[Peter K]

Hello all,

I’ve been to this site a few times and it helped a lot when we were searching the perfect food for our Golden Retriever. Leo just turned 6 and is a lovable furball. We’ve been feeding him Acana for the past two years and we knew that they were going to start making it in the US instead of Canada.

Recently, I purchased a bag of Acana Regionals, Meadowlands and about half way through the bag, noticed that there was a small sharp white thing sticking out of the kibble. I searched through the rest of the kibble in the bowl and didn’t find anything else.

I contacted Acana immediately and waited patiently for a response.

The next morning, worried that the food may be contaminated, I checked through the rest of the food and found several other pieces of kibble with the same sharp white object. My initial thought was plastic but as I observed it more, it kind of looks like bone.

Acana customer service responded to my email after about a day or so and requested more information on the bag I purchased. I sent them pictures of the kibble and the bag information and have not heard anything back for a week.

So… here comes the question, have any of you experienced this recently with the dog food made at the new Kentucky plant? From my understanding, they made the switch sometime last year. I was hesitant on keeping Leo on Acana but figured since he’s been doing well on it we’d keep feeding it to him. Even after the change of ingredients, we were skeptical but now that quality control and customer service is an issue…. really debating on switching to another brand.

[Peter K]

Here are some photos…

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XiJlj4Q3LZQ99hWu2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cbP6w7B8YNKUMPRs1

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by Peter K.

[haleycookie]

It probably is bone. And from my understanding when it comes to these higher quality foods that have more real whole meats and are less processed to preserve the ingredients a little better that bones do appear sometimes. I wouldn’t be severealy worried about it. They look tiny and you’re dog is a large breed. However I would continue to pester champion and see if they can give you a more accurate answer as to what exactly it is.

[a c]

I used to feed Orijen(for about 6 months)because almost everyone(this site and multiple pet store owners and employees) told me Orijen is the best one out there. Until I saw someone post on this site said they found hairs in the kibbles. He or She contacted Orijen and was told hairs are “biologically appropriate”?

I went to searched my bags. While I didn’t find any hairs in the bags, it really grossed me out. In addition, there was some bad reports on Orijen. So I decided to try something else.

I know Acana and Orijen are both manufactured by Champion out of Kentucky. But I really not familiar with Acana.

[Dan M]

Hello to everyone, my name is Dan and i have a 5 year old Black Lab named Jaxson. He has been on Acana food since the day i brought him home as a puppy. This was on the recommendation of my vet, who also fed his own dogs acana. Everything was absolutely perfect until, for what ever reason Champion foods decided to move to Kentucky. At first i did not know this information and my dog developed severe diarrhea which after a day or so had blood in it. He would not eat his food which i just thought ok he’s not feeling well. As soon as i saw the blood in his stool i called and immediately got him to my vets office. After a exam they determined he had a severe gastro problem. Boiled chicken, sweet potatoes and pure pumpkin was his diet for several weeks along with medication. Once he started to “poop” regular again we slowly introduced his acana food back, still not knowing of the problem. A few short weeks later my poor dog was back at the vets doing more tests, more boiled chicken and basically a repeat of the first time. This time they wanted to test his pancreas since he was extremely lethargic. Thank god that was ok. To date he is still on his chicken and sweet potato diet and he is actually scared of going to his food dish as he knows something in there made him sick. Together with research and this site i realized it was just not my dog but so many many others with the same or similar problems. I STRONGLY advise each and every pet owner to stay away from anything made by champion foods. Jaxson will soon be slowly transitioned to Merrick limited ingredient chicken dog food, if i can ever get him to go back to eating normal after he has suffered so much. So has my checkbook, Champion foods has cost me thousands in vet bills. I hope they go bankrupt. They could and should have at least informed suppliers or some way of communication to the public of this change. I have noticed my local vendors will no longer carry the brand and they are not afraid to tell you why.

