Acana Grasslands ingredient list change?!

[cassiek]

I was so excited! I went yesterday to pick up a bag of the Grasslands food by Acana. I usually have a hard time finding dog kibble I can feed to all the dogs. With Furby's allergies to beef, bison, and chicken, the only Champion Pet Foods I can feed are the Lamb & Apple (which is ok - but I usually try to avoid grains), or the 6-Fish or Pacifica.

Someone actually on this forum pointed out to me that the GrassLands formula would be ok as these were the ingredients:

Ingredients:
Lamb meal, sweet potato, raw de-boned lamb, peas, fresh whole eggs, sun-cured
alfalfa, sunflower oil, fresh de-boned walleye, pumpkin, fresh de-boned northern pike,
apples, carrots, turnip greens, organic sea vegetables (kelp, bladderwrack, dulse),
juniper berries, cranberries, Saskatoon berries, black currants, angelica root, chicory
root, red clover, red raspberry leaf, dandelion root, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers,
chamomile flowers, rosemary extract, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus
faecium.
Vitamins (vit. A, vit. D3, vit. E, niacin, riboflavin, lysine, thiamine mononitrate, vit. B12,
pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin). Minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese
proteinate, cobalt proteinate, copper proteinate).

So I went into the store yesterday and found some trial size bags that did have these ingredients. However, all the other bags had the following ingredients as apparently they have changed the Grasslands formula recently:

INGREDIENTS
Boneless lamb, lamb meal, salmon meal, herring meal, russet potato, peas, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E), sweet potato, boneless walleye, sun-cured alfalfa, natural lamb flavor, boneless duck, whole eggs, pumpkin, spinach, turnip greens, tomatoes, carrots, apples, organic kelp, cranberries, blueberries, juniper berries, black currants, chicory root, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers,sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, summer savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, zinc proteinate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, iron proteinate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, selenium, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Because it now has chicken fat, I can't feed it to my pups was so looking forward to trying this food out!

Apparently this change is quite recent, because many websites including www.dogfoodanalysis.com still list the old ingredient list.

[Chris21711]

I feed our guys Grasslands Cassiek, I never read the ingredients , as far as i know luckily none of the guys are allergic to any foods. I wonder why they changed?

You could try contacting Champion and ask them why they changed. Rainbow always finds Peter at Champion very accommodating.

[dartfrog]

I found the same this and wrote to them,

Hello I was just wondering if you have considered maybe changing the ingredients slightly in the grasslands... I just noticed that it has chicken fat in it yet other then that there is no chicken. Having a dog sensitive to chicken really limits the food we can feed and I have been told it's good to rotate different protein sources so he doesn't acquire another allergy to another meat. I believe this is your only lamb duck that is grain free and it would be wonderful if it was chicken free so we could use it
PS we love the quality of your food and thank you for that!
Michelle

they replied



Thank you for your email and your feedback on our ingredients.
You are not alone with wishing that the Grasslands did not have chicken fat! I have talked with our nutritionist about this on several occasions, and have been told that usually a chicken allergy or intolerance is to an animal protein and not the fat. This is not to say that your dog won’t be sensitive to this ingredient, but chances are it would not be an issue. I’m glad to hear that the quality of the food we make is something you are happy with, I will pass your comments on to our product development team.

If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to write back.

Best Regards,

Bonnie
Customer Service


But our boxer was chewing his paws when we did try it.... so no grassland for us.....

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by dartfrog

But our boxer was chewing his paws when we did try it.... so no grassland for us.....

Perhaps they would appreciate your feedback and return to their old ingredients.

[Longblades]

I just bought Acana Lamb and Apple which has NO chicken fat. Maybe it would do?

ACANA’s LAMB & APPLE FORMULA is a true hypoallergenic
diet featuring ranch-raised lamb as a SINGLE ANIMAL
PROTEIN and steel-cut oats as a hypoallergenic,
low-gylcemic and SINGLE-SOURCE of grain.
Rich in protein and low in carbohydrate to match the natural
diet, this exceptional recipe is free of chicken, eggs, dairy,
wheat or corn—the top food allergens for diet-sensitive dogs.

From: http://www.championpetfoods.com/acan...formulation=la Click on the ingredient list to see details.

[cassiek]

Originally Posted by Longblades

I just bought Acana Lamb and Apple which has NO chicken fat. Maybe it would do?

From: http://www.championpetfoods.com/acan...formulation=la Click on the ingredient list to see details.

Hi longblades,

Yes, like I said we do use the Lamb & Apple, but I was so excited for the Grasslands because it has no grains! The Lamb & Apple is still a great food, I just prefer avoiding grains if possible. We feed the Pacifica lot and it works great, was just hoping to offer some variety.

