Acana Butcher’s Favorites Dog Food Review (Dry)

Acana Butcher’s Favorites dry dog food is made up of three recipes which each receive the Dog Food Advisor’s rating, 5 stars.

These recipes are formulated with high levels of protein and packed with nutritious ingredients to help support digestive health, skin & coat health and healthy weight.

The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Acana Butcher’s Favorites, Free-Run Poultry & Liver Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”. ¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

 The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The third ingredient is herring meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, herring meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations. ².

The fourth ingredient is chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. 

Like peas, beans and lentils, chickpeas are a nutritious member of the fiber-rich legume (or pulse) family of vegetables.

However, they contain about 22% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The fifth ingredient is peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The sixth ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The seventh ingredient is lentils. Lentils are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, lentils contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The eighth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.

This recipe has four notable exceptions.

First, flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

Next, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion.

Probiotics are live yeasts and good bacteria that live in your body and are good for your digestive system. You can take probiotics as supplements or get them through food.

In addition, this food includes chicory root. Chicory is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

Here the details of the added vitamin sources are listed, used to balance the recipe against AAFCO guidelines.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Acana Butcher’s Favorites, Free-Run Poultry & Liver Recipe looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 40.9%, a fat level of 19.3% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 31.8%.

As a group, the brand features a protein content of 40.9% and a mean fat level of 19.3%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 31.8% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 47%.

This means Acana Butcher’s Favorites product range contains above-average protein, below-average carbohydrate, above-average fat, when compared to typical type of food dry dog food.

Acana Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Acana through September 2024.

No recalls noted.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Our Rating of Acana Dog Food

ACANA uses responsibly sourced high-quality ingredients in every recipe and contains no man-made chemicals or preservatives. The recipes rely on meat and vegetables for nutritional value and are supplemented with vitamins and minerals.

Highly Recommended

About

ACANA is a cat and dog food brand owned by Champion Petfoods, a Canadian company. It was founded in 1985 by Canadian entrepreneur Reinhard Mühlenfeld. Originally a tiny operation serving local Alberta farmers, it is now Canada’s largest pet food manufacturer.

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