# Acana vs. TOTW



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

So, I think I'm going to stick with a grain free kibble for Murph & Abbie. Murph as I've been posting, has tummy & allergy troubles, and it seems that grain free is often a good way to go for these issues (correct me if I'm wrong).

I've narrowed it down to Acana or TOTW. 

TOTW is very affordable. We've fed it to our two other dogs *Abbie and Coop* in the past and they both loved it and did great. 

I was researching other foods and looking at the list you guys have made of the five best foods, and it seems that Acana is mentioned A LOT. I've been reading about it, and it seems like a really great food. Granted, it is more expensive, but I do believe it's still in our price range, esp since Murph is just 20lbs and doesn't eat a whole lot. I also like their lamb & apple formula which they describe as a true allergy formula. 

So, now I'm trying to decide between the two. I know TOTW has worked for many dogs (including mine) but it seems like Acana is a step up. Is it really a big difference in quality? I also love that it's made by Champion, as I hear nothing but amazing things about Orijen.

Thoughts?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I would definitely go with the Acana if it were my dogs, I actually feed Acana to my rescues until I transition them to raw.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Between the two, I'd definately say Acana is the way to go.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

are you talking about acana provincial? since they dont have lamb/apple sauce formula. It comes in 3 varieties: prarie, grasslands and pacifica (grasslands is lamb based).


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## bort (Apr 30, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> are you talking about acana provincial? since they dont have lamb/apple sauce formula. It comes in 3 varieties: prarie, grasslands and pacifica (grasslands is lamb based).


Those are the grain-free varieties - there are several grained varieties listed on their site as well: Champion Petfoods | ACANA | Our Products

My dog did really really well on TOTW for about a year. Then we switched to EVO over ethoxyquin concerns. Didn't do as well on the EVO, so we're transitioning to Acana/raw (I just bought our first full bag today, she's had some samples). If I see verification that TOTW is now e-free, we may add it back into our rotation. I don't think it's as "good" as Acana, but it worked really well for us.


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

Acana 1,000% over TOTW


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I decided to go with Acana! I can't wait to begin transitioning them tomorrow morning.

Even if I have to drive the 45 minutes when I move to PA, no big deal. I will just buy a few bags at a time so I'm not making the drive every few weeks. I am startin them on the grasslands formula. I gave them each a few kibbles of it tonight and they went CRAZY for it :biggrin:


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Meg,

If you live in PA, I believe shipping costs would be very reasonable from either Heartypet or PFD. I believe they are somewhere east(don't quote me, you'll have to check)....I live in Michigan and its typically about $12 shipping for a big bag(though I never pay it because I wait for deals).


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

kevin bradley said:


> Meg,
> 
> If you live in PA, I believe shipping costs would be very reasonable from either Heartypet or PFD. I believe they are somewhere east(don't quote me, you'll have to check)....I live in Michigan and its typically about $12 shipping for a big bag(though I never pay it because I wait for deals).


there are some retailers in MI (so im guessing you're a bit out in the wilderness?).


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I know I've posted this before; but in case someone missed it.
K9 Cuisine offers FREE shipping on any order $50.00 or more.
At Heartypet, if you use the promo code DOGSTER you always get 8% off.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Sweet, thank you guys!


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

well, apparently k9 cuisine doesn't carry Acana. But both PFD and Heartypet do, so I will def keep an eye on those!

I actually get coupons/discount emails from PFD all the time becuase I've purchased stuff on there before!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

You can still use the coupon : LPSD20A 
for 20% off on petfooddirect.com, but it looks like most of the acana is gone. 

You can also get it at lukes all natural:
Acana Grasslands Dog Food (Grain-Free) - Luke's All Natural Pet Food

and use a coupon code: SAVE5 for $5 off


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Well, I won't be ordering it for at least another few weeks, as I'm still in CT and the place where I got it last night is right up the highway about 5 minutes, so we're good for awhile!


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

But! I really appreciate all these options!  Now I will never worry about not finding it lol! I'm guessing PFD will restock within a few weeks though?


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

buddy97 said:


> there are some retailers in MI (so im guessing you're a bit out in the wilderness?).



Buddy, yeah, I've actually got a Boutique store close by(in Kalamazoo) that I go to once in awhile. 

But my experiences with PFD and Heartypet have been pretty favorable, plus I can save a few bucks with them...so I like the "right to my door" option. 

LOVE Acana. Been the best food for my guys. The stuff comes VACUUM Packed, for pete's sake. 

Orijen/Acana are first class through and through. As I stated before, the day they sell out, I'm all Raw.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

kevin bradley said:


> Buddy, yeah, I've actually got a Boutique store close by(in Kalamazoo) that I go to once in awhile.
> .


thats the one i go to. it is an hour north of me, but i ocassionally go to kzoo for other purposes.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

buddy97 said:


> thats the one i go to. it is an hour north of me, but i ocassionally go to kzoo for other purposes.


cool, I must have missed it...didn't know you were so close. 

yeah, I go to Barks 5th Ave on Oakland every now and then...cool little store but last I recall, PFD and Heartypet are a bit cheaper(haven't been into Barks in awhile).

