Less-expensive Acana alternative?

[Jordan & Daisy]

I am hoping for a suggestion for an alternative food for Daisy. I have read all of the recommended foods but there are so many I'm not sure where to start. She eats Acana grasslands now but with a baby on the way we are taking a much closer look at our finances (I will be leaving my job) and I'm not sure we can continue to afford Acana. Is there a less expensive food that anyone might recommend that is still high quality with comparable nutritional value, calories/cup, grain-free, etc? I would appreciate any help! Thanks in advance.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I personally would try to find another place to cut expenses, lol. There is no other company that matches Champion for quality, and while there are probably other formulas from other companies that are comparable in nutritional value, calories per cup, etc., it would be close to impossible for any of us to know if they are going to be any less expensive without spending several hours at the pet supply store comparing feeding amounts and prices. :) 

My guess is that if there is any price difference, it is not going to be significant enough to warrant making a change. 

I can look at the ingredients in the Acana formula you are currently using and see if I can find a couple of other choices that are comparable nutritionally, etc., and you can do a price comparison at your local store or whatever on-line supplier you might use. 

[Jordan & Daisy]

@Karen, I know!!! :( Unfortunately we are going to have a LOT of areas to cut back in, this being one of them.

I appreciate the input and understand everything you said. I know Acana and Orijen are basically as good as it gets, maybe a few other brand name suggestions would help and I can do the research myself? I am at a loss!!! Thanks for your input.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'll tell you honestly, since posting the above, I've already looked at two lines (Petcurean & Zignature), and there is just not a formula in either line that comes close to the Grasslands formula in terms of  protein content and Omega 6:3 ratio. I am looking for similar ingredients, especially protein sources. The Grasslands formula is duck, lamb and fish based. I know I'm not going to find another formula in any line with the same ingredients, but if you are going to switch, you really want to stay with one or more of those protein sources and not introduce new ones on top of introducing a new food. 

There are other good foods out there, but not as good. 

[Jordan & Daisy]

Thanks for checking. I know that lamb and/or duck work best for Daisy, she doesn't have a sensitive stomach at all but I'd like to keep it that way!!!! We've switched her food twice since we got her but always kept with the same protein types

[Jordan & Daisy]

What about Canidae Grain-free, the lamb one??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's got chicken and turkey in it. And the Omega 6:3 ratio is really awful. :(

Her current food is a very tough act to follow. 

[Jordan & Daisy]

Ok thank you.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Earthborn has a grain-free lamb formula with a very good Omega 6:3 ratio content :http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/meadow_feas...

The protein content is considerably lower though, and it looks like the feeding amounts are higher, which would probably eat up any cost savings on the per bag price, if there even is one. 

[Jordan & Daisy]

I am going to look into this!!

She gets a bit under 3 cups/day of the grasslands (it's 1.25x the adult amount), the Earthborn feeding chart is confusing though, it says 41-60lbs 2-3cups per day. She weighs 46 lbs and is almost 8mos. No multiplying it for her being a puppy?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Puppies generally do need more calories per lb. of body weight than adult dogs, and many "adult formulas" do not have feeding guidelines for puppies. The easiest way for you to figure out how much you would need to feed her would be to figure out how many calories she is currently getting from her Grasslands per day and then divide that amount by the number of calories/cup in the Earthborn formula. That will tell you how many cups of the new food she needs per day. 

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

I would do a little math before considering switching.... I'm a financial analyst for a living, so can't help it :)

Evaluate the caloric needs of your dog per day. Age, size, activity level, etc. should all come into play. I would ask my vet or Karen & Jackadoodle if I had a question there. (probably Karen first, LOL!)

See how many calories are in the bag of Acana roughly versus other food. Then, from there, determine the cost per meal. 

I have done a few back of napkin calculations and have found that the cost per meal is similar or less than foods that appear cheaper at face-value. The reason being, quantity wise, they eat so much less. My 30lb dog eats half what he would on other foods, and thus we pay $51/bag where on other foods we would need to purchase 2 $35 bags to cover that same time period... so, the Orijen still comes out ahead :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nature's Variety( Instinct line) has a grain-free duck formula, but it also contains turkey. If that's okay for Jordan, you might look at it: http://www.instinctpetfood.com/product/instinct-grain-free-kibble-d...

The protein content and calories per cup are comparable; the Omega 6:3 ratio is not great, but it's acceptable.