[Naturella]

Ok, yes, they are smaller than Acana Pacifica. That is one we are almost done with a trial size of. Bruno seems to handle it just fine, but it is surely bigger than his usual kibble. What size were your dogs again? Also, Nulo may be about 15% bigger than EH, but definitely in that range. It is small enough, I would say.

[aquariangt]

I use both those earthborns and they’re good, so yay!

It’s really the reason I don’t use Acana, the kibble is so darn big

[aquariangt]

Ordering online may work (I do it a lot), but I definitely saw Acana and Orijen last time I was out there. Whatever their big box store was had some foods (cant remember off the top of my head) but in a few specialty shops I went to I saw Champion Foods out there. What brands are in the stores you go to? I think applaws is a uk brand as well

[GhoulishGal]

Yeah… not one of those is available where I am. I can get Orijen and Acana (same Canadian Company) on Amazon, but the rest… specialty online stores.

[pugmomsandy]

Check out Oven-Baked Tradition, Orijen, Acana, Horizon Pet Foods, Petcurean, Pronature, FirstMate, and Nutreco.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Nate D]

Here’s a quick update after making some phone calls.
My dog will be going on the Science Diet for 2 weeks. I actually already started. Went and picked it up. After that if there are no crystals I was told I can go back on the dry food, I just need to add water to it……or I can mix wet and dry and add water. I’m told the solid gold supplement is also ok once off of the SD.
So I will still use dry food, but will mix it with wet. I just can’t afford all wet.
I’m also looking at switching the dry food to grain free. The big problem is with Doxies it’s not easy finding a food they won’t gain weight from no matter how little food you give them. Fromm Gold Weight Management has been the only food that keeps both of my dogs stable and where they should be. They do have a new weight management formula, but I don’t believe it’s grain free either. I have tried grain free in the past, but they just kept slowly putting on the weight. Even tried Wellness Core Reduced Fat. I kept lowering the amount I gave them, but anymore they wouldn’t have any. lol
I see Merrick has a grain free low cal dry food as well as canned. I’m also looking at Evo and Fromm for canned food. Natural Balance has a low cal food as well, but doesn’t look as good as the others, but it is more affordable. By Nature looks good as well.
The Evo dry looks good, but the protein is extremely high. I tried that route with Orijen and Acana before but that high just made their stools very soft and they farted all of the time. lol Not to mention my females anal glands were over active on very high protein.
What brands of foods are you all feeding your dogs that had crystals?

[Ryan K]

Does anyone know of a great dry food that has helped their dog with anal gland issues? My 5 year old terrier mix has suddenly become prone to his sacs filling up and bothering him and I want to get him on a diet that will help relieve some of those symptoms. I know Acana has a high fiber count but he really hasn’t liked any of their food as well as the price being a little steep. What other grain-free (he has allergies to chicken) dry foods have pretty high fiber count (over 4%)? Please help! 🙂

[John P]

Dori:
I think rotational food might be my best bet at this stage in the game, but I have a few questions/comments for you:
1) How would you recommend introducing the new foods I’m researching to make sure Iggy (and Bella, my other Wheatable) can tolerate them before I rotate in a second, third, and fourth food (and so on)? It usually takes a little while for the itching to show up in either Iggy or Bella. On the other hand, I learned very quickly that bison was too closely related to beef for Bella (she has violent reactions to beef). Within hours, she was incredibly sick. So, I guess my question is how long would you wait before introducing each food and how many foods would you feed at a time when you’re trying out a new one? Would you switch to it exclusively for a short period?
2) I have always made my own treats. This started when I rescued Iggy as a puppy. He was extremely malnourished but wouldn’t eat much of his puppy food at a time. Bella, who is two years older, has never had any problems eating (especially if it’s bad for her — haha), so I had to find ways to get get nutrition into him throughout the day when he felt like eating without necessarily leaving food out all day long. I worked with my super awesome vet to come up with some “recipes”, I played with them to Iggy’s liking, and Iggy and Bella have been enjoying them to some extent ever since. They have always been anti-inflammatory, grain-free, and high-protein, with a good fat-to-protein ratio. I don’t use treats very often, but when I do, they’re always from my own kitchen.

crazy4cats:
Pardon my ignorance, but what is a “topper”?

