I have been feeding Acana food for quite a few years. I have used all the different proteins, and both my boys are very healthy & have great coats.

Acana just reworked their formula, and has made alot of changes (not for the good). Is anyone feeding the Orijen adult with good results? Or is there another food that is recommended?


Thanks!

judy

Fromm

I have the same problem with the changes they made, don't know why they did it.

Mainly Orijen is just too expensive for me.

You might look at Precise Plus and Precise Holistic Complete. I have used Precise Plus and it seems good.

Why do you think the changes made weren't good? I've checked on line and am not finding anything other than positive comments as well as the product still having excellent ingredients. I feed Orijen and on occasion the Acana Wild Prairie formula.

I saw this question on another forum and asked the poster what was changing and got no response. So, I e-mailed the company & asked what was changing. We`ve fed Acana and Orijen before that with great results and after trying to find a good kibble for all of our dogs....I sure didn`t want to have to start over. Anyways...FYI:

`Thank you for contacting us with your questions.
>
> There has been recent changes to the ACANA Regional dog foods. Whenever we
> make changes to ACANA we are trying to get closer to our mandate of
> creating Biologically Appropriate Pet foods from Fresh, Regional
> Ingredients.
>
> With that in mind, the first change made in every diet was to increase the
> total FRESH meat content. Fresh meat (no preservatives, never frozen) now
> makes up to 30% of the total diet, and a Fresh meat is now the first
> ingredient listed in each Regional diet! For example, in our ACANA Wild
> Prairie diet the first five ingredients now shows deboned chicken, chicken
> meal, green peas, turkey meal and chicken liver oil.
>
> To focus more specifically on the Region that inspires our diets, we've
> tweaked our ingredient list. Again using Wild Prairie as an example, we've
> removed the fish meal (salt water fish) from the diet as salt water fish
> would not be found on a Prairie.
>
> We have decreased the potato content in our diets, and introduced lentils
> and field beans as low glycemic alternatives. These new ingredients help
> to moderate the glycemic numbers of the Regionals diets.
>
> Our commitment to using fresh, regional ingredients has led to the
> introduction of fresh fruit and vegetables year round from the Fraser and
> Okanagan Valleys. Ingredients such as parsnips, butternut squash, and
> Bartlett Pears have improved the product performance in our diets by
> providing additional fibre.
>
> I am unsure if there have been any changes in price but there were changes
> made to the size of the bags. The new sizes available are 340g (12oz),
> 2.27kg (5lb), 6.8kg (15lb), and 13kg (28.6lb).
>
> I hope this explains the changes that were made, if you have any other
> questions or concerns please do write back`
------------------------------

When I asked specifically about Pacifica....

`The changes I spoke of in my previous message such as decreasing the
> potato content and introducing lentils and field beans as low glycemic
> alternatives as well as increasing the total FRESH meat content apply to
> our new ACANA Pacifica diet. In addition, we have added Canola oil to
> balance out our Omega 3s and 6's in the ACANA Pacifica. With the addition
> of Canola Oil our Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio is maintained at 1:1 generally
> considered to be the ideal ratio.
>
> Canola oil is rich in Linoleic acid (22%), an essential omega 6 fatty acid
> and has been shown to have a significant effect on skin and coat quality.
> This is why pet owners feeding a canola supplement often find there is an
> improvement in the skin and coat of their pet. Canola oil is also a rich
> source of linoleic acid without contributing large amounts of
> polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in large quantities in other
> vegetable oils.
>
> That being said canola oil is not a good source of the long chain omega 3
> fatty acid DHA. The DHA in our diets come from the abundant fish
> ingredients used in our ACANA diets. DHA is the only essential fatty acid
> that aids in eye and brain development and is currently regarded as
> conditionally essential in puppies and breeding dogs.
>
> The calorie content of the food is slightly lower, changing from 430
> kCal/cup(250mL) to 421 kCal/cup(250mL). The change is minimal but when you
> purchase a bag of the new diet be sure to review the feeding guide in case
> feeding amounts need to be adjusted.
>
> The new ACANA Regional diets were launched on June 15th so I would expect
> that the next bag you purchase will be the new formulation. If you check
> the ingredient list you will know for sure, just look for the changes have
> talked about.
>
> I hope that this information is helpful and your crew enjoys the new ACANA
> Pacifica formulation even more! Please feel free to contact me if you have
> any questions or concerns in the future.`

AARGH! I had just finished changing my younger dogs over to Acana Wild Prairie and/or Pacifica. It agreed even with the dog who previously had only done well on Purina One--before the shreds. She doesn't really do well on beans or legumes, which they have increased in the new formulas. Canola Oil! I have been going crazy trying to avoid it, and even the grain-free formulas add it left and right. Canola Oil is GMO rapeseed, right? Canola ruined Pro Plan's Salmon formula.
I really, really, really wish they hadn't messed with this formerly wonderful formula.

Well, among other things, according to the Great Dane Lady (a canine nutritional consultant):

"A natural chemical in peas (m-xylohydroquinone) can prevent pregnancy – and peas are being studied as a possible natural contraceptive!"