Acana Dog Food

At first glance, Acana looks like a wholesome, trustworthy pet food brand – and guess what? It actually is! However, that’s not the best part. The Acana brand is considered a leader in the market, striving to offer dog food that is “worlds away from conventional pet foods.” With a focus on meat-based diets, Acana offers what they call “biologically appropriate pet food,” meaning they formulate their recipes based on the basic needs of carnivores. Ingredients are locally sourced, and all Acana dog foods are manufactured in Champion Pet Foods’ very own kitchens in Alberta, Canada. Read on to our Acana dog food review to find out how this company is different from – and better than some – other dog food brands.

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Acana Dog Food Recalls 2019

As of 2019, Acana dog food has a spotless record and has never been recalled. To sign up for Recall Alerts and get instant updates, visit: https://dogfood.guru/dog-food-recalls/.

We only email you in the event of an actual recall. Learn how we Monitor for Recalls: https://dogfood.guru/monitor-dog-food-recalls.

Consumer Ratings

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Acana Dog Food Review

There’s not enough time (and room on this page) to list all the things we love about Acana dog food, so instead, we’ll say this: we’re impressed with Acana dog food because this is one of the very few brands that actually puts a dog’s wellbeing before everything else. They went as far as to develop a new class of foods called Biologically Appropriate.

What Makes Acana Biologically Appropriate?

The philosophy attached to this is that many “holistic” or “natural” dog foods available in the market are actually not that nutritious (due to low meat protein content, high levels of inappropriate carbohydrates, and little to no actual fresh ingredients). Champion Pet Foods wanted to up the ante by providing holistic and natural dog food that’s actually nutritious. That’s how Biologically Appropriate was born. This philosophy is built on five rules. First, there is a high concentration of meat.

Dogs are carnivores, and their bodies are built to metabolize proteins and fats from meat. All the Acana dog food formulas contain 45% to 65% meat content, including diverse meat ingredient like Egg, Rabbit, Duck, Geese, and Fish. This variety gives a dog all the protein, fat, and other nutrients he needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Champion Pet Foods wanted to mimic this, so they use diverse meat ingredients in their dog food.

Second, there are limited carbohydrates. The foods are protein-rich and carbohydrate limited because studies show that dogs don’t need carbohydrates in their diet. They’re built to metabolize animal proteins and fats. In order to make room for protein in their formulas, Champion Pet Foods decided to cut down on the carbohydrates. They use steel-cut oats as a single source of grain (and carbs).

Third, Acana dog foods include whole fruits and vegetables. There are fresh, locally-sourced fruits and vegetables in Acana dog food formulas. They supply proteins and nutrients in their natural form.

They also only use regional ingredients that are authentically fresh, arriving at their kitchen doors within a day or two of harvest. Lastly, Acana dog food is never frozen and is preservative-free.

If you ask us, we think that Acana dog food is a solid brand. It’s fresh, wholesome, and incredible for your dog.

In-Depth Look At Acana Sport & Agility

The Acana Sport & Agility formula is designed for high-energy dogs of all breeds. It’s loaded with chicken, eggs, flounder, fruits, and vegetables that provide more than enough energy for your dog to play fetch all day! It’s advertised as a formula that’s as close to Mother Nature as possible. Let’s see if that’s true! You know what they say: the ingredient list doesn’t lie. So let’s take a look at the first five ingredients in this formula: Chicken meal, steel-cut oats, chicken fat, deboned chicken, and whole potato. Chicken meal, chicken fat, and deboned chicken are excellent sources of protein.

It’s no surprise that three great protein sources are among the top five because the crude protein content of this formula is at 33%. The crude fat content is at 24%, which is good because active dogs need fat in their diet in order to burn off some energy. Steel-cut oats and whole potatoes are quality sources of carbohydrates. Some other wholesome ingredients further down the list include peas, whole egg, deboned flounder, carrots, spinach, blueberries, and chicory root. The formula also contains vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, iron proteinate, and selenium yeast. We don’t see any controversial ingredients, useless fillers, or artificial flavorings and colorings in this formula. Because of that, we give Acana Sport & Agility an A-plus!

Where Can You Buy Acana Dog Food?

Acana dog food is available in many different independent pet stores. As far as we know, Petco carries it, as well. If you’re a web-savvy dog owner, you can snag a bag online as well. Acana’s store locator has all the information you need. It will detect your current location and then give you a list of all the nearest retailers. Click on the “online” tab to see all the websites that carry Acana dog food.

For other 5-star dog food brands, take a look at our Victor or Wellness reviews.

5 / 5 stars

Updated January 08, 2019

by Chiara Fucarino

54 Comments

About the Author

Each dog food brand is analyzed and reviewed by Chiara Fucarino, an animal lover slash professional writer who sees nutrition as the most important part of a pet’s health. Chiara has always been passionate about writing informative and... See more.

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