Pam P:
This is great information! Like I said, I’m new to this site and new to the dog food world beyond what I have found in the aisles of my local pet supply warehouses. Please bear with me as I bombard you with questions/comments as I did with Dori. Here goes:
1) What is kefir? I’m afraid to leave this page in my tablet to go Googling for fear of losing everything I have typed so far, plus I’m betting your summation will be far more knowledgeable than anything I can find on Wikipedia.
2) How exactly do you find out if a company uses synthetic vitamins and minerals? Does a limited-ingredient brand such as Acana use them? I’m guessing something like that would be on the ingredients list, but is there a separate list as one might find on a cereal box? I tried to play around with Editor’s Choice the day I joined, but I couldn’t find the purported ingredient benefits of membership. That could be both a limitation of my browsing device and a limitation of the short amount of time I had available for browsing.
3) Do you mix the oils directly onto the foods before feeding? How do you know how much to give per kg/lb — does someone have a guide somewhere online? Again, this might be something I could search online. My Wheatables both have the soft blonde hair of the Wheaten breed, but it doesn’t have the luster it had when eating the Organix. I realize that could be due to many things besides just what I fed them at the time. I know when I first rescued Bella and before I got Iggy, my old vet introduced me to Dr. Udo’s pet line of holistic products. Do you have any experience with those? I believe he has a vegan oil blend (with several of the oils you mentioned) designed to do just what you said. The only reason I bring it up is it would have dosing guidelines. My worry comes from the fact that Iggy is at risk of being underweight (always has been), and Bella is at risk of being overweight (always has been), so I want to be sure and dose exactly according to what they should be getting.

InkedMarie:
Thanks for the hints! You saved me a lot of headache and searches by pointing me in the right directions. If I can use Dori’s rotational recommendations, I’ll need some novel proteins because so many have already been eliminated due to established allergies and intolerances (mainly poultry). I really appreciate the help!

Melissaandcrew:
Okay, I own several books on Wheatens. They are adorable, but that very adorableness is their downfall, which is why I have rescued two. However, I haven’t ever encountered specific literature on (nor have any of my vets told me about) skin conditions due to intestinal problems. I know about the inheritable digestive enzyme-related diseases. Do those also cause skin problems? If so, what kind? I will Google this further as soon as I can. However, your first-hand perspective would probably help me more than anything else.
Also, thanks for telling me you are also a proponent of rotational feeding, although to a more relaxed extent than Dori. This helps me decide that some form of rotational feeding is the next move for our pet family. I wish I had thought to do this sooner.

Pam P:
Nice to see you again! Thanks for the advice on the vaccines. Iggy and Bella missed their last routine vaccinations because they were extremely inflamed at the time, and the vet didn’t want to risk it. I will mention everything you said to my vet, and we will go from there. She has been extremely good to work with me so far. She got out of vet school right about the time Iggy joined our family, so she knows our history well, and she seems to be more flexible than some older vets.

Thanks again to everyone! I’m sorry I wasn’t more concise. I just have so many questions. If you don’t feel like answering but just want to send me to a website, a link is fine too. I’m off to do all of that Googling I promised to undertake. This community is amazing!

[DogFoodie]

Addiction, Castor & Pollux, Champion (Orijen & Acana), Central Garden & Pet (Avoderm & Pinnacle), Farmina, Fromm, Hi-Tek (Hi-Tek & Leonard Powell), Horizon, Midwestern Pet Foods (Earthborn), Natura (EVO, Innovation), Ohio Pet Foods (Blackwood), Precise, Taplow Ventures (FirstMate – I’m using this right now for one of my dogs), Tuffy’s (NutriSource, Natural Planet and Pure Vita).

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi John
.

Sadly welcome to the world of wheaties. Great dogs, lots of medical concerns. Be thankful yours has the skin issues from allergies and not the intestinsl. Ours had both. We feed high quality dry and raw foods to control his issues. He eats a lot of Acana, Orijen and Nature’s Variety products. Once you find a brand that is higher rated, look for any chicken in it. We started ours on the Acana Lamb/ apple with great success. We never feed him a food for long term, in the hopes that he will not develop an allergy due to exposure.

For example. Last week he ate Acana Pork/squash for two days, Nature’s Variety Rabbit (limited ingredient) for 2 days, and the lamb Acana for 2 days. Grandma Lucy dehydrated venison for one.

[Dori]

Hi John P. First let me say that I’m a commercial raw feeder grain free foods so I’m not going to really be of much help with kibble. I do know that a lot of people on this site consider Acana and Orijen made by Champion to be a quality company. The only kibble that, on rare occasions, I have put in rotation is Nature’s Logic Kibble but only the Sardine. All others contain either some sort of beef or poultry (eggs). One of my dogs has many many food intolerances and sensitivities. The list is quite long so I won’t bore you as they don’t pertain to your dog. But she is highly intolerant of all things poultry which includes all fowl. Below is a partial list of what I feed my three dogs and they all do very well on them, I’ve left out any of the beef that I feed because your dog has an intolerance to beef. I feed all my dogs the same food because of my allergy girl, Katie. I feed a rotational diet so here goes.

