Acana Grassland Regional original formula changed a while ago and replaced it with two formulas: Acana Grassland made in Kentucky for the USA consumers, and another formula made for the Canadian market. This is a review for the new formula for the Canadian market.
A reader from UK asked me on my Twitter what I thought about the new Acana Grassland UK formula and I told her I would make a review of it. I didn’t know that Acana Grassland cat food sold in UK is the same Canadian formula, so here it goes my review.
Features
- Grain-free and gluten-free formula
- Loaded with 70% meats (before cooked). 50% fresh and 50% dried.
- Grass-fed lamb, free-run ducks and turkey from Canada
- Whole nest-laid eggs and wild-caught fish
- Lamb: meat, liver, heart, kidney and cartilage.
- Duck: fresh meat, organs, cartilage and liver
- Turkey: meat, liver, heart, kidney and cartilage
- Nest-laid eggs and wild-caught Pike
- Formula contains only 3 supplements
Ingredients Acana Grassland New Formula
Raw grass-fed lamb (8%), fresh duck (8%), fresh whole eggs (8%), lamb meat meal (8%), whole herring meal (7%), turkey meal (7%), whole green peas, whole red lentils, whole chickpeas, fresh wild-caught northern pike (4%), raw lamb liver (4%), fresh duck giblets (liver, heart, kidney) (4%), fresh turkey meat (4%), lamb fat (4%), whole green lentils, whole pinto beans, whole yellow peas, sun-cured alfalfa, pollock oil (2%), lentil fiber, dried lamb cartilage (1%), raw lamb tripe (1%), dried brown kelp, fresh pumpkin, fresh butternut squash, fresh parsnips, fresh green kale, fresh spinach, fresh mustard greens, fresh turnip greens, fresh carrots, fresh red delicious apples, fresh bartlett pears, freeze-dried liver (lamb and duck) (0.1%), fresh cranberries, fresh blueberries, chicory root, turmeric root, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rosehips, enterococcus faecium.
SUPPLEMENTS: Vitamin E, Zinc Chelate, Copper Chelate.
*Preserved with mixed tocopherols, a tocopherol rich extract of natural origin – Vitamin E and Rosemary Oil.
Guaranteed Analysis New Formula
Crude protein (min.) 35 % – Crude fat (min.) 17% – Crude ash (max.) 8% – Crude fibers (max.) 6 % – Moisture (max.) 12% – Calcium (min.) 1.7 % – Phosphorus (min.) 1.2 % – Omega-6 fatty acids (min.) 2.3 % – Omega-3 fatty acids (min.) 1 % – DHA (min.) 0.2 % – EPA (min.) 0.2 % – Glucosamine (min.) 600 mg/kg – Chondroitin sulfate (min.) 800 mg/kg
Ingredients Acana Original Old Formula
Boneless lamb (15%), lamb meal (13%), boneless duck (8%), pollock meal (7%), duck fat (5%), green lentils, boneless perch (5%), herring meal (5%), red lentils, salmon meal (4%), chickpeas, green peas, herring oil (3%), whole eggs (3%), lamb fat (2%), sun-cured alfalfa, dried kelp, pumpkin, butternut squash, spinach greens, carrots, apples, pears, cranberries, mixed tocopherols (preservative), chicory root, dandelion root, chamomile, peppermint leaf, ginger root, caraway seeds, turmeric, rose hips, freeze-dried lamb liver, freeze-dried duck liver, freeze-dried lamb, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, plus premium vitamins and minerals.
Guaranteed Analysis Original Old Formula
Crude protein (min.) 35%, Crude fat (min.) 20%, Crude fiber (max.) 3%, Moisture (max.) 10%, Ash (max.) 8%, Calcium / Phosphorus (min.) 1.8% / 1.5%, Omega-6 / Omega-3 (min.) 2.5% / 1.0%, DHA / EPA (min.) 0.3% / 0.25%, Taurine (min.) 0.2%, Magnesium (max.) 0.1%.
Changes of Acana Grassland In Comparison To The Old Formula
Ingredient Changes
- First ingredient changed from boneless lamb 15% to raw lamb 8%. Raw lamb means it will shrink about 25% after cooked, which adds less protein to the formula. This means the actual percentage of raw lamb is even less than 8% after cooked. Not good.
