33 Responses to Acana

1. billiejoemcallister June 23, 2015 at 2:45 pm #

   We have 2 Standard Schnauzers on Acana Pacifica, have never had any issues, used to use Eukanuba and Iams, both dogs we had before these 2 died of that awful word Cancer, I blame the dog food companies for poisoning dogs. So far so good with Acana time will tell.
2. concerned March 31, 2015 at 1:48 pm #

   I’ve been feeding my dog Acana over the last several month and seems to be doing well on it HOWEVER – I pulled out a kibble to give, and it had a VERY sharp piece sticking out of it that pricked my finger! It looks like a piece of wood shard (not the soft white bone)… I went into the bag to examine if there were more and I found over 50 pieces with the same sharp “wood-like” hard object poking out of it! What is it? I also saw some white bone pieces, I’m told by the store that those would not harm if ingested but the wood pieces should not be there. I’m still waiting for a reply back from Acana and am disappointed so far since I did my research and Acana has a good rep and quality ingredients. We bought another bag from a different store, but found the same wood-like pieces sticking out – but this bag wasn’t as bad as the first one. Had maybe over 10 pieces, but smaller objects – still very SHARP though. If you have an Acana bag now, please check the kibble with your fingers and go through the bag to see if you see the sharp pieces sticking out. I have pictures and kept the bags for proof.
   • also concerned April 21, 2015 at 12:31 pm #

     Did you get a reply from Acana? We feed our dogs Acana and what you posted has made me very concerned.
3. Sandy June 14, 2014 at 11:14 am #

   I lost my beloved Golden retriever to renal failure 8 years ago and my Chesapeake Bay Retriever at 5 years old to liver cancer. I felt I was feeding my Golden quality food only to find out that the food I was feeding had been tainted with foreign ingredients. Many dogs in that year were being inflicted with the same health issues, as well as coming up with a disease that was called Beaver Fever thus causing dogs to go into renal failure. I started my Chessie on what I thought was a better quality food the my Golden and lost him as well. After doing a whole lot more research on dog foods I realized that some of these higher end foods were no better than the lower end and contained as much garbage and carcinogens.
   I now have another Chessie and at two years old is doing fantastic on the Acana Ranchlands. He is allergic to chicken so this product is one of the few on the market that I can get that doesn’t have chicken in the ingredients. It is more expensive than most high end foods but knowing where it is processed and the quality ingredients that they use from local producers, is a bit relieving. I can’t imagines what losing another beloved friend from a bad diet would do to me.
4. Justin G December 16, 2013 at 10:03 pm #

   Champion food made promise after promise to independent retailers to carry and promote their food. The promise was not to sell to large franchises.

   During 2012 the company had great difficulties producing enough dog/cat food for the retailers demands. This continued for throughout the year and straight into the better half of 2013.
   In the summer Champion decided to go back on their word and sellout by signing up with Pet Valu.
   Independent retailers were confused due to the fact that the company could not keep up with the demand already as it is.
   One month later Champion demanded their supplier to increase to minimum quantity for ordering Orijen and Acana. They increased it more than 2.5times the amount it.

   Obviously this was a scheme to drive out the independent store owners to be able to provide to Pet Valu. Many stores went out of business after marketing their product for years only to lose their customer base to Pet Valu.

   Champion pet food has bankrupt and put hundreds of people on the street.

   Stay clear away from the company.
   • Nadia January 19, 2014 at 1:44 am #

     Do you have supporting evidences to back this? I would like to read. You may send it to nadia_patricia (at) me (dot) com.

     Thanks
   • Tom February 9, 2014 at 1:05 am #

     As a customer I regard business as business. I’m not concerned about Champions impact on independent retailers as in your review.
   • Nathan March 10, 2014 at 3:14 am #

     The shortage of food was due to a fire in one of their ovens, which cut their production in half for a few months time until the new oven was installed.

     I would suggest to the small business owner to not rely on one company to be the majority of your income.
   • Lynn January 12, 2015 at 12:04 pm #

     That’s funny because I have been asking the staff and manager at the local Pet Valu about Acana and Orijen over the last several months and have been told that Champion foods refuses to supply to them. Maybe in some areas it’s different, but I’m doubtful.
     Like someone else mentioned, the shortage of food was from a fire in one of their ovens. You may want to check your facts.
5. Kathleen December 8, 2013 at 1:43 pm #

   We have two 3 year old huskies that are on Pacifica, they love it. They are both beautiful and healthy. They started on orijen but was to rich.. I personally believe the higher cost if the good is worth not having future vet bills. I make some other foods for them such as chicken stew, and they get one to two table spoons with the dry. I also make their treats. They did have some raw my vet was really against that this is our compromise.
6. Sheryl Hrynyk December 6, 2013 at 1:04 pm #

