[C C]

And so it continues with the Kentucky plant’s inferior way of producing both Acana and Origen pet food. I am thankful to hear that Champion is better to deal for some than my experience, but the important thing is that they take this seriously enough to return to however the Canadian production process was for the best of all of our pets. If not, to me it lowers this company’s quality right back down there with those using “road kill” and other inferior and artificial or useless ingredients. It has all made us extremely vigilant in our family regarding ALL dog matters and since we now have a new puppy, for those interested, we have also been learning more about new standards for vaccinations. Over vaccinating can also be toxic (even deadly) to pets, just as dangerous as toxic food. Dogs Naturally has some excellent articles on this, which I pray will be beneficial for all reading this. http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com helped us regarding anesthesia and meds when we had our puppy recently spayed as well. Blessings and Happy New Year to everyone. And thank you to Dog Food Advisor for making this blog available for those of us who really care about being quality pet parents!

[Lana A]

C C, I’m noticing that more and more dog parents looking into over vaccination being toxic. Somehow mentioning this subject makes many people uncomfortable.
I did my research years ago and it was big eye opening experience. Even UC Davis Veterinary Medicine revised their vaccination guidelines few years ago with more careful approach after research. It was article written by one of their professors after years of studies and researches on core vaccination which concludes that 3 years core vaccines actually provide protection for much longer, 5 to 7 years depending on individual dog ( size, breed) and repeating every 3 years without Vaccine Titer Test leads to dangerous over vaccination. I wish I would have save this article but I didn’t and now I can’t find it.
Back in 2002, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published the study about problems with using a universal dosage.
It’s becoming more common to find veterinarians who measure antibody levels through blood titers instead of defaulting to regular booster shots. But even with the AVMA and AAHA constantly revisiting their guidelines, pet vaccines remain a tricky topic.

[Bea K]

Where have I been?? Just opened the new bag of “Original” I get through Chewy. I immediately called them trying to get some old stock and was out so I went with Red Formula until I find a replacement. They were nice enough to refund and say to give to my local shelter but after reading the reviews of sick pets I can’t in good conscience even do that. I’m thinking the FDA should be informed. Last year they pulled pretty much all the treats coming from China off the shelf and that’s what needs to happen with Orijen. right now I’m thinking Champion didn’t do due diligence at the Kentucky plant of testing the quality before releasing to the public. Having our pets determine by sacrificing them to sickness and even possibly death is reprehensible and they need to be held accountable. To really make a statement, the distributors need to stop selling the product until Champion fixes the problems. When enough of them refuse then Champion has no choice. Thes small local pet stores are the ones to suffer. So I’ll be making a ton of calls to Champion, FDA, Chewy again and local stores. This reminds me so much of the Pharmaceutical company’s, to have the patients be the R&D and when patients start dying then they take it off the market. I’m a hardliner on this stuff. It’s not about just switching to a new food, it’s about keeping new, unknowing consumers informed so they don’t sacrifice their pet. Chewy needs to remove the reviews asap because it’s no longer the same product as before. It’s all new so the reviews aren’t reflecting the true quality that is was before. It’s deceiving imho. We all want the same, to have happy healthy and safe pet kids. That’s our job to protect them. Yes, a soap box, but I’m incredibly upset for Champion for being completely irresponsible on this. My heart goes out to all who’ve suffered…

[Cindy K]

We had been feeding Acana Heritage (rotating between the chicken, fish, and beef) for a long time and everything was fine until the formula changed at the Kentucky plant. Now we have had nothing but PROBLEMS. The food is extremely oily as you get near the bottom of the bags…so much that I could not bring myself to feed it to my dogs. One of our dogs had an allergic reaction that caused her belly to turn bright pink along with a rash. Now it has caused loose stools with blood in it. It caused vomiting in my other dog. I wish the formulas would have stayed the same…at least they could have informed the pet boutique where I buy the food and I could have made a decision whether I wanted to continue feeding this formula change to my pups. Not happy with Acana at all!

So after three vet visits and two prescription medications trying to get our pups back on track, we will NOT be feeding Acana anymore.

