Acana Heritage, thoughts?

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

So I just picked up a bag and wondering if there's been any resolution on our feelings of the heritage line. It's running $30 cheaper than the orijen adult (which I also bought a bag of). My darling Josie has turned her nose up to all the choices within Orijen and Acana this far?

I'll be anxious to see if Josie enjoys the new line?

TIA

[F, Calla & Luca]

I haven't tried the Heritage line but I noticed that the one available from Chewy is cheaper but also about 3.6 pounds lighter than say Wild Prairie.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Yes it is. The one I bought is 25# vs. the 28# bag of Orijen.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Your difference in price is due mainly to the fact that the Heritage line contains less animal protein than the Orijen line. 29% in Heritage versus 38% in Orijen, across all of the formulas. Meat costs more than veggies. :) 

Acana has redone the whole Heritage line; previously it did contain grains, the new formulas do not. 

Everything made by Champion is highly recommended, but not every formula is going to be right for every dog.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Karen, can I switch these up without any digestive issue as I have done in the past with the Orijen and Acana Regionals?  Sassparilla will eat anything Champion, two different style slow feeder bowls and she still inhales her food.  She actually drools as we are filling them! lol  Josie, my food hound surprisingly is real finicky when it comes to the kibble?  I usually do two months of Orijen adult then the following month I switch to an Acana flavor then back to Orijen.

I know this is off topic but just curious.  I've read the controversy on the coconut oil but I was wondering, if I am just adding a little bit to her Champion food to entice her to eat, is it still bad for her?  With the Champion line she is getting all the protein and omegas she needs but I'm just looking for a little something to get her to eat it!  I used to add egg and yogurt to their last food but I don't want to go that route since Sassparilla will eat without the extras or is there something else (in-expensive) I can drizzle on her food?  We bought coconut oil because it was recommended for a dish I made so I gave a little bit to her and she stayed over her food and ate it all!  TIA

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You can switch them the same way you've been doing it with the other foods. Shouldn;t make any difference. 

I suppose a little bit of coconut oil won;t hurt, but I'd be careful with it. Just yesterday I got a message from a friend whose dog has high triglyceride levels. There are other factors involved besides coconut oil, but I'd be careful about using it. A little yogurt is a much better choice. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

WoW!!!  $30 bucks is huge.  I might consider a switch. Clancy eats anything, Ned is picky (however Orijen is the first food he has ever loved), but they doesn't get a choice.  Mean mama that I am, I don't care if they like their food or not, as long as it is healthy. I rarely use toppers.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Check the feeding amounts. I'm pretty sure the Heritage food is lower in calories, which would mean you have to feed more. Those savings may not be as great as they look, between the bag being smaller than Orijen's and then having to feed more.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay, so I was right. 

Acana's Heritage chicken formula (free-run poultry) contains 396 calories per cup. 

Orijen's Adult formula (poultry based) contains 478 calories per cup. 

Comparing the feeding guidelines, a 44 lb active dog would need 2.5 cups per day of the Acana, and 2 cups per day of Orijen. That's a difference of 3.5 cups per week, which is significant. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

That is what I found when I was going to switch a while ago when Orijen price rose last time.  Orijen went up again recently at my pet store, so I need to compare again.  I'd rather continue with the Orijen, but a bag of Six Fish is over a hundred dollars.  When we were fostering we were purchasing the large size bag every week and a half.  Now that she is with her forever family, we have gone back to Adult which is a bit less.

[Mauricio]

Just make sure you run the numbers for your specific needs and formula. It's $30 cheaper but the bag has less food and you need to feed more.

For example, in my case, using the 66lbs active dog feeding guidelines, if I feed Orijen six fish ($97.00) I'd spend $2.48 a day; if I feed Acana Heritage Meats ($60.00), I'd spend $2,14 a day. Only a $0.34 difference, which means savings of only $10.2 a month. For $10.20 a month extra I 'd go with Orijen. Now, the same calculation using Orijen Adult ($84.00), the difference is only 1 cent a day ( $2.15 vs $2.14).