   To start with this: I have found no mention on-line regarding problems with Acana Lamb and Apple for dogs. But I do have a concern. Our dog, after sucessfully using the Lamb and Okan.Apple food for 3 months now had become sick two weeks ago.. Coincidence/timing just when we opened a new bag of the food and then 2 days later, she started to vomit and carried on for 6 days… then she stopped drinking water..She would not eat. We took her to the vets for a mirage of tests.. but nothing could be diagnosed. I took the food back to my local pet food supplier, got full refund, but saved a sample. I have taken her off this food… she started eating a very small amount of Vet suggested food for intestinal problems.. and is on the mend BUT

   I am wondering if any other dogs out their have become ill on this food?.
   • Donna December 26, 2013 at 11:59 pm #

     Hi, I have been feeding my dogs the lamb and apple for about 3 months,they have not wanted to eat the new bag that I just opened, 2 of my dogs are vomiting and they are not hardly eating any food for the last 3 days, they smell it and walk away. I am worried there is something wrong with this bag of food, I am going to the pet store to try another brand.
   • Lee January 26, 2014 at 11:46 am #

     I have tried Acana twice now for our 1 yr old mini doodle with horrible results. We started with the Wild prairie as that is what the breeder had used and by 4 months old the diarrhea, poor licking and scratching was so bad that it took over 1 month to get his system back to normal. As he reacted poorly to turkey and chicken we went to lamb with natural balance limited ingredient as that had the least ingredients of all the foods we checked suitable for puppies. He did great on that. Then as he turned 1 we thought we would try the Acana again since it is so highly rated (and of course we wanted the best for our pup), and went to their lamb and apple. Took only 2 weeks (we took 10 days to make the total switch) for the diarrhea again. Acana may be one of the best there is, but sorrily not for us.
   • E. Ceh August 8, 2014 at 12:21 pm #

     My mini. schnauzer has always eaten Lamb and Okan. Apple food. She has never vomited, her stool is normal and is not fatigue. We recently bought Ranchlands to mix up the flavours and she still loves.

     I am a loyal Acana customers from Ontario, Canada and will stay that way.
     I was surprised to see they sell their products to big commercial dog stores like Pet Value. Business is business I guess. As long as they don’t change their ingredients (from where they get it and cooking it) I’m still a happy customer. I love Acana, because they’re ingredients are not from China and USA.
   • RITA MYERS August 29, 2014 at 2:31 pm #

     I am going through this right now…just opened a new bag of lamb and apple two days ago and my portugese water dog has been sick, vomitting the last two nights and not feeling well and she now refuses to eat. I am taking her off and switching to something else.
   • Gina March 31, 2015 at 10:20 pm #

     just had 2 of my cavalier spaniels poop blood from the acana grasslands formula, took the 6 yr old about a week longer to be affected than 12 yr old. vet had no idea what it was but dog had to be on fluids for 48 hours to recover and bland diet for a week. now that my younger got is sick I know its the food. they have used this food for a least two years before and had no problems so…?
7. Buddy's mommy November 11, 2013 at 6:42 am #

   This food has been the greatest for my Maltese/Shih Tzu mix. We phased him off of B.A.R.F with Acana. We havent had not one health problem. No skin allergies, liver, or kidney problems. His coat is great and our groomer praises of how great he looks and how so many of the dogs she gets have skin problems. If you have done any research many of you know that Hills science Diet, Eukanuba, Pedigree, Iams is crap and possibly harming your dog. I have read that there has been some problems with the Orijen, and after researching it. I found that Orijen food can be too rich for some dogs, so they say to switch them to Acana which is less rich. Hope that helps anyone who is concerned.
8. dolores April 13, 2013 at 5:42 pm #

   I put a good review of Acana Wild Prarie on here but now I am reading that the makers of Acana also make Orijan (might have the wrong spelling) but anyway I read in the reviews that two different people had problems with the orijan because it was damaging their dog’s liver and kidneys. Now I am very worried. I am a registered nurse and I know if you eat tons protein it could affect your liver and kidneys. When I went to have my dog fixed at approximately 8 months old the vet said something was off with her kidney test and that she was dehydrated or something to that effect. I thought she was just saying it to make me get more testing and more money but now it makes some sense. I know my dog drinks a lot of water so she shouldn’t be dehydrated. I hope I’m not inadvertently giving my little girl bad dog food. I am going to look into this further.
   • Cat May 18, 2013 at 5:46 pm #

     I am in the search for a new dog food – has any one else had a problem with their dog having liver or kidney problems? I want to try this dog food?
     • Jane August 25, 2013 at 3:11 pm #

       Cat,
       I lost my beloved Jack Russell a year ago to liver cancer. She was only 9, I am convinced that foods I thought were safe were not! I switched to Acana when I adopted a new dog because a friend who raises champion Golden Retrievers uses it exclusively. I am very pleased with the product and my Darla loves it! It is pricey, but at 22lbs she only gets 2/3 c a day.
9. Linda Jackman April 5, 2013 at 5:41 am #

