Comparison | Acana Pacifica & EVO Herring

Due to the recent sale of Natura to Proctor & Gamble,

I have begun to transition my foster dog to Acana Pacifica.
Here is a side by side comparison (taken directly from each bag label) to show you why I chose this food:

Animal Protein Ingredients:

ACANA PACIFICA, 60%                EVO HERRING/SALMON, 76%
Boneless salmon                                Herring
Salmon meal                                     Salmon meal
Herring meal                                     Herring meal
Whitefish meal                                  Salmon
Salmon oil                                        Eggs
Boneless Herring                              Herring Oil
Boneless Flounder                            Cottage Cheese

Fruit/Vegetable/Carbohydrate/Botanical Ingredients:

ACANA PACIFICA, 40%            EVO HERRING/SALMON, 23%

Russet Potato                                Peas

Peas                                              Pea Fiber

Sweet Potato                                Sunflower Oil

Sun-Cured Alfalfa                         Apples

Pumpkin                                       Carrots

Turnip Greens                               Dried Chicory Root

Spinach  

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/Mineral/Probiotic Ingredients:

ACANA PACIFICA                               EVO HERRING/SALMON

Vitamins A, D3, E, B5, B6, B12             Vitamins E, A, B12

Niacin                                                     Niacin

Zinc Proteinate                                        Glucosamine Hydrochloride

Thiamine Mononitrate                              Chondroitin Sulfate

Riboflavin                                                Zinc Proteinate

Iron Proteinate                                        Iron Proteinate

Manganese Proteinate                            Copper Proteinate

Copper Proteinate                                 Manganese Proteinate

Folic Acid                                             Calcium Iodate

Biotin                                                    Betaine Hydrocholoride 

Selenium                                               Thiamine Mononitrate 

Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus            Calcium Pantothenate

Dried Enterococcus Faecium                Biotin

                                                            Riboflavin

                                                           Beta Carotene

                                                          Pyridoxine Hydrochloride

                                                          Phylloquinone

                                                          Folic Acid

                                                         Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus 

                                                         Dried Lactobacillus casei 

                                                        Dried Enterococcus faecium

Select Analysis:

ACANA PACIFICA                        EVO HERRING/SALMON

Protein 33%                                    Protein 42%

Fat 18%                                          Fat 18%

Moisture 10%                                 Moisture 10%

Calcium 1.4% min, 1.6% max         Calcium not listed

Phosphorus 1.1% min, 1.3% max   Phosphorus not listed

Enjoy your new ownership, Natura.... 

Response from Natura/P&G

I wrote an email to Natura explaining how much I depended on them for my foster who is combating demodex mange. I told them how saddened I was by their big corporate buy out. I told them I will no longer buy or recommend any of their products.

We've since switched our foster to Acana Pacifica.

I received an email back from them (or P&G rep?) which seems to be the standard response many are getting if they contact Natura/P&G - how disappointing:

----- Original Message -----
From: Customer Service
To:
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 4:12 PM
Subject: RE: Innova & Evo

Dear Jen,

Thank you for confiding in us and sharing your opinion.

Our dedication to quality and our philosophy has not changed. Natura's Founders; John & Ann Rademakers and Peter Atkins, started their business with the purpose to provide the healthiest pet foods in the world. In building their business they have maintained animal health and wellness as a priority. They have strongly supported their independent retail partners.

Let's take a moment to reflect on that and think about the fact that they would not entrust their legacy to a new owner if they were not convinced that P &G would carry out their product philosophies and quality. P&G is committed to growing the Natura brands and they recognize the critical nature of growing the entire portfolio through the independent pet specialty stores.

We will continue to celebrate and advance Natura's legacy and nutritional philosophy and maintain Natura's current high standards for product and ingredient quality, food safety and manufacturing excellence. We will continue to support the development of a thriving independent pet specialty channel.

I'll leave you with a parting thought…

Did you know P&G is working with the FDA and respected animal welfare groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, to work on reforming regulations and validating alternative methods to support this?

To learn more about these efforts and other facts, please visit…

http://www.pg. com/animalaltern atives/

www.IamsTruth. com

www.aspca.org/ iams Viewpoint of an independent animal welfare organization

http://www.biorap. org Biological Research for Animals & People

http://altweb. jhsph.edu/ Alternatives to Animal testing site

http://www.hsus. org Humane Society of the United States

http://www.ampef. org/ Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation


Thank you once again for confiding in us. We sincerely appreciate your history of support and hope that you will continue to trust our brands and our people. We especially thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

Your Friend,

Ember, Veterinary Technician

Natura Pet Products 

Changes to Orijen formulas

It seems Orijen has recently changed their formulas.