And dartfrog, I've heard that comment a few times too that chicken fat should not bother a dog with chicken allergies. However, we have found with our little guy anything chicken including liver, fat, etc. but oddly enough not eggs, still triggers his allergies. Many people I talk to that have dogs with chicken allergies find this as well, although many nutritionists believe it should not cause a problem.

It's too bad. I liked their Regional Red formula as well, but it has bison in it and apparently cow and bison are the same protein. It didn't work for Furby eitheir. Bummer!

[Longblades]

Yes, like I said we do use the Lamb & Apple,

Ah, completely missed that, sorry.

Regional Red? Do they still make that? I don't see it on their website.

To explain where I'm coming from; no problem with any ingredients here and grain works fine for us. I'm just trying to rotate from one primary protein source to another and I figure might as well switch fillers as well. I don't care if it's corn, potatoes or rice or whatever, as long as it's different. I'm learning as I go. Sorry, perhaps off topic.

[dartfrog]

Originally Posted by Chris21711

Perhaps they would appreciate your feedback and return to their old ingredients.

yes i did let them know that we still had problems and i got pretty much the same reply (some dogs may but most wont) but i know with us its a no go... oh well right now hes on the Regional Red and doing good, i just wanted some variety
He does ok on the fish ones but his poop is never as solid and he always smells like fish LOL

[cassiek]

Originally Posted by Longblades

Ah, completely missed that, sorry.

Regional Red? Do they still make that? I don't see it on their website.

To explain where I'm coming from; no problem with any ingredients here and grain works fine for us. I'm just trying to rotate from one primary protein source to another and I figure might as well switch fillers as well. I don't care if it's corn, potatoes or rice or whatever, as long as it's different. I'm learning as I go. Sorry, perhaps off topic.

Hi Longblades,

I can still find it on their website

http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/products/regionalRed.aspx

We can still get it in the pet stores here too... although, it would not surprise me if it's not always available, perhaps they are limited by the ingredient supply for this food. I love the ingredient list for the Regional Red, but the bison just doesn't work for our little guy, and if I can get away feeding all the dogs the same kibble it makes life so much easier I like the Pacifica alot... it makes their coats so shiny, although the smell of the fish and the odd case of gas that comes with it...

Originally Posted by dartfrog

yes i did let them know that we still had problems and i got pretty much the same reply (some dogs may but most wont) but i know with us its a no go... oh well right now hes on the Regional Red and doing good, i just wanted some variety
He does ok on the fish ones but his poop is never as solid and he always smells like fish LOL

Haha, I find this too... hence the excitment to try the GrassLands... I figured with the mixture of Lamb it may not be so bad!

[Longblades]

I can still find it on their website

Oh. It must be Orijen Regional Red then? Not Acana RR?

I looked at it but there was too much overlap with ingredients in foods I'm already using. Plus it is quite a bit higher in protein and fat. Also in kcal/cup but that might mean I'd feed less of it.

Um, not to cause alarm, but some folks on another forum I go on are having vomitting on that food and some concerns about it. One poster said his pet food store said the FDA was investigating it. I don't know how the FDA (that's U.S. isn't it?) can be investigating a Canadian made food, but ....it might be prudent to hold off on getting it for a bit. If anybody was considering a new bag soon.

[cassiek]

Originally Posted by Longblades

Oh. It must be Orijen Regional Red then? Not Acana RR?

I looked at it but there was too much overlap with ingredients in foods I'm already using. Plus it is quite a bit higher in protein and fat. Also in kcal/cup but that might mean I'd feed less of it.

Um, not to cause alarm, but some folks on another forum I go on are having vomitting on that food and some concerns about it. One poster said his pet food store said the FDA was investigating it. I don't know how the FDA (that's U.S. isn't it?) can be investigating a Canadian made food, but ....it might be prudent to hold off on getting it for a bit. If anybody was considering a new bag soon.

Regional Red is only in the Orijen line, not Acana.

I haven't heard any concerns about this kibble in particular, but feel free to post the info you have learned! We all try to keep as up to date as possible on these things, but it's tough with so many recalls, etc. etc.

It actually is only slightly higher in calories than the Adult diet, and has a lower protein % than both the Aduolt and the 6 Fish, although it does have 2% more fat than Adult, but just the same amount of fat as 6-Fish...

Regional Red has 475 kcal per cup, and has a guaranteed analysis of 38% protein, and 18% fat.

Adult is 470 kcal per cup, has a guaranteed analysis of 40% protein, and 16% fat.

6-Fish is 460 kcal per cup, has a guaranteed analysis of 40% protein, and 18% fat.

But I think probably more calories are distributed in this specific formula from fat itself, so I would just monitor the dog's body condition extra closely. I liked this formula for the inclusion of some interesting proteins, but it just doesn't work with my little fella. The dogs sure enjoyed eating it though!

I did find it to be a bit expensive too, but I wouldn't mind splurging once in awhile to offer some variety... still, it won't work for my little guy and in my house the simpler the better!