[C C]

I continue to be greatly saddened to hear of ongoing dog illness with the Kentucky plant for Acana and Origen, so I have made the decision to file a safety report with the FDA. I’m not sure what will come of it, but their website does list official recalls that have gone through and I can only hope this will stop what is going on. I thank everyone for their honest feedback.

[Bea K]

I honestly do believe that the company isn’t purposely and knowingly wanting to put any pet in danger. Like any new formula or changes to what we are use to in feeding our 4 legged loved ones, there should be more testing of the product to reassure the customers it’s as safe or more safe than before. After doing more research I was able to find out some answers on why they built a new plant in Kentucky. The resources in Canada are limited, like eggs, poultry and the ingredients in general since they (Champion) supply to at least 80 countries and an ever growing USA market. They are very aware of the issues and are continuing to work on the concerns the consumers have. I’m a person who comes down very hard on companies off the bat then do more research which is the wrong way or approach. What needs to be done is to notify the FDA as CC has done, for mostly one purpose, not to shut them down but to make sure the pet food is safe and we don’t pay the price by our pets getting sick. My concerns about the plant in the USA is because of the GMO food chain we have in the U.S. as well as all the chemicals we put in the ground for insect and weed control, antibiotics and hormones in animals added to the pet food. Animals are much more susceptible to it but aren’t able to communicate before it’s too late in some cases. We also have the fears of past recalls where massive amounts of animals have died before the FDA was able to respond. I ask anyone who suspects its the pet food, to set aside a measurable amount to be tested should there be an issue. For me, I’m going to take out a half cup from each bag with its expiration date and batch that’s stamped on every bag should something go awry later. Not just for Orijen but for any dog food of any brand in the future. Believe it or not, Canada has much less restrictions for pet food than we have in the USA. Partially relieved but not completely given my issues stated above. On a side note; A year or so ago the FDA removed dog treats from shelves with ingredients from China that were killing pets but couldn’t find anything detectable so they were put back on the shelves. Just because they couldn’t find anything doesn’t mean there wasn’t some sort of new chemical added that the FDA doesn’t know to test for. To shorten the time for you, I’ve listed what I think are important for notification.
Please call Champion Canada at 780 784 0300 with your questions, issues or concerns,
By State FDA Phone Numbers http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm Orijen Kentucky Plant website https://www.orijen.ca/dogstar-kitchens/?lang=us&lang=us Like everyone else, I don’t want to have to worry about what I’m feeding my pet kid wondering if what he’s eating is safe. Sorry for being so long winded…

[Bea K]

I agree with you CC on vaccinations. The only mandatory are Rabies and Kennel Cough because I take my pup to doggie daycare and social events. I’ve now decided to only give NexGard once a year or until I see fleas. He’s been flawless for over 5 years. He was on Advantix prior to switching to NexGard. Like anything, we listen to the so called “experts” but in reality it’s a money maker for Pharmaceutical Co. Starting this year, no more unnecessary vaccinations. Thanks for the reminder CC

[Emmett B]

Well so it is not just me.. It turns out that our trusted stand-by Acana is making crap now. We bought a large bag of the Kentucky heritage beef late last year and much to our surprise our retriever, who is a classic food fanatic, would not touch it. He would run to his food bowl at dinner time and as soon as his nose got close he would freeze and then slink away. We tried adding all measure of treats which he would just pick out of his food leaving the Acana behind. We thought he was deathly ill but from this discussion it seems he was in fine health and wanted to stay that way. The conclusion once again:
Trust your dog!
Our pet food store nicely took the open bag back (they give it to a local pet shelter) but now I even feel bad about that.. Regardless of whether the technical analysis specs are unchanged, there is something about how they make the stuff in the US that makes it unpalatable and obviously potentially dangerous compared to the old Canadian food. very sad.
What alternatives have people found for wild prairie/meadowlands?

[C C]

It is good that your dog refused to eat, Emmett B., since as we can all see the various sicknesses suffered. We have a new puppy now after the Acana mess and we are feeding her a combination of Honest Kitchen and Merrick grain free turkey. Honest Kitchen especially is human grade and very quality food. Best wishes with your boy and remember to gradually transition him to whatever you choose.

