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Dog Food Insiders Rating
4 PAWS
In addition to this Acana Lamb & Okanagan Apple dog food review, you can find more detailed information about Champion Petfoods, manufacturer of Acana, in our main review of Acana. There you will also find information about how the food is made, recalls, and their quality control. These shorter reviews are designed to cover other foods produced by the same company, using the same philosophy. These smaller reviews provide some information about the main ingredients and any ingredients that stand out, as well as the guaranteed analysis, and any special concerns about each food.
Ingredients In AcanaLamb & Okanagan Apple
Lamb meal, deboned lamb, steel-cut oats, peas, whole apples, whole potato, sunflower oil, oat flakes, lamb liver,sun-cured alfalfa, whole pears, algae meal (source of DHA, EPA), pea fiber, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, spinach, cranberries, blueberries, kelp,chicory root, juniper berries, angelica root, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, lavender, rosemary, Vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product
Acana Lamb & Okanagan Apple is a single-source animal protein featuring 45 percent lamb. It also contains 20 percent oats and 10 percent apples. It has another 25 percent fruits and vegetables. The oats are the only grain in the food and they are a low-glycemic grain so your dog’s blood sugar is less likely to spike. The company prides itself on using local and regionally-grown ingredients, although the boneless lamb, lamb meal, and lamb liver come from ranch-raised New Zealand lamb.
According to the company, 27% of the energy in the food comes from protein, 40% comes from fats, and and 33% from fruits, vegetables and steel-cut oats.
Top 5 Ingredients Breakdown
The single source of meat protein in the food is lamb and the first two ingredients are lamb meal and deboned lamb, followed later by lamb liver. Lamb is a good source of Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Selenium. It’s also a good source of omega-6 fatty acid.
Lamb meal is a concentrated form of lamb that has had most of the moisture removed so it contains several times as much protein as whole lamb.
The deboned lamb still contains the moisture. If the moisture were removed it would weigh less before processing and it would fall lower in the ingredient list.
Following these first meat ingredients we find steel-cut oats.
Steel-cut oats are a good source of dietary fiber, Thiamin, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Manganese. They’re also an excellent plant source of omega-6 fatty acid. As a low-glycemic grain they are slow to digest and keep your dog feeling full so he won’t get hungry again right after eating. The caloric ratio for oats is 70 percent carbs, 15 percent fat, and 15 percent protein. So, a lot of the carbohydrates in this food come from the oats which make up 20 percent of the overall food.
The food also contains peas. Peas are a good source of protein, Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin and Manganese. However, some dogs have problems digesting peas. They are being used by many dog food companies are a substitute for corn today. Located between the oats (20 percent of the food) and the apples (10 percent of the food) on the label, we can guess that the peas make up between 10 and 20 percent of this food by weight before processing. The caloric ratio for peas is 73 percent carbohydrates, 4 percent fat, and 23 percent protein. Pea fiber, later in the list, can also cause problems for dogs in their digestive tract. If you find that your dog has problems eating this food, it’s probably because of the peas and pea fiber which can cause diarrhea and/or flatulence and other stomach problems.
The peas are followed by apples and potatoes which also supply carbohydrates.
Additional Ingredients of Interest
Sunflower oil provides fat in the food. It’s a good source of vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acids. Algae meal also appears in the ingredient list and it is described as a source of DHA, EPA. These are fatty acid molecules found in cold water fish (and some cold-adapted mammals). They come from algae and fish that eat algae. DHA and EPA stand for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosepentenoic acid (EPA).
Lamb liver contains high quantities of vitamin A and other vitamins and minerals that are good for your dog.
The food also contains alfalfa which probably doesn’t add anything to the food that your dog needs – and which can be harmful when added to cat foods.
Cranberries and blueberries are considered to be antioxidants and can help keep the food from spoiling. Rosemary is also considered a mild preservative.
The food also contains kelp which is a natural source of iodine and other trace minerals.
And the food contains chicory root which is a prebiotic to help condition the gut and make it conducive for healthy bacteria to flourish there.
You can also see that the food contains a dried fermentation product which is used to provide digestive enzymes to help your dog better digest his food.
The food also contains a number of botanical inclusions which may or may not actually help your dog. And the food contains added vitamins and chelated minerals. Chelated minerals are minerals that have been bonded to amino acids so they are easier for your dog to digest and absorb them.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Crude protein (min.) ….. 25%
- Crude fat (min.) ….. 16%
- Crude fiber (max.) ….. 4%
- Moisture (max.) ….. 10%
- Calcium (min.) ….. 2.2 %
- Phosphorus (min.) ….. 1.4%
- Calcium: Phosphorus Ratio ….. 1.6:1
- Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio ….. 5:1
- Glucosamine (min.) ….. 700 mg/kg
- Chondroitin sulfate (min.) ….. 500 mg/kg
Calorie Content: Metabolic Energy for ACANA Lamb & Okanagan Apple is 3505 kcal/kg (421 kcal per 250 ml cup). This food contains about 402 calories per 8 ounce cup.
Nutritional Adequacy Statement
ACANA Lamb & Okanagan Apple is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages. Again, as with some other Acana adult foods, the calcium to phosphorus ratio is a little higher than recommended for large breed puppies so I would not recommend feeding this food to puppies, especially large breed puppies, despite the “all life stages” statement. However, this food seems like it’s not as likely to lead to problems for puppies as some of Acana’s adult foods due to the moderate protein percentage and the higher carbohydrates and presence of phytates to absorb some of the calcium. Puppies would probably have more moderate growth with this food instead of fast growth.
Dry Matter Basis
Figured by dry matter basis, this food contains about 27.8 percent protein and 17.8 percent fat. This is moderate protein and fat. It contains about 4.4 percent fiber – also a moderate amount. And it contains about 41.1 percent carbohydrates. That’s a very large percentage of carbs in a dogfood even when some of the carbs are supplied by a low-glycemic grain like oats.
Summary
ACANA Lamb & Okanagan Apple has good quality ingredients including a single source of meat protein (lamb) and a single source of low-glycemic grain (oats). However, it has moderate protein and fat and a LOT of carbohydrates, especially for a premium quality dog food. Your dog also might have problems with the peas and pea fiber. Overall it’s a good food for someone looking for a dog food with one meat and one grain.
Acana Lamb & Okanagan Apple has received our 4 paw rating.
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