OC Raw: Fish & Produce Patties, Lamb Patties, Rabbit Patties, Goat Patties

Primal Raw Formulas and/or Primal Pronto Formulas: Venison Patties, Rabbit Patties

Vital Essentials Raw: Fish Patties, Rabbit Patties

Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw: Venison (also contains lamb), Rabbit (also contains pork)

Stella & Chewy’s Raw: Venison, Lamb, Rabbit
I’m not a great fan of Stella & Chewy’s but will feed it if I’m in a pinch.

Natures Logic Kibble: Sardine (It contains millet which is a pseudo-grain. Katie can’t tolerate grains but for some reason the millet in Nature’s Logic doesn’t seem to bother her. Could be because I feed it so infrequently and never for more than one meal every so often.

I’m an advocate of rotational feeding for my three dogs so I rotate their food pretty much with every meal and don’t feed them the same protein without a three day break in between. It’s the only way I can get around Katie’s food issues. Dogs with allergies should also avoid corn, white potatoes, rice (all), soy. They are all pro-inflammatory so you’re basically feeding the allergies and making things worse. You need to feed non-inflammatory foods and ingredients as best you can. It’s pretty difficult to avoid every single thing all the time but it helps a great deal to do your best.

Hope some of this has helped. I’m sure someone else will chime in soon to help with kibble feeding.

Oops! Don’t forget about checking to see what’s in the treats you give your dogs. For treats I only give pieces of fruits (no grapes) and veggies. No seeds or pits with the fruit please (toxic), I also peel apples and cucumbers. I don’t feed any commercial treats due to grains and too many recalls for my liking. Too many pesticides used on both. Good Luck and if I can answer any questions please ask.

I just wanted to mention that the only fish that Katie cannot eat is salmon. All other fish foods she’s fine with but is very sensitive to salmon.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dori.

[John P]

My four-year-old Wheaten Terrier (wheatable really – dominant wheaten mix) has serious allergies, skin issues, and food sensitives to most grains and several proteins. He started on a poultry-based food (Organix) but became sensitive after two years. After trial-and-error and an allergy test, we switched to a fish-based food (Natural Mix). However, recently he has become sensitive to it. I am desperate to find a food with a new protein. It breaks my heart to watch him itch and scratch all day. My vet is wonderful, but beyond sending me to this site, she is as desperate as I am.

Right now, I’m feeding him a raw diet consisting mainly of quality meat leftovers I buy from the butcher (pork and venison, mainly), but I can’t afford to do that much longer. I subscribed to the Editor’s Choice, but almost every food is poultry-based or enriched with poultry meals. I noticed Acana foods might have some alternative proteins (such as pork). Does anyone have experience with them?

I know he is definitely allergic to most red meats, including beef and bison. The poultry-based food he ate contained turkey and chicken. The fish-based food he ate contained salmon. He has never had any issues with pork or venison. I am wondering if someone might have experience with a dog who became intolerant of one poultry protein but could tolerate another (say I could try switching him to duck or pheasant)?

Otherwise, do any of you have favorite foods containing pork, venison, rabbit, or lamb? Do you have any other protein recommendations? Do you have any other suggestions period?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your time.

Best,

John

[Naturella]

D_O, gotcha. Well, hope it helps! My local store had the small bags of Acana and Orijen for sale for $2 down from $4, so I grabbed me one of each and I’m trying to use them up pronto because they expire soon, so he gets Acana on Tuesday and Orijen on Thursday for breakfast. I think they will be gone pretty soon cause I also use them as training treats/treats in general. 🙂 We like them.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lily has been having 1/4 of her kibble replaced by Acana Singles Pork and Butternut Squash, which is the chosen food for the first step of her elimination diet. She has been doing well on it, I want to bump it up to 1/2 tonight.

[Naturella]

Hey, all! So, today Bruno had his first beef green tripe can – Solid Gold Green Cow. It smells like vomit. Like someone had lamb innards and then vomited them, lol. Naturally, Bruno LOVED it! Then again, he loves everything, lol, little vacuum cleaner. I gave him about 2 heaping tablespoons (it’s a big can, we gotta use it up soon) and reduced his kibble too, so he had a nice dinner. His breakfast was Acana Pacifica with some yoghurt, and the dinner was Wysong Quail with the green tripe.