- It changed lamb meal 13% for fresh duck 8%. Duck meat adds less water weight than other meats, however, lamb meal is a much better source of protein than fresh duck since it adds much more percentage of actual protein in the formula, plus lamb causes less allergic reactions in pets.
- It changed from boneless duck to whole fresh eggs as 3rd ingredient. Whole eggs includes some shells parts getting cooked that may upset some cats digestive system.
- It replaced Pollock meal for Lamb meal as 4th ingredient. This is a good change.
- It changed duck fat for whole herring meal as 5th ingredient. This is a good change. Herring is an excellent source of protein.
- It added fresh wild-caught pike to the formula. Pike has dangerous levels of mercury. This is not a good change but the impact is not major, due to being the ingredient #10.
- Note about Lamb Meal: As a note, the ingredient “lamb meal” proportionally in the total formula, went from 13% to 8%. This is a change I don’t personally like because it means more organs and cartilages are replacing lamb meal. Lamb meal is a good source of protein that doesn’t cause many allergy issues or excess of iron that could affect cats.
Guaranteed Analysis Changes
- Acana Grassland new formula kept the ratios of protein as 35% but it reduced the fat content from 20% to 17%. This is a good change for indoor cats.
- The Ash content is the same 8%. The Phosphorus content was reduced from min 1.8% to 1.2%. This is a very good change, too much minerals is not good for the cats urinary tract health.
- Calcium was reduced from 1.8% to 1.7%. Good change.
- DHA/EPA better balanced from 0.3%/0.25% to 0.2%/0.2%
- New Guaranteed Analysis doesn’t list Taurine, not good.
Rating of first 5 ingredients of Acana Grassland Canada
[star rating=”2.0″ numeric=”yes”]Raw grass-fed lamb: Mostly muscles that contain 70% water. This ingredient gets weighed before being cooked so it adds water weight % to the formula which means less protein.
[star rating=”3.0″ numeric=”yes”]Fresh duck: This is a good protein source for cats. It adds less water weight than chicken or turkey.
[star rating=”3.0″ numeric=”yes”]Fresh whole eggs: This is a good source of protein for cats, but it includes some shell pieces that is not well digested by cats.
[star rating=”5.0″ numeric=”yes”]Lamb meat meal: Excellent source of protein, more concentrated amount of protein that adds an actual percentage in the total formula. It causes less allergy issues than other meats.
[star rating=”4.0″ numeric=”yes”]Whole herring meal: Very good source of protein for cats but it doesn’t add healthy fatty acids as the natural oil gets pressed out of the fish when making it a meal.
What are the Pros and Cons of Acana Grassland Canadian Formula?
PROS
- Grain-free, gluten-free formula
- Animal proteins in 5 main ingredients
- Less fat than previous formula, good for indoor cats
- Reduced Phosphorus content, excellent to keep cats urinary health
- Reduced Calcium, good for the cat’s kidneys health
- Good balance of fatty acids Omega6/Omega3
- Low glycemic carbs, good for a balanced blood sugar in cats
- It lists all the essential amino-acids
CONS
- New formula doesn’t include Taurine in the Guaranteed Analysis
- Less lamb and lamb meal replaced by eggs and Herring meal. Lamb meal is a better and healthier source of protein for cats.
- Pike contains dangerous levels of mercury. Pollock was a better choice.
- It adds more organs which includes liver.
CONCLUSION
Acana Grassland Canadian new formula made good changes such as reducing Phosphorus, Calcium and the Omega6/Omega3 ratio, on a healthier proportion of 5:1. The formula basically replaced lamb meat and lamb meal for whole eggs and whole herring meal. This change is not of my preference, I believe that lamb is a better source of protein, less likely to cause allergy in pets than eggs and herring. However, Eggs and herring are good source of protein for cats, the only “con” of whole eggs is adding some shell parts that could upset the cat’s digestive system.
All in all, I recommend Acana Grassland Canadian formula (only sold in Canada) for adult cats with no digestive sensitivities.
Important Disclosure:
Orijen and Acana dog food made in the USA, Kentucky has been subject of a class lawsuit in CA, MN and FL. due to heavy metal content and BPA in the dog food. No cat food has been added to this lawsuit and it’s only for the Orijen and Acana dog food made in Kentucky, USA. Acana Canada is not related to this issue, but I still wanted to mention this fact on this review.
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