[Peter K]

Dan,

Could you describe in more detail what the underlying cause of you pup getting sick was? You mentioned the food but didn’t describe what exactly it was that made your pup sick.

Champion customer service sent me a envelope to send the contaminated food samples back to them for testing. I’ll update more on when I hear back.

I hope this will open their eyes on the new ingredients and KY plant. If they don’t want to lose any more customers, they better start making some changes and addresses these issues.

[Dan M]

Peter,
It started with him not wanting to eat although i knew he was hungry. He would go to his dish sniff a little back away and repeat that several times before he would actually eat. My vet said that it was the changes in the food supply, or something to that effect that was not agreeing with his stomach and digestive system. After he was on meds and the boiled chicken, sweet potato and pumpkin diet for a few weeks i started to reintroduce the acana food back to him very slowly. At that point i was not aware nor was my vet of the acana relocation deal. Once he was fully back on the dry food and nothing else, not even treats, cookies or anything that it started again. If he is only eating one thing in his diet and the problems come back its a very easy conclusion. Lets see, on acana from a pup till 5 years old no problems, they change and so does my dogs quality of life. Around the same time my vets own dogs started to experience issues. We put him back on the “special” diet for another few weeks along with the meds and slowly transitioned him to Merrick limited ingredients chicken diet which he absolutely loves and is having absolutely no issues with. I put it in his bowl and he cant wait to eat it, unlike acana. Two of my local retailers that sold acana have pulled all champion products from their shelves. I have not seen any hairs in the food like i have heard or and other foreign objects, so i can only say that it is my opinion that their quality control in this new plant is inferior to the past. If they say they are using local sources for their food there has to be some kind of dramatic difference for people to post so many complaints about their furry family members health problems, coincidence i doubt it. I have placed a call to Champion customer service weeks ago and have heard nothing yet and i believe i never will. Wish there was some sort of class action lawsuit against champion foods, trust me my name would be on it. Please feel free to keep me and the rest of us posted on if they contact you back or not.

[Nancy W]

Hello!
I am new to the forum and was looking for information on Acana. My two boys are on Merrick Lil Plates and seem to be doing ok but I want to have an alternative just in case they get tired of it. I am in British Columbia, Canada and got a sample bag of the Adult Small Breed Heritage with Chicken and Turkey etc. This morning. I just read about the problems in the KY plant.
This food is from the Alberta, Canada plant.
Has anyone had products from this location? God or bad experiences?
Thanks so much for sharing so much valuable information!
Nancy

[James D]

I had the same problem with my minpin. He was eating this food for years when all of a sudden he developed diarrhea. He was treated and given antibiotics. When he got better I put his back on his food and in a few days again diarrhea. I’m glad I saw this post. Thanks.

[Nan L]

Similar experience with my gsp
Not interested in eating he was transitioned from Iams puppy to avoderm to acana
Acana literally made him sick bloody stools etc
I want them to stop making dog food
This company could’ve costed me my dog
On science diet now, excited to eat and gaining the weight back
Go away acana you suck as a company

[L R]

My dog is refusing to eat his Acana Meadowlands food. He’s had terrible loose and drippy poops for about a week now.
Now with this lawsuit, him refusing to eat the kibble, and his poor gut health, i am looking to switch foods.
I have chosen NutriSource as a replacement.
I’m adding my comment to add a voice to the online concern of champion food and thier kentucky facility.

[Jean D]

I too have a rescue part cairn terrier and part west highland terrier that has been on Acana Meadowland for months now. All of a sudden he has been refusing to eat. He was such an eager eater all along and would wait for his food excitably. Now he smells it and backs away. He has had gastric distress alternating between nausea and diarrhea. I took him to the vet and we put him on the boiled chicken and rice diet and he returned to his old perkiness and excited to eat. I put him back on Acana and he once again started with the same symptoms. I am going to change food and am very disappointed in Acana.