I also got him a new Kong toy, the regular but in black for heavy chewers, size small. It won’t fit his food serving, but I plan to use it for just goodie treats, like the tripe, doggie “ice-cream”, etc. So I stuffed and froze his new little Kong, 2 hooves, Casey’s medium-sized Kong (I have permission to give her dog-friendly treats and concoctions), and the remnants of a horn (won’t be buying those anymore as they are not naturally-shed. Hooves probably aren’t either, but mine 2 were a gift, so I will still use them). And we still have some of the can left in the fridge probably for both breakfast AND dinner tomorrow… Or I can feed half tomorrow, half Thursday, we’ll see. 🙂 But yeah, Bruno likes it a lot, I just really wish I either had more stuffable toys, or they sold small (up to 6oz) cans of green tripe so I can feed it quickly. Oh well. I was so excited to have the Kong and stuff it with the tripe that he had dinner a little early today. He didn’t mind, lol! 😀

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Naturella.

[Michelle T]

I have had several Standards and currently have 2. I rotate their food with one meal per day being raw&/or The Honest Kitchen and the other meal one of the following:
Orijen, Acana, and Fromm. I like to rotate protein sources and I occasionally add a bit of green tripe to the kibble. I stay away from grains as Standards often can have yeasty issues. Good luck & congratulations on your new adventure – life with a Standard Poodle is never dull!

[Flowers]

Hi I don’t know if I can help but my dachshund puppy was sent home from the breeders on Royal Canin and I took one look at the ingredients and decided to change foods. It didn’t know what to switch to and after a lot of research and advice I switched him over a two week period to Acana Puppy & Junior and so far he has been fine on it, he gobbles it down fast and seems to like it. It is a Canadian brand and I liked the natural ingredients, fresh chicken etc he only thing that may cause a prob for your lab could be the oats but it is worth taking a look.
Good luck

[Janie M G]

Patch is adorable! I sure hope he gets better. You might try Acana kibble, it is very highly rated and Nikko loves it, of course, when he gets better! Best to you and your baby!

[Janie M G]

I need help fast, please! I have a four year old French Bulldog, generally vey healthy. He had one attack of gastro inflammation a year ago and got over it just fine. About a week ago he started yelping in pain, went to the vet twice who ran all sorts of blood tests, sonogram, etc and determined Nikko has an inflamed and somewhat enlarged gallbladder. He put him on steroids, pain pills and antibiotic. Nikko has eaten just fine through all of this, and goes to the bathroom just fine. I feed him Acana grain free regionals and a liitle bit of Merrick canned grain (Grammy’s Pot Pie) free dog food in the morning. At night he loves cottage cheese and his Acana. Snacks are limited. I also put Great Life probiotic/enzymes in his canned food and I have also put Grissley Salmon oil in his food for his coat. I am wondering if the salmon oil, although just about 2 squirts per day, inflamed his gallbladder. I REALLY want him to get better and I want to avoid surgery if I can. The vet, of course, wants him on Science Diet food and I refused. It is bad food! Please advise me what to feed him to help his gallbladder and to avoid any problems in the future. I am scared for my little guy!

[lovemypuppy]

Thanks. Yes, BT do have gas issues 🙂 I just don’t want to make them worse … guess I’ll figure out her baseline over time and with trial and error.

Since last night she’s been barely interested in her Acana and hasn’t eaten but a few kibbles today. She doesn’t have a lot of weight to spare and is already small for her age. She also has dry fur with some flaking.

I’m going to the pet store again today and will be reading more on homemade diets. I just want her to eat and get the nutrition that she desperately needs. If she isn’t eating more by the end of the week, I’ll be taking her to the vet, though I’m afraid they will just scold me for not feeding her Royal Canin.

[Melissaandcrew]

Uhm..Boston tend to have gas issues 🙂 I have fed Acana products to pups and they did great. And all life stage foods should be just fine. They do sell their grain free line in the US.

[lovemypuppy]

Let me start by just saying, I’m a total dog novice. I grew up with cats and now in my mid 30’s have adopted my first puppy.

I have a 10 week old boston terrier. Her weight is OK, but she is on the small side with not a weight to spare. She’s pretty finicky. I really wanted her to like Amicus puppy small breed but she continues to turn her nose up to it, even when adding to it (pumpkin, yogurt, wet food, etc.)

I would like to try her on Acana puppy small breed (despite it not being grain free) but can’t seem to get it in the US due to regulations of some sort re: milk thistle ingredient. Anyone know a way around this? Or maybe when they open up production in the US it will be available w/out milk thistle?

(side note, is the US production site thought to be no good because the pet food regulations in that state are too lax? I remember reading a downside, but can’t remember where or what the details were).

