[indietheaussie]

Hi all,

I noticed Acana is changing their Singles line very soon to include legumes over oats and through some research it seems that this is a very controversial change. On top of that, it seems people are very unhappy with Champion overall.

A few years ago, when I worked at an independent dog food shop, I had the opportunity to learn about how they made their food, how they ensure freshness, etc and I was really impressed. On top of that, they were a Canadian company and I really wanted to support a local food, especially given some of their proteins were sourced from literally neighbouring towns from me. I basically intended to feed Champion to my future pup.

Fast forward a few years, I have an Aussie pup name Indie, who came to me on TOTW Wetlands but I switched him off due to the calcium/phos levels and didn’t feel it was fitting for a growing pup. Thought “Why don’t I try Acana?” I was familiar with their practices and they are local so I switched him to Acana Duck and Bartlett Pear at about 3 months old, and he has been on it since. He’s 9 months now, for reference.

He’s done well on the Acana, albeit a bit of a finicky eater and could have slightly better stools (usually when he isn’t eating full meals), and we’ve recently started a rotational diet. He’s actually almost done his first bag of Acana Chicken and Potato, which is when I discovered the Acana formula changes in researching what food to put in the rotation next. Obviously there are still people out there who support Champion, but I read about many who are very against them, and those people have gotten to me. I’m a natural worry wart when it comes to Indie. I mean, what’s the consensus? Is Champion really just going downhill? I’ve never been opposed to other companies but now I’m feeling driven to find an alternative in case they aren’t the company they used to be.

I feel like a fish out of water, like I’m starting fresh in the food world again. I just feel like I am unsure where to go from here. My pup has been on both GF and grain-inclusive and I haven’t developed a preference. Since he’s not a big eater and is on the skinny side, I am inclined to keep him with a grain-inclusive food but I feel like I just don’t know anymore haha. He has no aversion to any protein so the world is essentially my oyster and it’s stressing me out.

I don’t know what advice I’m looking for but if any one has any insight at all. Let me know!

[pugmomsandy]

If you’re on a rotational diet, then try out different foods from different companies whether it’s grain-inclusive or grain-free or is legume-based or potato-based. There are many good companies out there. I have yet to find a kibble that my dogs don’t like (but they also eat raw).

[RescueDaneMom]

I agree with Sandy. It’s always good to feed foods from multiple companies because their vitamin/mineral mixes will be slightly different and you can cover your bases that way. I wouldn’t stop using Champion, but I would start to try other foods just in case you don’t want to feed Champion in the future.

I was looking at Boreal Pet Foods yesterday. They are Canadian and the ingredients and profile of the foods looks similar to Acana (but it is legume-based). Another great Canadian company is Petcurean. They make 3 different lines: Now Fresh, Go!, and Summit (not available in the US so I’ve never used it). Between the Now and Go!, I prefer their Go! formulas. Also, Horizon is Canadian- great food and a great company. Their Legacy line is grain-free and their Complete line is grain-inclusive.

Hope that helps!

[indietheaussie]

Thanks guys! I also like Petcurean a lot 🙂

I have no reason to not like legumes right now for my dog, I’ve just seen a lot of negativity surrounding them and started to question what I’ll do when the formula change does hit the Singles line, obviously anticipating a problem before it even starts. He has yet to show any signs of sensitivities or allergies, and if he continues to go issue-free when the formula does change, then I will have nothing to worry about and will keep Champion in our rotation as long as the consensus remains that they are a good company in general.

[LexiDog]

How do you feel about Champion opening a kitchen in KY? They said that their formulas are going to vary because they are going to use regional ingredients. I wonder if we (in the states) will be able to still get the Canadian line or not. I love Champion products but I’m a little nervous and I don’t know why. At least it will be closer to visit if they offer tours.

[LexiDog]

What have you heard about Champion that makes you think it is “going down hill”? About the fish? Just curious.

[ab1028]

I have used Acana products for my 10 month old puppy and have had a lot of success on it. I bought a sample bag of the lamb singles (when it still contained oats), but he seemed to do better without grains. I think that having their new singles without grains will actually help my dog. To me, having some foods in your rotation that contain legumes is not the worst. I will continue to support Champion pet foods and feed their products.

I have also fed Petcurean products, however my dog seems to like Acana better (he is eating a bag of Orijen right now and doesn’t seem to mind that as well, and he is picky). I used Now Fresh, but he got tired of it after a bag. He has also had some of the Go! wet products and enjoyed that.

[Zanes Mom]

From what I have read the KY plant will be up and running in 2016 and will supply the US market. Acana Regionals has been a wonderful product for my dog but I too am concerned about the change. Using regional producers can be a good thing but where will the fresh fish come from in western Kentucky? Will they continue to meet European standards and have it passed fit for human consumption? Those are just a few of my concerns and I guess it is time to contact the company. In the meantime I will work on adding other brands into his diet rotation which I know is recommended anyway. I did try Natures Logic but by the end of his first large bag it was a struggle, he didn’t hate it but didn’t love it either. I never thought I would feed home made because we travel but I can see the sense of it on many levels. Sigh!

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