# Switching to Acana



## Chavez (Mar 18, 2010)

Ok I finally decided to switch to Acana after going thru Solid Gold and TOTW. My dilema is that I have 5 month old puppies and the only store that carries Acana only carries Pacifica and Grasslands. Would i be ok not feeding them a puppy formula?


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## SaltyDog (Mar 10, 2010)

What kind of puppies?

Acana grain free foods (Prarie, Grasslands, & Pacifica) do not have the appropriate levels of calcium for LARGE BREED PUPPIES.

If your store carries Acana, I would assume they carry Orijen. (same company) Check out the Orijen puppy formulas based on the kind of puppies you have to feed.


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## SaltyDog (Mar 10, 2010)

CORRECTION!!!!


After researching Acana GRAIN FREE foods more in depth, only the Grasslands formula would NOT be suitable for a large breed puppy as it has a minimum of 2% calcium with no maximum cap.

Prarie Harvest and Pacifica have low (1.3% to 1.4% calcium) making them suitable for your puppy. Protein and fat levels are appropriate and calories are excellant for growing puppies.

I believe I also posted this incorrectly in another thread. Please disregard my comment in the other thread if found. My apologies.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

if orijens availablemore easily just feed orijen large breed pup. its the same price as a cana a lot of places and considered superior by most. but is rich.


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## SaltyDog (Mar 10, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> if orijens availablemore easily just feed orijen large breed pup. its the same price as a cana a lot of places and considered superior by most. but is rich.


Actually...

Prarie Harvest is $10 a bag less than LBP or Adult

and

Pacifica is $14 a bag less than 6 Fish.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Acana is a great choice and the food I'd be feeding if I didn't feed raw.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

SaltyDog said:


> Actually...
> 
> Prarie Harvest is $10 a bag less than LBP or Adult
> 
> ...


depends on location, i actually saw one person claim acana cost more in her store than orijen did so it varies definitely!


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

SaltyDog said:


> CORRECTION!!!!
> 
> 
> After researching Acana GRAIN FREE foods more in depth, only the Grasslands formula would NOT be suitable for a large breed puppy as it has a minimum of 2% calcium with no maximum cap.
> ...


i think those are still minimum numbers on the Prarie Harvest and Pacifica. the last time i emailed acana, they gave me as fed max numbers of 2% and 2.1% respectively, which are the numbers that i am more concerned about.

so, i still would avoid acana grainless foods for a larger breed pup.


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## SaltyDog (Mar 10, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> i think those are still minimum numbers on the Prarie Harvest and Pacifica. the last time i emailed acana, they gave me as fed max numbers of 2% and 2.1% respectively, which are the numbers that i am more concerned about.
> 
> so, i still would avoid acana grainless foods for a larger breed pup.




Agree, but you could still feed this intermittingly, like once every other day if you would so choose and remain at safe levels. :smile:


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (May 19, 2009)

Another grain free choice which has a puppy variety is NOW, made by Petcurean ( a Canadian co). NOW! Grain Free Pet Food On the advice of a Berner breeder I know, I put my goldens on the adult version ( they don't handle the high protein of EVO and Orijen and I wasn't pleased with their coats on Acana..... all great food, just not for them) and have been shockingly pleased. At first I was put off by the inclusion of potato flour, but my canine nutritionist friend calmed me down and informed me it is used as a binder to hold the kibble together, much like tapioca is in some other foods. My girls are in abundant, glossy coat, high energy and very healthy. BTW, the berner breeder I mentioned has been feeding this for years and has VERY long lived dogs ( in the 12 year range... for Berners that's unheard of. Their average life expectancy is 8).


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I agree that the petcurean products are great I haven't used the Now line for dogs, but use the Go Natural for my cats and they are extremely healthy. I've tried pushing this line for cat owners in the past but I'm not sure people want to pay the price.


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## sal101011 (Jan 17, 2010)

regarding the prices of acana and orijen, you have to compare apples to apples, prairie harvest (wild prairie now) is cheaper than orijen adult or orijen puppy, acana grasslands is cheaper than regional red, and pacifica is cheaper than orijen 6 fish. in some stores you will find orijen adult or puppy is cheaper than acana grasslands, mainly because lamb is probably harder to come by than chicken in canada. both are excellent products, my rotties are on the regional red.


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## SaltyDog (Mar 10, 2010)

Acana Grasslands uses New Zealand free range lamb.


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## Chavez (Mar 18, 2010)

My Pups are not considered large breed as I expect them to only weigh in at around 45lb when adults. They currently weigh in at about 25lb at 5 months.

I did go ahead and buy a large bag of grasslands that set me back $61, which I am comfortable paying for. This bag last 2 weeks feeding 2 pups 3.5 cups per day. 

I was unclear as how much to feed, the bag stated 1 cup less than what i have been feeding. I e-mailed Acana and they replied as follows:

Hi Eddie,
Thank you for your email.

I would follow a puppy feeding guide rather than the one provided with the Grasslands formula. Based on the information that you gave me I would start at about 3 cups per day. This will diminish as they reach adulthood, I have attached our Grasslands information for you to take a look at.

If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to write back.

Best Regards,
Bonnie
Customer Service 



:smile:I really like the ingredients in Acana, only wish they were an American Company(No disrespect to Canadians).:smile:


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

Chavez said:


> My Pups are not considered large breed as I expect them to only weigh in at around 45lb when adults. They currently weigh in at about 25lb at 5 months.
> 
> I did go ahead and buy a large bag of grasslands that set me back $61, which I am comfortable paying for. This bag last 2 weeks feeding 2 pups 3.5 cups per day.
> 
> ...


i always tell people 3 cups is a good place to start, then adjust according to the dogs body condition, which is really the critical factor.


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