[Lee H]

Well I always got orijen from chewy that was straight from Canada till last month it was from Kentucky. I contacted chewy cause they still advertise they have the Canadian version but they are selling the Kentucky plants.As soon as I opened it it lacked the freshness smell the Canadian kind has and it was a much lighter shade almost looked like dog chow .I was so pissed trying to find a new brand cause this crap is no where near the quality of the Canadian brand.

[stephanie c]

UGH! My dog has been on the Canadian Six Fish for 8 years due to severe chicken allergies. I went out to my local pet stores and bought all the Canadian bags that were under the Kentucky bags!! I just signed up with Chewy today after an extensive conversation with the assistant that they get Orijen Six Fish from Canada only. She couldn’t find anything about the Kentucky plant and her manager didn’t know about the Kentucky plant. I wrote to Orijen yesterday to express my concerns and asked for delivery from Canada. Is there another reputable grain free fish based food as high a quality? http://www.DOGFOODANALYSIS.com is an excellent resource to find out quality of what you are serving your pup. Please share if anyone knows if how to get Orijen from Canada. Good luck to us all!!

[Cannoli]

Hi Stephanie C,

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

With all the work and effort you are putting in for finding the right kibble why don’t you just make your own dog food? You will know exactly what is going in and you can never worry about chicken

I feed my dog fish meals such as sardines and mackeral twice a week. These fish can either be brought fresh,frozen, or canned. They are cheap to buy at the store since humans don’t like smelly fish..Although canned mackeral and sardines tend to be more expensive than fresh or frozen seafood. Regardless it is so much cheaper than Origen…

I used to feed my dog origen over a year ago when he was a pup but hearing the horror stories about Orijen makes me happy knowing I don’t buy their food anymore

[Roberta C]

I am extremely disappointed in the Origen cat food made now at Dogstar in Kentucky. They not only have changed their formula from using bison as one of the ingredients to using goat meat. They have added two kinds of lentils instead of one kind as before. They have also added more vegetable matter, such as much more green herbs. I now see ingredients that cats do not use, much moreso than in the formula from Canada. I look at them as fillers. Seems now even though they claim that the meat content has increased, if you compare the ingredient list from Canada Origen to the Kentucky Origen from Dogstar it tells a different story. I can not comment on the dog food but I would bet it is the same with it also. The pet store in my town no longer carries the one from Canada. I used to love Origen (and Acana) but am now considering another one from Canada called “Open Farm”.

[Jimmy R]

Hello everyone. I am picking up my lab puppy this Friday 1/20/17 and I just want to give him the best food possible. I have heard many great things about orijen in the past, but now I am concerned. Do you guys think I should give orijen a shot? I bought the puppy large breed. Or should I go with Victor active dog and puppies. A food that I also found here at food advisor…

/dog-food-reviews/victor-grain-free/

Please let me know what you would do in my place, I am hearing nothing but complaints about Orijen now.

[Lois B]

Hi Jimmy, I have a 6 month old chow and 2 month old chow. I feed them orijen and give them a shot of salmon oil on top every day and can say i am very happy with it and their coats shine. I have heard that Victor is good also so think you are good either way.

[Jimmy R]

Hi, thank you for replying.
What’s the salmon oil for and how much of it would you give to just one puppy?

[Cannoli]

I would stay away from Orijen. I used to feed it to my pup but that was 2 years ago before they moved to Kentucky and had all theses issues.

I would stay away from store shelf salmon oil as oxidation occurs very quickly.

Feed fresh fish and you will know you are giving your pup none oxide and none spoiled fish oil.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Cannoli.

[Lois B]

Hi Jimmy, As far as Salmon oil I give 1 teaspoon. I use Alaskan Salmon oil.Whichever dog food you choose just just pay attention to your dog . He will be the one to say if he likes it and if he has a shiny coat has no itching etc. I will say my last bag of Orijen did come from Canada so if i find it is no longer good i will be changing also.

