@imagebeastmarkbeast Excellent thank you
Feeding my 9 year old Shepherd x Lab Acana Senior Recipe (chicken and raw flounder). Apparently Acana is bad??
@seny Hi animal nutritionist here
Although I love Champion pet products(Orijen/Acana) I am always a bit leary of their stage specific lines. They use a very loose BARF style approach and try to get as many vitamins and minerals from natural sources. Which may sound good on paper but in reality this causes wild fluctuations in nutrient levels. When you have senior such as yours, many times high levels in metals and other inorganic materials can lead to liver and kidney disease.
Not to tell you don't feed it. Because I always say the best food is the one your pet eats and thrives on. So if they are healthy and happy by all means continue. Just be a bit more vigilant and monitor as they get older.
Good luck
Although I love Champion pet products(Orijen/Acana) I am always a bit leary of their stage specific lines. They use a very loose BARF style approach and try to get as many vitamins and minerals from natural sources. Which may sound good on paper but in reality this causes wild fluctuations in nutrient levels. When you have senior such as yours, many times high levels in metals and other inorganic materials can lead to liver and kidney disease.
Not to tell you don't feed it. Because I always say the best food is the one your pet eats and thrives on. So if they are healthy and happy by all means continue. Just be a bit more vigilant and monitor as they get older.
Good luck
@seny I threw hands about this a few weeks ago when I saw it come across my social media. Enjoy 
"This being from a veterinary office, I wish they included more info about it: DCM is really scary because it doesn't show up until years down the line when the damage is already done, so it's 100% something to be mindful of when buying dog food
However, the amount of dogs affected by this is minimal and certain breeds like huskies and many small breeds are not prone to it. It's also suspected that the legumes/peas/lentils used to replace grain in food, in high quantities over time, is what's causing the heart failure. Not the lack of grain itself bc even foods WITH grain have had reported cases
And then the list the provide of food to avoid isn't necessarily correct. Yes, absolutely do not buy your dog garbage food. AAFCO approved at a MINIMUM (cancer is the leading cause of dog deaths and much of that is due to a life of slowly being poisoned by their food). But I know for a fact that Taste of the Wild provides several grain inclusive options, and I'm sure others on this list do as well
Make sure you do your research about your breed and what food is right for them. You wouldn't eat McDonald's everyday (I hope!) so don't feed your pets the equivalent of that. If your breed or mix is prone to DCM, definitely avoid grain free and lentil heavy foods, we do! If your dog is too mixed to know for sure, play it safe. If you have a husky or other breed that this isn't really a concern for, go wild with the grain free if you want
I recommend/feed Navi Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy and may mix it with or switch it to Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains when she's an adult, but there are definitely other good options to consider depending on the dog"
"This being from a veterinary office, I wish they included more info about it: DCM is really scary because it doesn't show up until years down the line when the damage is already done, so it's 100% something to be mindful of when buying dog food
However, the amount of dogs affected by this is minimal and certain breeds like huskies and many small breeds are not prone to it. It's also suspected that the legumes/peas/lentils used to replace grain in food, in high quantities over time, is what's causing the heart failure. Not the lack of grain itself bc even foods WITH grain have had reported cases
And then the list the provide of food to avoid isn't necessarily correct. Yes, absolutely do not buy your dog garbage food. AAFCO approved at a MINIMUM (cancer is the leading cause of dog deaths and much of that is due to a life of slowly being poisoned by their food). But I know for a fact that Taste of the Wild provides several grain inclusive options, and I'm sure others on this list do as well
Make sure you do your research about your breed and what food is right for them. You wouldn't eat McDonald's everyday (I hope!) so don't feed your pets the equivalent of that. If your breed or mix is prone to DCM, definitely avoid grain free and lentil heavy foods, we do! If your dog is too mixed to know for sure, play it safe. If you have a husky or other breed that this isn't really a concern for, go wild with the grain free if you want
I recommend/feed Navi Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy and may mix it with or switch it to Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains when she's an adult, but there are definitely other good options to consider depending on the dog"
@seny Legumes arent the best thing to be feeding your dog. When grain free got popular manufacturures had to replace the grain with another ingredient to bind the kibble together. Legumes and potatoes are used heavily in grain free foods as a binder ingredient and to beef up the protien percentage. Personally i really like the acana grain inclusive line. I wouldn't feed mine any other food from them because of the legume content, because it seems like legumes are most likely part of the issue.