[joanne l]

Obviously something has changed and the dog’s nose knows it. Could be were they get the food now. My dog did the same thing with Dr. Gary’s best breed. I bought it b/c I heard it is great food the plant has so many certifications and guess what, he did great on a few bags then the next bag was a different color the dog backed away from it and when he finally ate it he got sick. With all those certifications to me don’t me nothing now.

[crazy4cats]

My advice would be to stay away from Acana. It has WAY too may legumes on the ingredient list! FDA put out a warning that foods that contain a large amount of legumes and/or potatoes can somehow cause a taurine deficiency in dogs. Which in time could cause heart issues.

[InkedMarie]

Anon: I never click links like this, even the ones that come to my email, asking me to confirm my Apple purchase LOL

[Michelle H]

I’m glad I found this thread. I’ve been feeding my black lab and golden retriever Acana for about 4 years. We started with Orijen but the cost became too much so we switched down. In the last year or so I’ve noticed my black lab having issues at dinnertime. It was like she was having trouble eating; she kept spitting out her food. I thought she was having trouble with her teeth so we took her to the vet and they said her teeth are perfectly fine. They did a general look-see and ultimately found swelling in her abdomen which led to finding a severe liver issue. We’re treating her with meds for that now. However, she’s still having trouble eating. We add water or homemade broth to it to make it softer. Now, my golden is starting to have issues, too. I see her spitting out food (and she eats everything!) and vomiting (she never gets sick). Oddly, my Ragdoll cat LOVES this food. He constantly sticks his face in their bowls and won’t stop eating until we pull him away. Seeing other folks with issues has led me to conclude it’s definitely time to try something new.

[Jennifer K]

My dog has been acana singles lamb and apple
For years. He started on the Canadian version and then when the plant opened in Kentucky, that was the only one that was available in the US. Every so often he would have a very gurgley stomach followed by soft/diarrhea stool with blood. It has started to happen more frequently with the recent new of high amount of heavy metals it can only be attributed to the food. He is completely healthy otherwise.

I want to take him off acana, which food did everyone here switch to? I read Merrick or Gather (made in Canada) might be Better choices.
I’m Leary about merrick only because they’ve had various salmonella recalls over the years.

Looking for any new food choice advice!

[Peter K]

Hey guys, it is very concerning to see that there are so many pups with similar issues.. After that whole bone in kibble debacle, during my last update (sorry its been so long) I sent a sample of the kibble to Acana HQ in Alberta. It’s been over a year an I have still not received a follow-up, I have sent probably three separate emails asking for a follow-up. Going to give Champion foods the benefit of the doubt and just assume it was just negligence and poor customer service from the rep.

I’ve been with Champion foods for about four years now – what brought us to them was their quality control and stricter regulations when they used to make everything in Canada.

I know someone mentioned their current lawsuit regarding false claims on % in their foods… Long story short, a study from a group claims that the food analysis does not match what Champion foods is claiming on their bags, website etc… (please correct me if I’m wrong)

**DISCLAIMER** Now, PLEASE do your own research and due diligence but after looking into more, it seemed like the food itself was safe (it wasnt a recall or salmonella scare). So we continued to feed Leo Acana but stayed away from the Meadowlands formula and strictly switched him on red meat/ heritage meat. He has been doing well on it and I haven’t found any foreign objects in any of his food. When I purchase a new bag, I empty it out in our Vittles Vault and look for anything unusual.

As much as I want to stay with Acana/ Champion foods the last bag we brought home didn’t have any abnormalities but….. He has thrown up a couple of times (happened about two weeks ago). Now, at the time I thought it was just because he ate too fast or didnt chew enough (#doglogic) but I’m beginning to worry about it after so many of you mentioned your pups were also vomiting… Can’t say for sure there is any correlation between the food and him throwing up, but it would be a lie if I didn’t think it had a little to do with it.