My pup is currently eating Acana Lamb and Apple whole prey diet and really enjoys it. The kibble is big but she gobbles it down. Is All life stages OK? Seems like it is for puppies, but may be too many calories for a mature dog?

Is rotating kibble OK for a puppy? I know their digestive system is immature and more sensitive, but so far, we’ve made sudden switches and she has handled it just fine. I would prefer to not get her stuck on one food … just not sure if that’s something that should wait until she is past her puppyhood.

I would like to stay grain free if possible as her coat is already dry and dull. That said, she also has (smelly) gas, so I’m a little leery of lentils … but it seems like avoiding potatoes might help with yeast? she does have tear stains … waiting on probitiocs to arrive.

How much truth is there with ying/yang, cool vs heating foods? She is definitely a hot dog (not the kind you eat) so I’m thinking I will try her on Acana Duck and Pear whole prey and see if I notice a difference.

I’m hoping for some recommendations of kibble for a finicky puppy, preferably grain free with a moderate protein %? I don’t like natural flavors (there can be some pretty nasty stuff hidden there) or canola oil.

I realize there is no perfect kibble and even then it really depends on the specific dog. Just feeling a little overwhelmed and hoping some of you who have been doing this longer or have a similar dog, might have some input.

TIA!

[Flowers]

Hi all

So I am getting into a tizz I started weaning my now 11 week old standard Dachshund off Royal Canin and onto Acana. I chose Acana Puppy & Junior. He currently weighs 5kg and is having 4 meals a day until next week when it goes down to 3 meals a day.

But I am confused I simply don’t understand how much I should be feeding. When I measure for example 30g in the measuring cup provided by Acana and then measure that same amount on scales it comes to a completely different weight.

So firstly is the Acana measuring cup inaccurate? Should I continue to use scales to weigh out the food?

And secondly please please can somebody help me to work out how much acana puppy and junior I should feed an 11 week puppy weighing 5kg based currently on 4 meals a day?????

I emailed the Acana customer service and they responded by saying ” You can use the Puppy and Junior, but I would follow the feeding guide for the Small Breed Puppy.” This doesn’t help me at all because it is a completely different chart

http://www.acanapetfoods.co.uk/acatalog/ACANA_Feeding_Guide_2012.pdf

I could really do with some guidance – thank you 🙂

[Naturella]

Peggy, this is odd… Do you think they are self-regulating somehow and have been getting enough calories? I have heard/read that if a dog truly is hungry, they will eat when they get to that point of true hunger… Or, they are sick, but I hope that’s not it. How have they been eating today, if at all?

As for us, Bruno and Snowy (this weekend I am dog-sitting the dog of the family I babysit for) had 1/4 cup of Acana Pacifica dry with 1/2 3.5oz can of sardines in water, and 1/2 tsp THK Perfect Form each. Bruno’s stool has been good, just a tad softer since we switched to Wysong Nurture with Quail, so I have been giving him PF this week to firm him back up. So far so good, he’s almost back to normal. On Saturdays he always has a fish-based kibble with his sardines, and these days it is Acana Pacifica. Next up I have a small bag of GO! Sensitivity and Shine Salmon.

Dinner today will be 1/4 cup of Wysong each, with 1 tsp each of Sojo’s Turkey, and 1/2 tsp each of PF.

Tomorrow’s breakfast will be 1/4 cup Wysong again with 1 tsp of Sojo’s Beef, 1/2 tsp PF. Dinner tomorrow will be dried duck feet! 🙂

Right now Snowy is on Wellness CORE Puppy, but she’s had Wysong before and did well on it, and she is so good about switching foods up now, so she is fine with the variety. I have a lot of dog food at my house so I don’t mind feeding an extra pup for a few days. 🙂

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Naturella.

[Flowers]

Arghhh no I’ve done it wrong I am really confused now have just looked at the chart on the website for Acana I am not sure how to work it out now. If my puppy weighs 4.5 kilos and I have to feed him 4 times a day what amount should I be feeding him of the Acana? I really don’t understand the chart at all! I don’t have a clue what the adult weight will be.
http://www.acana.com/products/classics/puppy-small-breed/

[Flowers]

I have just been sitting working out the maths lucky you like maths I am dreadful at it but I have figured a schedule based on boy foods and pups weight so it will go something like this :-
Sun 1 Feb – Thur 5 Feb
20 g Royal Canin
10 g Acana

Fri 6 Feb – Tue 10 Feb
15g Royal Canin
20g Acana

Wed 11 Feb – Sun 15 Feb
7.5 g Royal Canin
30 g Acana

Mon 16 Feb onwards

40 g Acana

I hope it works and he likes he food!!!!!

