# The new Acana Formulas are on the Champion site



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

This page has the OLD formulas. I am going to assume this page will go down pretty quickly.

Champion Petfoods | ACANA | Our Products

This page has the NEW formulas 

ACANA Pet Foods | Acana


Fact is that now there are multiple legume types in the formulas (peas, red lentils and field beans (which I believe are Fava beans)) as well as canola oil now added to the Pacifica. There is also pea fiber.

It appears to me that the meat contribution is bumped up (maintaned at 60%) by putting a meat product (more water in the meat) instead of the meal as a first ingredient but the total contribution of protein to the total calories has dropped and I would guess, means beans play a more prominant role as beans are high in protein, albiet an incomplete protein (some legumes are complete such as garbanzo beans as are some grains such as Quinoa). I am not sure how the 60% from meat is caclulated (assume it is by weight)

In the Pacifica, Ranchlands, and Grasslands %contribution to calories from protein has dropped as has caloires per cup.

In the Wild Praire it appears calories per cup have gone up but %contribution to total calories of protein has gone down.


I do not think this is slamming anything, but since I had settled on trying this food for awhile, I am disappointed particularly since the bag size is going down and the cost is going up. I figure it really is relevant information. 

Perhaps someone can explain how these changes are an improvement; trying to be open minded. and hope we can keep this civil. Just the facts, point counterpoint. No emotions.


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## Freddy (Apr 23, 2009)

I will be watching for the opinions of the experts on this one....


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Freddy said:


> I will be watching for the opinions of the experts on this one....


This is why we can't have nice things. 

Consider yourselves warned:
IMPORTANT Diet and Nutrition Section Info NO Tolerance Policy


Thank you - 
Jean
Admin


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Same stuff that happened with Orijen formulas not too long ago. More water inclusive meat, less meat meal, less overall meat in the end product, and a higher price. 

Regarding the change from potatoes to peas, lentils, whatever... I think it's just the new fad. Just like people got off the grain train... it looks like people may want to get off the potato train too. It makes the ingredient list nice with all those healthy looking ingredients though.

And if you were set on trying Acana... I don't think this formula change should stop you. It's actually probably better you didn't get the dogs started on the old stuff and now you have to deal with the transition to the new formula. I'm sure it's still a very good product. I wouldn't hesitate to feed it... you can definitely do much worse.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

I haven't looked at all of them, but the Pacifica definitely looks like there is more meat in the formula overall. The first five of the old formula were salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, russet potatoes and peas. The new formula is salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, whitefish meal, and peas.

I don't know that I would say that the new formulas look like they are all that much of an improvement over the old, but I don't think I would call them a regression either. I am definitely not a fan of paying more for less food though. Unfortunately that seems to be a trend in all food industries though be it pet food or human food.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> This is why we can't have nice things.
> 
> Consider yourselves warned:
> IMPORTANT Diet and Nutrition Section Info NO Tolerance Policy
> ...


In that warning... it says "There will be no tolerance for food threads that devolve into (or start with) bashing of foods".

Does that mean we have to treat food like breeder bashing where we can't say anything negative about a certain food?

For example, saying something like.... "pedigree dog food is a bad food"... Is this now prohibited on here?

Oh and Nancy... sorry if I'm derailing this thread. I'd post in that thread, but it's locked!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Wow, no more nutrition discussion threads? Sorry to read this. Adverti$ers must be *very* important to this board.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

No where has anyone said no more nutrition threads. However many of them, particularly those surrounding a certain member, have devolved into snarky drama and all sorts of nonsense lately. THAT will not be tolerated and any threads that even start down that road will be closed.


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## lzver (Feb 9, 2012)

While I am mildly ticked that there is so much instability in the pet food market, I won't stop feeding Acana Pacifica. Jake is stable now and I can only hope that the change in formula doesnt set us back. I read the new ingredient list and I still believe it is a quality product. As for the bags getting smaller and the price going up, I'll deal with that to ... Just a fact of life these days.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I was never under the impression tha we were not free to discuss pros and cons of different food but that we should be adults about it and keep the emotion out. To me, the discussion on what we do and don't like about various food ingredients is very informative. I think it is when we go down into a personal level and insult other people is where these threads get into trouble.

I would no more think of telling my neighbor what I think about her feeding Pedigree to her 17 year old sibe than I would running up and hugging a complete stranger. And, yes, I said 17 years old so what possible advice should I be giving her on caring for her dog?

------

As to this, I may proceed though not with the Pacifica because I am personally still concerned about canola oil and it may be a silly concern at that. Once I find out the upper limits on Ca and Ash-those are actually the final things keeping me holding off making a total switch. The old guy is actually eating a bag of Ranchlands now and it is agreeing with him. Too high in Ca for the pup yet. I hope I can find out what they are doing to make the legumes a complete protein (how are they bringing up the deficient amino acids) and, if not, how much is in there so I can supplement with an appropraite complementary grain.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Nancy... what's your concern with canola oil? I know it's bit of a controversial ingredient (but what isn't these days!)... is that the issue? Is there really any hard evidence why it should be something to be concerned with? I always thought it was just a internet myth and actually a pretty good alternative to chicken fat.

Please let us know the calcium and ash ratios when/if you find out.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Lucy Dog said:


> In that warning... it says "There will be no tolerance for food threads that devolve into (or start with) bashing of foods".
> 
> Does that mean we have to treat food like breeder bashing where we can't say anything negative about a certain food?
> 
> ...





> Chris Wild: No where has anyone said no more nutrition threads. However many of them, particularly those surrounding a certain member, have devolved into snarky drama and all sorts of nonsense lately. THAT will not be tolerated and any threads that even start down that road will be closed.