[Nesil N]

We have used Acana since we adopted our dog 7 years ago. He loved it and I felt so good as the food was from Canada with higher regulations especially with the clean water and ingredients. Since they switched to Kentucky I tried to find all the left over Canadian ones in the store.
Last weekend we went away and boarded him in his regular camp. He loves the place and plays with his friends. Unfortunately that time frame also coincided with us switching Heritage made in USA. When we came and picked our dog, he was feeling good. For two days he had soft stool which converted to diarrhea. Yesterday morning he started to vomit and followed with bloody diarrhea. As soon as I saw the bright red water coming from my poor boy I took him to ER panicking. They diagnosed him HGE (hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome) which could be deadly if they are not treated immediately. I was so scared. Our boy stayed in the ER for 24 hour and had IV, antibiotic. I just picked him. He is so tired and warned down. I am praying he will be all better himself soon. My heart goes.
The vets said the cause could be anything (stress due to boarding, food, bacteria). Moving forward I don’t want to risk anything. No more boarding and no more ACANA.
I would love to hear from you which brands you chose after stopping ACANA? I am also considering home cook meal and maybe combination.
Any input is highly recommended. I really wish Acana stayed in Canada.

[C C]

I’m so sorry to hear this, Nesil N, and pray your boy is good now and will be fine going forward. We have chosen to use a combination of home cooked chicken and some vegetables added to both Honest Kitchen grain free chicken or Merrick grain free turkey…all for a little variety as well as safety. We would do all home cooked, but research as told us that all human food does not provide the total necessary nutrients dogs need. Our baby is thriving now! Best wishes to you!

[Nesil N]

Thank you so much CC. I will check Honest Kitchen. I like the idea you are using the combination. I really appreciate the feedback very helpful. So wonderful hearing about the improvement of your baby..

[Nesil N]

CC I just saw your message about you losing your baby back in November.. and saw also how the company was insensitive. I don’t have any words!!! My heart goes with you.. Thank you for putting all your unfortunate experience here.. I am sure these will help to save many furry babies lives and people who are looking can find very valuable information..

[Jimmy R]

Hello,

I am at work so I can’t type in depth, I will later tonight. I would try Victor it is pretty awesome. How old is your four legged buddy?

[Nesil N]

Thank you Jimmy R. He is 8.5 years old.. so looking forward to any suggestions.

[Jimmy R]

Is he a small or large breed?

[Nesil N]

He is Lab/Hound mix 66lb-70lb

[Jimmy R]

I would do victor brand and they have a food named “hero” (that’s just my opinion). Depending on where you live you can buy it at your local pet shop. I have to order it online because no one sells it locally. I tried Taste of the Wild, Orijen, and Res Ford and none of those worked out for my puppy. Do your research on the brand that I mentioned to help your decision that is how I ended up deciding on this brand. However, obviously every case is a little different. Please let me know if you have any questions or why you decide. I am sorry for what you guys are going through and thank you!

[Stephanie W]

I tried two small bags of the American made acana/orijen and that was the end of that.
Terrible stuff and Acana was my go-to brand for years.
I read on another forum that one member decided to call Me yucky game and fish. She asked how much fish from Kentucky people should eat and was told no more than six a YEAR. Clearly champion foods didn’t do their due diligence to make sure their ingredient quality stayed the same.

The only good that came from this is it is what lead me down the path towards home cooked food. My dogs are doing SO much better than they ever did on the best of kibbles.
I highly recommend home cooked or raw for those who have the time.
Dogaware.com is a great resource for dog diet and has a book review section so you can find dog food cookbooks that are actually made to meet NRC and/or AAFCO guidelines.

[Nesil N]

I went today to my local pet store and they recommended two brands.. one is “open farm” the other is “weruva”.. anyone heard of these two?
I would like to do mixture of kibble and home cook meals.. Stephanie thank you for dogaware.com suggestion! Great link..
Jimmy, thank you for the “Victor” suggestion.. i will look into that brand as well..

[Stephanie W]

Nesil,
You’re most welcome. I’m glad I could help. Between the hose two brands I like open farm a bit more. They are both good but the synthetic vitamins in weruva are sulfates, proteinates are better and that is what open farm uses.

If you want to do a combination of dry food and home cooked I highly suggest the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet,” by Steve Brown. ($9 used on Amazon) his book specifically covers that option. The first half is for people that want to do a combo of kibble and cooking and the best way to go about that.
Each recipe is broken down to show what nutrients are in it and to show that they meet NRC guidelines.