[Flowers]

Hi, C4C glad you like my turn of phrase 🙂 I just think that any dog food with dehydrated poultry protein and animal fats followed closely by fillers like rice and maize gluten just isn’t worth it’s salt! I wondered about keeping him on it for another two weeks or so as he is new and adapting to a new environment but I just want him off the bad and onto the good and start putting good food in his system to give him the best possible start. I like the idea of food rotating but I’m not sure just yet. i think I need to settle him on one food first and then I kind of like the idea of adding things in when he gets older like some fresh chicken, tuna, egg, carrot to make it more varied. So I will try to transition to Acana, at the mo he has about 30g four times a day of Royal Canin is I will have to work out how much Acana to put in and how much RC to remove 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi Flowers!
First of all congrats on the new pup! Second of all, I love the use of the word “rubbish”. It sounds so polite compared to the words usually used on this site. Lol!

I agree that it would be a good idea to eventually switch to a new food. But, don’t be in too big of a hurry unless he is having issues with his current food. Stay on it for a bit and let him get used to his new home and people. He is already experiencing enough changes right now.

Acana and Orijen are both great brands manufactured by the same company. Either one would be a great choice. But, you are right, it may be too big of a jump to start with. Maybe choose a 4 star food, such as Nutrisource, as a transitional food before moving to Orijen or Acana. Either way, transition very slooowly. Replacing a small amount of the old food with new over at least a week period.

You won’t know if the food will cause “wind” until you give it a try! Many feel that adding probiotics and/or digestive enzymes while transitioning is very helpful as well.

Please write back with your results. Good luck!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Orijen and Acana are great foods, much better than Royal Canin. Make sure the food says “puppy” or “all life stages” on it. As for how to transition, the answer is very slowly, over at least a week, longer if he needs it. Also, diet rotation is a good idea, because no food is perfect. Here is some more info about that: /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/
Remember to slowly transition to each new food. 😀
You should probably keep using puppy foods (you can still rotate, as long as they are all puppy foods) until she is about 6 months old, and then you can transition to adult food.

[Flowers]

Hello I am new to the forum and delighted to have found a site so dedicated to helping advise on the best dog foods it is fab. I am also new to dog ownership and am the proud owner of a 9 week old standard wire haired dachshund.

He was sent home at 8 weeks with a small bag of kibble to get us started and I had to order a fresh bag of Royal Canin Mini Junior dog food. When I read the ingredients I was surprised to see how many fillers there seem to be it seems like rubbish and I really want to switch his food.

I have had a good look at the top foods on the site and narrowed it down to either Acana small puppy food or Orijen and I would really like people’s opinions as to which I should switch to. I do wonder if Orijen may be too rich for his little tummy but then again Acana has oats which could cause wind!!!!

What shall I go for and what is the best way to introduce the new food and phase out the Royal Canin?

Thank you for any help.

[Riley T]

I have two French bulldogs and have had an issue finding a grain free chicken free or anything with feathers for that matter that is also potato free.
I am going to try out Earthborn Grain Free kibble and see what happens. I’ve tried them on Orijen (too rich) Acana ( they wouldn’t eat it), FROMM Gold (loose stinky stools & itchiness), Merrick Bison & Sweet Potato (good stools but still itchy), Taste of the Wild High Prairie ( made them gassy).
So this is one of my last options before going to a RAW diet, wish me luck lol.

[Naturella]

Sooo, I help a couple of friends shop for dog food and I was with a friend of mine and I advised her to get 3 bags of Earthborn Holistic – Primitive Natural, Great Plains Feast, and Puppy Vantage, and then we went to my fave pet boutique store… I am SO WEAK!!! LoL! They had a sale on Acana and Orijen (the tiny 340-gram bags) for $1.99 instead of the usual $3.99. So I grabbed one of each! I couldn’t help it… argh… However… They are amazing foods, the Orijen one has like 15 meats as the first 15 ingredients… I mean, woah! lol. I can’t wait for Bru to try them! 🙂 Acana Pacifica and Orijen Adult is what I snatched. 🙂 They had Acana Grasslands on sale too, but for $2.99, so I wanted it, but passed on it… Maybe it will be $1.99 if it doesn’t sell in a few days… 😀

But really though, I have got to control myself some around samples… 50%-off or not… lol. I must have about 8lbs of them that need to go through Bruno together with the rest of his foods at some point, soon preferably, and the guy eats like a little over 1/2 cup nowadays, so this will be interesting, lol.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Naturella.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Naturella.

