Feeding my 9 year old Shepherd x Lab Acana Senior Recipe (chicken and raw flounder). Apparently Acana is bad??

[seny]

There's a photo going around of the Jordana Veterinary Clinic recommendations for dog food, and Acana is on the DO NOT feed list. On the DO FEED list is Purina, Hills Science, and Royal Canine.

I'm confused, is Acana good or not? Here are the ingredients:

Fresh Chicken (19%), Chicken Meal (18.5%), Whole Red Lentils, Whole Green Peas, Turkey Meal (6%), Fresh Chicken Giblets (Liver, Heart) (5%), Herring Meal (4%), Pea Fibre, Eggs (4%), Raw Flounder (4%), Fish Oil (3%), Whole Chickpeas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Yellow Peas, Pea Starch, Chicken Fat (1%), Raw Turkey Liver (0.5%), Dried Kelp, Fresh Whole Pumpkin, Fresh Whole Butternut Squash, Fresh Whole Carrots, Fresh Whole Apples, Fresh Whole Pears, Fresh Whole Zucchini, Dried Chicory Root, Fresh Kale, Fresh Spinach, Fresh Turnip Greens, Fresh Beet Greens, Fresh Whole Cranberries, Fresh Whole Blueberries, Fresh Whole Saskatoon Berries, Turmeric, Milk Thistle, Burdock Root, Lavender, Marshmallow Root, Rosehips. ADDITIVES (Per Kg): Technological Additives: Tocopherol Extract From Vegetable Oils: 121mg, Citric Acid: 40mg. Sensory Additives: Rosemary Extract: 80mg. Nutritional Additives: 3a890 Choline Chloride (Choline): 700 Mg, 3b606 (Zinc: 75 Mg), 3b406 (Copper: 5.5mg), 3a821 Vitamin B1: 25mg, 3a841 Vitamin B5: 8 Mg, 3a831 Vitamin B6: 7.5mg, 3a672a Vitamin A: 7500 IU, 3a671 Vitamin D3: 1000 IU, 3a700 Vitamin E: 100 IU. Zootechnical Additives: 4b1707 Enterococcus Faecium NCIMB 10415 2.2x10[sup]6[/sup] CFU.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@seny There is an ongoing investigation by the FDA of certain grain free foods and I believe it has something to do with the use of legumes as ingredients. You’ll have to look it up but Acana was one of the foods listed originally as a potential link to the rising number of cases of DCM in breeds that normally would not be predisposed to that condition.

Anyway. Do some research because things keep changing regarding this investigation and I barely know what I’m talking about. I just wanted to let you know about it and that it may not be the brand but rather the ingredients.

 

[gracegrace]

@seny Purina, Hills Science, and Royal Cannin ALL use Corn Gluten Meal, which is a POTENT HERBICIDE they also use a lot of corn. They are also made by Mars (that's right, the chocolate company). Royal Cannin, Hills, and Purina Pro also use By-Product meal in their recipes: Leftovers from other processes.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Acana. They use real ingredients, no corn or soy. It also has FAR less vitamin/mineral packs added in, since most of Acana's nutrition comes from real fruits and veggies.

These "lists" are created by these companies to boost sales. They are not backed by any research, and do not have to be, so please, don't fall for them.

 

[xavier363]

@gracegrace Lol what? Corn Gluten Meal is not an herbicide, it's literally an ingredient made from corn gluten. And that's not exactly what by-product meal is (nor is by-product meal bad).

Corn and soy are not problematic. Acana does not use less vitamin packs than the rest of the industry.

And you're wrong there too.

 

[gracegrace]

@xavier363 Corn is almost all sugar. Have you ever tried to eat corn? It comes out in your poo. It is not easily digestible. It is High Glycemic and a direct link to diabetes in pets. You can't tell me corn is good in pet food.

 

[xavier363]

@gracegrace That's not what comes out, that's the coating alone. Corn is easily digested.

You're misinformed unfortunately.