Some of you have asked what other foods are good, personally, the only other food our pup was on is Fromm. The only reason we switched to Acana at the time was because they offered the single protein formulas, we thought he had a chicken allergy because he kept getting hot spots and rashes… So we switched him to Acana and everyone was happy. Turns out it was fleas… We were living near a heavily wooden area and fleas would just get to him when we’re outside… Even with flea medication, the flea still bites – they just die after.

If you are lucky enough to be able to source the Canadian made formulas, then Id’ say its as good as you can get. However… With the amount of money we are spending on these bags, (a #25 bag is over $70 after tax), we deserve better… our pups deserve better…

We have been on the fence of switching up his food since he has been on Acana for about 4 or 5 years now. Good to add variety and I think we are going to go back to Fromm. They are a small company and offer similar formulas. One thing to watch out for is that they do use real Wisconsin cheese, so if your pup is sensitive to cheese/ dairy, might not be a good fit.

It’s been so long since I’ve looked at new foods.. It’ll be great to hear what others have also switched to or plan to switch to.

Thank you guys for all your comments and keeping this thread alive for so long, I hope this will gain some attention from Champion foods… Someone wise once told me your brand is only as good as your last product..

[Peter K]

multiple failed attempts of embedding the image, so here is the link again lol…

View post on imgur.com

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Peter K.
• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Peter K.
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• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Peter K.

[Claudia W]

Hi,
I have 3 puppets-a cavi-3 yrs old, cockalier (cavi cross)-5 yrs old, and a Wheaten-3 yrs old . My Wheatie has allergies and was worse on Orijiin. I switched to Acana Singles. I went to purchase a bag of Acana Singles Pork & Squash and noticed the bags were different. One bag stated food had 27% protein and the other said 31% protein. On the 31% protein bag, some of the ingredients were different than those in the 27% bag. The clerk had no idea about this discrepancy and said they’d eventually contact Champion. Haven’t heard anything yet. There was nothing on the 31% bag that noted a formula change and I’ve had no issues with this food. My daughter just switched her 3 Davis and morkie to Acana as well.
I’m concerned about changes and consistency-both bags were made in Kentucky.
Comments appreciated!

[Jennifer K]

Hoping to keep this thread alive and would like to do a quick check in on limited ingredient alternative recommendations to Acana singles.

Since my last post mid December- Bentley my Coton de Tulear, has been on bland homemade food to combat weekly bouts of vomiting and diarrhea (with blood on several occasions). He has been doing a lot better tolerating this food and am ready to add in a new dry dog food, but still at a loss for which one. I heard Zignature was a quality brand (from their threads here) but it appears to be available at Walmart which tells me otherwise (maybe not a good basis, but still concerns me).

Has anyone has succes on transitioning from Acana to something else?

I

[Jennifer K]

Probably should mention as a reminder- his stomach issues are back stemming from the new formula- the KY formula is terrible. He was fine in Canadian Acana for years.

I read in another thread Purina is in negotiations to purchase Champions food- can’t confirm but thought that was pretty terrible too. Their Quality and standards have gone down the drain.

[Peter K]

I finally made the switch from Acana to First Mate. They came out with a new line called grain friendly and has limited ingredients – the three different flavors are chicken, white fish and lamb. Leo loved it when we did a taste test comparing other foods (fromm, acana, first mate grain free). Its a little less in meat protein content compared to acana but quality seemed good and they are still made in canada and they have complete control in all aspects of the manufacturing process. Were almost finished with our first bag and he seems to be doing well on it. Also, since the food has protein from peas, etc and not just meat, they are able to pass along the cost savings to the consumers, a 30# bag is roughly half the cost of what we use to pay for Acana. We got ours from Mudbay.

[joanne l]

First mate sounds good. I would steer clear of Orjien and Acana. There is to much going on with them. Lawsuits and all. I also hear a lot of people complaining about the Kentucky plant food as well. Good Luck to you.

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