Cal Natural or Acana

[Cypher]

My vet recommends a food based on fish to help with Gunners dry skin, I'm not overly happy with this vet anymore so I don't wish to go back there and get the Hills brand from them that they carry, so I went to a local pet food store and they care California Natural (Herring & Sweet Potato) and Acana (Salmon & Potato), does anyone know anything about either of these brands? I have a few sample packs that I'm going to try out tonight but it'd be nice to know if either brand is a reputable brand. I'd like to go with the California Natural though as it's a bigger bag for the same money if it's a decent brand. Thanks for any info.

[Cypher]

I've been on Cal Natural's website and used their calculator and it says that he should be getting 2.8 cups/day. Is that right? He gets about 4 cups of Purina when he was on it and still 4 cups of the Hills and the vet said he's a little under weight (25.4kg's if I remember correctly). Personally I would like to see a little more meat on his bones though...

[ciaobella]

Don't know about Acana, but Cal Nat is a good food, made by the makers of Innova. They get points for never having any of their foods recalled, and their line is considered one of the higher quality brands. Don't worry about the amount, higher quality means less filler, so it takes less to meet their needs and satisfy their appetite. Chows, too, tend to eat less than what is recommended and still gain weight just fine, so don't let it freak you out if that's the case with Gunner.

Good luck and welcome, I hope he likes his new food!

Edit: here's a listing for Acana:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food ... 04&cat=all
I like this site, you can peruse the small print on the dogfood labels from the comfort of your own computer chair.

[Cypher]

Top notch information, thanks for your time!

[Jeff&Peks]

When I went into Healty pet awhile back and ask whats the best you got They said Cal Natural, wound up getting Innova Evo instead which isn't bad but messy in the poop department but they did say Cal natural was good stuff. Never heard of the other food.

[Cypher]

I ended up buying a 36lb bag of the Cal Natural because he ate the sample packages with alot of enthusiasm. I'm interested to see how it helps with the dry skin and itching from the looks of the ingredients it looks like a much higher quality of food than he's been on in the past.

[ciaobella]

Glad to hear it passed the taste test. It can be the best food in the world, but if they won't eat it... well, we've all been there.

[Cypher]

I did some reading on both brands at dogfoodanalysis.com and the California Natural is listed as a 4 star and the Acana is listed as a 3 star. The review on the Cal Natural though states that "we are not convinced that the food contains an adequate amount of meat". Should I be concerned with this and continue to look for something else fish based?

[Jeff&Peks]

I wouldn't go to much by what that site and others say about food, its all opinions no matter what food you look up there will be people that love it or people that hate it. You could spend the rest of your life trying to find a perfect food in peoples opinions.

[ciaobella]

Actually, I feed a different brand of fish/potato kibble and add in a portion of fresh meat myself. Sometimes we get Innova canned rabbit or venison for the extra protein... good food, but spendy. She rarely eats more than half a can at a time, though.

It's true, I don't think there is one perfect food, just the one that's perfect for Gunner. It can take some work, but it's worth it.

[CoraP.]

I have used the Wellness brand food. They have a fish - based food which my dogs seem to do well on. Our retriever mix, Dusty, was my in-laws dog for the first year and a half of his life. When we took him, I had read a lot about how important their food is and some of the awful ingredients that are in the supermarket brands. I have fed him Wellness, Flint River Ranch, and a couple of other good brands. He no longer chews on his paws like he did, he doesn't have the ear trouble he did when he was with my in-laws, his coat is much nicer, and he is doing just great. My vet predicted that he would be a lot of trouble because of his allergies when we first took him. I think the best quality food that you can afford is definitely the way to go. Good luck!

[Cypher]

Thanks for the info, I think I'll try him on a couple of bags of the California Natural and see if his dry skin clears up, if it does I'll stick with it, if not I'll keep looking. If the smell of the food says how much fish is in it there must be alot, cause I poured some into his tuperware container and the smell of fish was like a slap across the face! lol Whew, potent stuff!