I'm also in Ann Arbor every now and then and they have a few stores with the good stuff. Not sure what Grand Rapids has...I'm sure we could find Champion stuff there also.


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## sal101011 (Jan 17, 2010)

heartypet is great! naturalk9supplies.com is also offering 5% using SUMMER5 on all order throughout the summer. ACANA 100%!


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Someone posted this on another forum I'm on...interesting thought IMO.

"Acana cost about 75 dollars here, while TOTW costs 42 dollars for the 30 pound bag.

Dog food analysis website has Acana as a 4 and 5 star depending on which one you buy. TOTW is 6 starts for 2 of them and 5 star for one of them.

I've used both and I personally wouldn't use Acana again. My girl didn't like the taste, it was so much more expensive and I can't see any indication of being better than other dog food like wellness or TOTW.

TOTW uses purified water now as well, which I'm not sure if others do, but they are advertising it.

My vote goes to TOTW"


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

meggels said:


> Someone posted this on another forum I'm on...interesting thought IMO.
> 
> "Acana cost about 75 dollars here, while TOTW costs 42 dollars for the 30 pound bag.
> 
> ...


dogfoodanalysis is nothing more than a good place to peruse lots of different foods and their ingredients. their reviews are inconsistent at best and they continue to regurgitate outdated information.

i havent found any local sources where acana grainless foods cost any more than $64 (and that is for the highest priced grasslands formula), and i can get the Prarie Harvest for $56.

champion states how much of their product is made from meat. diamond wont do this for TOTW. their Pacific Stream formula has one of the lowest protein %'s of any grain free food ive seen. i suspect there is little meat product in it.

ive fed totw in the past (only for a month as my local orijen/acana supply went dry). it came out barely costing less than the acana i was feeding because i had to feed so much more of totw. TOTW is one of the lowest calorie grainless foods on the market, which somewhat diminishes its perceived value and also makes me question its nutritional value.

i choose not to feed Diamond owned and manufactured products for a few reasons, but that is my personal choice. part of the equation to me is who is doing the manufacturing and the sourcing of ingredients, as well as ingredients being used--for example, totw using ocean fish meal instead of salmon meal as a main ingredient for its fish formula.

of course, no one wants to feed any food if their dog doesnt like it. luckily, there are lots of choices.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Thank you for your response! I'm really not a huge fan of dogfoodanalysis. esp cause it seems that most of their reviews are from 06/07 which seems kind of outdated to me....

I will stick with Acana. My dogs really seem to be enjoying it so far. They get about 1/4 of their meals of the Acana kibble and will soon be bumping that up to 1/2. I think it's only 3-5 dollars more than TOTW depending on the formula, but as you said, they eat much less of it!


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

meggels said:


> Thank you for your response! I'm really not a huge fan of dogfoodanalysis. esp cause it seems that most of their reviews are from 06/07 which seems kind of outdated to me....
> 
> I will stick with Acana. My dogs really seem to be enjoying it so far. They get about 1/4 of their meals of the Acana kibble and will soon be bumping that up to 1/2. I think it's only 3-5 dollars more than TOTW depending on the formula, but as you said, they eat much less of it!


this post confused me until i realized your post i was responding to was a copy of a post from someone on another forum. i originally thought the first line was from someone else, then the rest of your post were your thoughts.........................so i was wondering how your dogs went from not liking the taste to all of a sudden really enjoying it....now i see your whole post was quoted an thus not attributed to you.

ill have to remember reading is a skill:biggrin:


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## J.J. (Jun 21, 2011)

I originally found this thread while looking for coupons. Great discount info btw. Acana is wonderful and Champion Pet Foods is a great company. We switched shortly after Natura was purchased by P&G with great results. dog food analysis is not a good site all their info & reviews are totally out of date. Some of the Acana formulas listed don't even exist anymore. Check out dog food advisor. It is my go to site regarding dog nutrition. Hope your transition to Acana is going well meggles. Buddy, great looking GSDs!


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

I changed to Acana grain free after P&G bought Natura also.... I think I fed it for like 9 months or so? Rotated the flavors of the grain free.

I have to say, Champion rocks and that is an awesome food. I do think Lily would have done better on Orijen than Acana grain free, but the fact that Scout looked just as good on Acana as she does now on PMR.... that says a lot about the quality of the food. It was also the only kibble Scout never had digestive upset on and actually had amazing coat as well as muscle tone. I switched to PMR, but I still have nothing but good to say about Champion's products.


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## J.J. (Jun 21, 2011)

Gorgeous dog monkeys23, looks a lot like my malamute mix. What kind?


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Thank you. She's an Alaskan sled dog mutt. Mostly GSD/Siberian from what I can tell.


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