I had stopped feeding Orijen 6-Fish because my dog (who has an allergy to corn) started to have trouble on Orijen 6-Fish after 24 full hours on the food. Within a week she was super gassy, had loose stools and had her hot spots back. This was when we switched to Wellness Core Ocean.

I highly respect the Champion Foods company and their full disclosure of their foods.

Compare the list of ingredients I had saved as a tool for determining my dog's sensitivity to the food (saved in January 09):

Fresh salmon (includes chinook. coho and sockeye species), salmon meal, russet potato, herring meal, fresh lake whitefish, sweet potato, fresh lake trout, fresh Northern walleye, freshwater cod, fresh herring, sunflower oil, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherals, a natural source of vitamin E), sun-cured alfalfa, dried sea vegetables (brown kelp, Irish moss, dulse and bladder wrack), leeks, psyllium, crab shell, rosemary, lecithin, apples, black currants..

TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS: Chicory root (FOS), licorice root, fennel seed, zea mays, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, rosehips.

ORGANIC MINERALS: Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS: Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product..

PREMIUM VITAMINS: Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, pyridoxine (source of vitamin B6).

To the ingredients now listed on Orijen's website:
INGREDIENTS
Fresh deboned salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, russet potato, fresh deboned lake whitefish, sweet potato, peas, salmon oil (preserved with vitamin E), fresh deboned walleye, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, fresh deboned flounder, fresh deboned lake trout, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, choline chloride, psyllium, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, sea salt, vitamin supplements (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12), mineral supplements (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Most notably is the subtraction of zea mays and leeks, and the addition of pumpkin.

Analysis wise, old (saved 01/09):

Guaranteed Analysis %:

Protein 44 Fat 18 Carbohydrate 18 Moisture 10 Fiber 2.5 Omega-6 2.4 Calcium (min) 1.4 Omega-3 1.3 Phosphorus (min) 1.1

Extra Information: Glucosamine 700 mg/kg Chondroitin 250 mg/kg Microorganisms 80M cfu/kg pH 5.0

New:

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (min.)	40.0%
Crude Fat (min.)	18.0%
Crude Fiber (max.)	3.0%
Moisture (max.)	10.0%
Calcium (min.)	1.5%
Calcium (max.)	1.7%
Phosphorus (min.)	1.2%
Phosphorus (max.)	1.4%
*Omega-6 (min.)	3.0%
*Omega-3 (min.) *DHA *EPA	1.2% 0.7% 0.3%
*Carbohydrate (max.)	20.0%
*Glucosamine (min.)	1200 mg/kg
*Chondroitin (min.)	900 mg/kg
Microorganisms (min.)	120M cfu/kg

And in other Orijen news - they just released a new formula called Regional Red

Food Trial : Acana Pacifica

I understand that not everyone can, or will, feed raw. I am sometimes asked for food recommendations, and the only true way to give a recommendation is to have my dogs try the food and pan the results (stool, digestibility, coat, skin, etc).

Before starting a new food, it is desired that you go through a transition period to ensure that there will be no severe GI upsets.

My dogs' food trials are set up such that a true outcome can be seen without GI upset due to lack of transition. My dogs will eat a total raw diet for up to 2-3 weeks, then after 12-16 hours of their last raw meal, they are given their first kibble meal. In this way, we get to see immediate results from their consumption of the food. After two weeks, we truly see what effects, if any, a particular food has on their entire system.


Our first kibble review: ACANA PACIFICA

- Absolutely free of chicken, beef or grains. Passed the allergen test with my female!

- We choose kibbles that are grain free, or have low-allergen grains.
ACANA PACIFICA is a grain free food [ingredients here].

- This food is also moderately low in carbohydrates with a moderately high protein level.
I try to stick with foods with a protein level between 28-34%.
ACANA PACIFICA has a 33% protein level.

- This food has a nice variety of fish proteins (salmon, herring, flounder) all fresh caught, regional, fit for human consumption and are ETHOXYQUIN FREE per manufacturer statement.

- ACANA PACIFICA boasts an ALL LIFE STAGES feeding regimen. Levels of protein, calcium, phosphorous, and calories should always be considered before giving to just any dog at any life stage.

- Zero GI upset and maintained a nice coat/skin without supplementation (fish oils, etc).


I would recommend this food.