[Nesil N]

Thank you so much Stephanie for the recommendation as well as the book.. Right now he is in a blend food diet for a week.. then we will introduce the dry food..

[Pam L]

We have used Acana for years but not any more! The last 2 bags are via KY plant and a big difference. About the last 1/4 of the dog food container is saturated with an oily residue ….they said it was because of the “process” they use at the end for the kibble and that it is harmless to the dogs….I am not even taking that gamble and i threw it out. The last bag was the mackerel and it was nasty looking and smelling. I posted a picture of the residue on their Facebook page under posts, You can also see their reply there too. For me it is so long Acana. My dogs deserve better that a pile of oily crud.

[Jimmy R]

I am sorry that you are going through that :(. I don’t know why they made changes that were so drastic. I did a lot of research for my puppy and originally was going to give him Orijen but returned it after reading all the horror stories. Then I tried Redford and Taste of the Wild and he did not like either. I ended up going with Victor which I read about through dog advisor. In the future should he stop liking this food or if I chose to rotate (you’re more than welcome to give me your opinion on that) I think I will try holistic select salmon and anchovy which is one a friend recommended. I hope this helped.

[C C]

Pam L, they just don’t get it. Or want to admit that their “process” is hurting dogs in minor to major ways. It is always best to avoid dog food with any added “fish oil” anyway since it starts to go rancid as soon as the bag is opened. If the dog needs it, supplements can be given with much fresher and healthier results. They don’t want any responsibility whatsoever on this issue. In order to resolve an issue, a problem has to be acknowledged. Very unfortunate for pets and their pet parents watching dogs suffer.

[Jimmy R]

I know exactly what you mean. Also, just to let you neither of the brands nor formulas I suggested earlier have fish oil added to the food.

[Kay W]

I have never written on any of these, but ALWAYS have read and researched dog foods and topics etc. I am so grateful for this site and finding ALL the information. My girl will be 3 on Feb 14th. She has been sick since Christmas day. I found it odd that she had calcium oxylate crystals and a UTI after a vet visit. True I read that with Orijen, they need to drink more BUT….she acted so different too and less energetic and alert. After I read a guy’s article about his dog getting crystals on the Orijen, I called the distributor and asked about the Acana……after all “Orijen is the best as I thought”. I had fed my 75 lb baby Orijen the last 2 years. First year, I fed her the supposed “best” new Blue Wilderness until she got lethargic and hair started shedding……then learned/read how they sold the co. at that time and went with cheaper products. So then went with Orijen Regional Red the past 2 years. Crystals went away and normal PH thank God. I didn’t realize at the time that it might be connected to the food. Had just bought a NEW huge bag of Regional Red….along with the Acana for lower protein. This past week, she got 3 bumps on her rear that then turned to larger bumpy rashes. She started chewing on her tail obsessively and scratching, ate to the bloody skin on all three places, and scratched ALL over. I didn’t know if it was a yeast infection from the antibiotics which it was NOT. I then started giving her the Acana food, bought at the same time, just about 2 weeks ago. OMG…..very lethargic, less alert than before, red eyes and insane itching….even after the new organic “itchless” shampoo. Was scratching her face and sides of her mouth yesterday and today this evening after her “supper” of Acana, which she has NEVER done. She woke up throwing up at 4:00 am yesterday. I found this info and site tonight and now I know FOR SURE that it is this food, and from that new plant. I had called the distributor to ask “where” the food came from…they said KY, not Canada anymore. I had read that on another site also. I “had” felt so assured and happy that she had Orijen and I had found a great food. I’m just praying hard on her to feel better, and throwing away BOTH huge bags tomorrow, the Acana and Orijen! Forget about “transitioning” to a new food…I’ll risk the diarrhea and clogged anal glands instead of giving her this nasty food. I have read hours and hours trying to find a good SAFE Grain Free for her. Will do chicken and rice, but NOW getting the Grain Free Candidae Duck. They have NOT had a recall since 2012, and it was the company that made the decision just for precautions. I pray this food will work and hope the potatoes don’t cause an issue relative to starch/sugar/yeast etc. My heart goes out to anyone and everyone that has had any heartache with their pets/loving part of the family, that has suffered in any way. It TRULY is horrible that more people and companies don’t care more about our pets. These are like our “children” to most of us! For me I know! Thank you truly for sharing your stories and experiences to educate and spare other people and their 4 legged babies etc. I’m praying hard on my baby girl to get back to her old self SOON! Take care, God bless!