 

[maria214]

@gracegrace Big difference between IS a herbicide and USED AS a herbicide. Corn gluten meal comes from the process of wet milling corn. It is used as a herbicide because it is high in nitrogen which grass like and weeds don't. It also acts as a mulch. It's a protein and humans can't digest it but animals can.

 

[gracegrace]

@maria214 First off I want to thank you for bringing some discussion to light, and not just insulting me like others.

I understand where you're coming from, but "is" and "used as" to me are the same, and a matter of semantics. The point I am trying to make is that these ingredients are not optimal, and potentially detrimental to our pet's health. It's not needed or required. They are used because they are inexpensive. There are many healthier alternatives buried by "Big Kibble" propaganda that can benefit our best friend's health.

 

[maria214]

@gracegrace I don't think anyone is in disagreement with your point. However, the disagreement comes from the information you presented to support that point.

 

[james2016]

@gracegrace "Is" and "used as" is definitely not the same thing, my friend. Water "is" an essential component to life and without it, you'll die. However, it's also "used as" a way to kill and drown people.

You're ignoring the previous point about corn gluten meal only being used as an herbicide because of its high nitrogen content. Nitrogen is also an essential building block for amino acids. Amino acids = protein = life.

 

[bwagner62]

@xavier363 Meal is crap.

 

[xavier363]

@bwagner62 Well, you're wrong, but good informative argument.

 

[lorelai]

@xavier363 Actually you were wrong and if you did some research you would know that grains corn wheat all that stuff is actually bad for your dog they can't process it and yes it is a byproduct and it turns into sugar which causes diabetes in your dog just like it does in people you must be part of the big name brand club where if it's not Purina then you're not going to feed it to your dog that's your opinion I have done the research on this dog food I have fed this food to my dogs for over 10 years you don't know what you're talking about I've asked multiple vets and animal nutritionists because I have dog breed that has sensitive skin and has allergies and they all told me the same thing exactly what I just told you so unless you're a veterinarian or you've taken nutritional classes for animals you should just be quiet because you absolutely know nothing but thanks for playing

 

[xavier363]

@lorelai Hey guess what, I have a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science (lots of Animal Nutrition coursework) and a Masters in Food Microbiology. I've been in the pet food industry for half of my career, and never once have I worked for any of the "big 3".

You are not correct here, period.

 

[bwagner62]

@seny I find it so funny that people say I switched from acana to purina. Purina is literally like fast food for your dog.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@seny I'd say just make sure you are dealing with the most up to date information. The vague and generic fist shaking centered around "grain free" and "exotic proteins" and "Orijen/Acana bad" have been fairly well debunked. Acana is great.

 

[gracely]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Have they? Do you know where to find that debunking info?

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@gracely https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/98/6/skaa155/5857674

There are likely a handful of more recent examples(this one was from 2020) that are also good, but I like that one because they explore more of the complexity of the issue. Getting the full story helps explain why it’s not as simple as just telling someone to avoid grain free. Bioavailable taurine levels in foods, for example, are a way better indicator that a change in diet is needed.

You can also look at the cases themselves. You will see the case mix is no longer quite so heavily skewed against grain free foods, as well as establishing chicken as the most prevalent protein across all cases dispelling the scrutiny centered on exotic proteins.

 

[noahvm]

@imagebeastmarkbeast

In summary, in order to determine if certain ingredients, categories of diets, or manufacturing processes are related to an increased risk of DCM, further studies investigating these variables are necessary.

I'd hardly call this a debunking

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@noahvm And I’d hardly call your one snapshot sentence from the introduction a fair acknowledgement of what the article has to say. In fact, it’s a mischaracterization of how this article supports my point. I don’t know how many different researchers you need to hear say “there is still no direct link to grain free diets” and “further study is needed” and “there are numbers of variables which need further sampling” but I’ve seen enough to say quite clearly a short sighted minimally studied snapshot scare hypothesis from FOUR YEARS AGO just MIGHT have been inaccurate. It’s been four years of study and all we have found pushes us AWAY from the grain free focus towards it being a myriad of variables.