[Dori]

Susan W.
Quick thought on my part. If you are already feeding a dehydrated food, why are you thinking of switching to Acana? Why not The Honest Kitchen grain free line which is human grade and approved by the FDA to put that on their labels? It’s also rated 5 stars here with the exception of the chicken formula.

[Susan W]

I have a 8 yr black LAB and 3 yr old Beagle on the CaniSource Grain Free Fish

Generally, when I mention this product, it is unknown to 90% of people I talk to; yet the marketing sounds like product is too good to be true; they claim product is 100% human grade; inspected with the same process as human plants – but then that being said, how good is the human grade meat and inspection ?

Curious
1) why it does not have “complete and balanced” on the box ?
2) why is the rating 4, not 5 on this website ?
3) can I believe the marketing – no more allergies, 100% human grade etc ?
4) should I be concerned with a straight “fish diet”
5) generally, why is this product not popular – it appears over expensive, but you feed less
6) why are the vets so against it ?? –

I do have a lot of questions, but why do I keep feeding it – the results I see in my Lab is why I have continued –

My black Lab has elbow dysplasia and was taking glucosamine;
Since the switch to CaniSource, I have discontinued the glucosamine, and if anything his leg is better; he has a higher energy level on this food (almost like a puppy), and what really stands out is his coat is nice and shinny, where before it was dull and coarse.

After reviewing this website, I am thinking of trying a switch to ACANA,

[aquariangt]

Dani liked that one, but the kibble is a bit big, as with most a acana I’ve used 🙁 liesl hasn’t had any acana in a while.

Dani is on victor Yukon and liesl on from. Salmon a la veg. Both are getting chicken as a topper in the evenings, in the morning today they has some earth born tub (the lamb one, I think it’s lilys)

[theBCnut]

Mine are trying Acana Pork and Butternut Squash with pork ribs tonight.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thank you so much for adopting! I agree that both Orijen and Acana are great foods, and that you should transition slowly. Get some of the food she was eating at the shelter/foster/previous home to use during transition. Also, I would suggest rotational feeding, since no food is perfect. Here is some more info on that: /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/
Always transition slowly with rotation as well. Good luck!

[DogFoodie]

My dog can’t have flax either, but I’ve also determined a long list of other ingredients of which he is intolerant so the list I have is very short. Dry foods on my short list that don’t contain flax are NVI LID, Addiction Viva La Venison, Canidae Pure Sky (Diamond, yuck), Wysong Fundamentals, FirstMate Chicken and Blueberries and Acana Duck and Bartlett Pear (original, not singles). There are also several Canine Caviar formulas that don’t have flax currently, and they have new formulas coming out really soon and when they do, I know Wilderness meets my criteria. I think several CC formulas would meet your criteria currently.

It’ll soon be three years that its taken me to get my list to where it is currently. I am constantly on Chewy.com reading ingredients. You’ll need to check the ones I mentioned to see if they contain other problem ingredients.

I’ve determined my dogs problem ingredients through trial and error during a modified elimination diet. If your allergy test results were determined by a blood test, or the like, I encourage you to consider doing an elimination diet as allergy test results are notorious for both false positives and false negatives.

[Sam Koch]

Hello!

My name is Sam. I am adopting a dog soon, her name is Alice and she’s a Lab mix. I want the best food possible and an easy transitioning of food for her. Are there any suggestions? I’ve been looking at Orijen and Acana. They guessed that she’s a little less than a year old and she’s about 50 pounds. Any suggestions would be great!

Sam

[Jane E]

I’d consider Acana…it’s a great company with superior foods….Lots of Boxer people go right into that when weaning and they do very well

[Dina H]

I was assured by the woman at Pet Valu that I didn’t have to do the slow transition. This is a dog that was born here. I do rescue and of the 5 in the litter, she was the typical ‘middle’ child, always sensitive and insecure. I think that may have some bearing. She was adopted and her owner had her on Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food. She was returned to me bec owner was moving (boo) and that is the food I was transitioning from. I had read about the connection between Blue Buffalo and Diamond and decided to part ways with it. She has always had intermittent bouts of diarrhea; no parasites…she has been checked and she has been treated with panacur and metro a month ago. I think what I will do is get a small bag of the Blue Buffalo that she was on and slowly segue her to the Acana but will go with the Acana chicken this time. As well as replace that slow feeder bowl that one of my dogs decided was a toy. (:

[DogFoodie]

It sounds like you might have made an abrupt switch, to which your pup isn’t accustomed. I would go back to the Fromm until things stabilize. When it’s time to start trying the Acana again, switch slowly by adding in a small amount of the Acana to a reduced portion of the Fromm. Try an 80 / 20 ratio to start. Only after your pup is stable on that ratio and has firm, formed stool for several days, is it time to increase the new and decrease the old.