[anonymous]

Before you throw out the food, I would make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist and get the skin condition that your dog has diagnosed. I am assuming that you have not had positive results with the regular vet. Her symptoms may have nothing to do with the food. She sounds like she is suffering, have you used the search engine here to look up environmental allergies? At least take her to the regular vet (asap) and see what he recommends. Best of luck.

[Jimmy R]

Try the food I mentioned on my previous answers. My buddy has an 8 year old dog that developed severe allergies after being on his food for 5 years. I recommended this food and huge difference allergies gone, more energy and nice solid poop. I had bought Orijen from Reily originally but after reading the horror stories I returned it. The associates at the pet store even said only use the bags from Canada but I think we ran out.

[Kay W]

Thank you so much for your advice and caring. I already have the duck Candidae that arrived and gave her for breakfast. I just ordered a few small bags of the Hero to try in a bit. Would be good if they had the “types” individual and etc. ex. Beef “or” Chicken “or” and have other like duck or….. Thank you again so much for your help. Take care.

[Roberta C]

I used to love the Origen from Canada for my cats and felt the price was worth it for what I felt was the best food available. I no longer feel that way now that is comes from Dogstar Company in Kentucky rather than from Champion. I have compared the ingredients side by side and it now has goat meat instead of bison for a meat souce. It now has two different kinds of lentils (both red and green) and other plant foods which I feel are just fillers as cats do not need them. I am trying Open Farm available from Petflow, which is also from Canada and uses sustainably meat and vegetable sources. It is human certified. So far my cats seem to be taking to it well. The price is comparable to Origen and Acana but I will not pay that price for them anymore since they are no longer from Canada and the ingredients have changed.

[pitlove]

Hi Roberta-

I just wanted to note that “Dogstar” is the name of Champions plant in Kentucky. It is not a company that purchased Orijen from Champion. The plant in Canada is called “NorthStar” and the one in Kentucky is called “DogStar”. Hope this helps!

Good luck with Open Farm! I like the concept of food and that even though it is a Canadian based company they still manufacture the food in the U.S in Minnesota.

[bette s]

Problems with the Orijin senior. at first i thought it was my dog’s sensitve stomach but gave to my son for his dog and the dog got the runs…the food is BAD. These reactions happened after the factory switch….
sensitive stomach is not the problem..the food is the problem. and they never advertised the change in formula…bad bad bad

[Jimmy R]

Hi Bette,

I am sorry that you are going through that. I think most folks did, and who knows why they made those changes. I chose to go with Victor they have a lot of different choices. A buddy of mine that had his pup on orijen went with Natures logic. I also think hollistic selct has good options. I have been doing so much research I hope that helped. Otherwise let me know and I’ll be happy to give my opinion in more detail.

[stephanie c]

I posted earlier about buying out all the Canadian Bags of Orijen Six fish due to my dog’s chicken allergy. I have successfully transitioned my dogs over to Wellness CORE Fish formula. It has limited fresh ingredients, zero, poultry, grain or fillers and my dogs love it. Thank you for your suggestion to cook fish for my dogs Cannoli!! One of my kids has an anaphylactic reaction to fish so we do not cook it in our house. Having fish dog food does not affect him thankfully. I hope everyone finds a suitable alternative to the Acan and Orijen. I did extensive research and the Wellness CORE is a good fit for us. Good luck!

[Birke-Beiner P]

I just wanted to tell everyone in this group that I solved our Acana problem temporarily!!! My dog had eaten Acana Duck and Bartlett Pear (from Canada) for years. After trying the Kentucky crap, we’ve tried at least a dozen different foods. None agreed with my dog’s sensitive stomach, or he didn’t like the taste of them. So I resorted to begging a FaceBook friend in Canada to send me two bags of Acana Canadian Free-Run Duck. Yay! Last night, my dog’s tail was wagging as he ate his kibble, and his poo today was perfect. We are back to normal now that we have a black-market source of Acana!