   Hi thank for such a good dog food my friend told me about your food as she gives it to her doberman I have a yorkie that I was feeding sdiet to he was alwas itchy I have since put him on your acana wild prairie and he is doing really well and he loves it thinks again.
10. EG January 12, 2013 at 5:25 pm #

    I do not understand why this is not a five star food on your list. It’s as good as any other and better than some of the ones that are five stars.
11. rebecca July 1, 2012 at 3:03 pm #

    I have 3 large dogs and I to have done hours of research. Acana deserves 5 stars! Never had a recall and their ingredients aren’t from China! I live in US and wont feed my dogs anything but ACANA from Canada!
    • Bernermum October 12, 2012 at 4:29 pm #

      Hi Rebecca,
      Yes I agree…this dog food should be rated a top 5 stars – the best one on the market today, along with Champion’s other dog food, Orijen. And proudly made in Canada!
    • Cynthia November 12, 2012 at 3:34 pm #

      I had to totally agree with the 5 star rating. This is the BEST food you could ever give your doggie! I live in Alberta Canada and everything that is in this food is locally grown here!!
      • dolores April 13, 2013 at 5:15 pm #

        This is great dog food. My dog loves the Wild Prairie one. This is the only food my schnoodle will eat besides human food.
    • Nadia January 19, 2014 at 1:37 am #

      I live in the Philippines and I only use dog food made in Canada, Acana, Orijen and Go Naturals.

      So far, these brands are the best. I saw a huge improvement in my dogs.
12. Kat March 16, 2012 at 11:41 pm #

    Acana is the best kibble in the world.
    How can I say this? I have done numerous hours of research and the formulation in the new Acana packages has every healthy and viable ingredient needed for a dog to stay healthy. Their old formulations contianed small amounts of rice, but no more. They now have Oats as the only grain, which is fine because dogs do gain many benefits from the nutrients Oats offer. Also oats have a low glycemic index, unlike the other grains. I have fed both the grain version and the grain-free ones and each time I have been to the vet for an annual check up, the vet exclaims how healthy my dogs are. I am sure that the added botanicals in the food help nurish the body inside and out and it is reflected on the outward. These are all natural ingredients that a dog would eat in the wild. The calcium and phosphorus ratio is excellent, the ingredients that support healthy bowel movements and a healthy urinary tract are fantastic. This is why I can say Acana is the best kibble in the world.
13. cami December 31, 2011 at 10:28 pm #

    I have 3 dogs…one who is 9 & has had food allergies his whole life. I feed the Pacifica to my dogs. While it seems expensive…it is a high quality dog food. They have very reasonable stool size, unlike large amounts with low quality food. My 3 dogs consume a 30lb bag per month. One is a 4 month old Spaniel/Collie cross…and he likes to eat…he is extremely hyper. I do not control his portions as he is growing and not overweight. When I only had my 9 year old Spaniel/Collie cross (the one with the allergies) & my 10 year old Shih tzu, a 30lb bag lasted nearly 2 months (& yes our Shih tzu likes it!)

    Acana is manufactured as an All Life Stages dog food, but it does make a Puppy Formula. Most Vets like to see puppies on a good quality Puppy food…and there are questions about an all fish diet. However, I did a comparison of product between the Puppy and the Pacifica and there is very little difference. The Calcium to Phospherous level is the same…and some of the Pacifica ingredients are better than the Puppy formula. The only thing missing for puppies is the “Grain” in Pacifica. I often add cooked potatoes or brown rice to my dog’s diet whenever we have it for dinner. It’s nothing to make extra…especially for my hyper active pup…he needs carbs at night for his energetic days…lol Adult dogs do not need Grain, but they think it’s a treat!

    I like that Acana is made in Alberta, Canada. I am in Canada. In the USA the product that is similar is Taste of the Wild and prices are cheaper. Acana is distributed to the USA and sells cheaper there than it does in Canada. Our Pet Food Manufacturing Regulations & Processing Standards are more stringent. Therefore it costs more to make and costs more to buy…but I know the quality of the Pet Food and take comfort in the fact they have had zero recalls!
    • maralevine January 11, 2012 at 12:18 pm #

      Thanks for posting about your dog food experiences, Cami. I am glad that you have found some fantastic foods that work for your dog family.
      • John Heasley March 14, 2013 at 12:48 am #

        I called and talked to a customer service rep. at Champion Pet Foods. She told me that the chicken meal in their dog food actually comes from the U.S. because it is subject to stricter quality standards than in Canada. Regardless, Acana is a high quality food. My lab does very well on it.
    • Nadia January 19, 2014 at 1:52 am #

      I live in the Philippines and I only give Canadian made dog food to my dogs. Acana, Go Naturals are among my favourite. The only US brand I use is Dr. Tim’s.
14. Linda April 27, 2015 at 1:02 pm #

    Which food are you switching him to. Thanks