Yes, that. Talk about the food, discuss the ingredients, do not incite other members by doing things that you know will cause conflict. AKA, board rules.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Yes, that. Talk about the food, discuss the ingredients, do not incite other members by doing things that you know will cause conflict. AKA, board rules.


Gotcha. We'll be good... promise.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Danke. Appreciated. No one likes to see people, threads, dogs, whoever, set up to fail.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Lucy Dog said:


> Nancy... what's your concern with canola oil? I know it's bit of a controversial ingredient (but what isn't these days!)... is that the issue? Is there really any hard evidence why it should be something to be concerned with? I always thought it was just a internet myth and actually a pretty good alternative to chicken fat.
> 
> Please let us know the calcium and ash ratios when/if you find out.


Paul, maybe I should start a different thread on that. My main issue with canola is that the vast majority is GMO so that it can be sprayed with roundup and that is a philosophical issue with me, no to metion possible uptake of roundup by the plant. By some twist the EU which bans GMOs allows Genetically Engineered Canola Oil claiming the oil is not impacted. But many of the chemicals in roundup ARE fat soluble. So I cleared canola from my own shelves and eat precious few baked goods containing it.

The main omega 3 is ALA, which I gather does not do much for dogs but does pump up the omega 3 "numbers", and then there are the questions about vitamin E depletion -- and then all kinds other negatrive claims which, I agree, are questionable but unanswered in my mind. 

But, I still remember folks laughing at my old college biochemisty professor in the mid 70s who told us margarine was "death" due to the trans fats and we would be better off eating butter...... we just don't know what we don't know.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

I haven't studied the differences, but looking at the Wild Prairie, it looks like the protein content has dropped, and some of the meat protein has been replaced with pea protein. Since there is now more peas than potatoes and peas are higher than potatoes in protein, this means that the meat content has gone down.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

jocoyn said:


> Paul, maybe I should start a different thread on that.


A thread about Canola would be GREAT since it is a controversial ingredient!
I agree with you about Canola. Although the data is a little old, I wouldn't use it for us or the dogs after reading this: The Great Con-ola - Weston A Price Foundation The Weston A. Price Foundation article quotes numerous studies of the effects of Canola oil in animals; “These studies all point in the same direction--that canola oil is definitely not healthy for the cardiovascular system. Like rapeseed oil, its predecessor, canola oil is associated with fibrotic lesions of the heart. It also causes vitamin E deficiency, undesirable changes in the blood platelets and shortened life-span in stroke-prone rats when it was the only oil in the animals' diet. Furthermore, it seems to retard growth, which is why the FDA does not allow the use of canola oil in infant formula.” Journalist David Lawrence Dewey quotes research from the University of Florida that “determined that as much as 4.6% of all the fatty acids in unrefined canola are ‘trans’ isomers (which are somewhat like plastic) due to the refining process.” http://www.dldewey.com/columns/canola.htm


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Done and here is the link to a canola thread
I linked to your post but did not feel I should copy and paste.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/184935-canola-oil.html#post2509392


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

Did you notice the wording is different in the box where it states 60%,,40%,,0%.....


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Not really? ......if so, what clarification do you have? That is why I asked what do the percents mean? If the meat includes the water in the meat than that makes it effectively less from meat and if the beans are dry beans then that makes their contribution more. That is why I did ask about contribution to total protein from beans.


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## itisdieter (May 16, 2010)

Thanks for the post jocoyn, I was unaware that Champion was changing the Acana formula. I archived off the ingredient pdf's for my current rotation.

I just transitioned my mutt off of Orijen 6 fish to Acana Pacifica because the 6 fish as the primary diet resulted in loose stools, and it was not due to overfeeding.

The inclusion of canola oil is disheartening, because my dog does well on the current Pacifica formula. Thank goodness I have 10 bags stockpiled to see how this all shakes out.

Money seems to be a bigger motivator for pet food companies than healthy animals, very disappointing.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I ordered some bags of the old stock myself and am going to mix Orijen with the Fromm for the puppy until I have some experience with the Nature's Logic I ordered for my older dog. I am just leery on higher calcium though at a year maybe it is time to quit worrying about that.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

here's what I'm going to do (I currently feed Acana Grasslands) -I am going to keep doing the same thing until I notice either a change in my dog's digestion, or a change in the overall cost per month.

I think that at the end of the day, these changes are hardly anything to concern about, and Champion is a company that I've trusted for a while now. In other words they've earned my trust so I'm not too worried about it.

Thanks for posting the changes, at least I'll know to be on the lookout for any changes in my dog's health (since he's got food allergies, I will know pretty quickly if the new formula causes him issues)


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## itisdieter (May 16, 2010)

Gawd, I hope red lentils does not equal gas

My boy can already run you out of the room - he does not need more fuel


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

itisdieter said:


> Gawd, I hope red lentils does not equal gas
> 
> My boy can already run you out of the room - he does not need more fuel


LOL, I am lucky in that regards. Now my parents had English bull dogs, Oh my god, those dogs can clear out a room in a heartbeat.


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## RamRod (Nov 27, 2011)

I got my first bag of the new formula Ranchlands last night and a few things stood out..... 

The Min Calcium has jumped from 1.8% to 2.3%. Omega 3 is down, Glucosamine/Chondroitin is up and Energy is down slightly.

My Girl, however really likes something in the new blend.... She couldn't keep her nose out of the bag, and was suddenly less keen on the bowl of old formula still waiting for her!

We'll see how things go. We found our winner in the Ranchlands food, lets hope she gets on just as well with the new blend.


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## SusiQ (Jul 27, 2007)

I feed the Pacifica and also will continue unless I see adverse symptoms in my dogs. I still feel that it is a great food and my dogs do well on fish.


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