Is Acana dog food bad? What about grain-free and human-grade foods?

Neither. I do not recommend grain free dog foods because of the recent increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets. The FDA is currently investigating that link. I would also never recommend Blue Buffalo, it's a terrible food. I recommend feeding Linda Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I hope this helps.

Acana is a good quality food, so I think that this is a good choice if you are going to switch him to dry food. That ingredient list is comprised of primarily meat along with some legumes such as peas, lentils, and beans which are often better than grains and carbohydrates to act as "filler."

Definitely do not feed grain free! Vets are seeing an increase in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets. Iams and Royal Canin are both excellent foods. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. You aren't wasting money on those brands of foods, and I would give her food from one of those brands. Other brands I recommend include Hill's Science Diet, and Purina ProPlan. I hope this helps!

Great question! In my opinion, grain free diets are a current fad. There is actually no scientific evidence that grain free diets are beneficial to dogs at all. Grains are fine for dogs, they provide a source of fiber which helps fill them up and keeps them satisfied. It sounds like Koda is letting you know he likes grains if he's picking the Royal Canin over Blue. Also in my opinion, Blue is a terrible food and you will find many, many veterinarians agree with that opinion. It is not a well regarded food in the veterinary community. Many vets have seen terrible cases of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs in Blue, as well as a lot of gas. In addition, they have been caught a number of times lying about what goes into their product, false advertising, and no quality control over how their food is made (they don't own their own factories, they send the recipe out to be made). Royal Canin is an excellent brand of food, and the best part of it is that they have veterinary nutritionists on staff. Blue, as far as I'm aware, does not. I would think a veterinary nutritionist would be best to know what a dog does and doesn't need in a diet. If Koda likes the Royal Canin, I recommend feeding that to him. Just be sure to switch his food over slowly so that he doesn't get GI upset from a quick change. I hope this helps!

In general, it is not recommended to feed dogs a grain free diet unless they are known to have a grain allergy (which is very uncommon). There are many misconceptions about pet nutrition circulating. While the link is not yet understood and has multiple factors, something about the grain free diets may be allowing heart disease to develop in certain dogs. I recommend to feed a high quality brand with a good reputation and minimal problems with food recalls. The brand I like the most is Royal Canin. They conduct feeding trials to measure the digestibility of their diets. Most pets who eat this brand have excellent coat and stool quality. They also tend to produce minimal stool which is a sign the diet does not contain fillers and is highly digestible. I also recommend Nutro and Purina Pro Plan. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Orijen and Acana are considered "premium" diets. Either is an excellent choice to feed Chloe. If she is eating something different, make the switch gradually (over 7-10 days) to prevent gastrointestinal upset.

Grain free diets are not recommended. They are marketing hype to cater to owners that think grains are bad for dogs. They are not. These grain free diets have been linked to causing heart disease in dogs. Please do not feed these diets. ( https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/health/grain-free-dog-food-heart-disease.html ) If you need a nutritional consult you should speak to your vet. That is what they are there for. There is no "best " diet. Diets are subjective. Each vet has their favorites. It doesn't mean one is better than another.