Acana vs Pro Plan for my Cavalier King Charles with kidney concerns?

I'm sorry to hear that Kira was recently diagnosed with CKD. While the high protein in the Acana diet would not have caused specific damage to Kira's kidneys, it's possible that it sped up the disease process. One of the biggest challenges with kidney disease in general is that we don't see changes on blood work until 2/3 of the kidney function has been compromised. As a result, it's hard to know exactly how long this issue has been present and how slowly it may have been progressing. I don't have any specific information regarding the Acana lawsuit, but I did see that the suit was dismissed in 2020. Chronic kidney disease is a very common degenerative disease in older dogs. Again, I don't think this diet caused the onset of her kidney issues, but it may have contributed to the speed at which it progressed. I hope that everything goes well for Kira!

Hello, neither of them are wrong or better than one another. The difference being is that the food with the higher protein is likely leaner (more energy is derived from protein) and has less carbohydrates or fat associated with it. Now, unless your dog is working dog, she may not need that much extra protein. Vice versa, the lower protein food may have a higher carbohydrate or fat percentage. Both foods however, if formulated for "maintenance" should meet the AAFCO requirements for energy of an adult dog. Meaning, you're going to be feeding the same amount of energy to Chloe, except one is going to be coming mainly from protein and the other one from fat and/or carbs. AAFCO recommends a minimum protein content of 18% in canine dog food formulations for maintenance. Therefore both of the foods you were feeding meet this minimum requirement. One of the contraindications for a high protein food is if your dog has kidney disease. With kidney disease, excess protein may worsen this disease and therefore, kidney diets actually contain less protein. 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."

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unless your vet had given you specific diet requirements for a specific disease (kidney disease for example), this percentage should be fine. I will warn that some dogs actually develop diarrhea on high-protein foods, though I have seen many pets do great on it. Best wishes to you and Chloe!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Many spaniels have sensitive stomachs as well as skin in my experience. If Chloe is doing well on the food, with no diarrhea or upset stomach, I personally do not have a problem with it. I like a food that is within the ratios of protein to fat as you have said-with the caveat of patients that deal with things like irritable bowel or chronic pancreatitis, in which I make the fat as low as possible while still being a healthy food source for our canine companions. While you have said you aren't a fan of many commercial diets-there are types that cater specifically to sensitive stomach and food allergies from many of our large brands-and if you don't like these there are comparable brands as well that you can find at your local Petco. If Chloe is having active issues with this particular food, please let us know and we can suggest a comparable diet. I find that probiotics often work well for my sensitive GI patients as well. Fortiflora is commercially available and has a high palatability when tested. I hope this helps!

I don't recommend Acana because it's grain free, and vets are seeing an increase in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets. Here's the thing about the claims of only certain foods being "human grade": They are all human grade! The products come from animals slaughtered in plants that use the meat for human consumption. It comes from the same animal that provides chicken breasts to humans. The brands of food I recommend are the only ones that have veterinary nutritionists on staff, which ensures the food is balanced. They also meet AAFCO standards and run feeding trials. Those brands are Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I feed my dogs Iams, and they love it. I hope this helps!

I'm so glad to help you and that you like my answers! Royal Canin is an excellent food, and the 25% is fine for Chloe. Yes, you are right Cavaliers can be prone to heart disease, so the extra amino acids are good for them. Chloe is lucky to have you!