[Peter K]

I finally made the switch from Acana to First Mate. They came out with a new line called grain friendly and has limited ingredients – the three different flavors are chicken, white fish and lamb. Leo loved it when we did a taste test comparing other foods (fromm, acana, first mate grain free). Its a little less in meat protein content compared to acana but quality seemed good and they are still made in canada and they have complete control in all aspects of the manufacturing process. Were almost finished with our first bag and he seems to be doing well on it. Also, since the food has protein from peas, etc and not just meat, they are able to pass along the cost savings to the consumers, a 30# bag is roughly half the cost of what we use to pay for Acana. We got ours from Mudbay.

[Peter K]

multiple failed attempts of embedding the image, so here is the link again lol…

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Peter K.

[Peter K]

Hey guys, it is very concerning to see that there are so many pups with similar issues.. After that whole bone in kibble debacle, during my last update (sorry its been so long) I sent a sample of the kibble to Acana HQ in Alberta. It’s been over a year an I have still not received a follow-up, I have sent probably three separate emails asking for a follow-up. Going to give Champion foods the benefit of the doubt and just assume it was just negligence and poor customer service from the rep.

I’ve been with Champion foods for about four years now – what brought us to them was their quality control and stricter regulations when they used to make everything in Canada.

I know someone mentioned their current lawsuit regarding false claims on % in their foods… Long story short, a study from a group claims that the food analysis does not match what Champion foods is claiming on their bags, website etc… (please correct me if I’m wrong)

**DISCLAIMER** Now, PLEASE do your own research and due diligence but after looking into more, it seemed like the food itself was safe (it wasnt a recall or salmonella scare). So we continued to feed Leo Acana but stayed away from the Meadowlands formula and strictly switched him on red meat/ heritage meat. He has been doing well on it and I haven’t found any foreign objects in any of his food. When I purchase a new bag, I empty it out in our Vittles Vault and look for anything unusual.

As much as I want to stay with Acana/ Champion foods the last bag we brought home didn’t have any abnormalities but….. He has thrown up a couple of times (happened about two weeks ago). Now, at the time I thought it was just because he ate too fast or didnt chew enough (#doglogic) but I’m beginning to worry about it after so many of you mentioned your pups were also vomiting… Can’t say for sure there is any correlation between the food and him throwing up, but it would be a lie if I didn’t think it had a little to do with it.

Some of you have asked what other foods are good, personally, the only other food our pup was on is Fromm. The only reason we switched to Acana at the time was because they offered the single protein formulas, we thought he had a chicken allergy because he kept getting hot spots and rashes… So we switched him to Acana and everyone was happy. Turns out it was fleas… We were living near a heavily wooden area and fleas would just get to him when we’re outside… Even with flea medication, the flea still bites – they just die after.

If you are lucky enough to be able to source the Canadian made formulas, then Id’ say its as good as you can get. However… With the amount of money we are spending on these bags, (a #25 bag is over $70 after tax), we deserve better… our pups deserve better…

We have been on the fence of switching up his food since he has been on Acana for about 4 or 5 years now. Good to add variety and I think we are going to go back to Fromm. They are a small company and offer similar formulas. One thing to watch out for is that they do use real Wisconsin cheese, so if your pup is sensitive to cheese/ dairy, might not be a good fit.

It’s been so long since I’ve looked at new foods.. It’ll be great to hear what others have also switched to or plan to switch to.

Thank you guys for all your comments and keeping this thread alive for so long, I hope this will gain some attention from Champion foods… Someone wise once told me your brand is only as good as your last product..

[Peter K]

Dan,

Could you describe in more detail what the underlying cause of you pup getting sick was? You mentioned the food but didn’t describe what exactly it was that made your pup sick.

Champion customer service sent me a envelope to send the contaminated food samples back to them for testing. I’ll update more on when I hear back.

I hope this will open their eyes on the new ingredients and KY plant. If they don’t want to lose any more customers, they better start making some changes and addresses these issues.

[Peter K]

Here are some photos…

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XiJlj4Q3LZQ99hWu2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cbP6w7B8YNKUMPRs1

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Peter K.

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