it may be necessary to switch to a different product.