Rating: 
Acana Regionals Grain-Free dog food earns the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The Acana Regionals grain-free product line includes four dry dog foods, all claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Acana Pacifica
- Acana Grasslands
- Acana Wild Prairie
- Acana Ranchlands
Acana Grasslands was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Acana Grasslands
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Deboned lamb, lamb meal, duck meal, whitefish meal (whitefish meal contains wild-caught flounder, halibut and alaskan cod), whole peas, red lentils, field beans, whole potato, deboned duck, whole eggs, deboned walleye, duck fat, herring oil, lamb liver, herring meal, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fibre, whole apples, whole pears, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, spinach, cranberries, blueberries, kelp, chicory root, juniper berries, angelica root, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, lavender, rosemary, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.6%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 31% | 17% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 34% | 19% | 39% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 29% | 39% | 33% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is lamb. Although it is a quality item, raw lamb contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The second ingredient lists lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.
The third ingredient mentions duck meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.
The fourth ingredient is whitefish meal, yet another high protein meat concentrate.
Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1
We are pleased to note that, unlike many fish meals, this particular item appears2 to be ethoxyquin-free.
The next two ingredients are peas and lentils. Peas and lentils are quality sources of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, peas and lentils contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The seventh ingredient includes field beans, another fiber rich item with nutritional qualities similar to peas and lentils.
The eighth ingredient is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The ninth ingredient is duck. Although it is a quality item, raw duck contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The next ingredient is whole eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
After eggs, we find walleye, a freshwater fish native to the northern region of the United States and much of Canada.
Then we come to duck fat. Duck fat is obtained from rendering duck, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Duck fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, duck fat is actually a quality ingredient.
Next, herring oil is naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids, essential nutrients needed by every dog to sustain life.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With four notable exceptions…
First, we find chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.
Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.
Next, we note the use of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added to provide enzymes to aid the animal with digestion.
Thirdly, this recipe also contains selenium yeast. Unlike the more common inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite), this natural yeast supplement is considered a safer anti-cancer alternative.
And lastly, this food also contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Acana Regionals Grain Free Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Acana Regionals appears to be an above-average dry dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 34%, a fat level of 19% and estimated carbohydrates of about 39%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 35% and a mean fat level of 19%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 38% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 54%.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effects of the peas, lentils and field beans, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
However, there appears to be slightly more protein attributable to plant-based sources than to meat – compared to the most recent version of this recipe.
Bottom line?
Acana Regionals is a grain free kibble using a notable amount of named meats and meat meals as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Special Alert
Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.
A Final Word
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Notes and Updates
01/26/2010 Original review
09/02/2010 Review updated
06/29/2012 Last Update
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