[E B]

New food is worse than the old one. Copper content is higher than used to be.. in certain kinds. I switched to Singles Makrele (has lowest copper content) but starting sometime in September all the food is coming with tons of oil in it. when you get to the bottom of the bag – there is an oily soup there. When you open a bag it looks like somebody dumped a bottle of oil in there … i see two issues here: first- this is not healthy, second since the food is expensive and you are buying 50lb bag of food- with so much oil in it it just means that there actually is less food than 50 lb. seems like a cheap trick to increase weight but give you less food. It maybe not so noticeable if you look just at one bag but count how many bags are being produced = big savings.. not for customers though. Unless someone will be able to explain why this new great food is drenched in oil and convince me it is super healthy for anybody. I got bags exchanged for Canadian production.. unfortunately there is no more left. Very Disappointing.. not sure why same formula could not be kept. Tired of paying tons of money and experiment on my dogs by changing their food to see if they have diarrhea from it on not if they start itching or not, then vet bills then another food..
Switched my dobbies to raw diet which is so much better than any kibble and if you can afford to buy expensive kibble – you can afford raw food.

[Jimmy R]

I kno it is such a waste of money. I am sorry that you are going through that too. I don’t want people to think that I work for a pet company. I am actually a banker. My unbiased advice is try Victor you can hopefully buy it locally or buy it on chewy.com. It has worked wonders for my dog and a couple of friends that had trouble with orijen. Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

[C C]

I’ve very sad (and disgusted) that after all this time from my very first post and reporting this to the FDA, that nothing has been done with Acana and Origen from the new Kentucky plant. Since we lost our Katie and now have a new girl, I have learned a ton. First, dog food is big business and the main goal with most is money, not pet health. The things that are done out there should be criminal, but they’re not in most cases. So it is up to pet parents to protect our dogs. First, please don’t buy dog food that has fish oil in it if at all possible because it will get rancid within days of opening. This is why vitamin stores sell fish oils to humans in small pills, dark bottles, and with a packet in the bottle for freshness. And if a liquid, instructions to refrigerate. Second, I know it is even more expensive with a quality food and larger animal, but it is best to buy smaller bags and keep the food in the bag and then in an air tight container. This protects ingredients (think about how you handle your own food). We have settled on Grain Free Merrick turkey and varying it with Grain Free Honest Kitchen (which is human grade food) and we make our own cooked chicken. Sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn’t once in the rhythm of it and gives your dog a variety. The Honest Kitchen can be made for 3 days and kept refrigerated and our girl is thriving on this combination. Much better than vet bills or loss of a pet in the long run, which is the worst heartache ever. I wish everyone the very best in discerning what is best for their precious family member.

[C C]

Susan B: Take your baby off Acana, Orijen or any from that Kentucky plant. He probably is lethargic and has bad breath due to what possibly rancid contents is doing to his insides, which can’t be handled with the best dental health. There are many quality dog foods available like Honest Kitchen and/or cooking your own for him or use as a mix like we do. I will never let another dog suffer from what was supposed to be the best dog food and willing to pay the best as well, again. It was one of the worst experiences of our lives. Now we can only pray it is a testimony to others to safe them grief on many levels. Blessings to you!

[S P]

I also just purchased (today) a 25lb. bag of ‘Acana Heritage Meats Formula’ (expiration date of May, 2018). I experienced the same horrible surprise – The kibble was full of white, brown and black hairs, just as pictured in a prior review!!! There was almost more hair than food product itself in each piece! The bag will be returned immediately! I had previously read some negative product reviews after Champion’s move to processing in the USA, but dismissed the bad reviews as probably being related to a transition into a new production facility. I guess I was totally wrong. At this point in time, Champion’s move to the USA is no longer “new”, and a transition period should no longer exist. There is absolutely no excuse for what I discovered in the food I purchased. I have always been a huge advocate for Champion Dog Food’s products, but no more. I can’t possibly continue to trust the quality control methods for either Acana or Orijen.

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