Make sure to compare calories. The Acana may have more calories than the Fromm. Adjust your ratio and the amount you feed accordingly.

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

Dina H,
Did you add the Acana to the Fromm? Or did you just start the Acana solo?
The fat & protein content in the Acana may be higher than she is used to with the Fromm.
Maybe just give her some boiled chicken & canned pumpkin or sweet potato for a few days to allow her tummy to rest .Then slowly add the Acana to the Fromm it could take weeks until she is ready to go on the Acana solo.
Durapet makes a stainless slow-feed bowl -my 2 have them -it does make them slow down a bit. Drs Foster & Smith sell them.

[Dina H]

I had this dog on Fromm’s Adult Classics, Chicken and Brown Rice, a mid tier food. I decided to ‘upgrade’ her to Acana Lamb and Origaken Apple…first two days, all well (feeding twice a day 1 cup a day for a 50 lb dog) but yesterday up it all came. This is a very nervous insecure dog. I can maybe see an ultrasound in my future as well; but I am wondering what everyone else feeds their sensitive stomach dog? She was okay on the Fromm, though again, would wolf the food down and sometimes have issues. The vomiting far too frequent for my liking.

[HEATHER M]

I was thinking of switching my dogs to Acana Regionals. I was looking at the Ranchlands variety but my husband is concerned with the beef and whether it contains hormones. Does anyone know? Is there a way to determine that by looking at the packaging. It mentions “free range” but I didn’t see anything about “hormone-free”. Thanks for your help.

[NANCY C]

Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast — my dogs love it and when I was not an Editor’s Choice member, I was so pleased I had found a food that my dogs LOVED and that had still garnered 4.5 stars from Pet Food Advisor. Previously, I had fed them Acana Ranchlands exclusively, but they were still “fussy” about it and I had to mix with wet food to get them to eat it…and it was expensive! Twice the cost of Earthborn. Now I don’t know whether to switch them all back or what! I do know that on Acana, their coats were so shiny! I have four huge pitbulls, and two with skin issues, and both the Acana and the Earthborn have been good choices for us.

I guess my biggest concern with foods is whether they contain euthanized cats and dogs, or have ingredients from china or unsanitary factories. Do we get info on that as members?

[Rachel M]

I would start by trying a limited ingredient diet, I’m fond of Acana singles pork and apple. I also like Orijen Six Fish as a place to start for digs with allergies. Allergy testing is expensive, I’ve found that an elimination diet was a less expensive and more accurate way to determine what my dog could eat.

Check out DogFoodWizard.com for my food selector tool, you can tell it to exclude foods that contain poultry and any other suspected allergens for your girl and it should give you a whole list of foods she can eat.

[Dori]

Please read review on Blue Buffalo and google complaints about Blue Buffalo. Maybe your do is trying to tell you something. As to any suggestions for a dry food I’m sorry that I can’t be of any help there. I feel commercial raw foods to my three toy dogs as well as organic fruits and veggies. I know that quite a few posters seem to like Victor’s Grain Free, Nature’s Logic, Annaemaet (?), Brothers Complete, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Acana, Orijen. Those are just a few that I have read dry food feeders compliment. I’m sure there are others but I don’t know. What you can also do is switch to a dry food (for economic reasons I would suppose) and use a canned or freeze dried food as a topper. Your dog would get better nutrients than merely feeding a dry food. There are many other things that you could add to a dry food to make it more palatable and nutritious.

I hope this bumps up your question and kibble feeders will see and respond. 🙂

[theBCnut]

Paul S
The list is for brands/companies. Champion is the company that makes Orijen and Acana. They are on the list.

[DogFoodie]

More proteins = more amino acids! If you don’t get all the amino acids you need from your diet, proteins break down and muscle loss can result.

The Acana Singles product offerings are limited ingredient foods that contain lentils and chickpeas. If the added peas are problematic in the NVI LID, you might want to steer clear of more legumes. However, if he’s not gassy and the stool, while increased in volume, is still well formed, the legumes might not be a problem for him. Take a look at both varieties. The grain free are called “Singles” and the others are grain inclusive. There is also a Pork and Butternut Squash variety in the Singles line. All are fish free. They use algae meal – thank you! 🙂 They look identical: http://www.chewy.com/s?dept=dog&query=acana+Apple+lamb+duck+pear+&nav-submit-button.x=28&nav-submit-button.y=28