Acana is known for its ‘premium’ and ‘limited-ingredients’ dog food and from its 2-dozen brands, only 2 are formulated for puppies. In this post, I have reviewed the two grain-free kibble by Acana for puppies explaining the benefits including health features that your puppy will benefit from.
What Are the Best Acana Dog Foods for Puppies?
ACANA Puppy Recipe Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food
Our top and overall best Acana dog food for puppies has all the essential ingredients required for puppies to maintain healthy growth. Our top choice, Acana Puppy Recipe is a grain-free dry dog food brand made with nutrient-dense, high-protein recipe are fresh or raw chicken and turkey.
ACANA Puppy Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is the best choice for your growing puppy. It features fresh or raw veggies and fruit, including whole pumpkin, collard greens, apples and pears, which are nutritious and high in fiber. ACANA Puppy Recipe contains no corn, soy, wheat or tapioca so it’s perfect for dogs with food sensitivities. The freeze-dried chicken and turkey will give your pup a tasty meal made from the world’s finest ingredients.
ACANA Wholesome Grains Puppy Recipe Gluten-Free Dry Dog Food
Our second-best Acana dog food for puppies is a gluten-free brand called Wholesome Grains Puppy Recipe. This dry food is made with fresh deboned chicken, turkey meal, and duck meal as the main sources of protein.
It also contains whole grains like oats and barley which are rich in fiber and nutrients. The addition of fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes make this food even more nutritious.
ACANA Puppy Recipe is crafted with wholesome grains, rich in fiber and highly nutritious to support optimum gut health. With more protein, fat and omega-3 fatty acids than our Free-Run Poultry & Grains Recipe, it provides your growing puppy with the nutrients they need to develop into healthy dogs. This brand is free from legume, gluten or potato ingredients, and contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
Acana Dog food for Puppies Buying Guide
What is Acana?
Acana is a pet food company that is based in Canada and was founded in 1999. All of their foods are made in their own kitchens with ingredients from regional farms. They have a variety of different kinds of food for both dogs and cats including grain-free, limited ingredient, regional, single protein, and more.
Where is Acana Dog Food Made?
Acana has pet food manufacturing operations in Canada and in the US.
What is the Nutritional Requirement of Puppies?
Puppies have different nutritional needs than adult dogs because they are still growing and developing. They need more calories and more protein to support their growth. Puppies also need more fat because it is a source of energy and helps them absorb certain vitamins. Puppies need certain vitamins and minerals for their bones and teeth to develop properly.
How Does Acana Dog Food Meet the Nutritional Requirements of Puppies?
Acana dog food meets the nutritional requirements of puppies in several ways.
- First, they use high-quality ingredients that are rich in nutrients. The main protein ingredient is deboned chicken which is a good source of protein for growing puppies.
- Second, they add in certain vitamins and minerals that are essential for puppies such as calcium for strong bones and teeth. They have listed that Acana puppy kibble has vitamins, and minerals ideal for good digestive health, and healthy skin & coat health.
- Third, the fat content is high enough to provide energy and help the absorption of vitamins but not so high that it would be unhealthy for puppies.
- Fourth, Acana’s brands have high-calorie content of at least 400 kcal/cup making them ideal for puppies who need more calories to support their growth.
- Fifth, Acana’s puppy food brands have the right amount of calcium and phosphorus. The right Ca:P is essential for puppies because too much phosphorus can cause problems with bone development.
What Are the Different Types of Acana Dog Food for Puppies?
There are two different types of Acana dog food that are formulated for puppies- grain-free kibble and limited ingredient kibble.
Grain-free Acana Dog food for Puppies:
The grain-free kibble is made with deboned chicken, turkey meal, and duck meal as the main protein sources.
Gluten-free Acana dog food for Puppies:
The gluten-free kibble is made with deboned chicken and is 100% free from legume, gluten, or potato ingredients.
Cost of Acana Dog food for puppies
As of this posting in July 2022, the grain-free puppy brand for puppies by Acana goes for about $70 and the gluten-free brand goes for about $41. Use the links above to check its current price.
Acana’s brands are classified as ‘premium‘ dog food brand which mean they are a little more expensive than your average kibble.
Picking the best Acana dog food for puppies really depends on your puppy’s individual needs. If your pup has any sensitivities to grains, then the grain-free option is the best way to go. If cost is a factor, then the gluten-free brand is a little cheaper. Either way, you can’t go wrong with Acana’s puppy food brands
Acana All-life-stages vs Acana Dog Food for Puppies:
On Acana’s website, you’ll find a long list of dog food formulated for ‘all-life-stages’ including puppies. As mentioned above, only two are specifically formulated to meet the requirements of pets.
So, what is all life stages in dog food?
The ‘all-life-stages’ designation on a bag of pet food means that the product has been formulated to meet the nutritional needs of puppies, adult dogs, and senior dogs alike.
While all life stages food is fine to feed your puppy, it’s not as nutritionally dense as food made specifically for puppies. If you can afford it, we recommend feeding your puppy food made specifically for their life stage.
What this means:
Choose from the 2 puppy-specified dog food by Acana. Don’t fall for all-life stages brands as they are not as nutritionally dense. Read more about the pros and cons of all life stages dog food
FAQs on Acana Dog Food for Puppies
Q: What is the best Acana dog food for puppies of 0 to 10 months?
A: The best Acana dog food is the Acana Puppy Recipe grain-free dry dog food. This brand has a revised recipes that has improved formulation making it suitable for puppies of small, medium, and large-breed dogs. Read our other reviews of the best Acana dog food for small-breed dogs.
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Hi there! My name is Ben Domb, an owner of two pets and I am one of the co-founders of OurPets HQ. I have several years of experience as a pet care professional in the New England region having spent time in various roles including a stint at a veterinary hospital in Upstate New York, Syracuse area. I am a certified pet care professional and mostly spend my time researching pet nutrition and sharing my thoughts in various blogs and columns. With quarantine and COVID restrictions, I have been spending a lot of time a lot with my dogs and cat and loving it! I also run a small consulting business providing advice to parents on pet nutrition, and especially safe homemade options to try. You can reach me at ben@ourpetshq.com
