Biologically Appropriate Dog

Biologically Appropriate

A new class of meat-based foods to mirror the evolutionary diet.

The gray wolf is the ancestor of all domestic dogs, and the Near Eastern wildcat is the ancestor of all domestic cats. While years of breeding have produced hundreds of ‘different-looking’ wolves and wildcats, the internal workings of dogs and cats remain unchanged.

The eating anatomy of modern dogs and cats is the same as their wild cousins, so it’s no surprise that their food requirements remain consistent.

The biologically appropriate concept is simple: mirror the quantity, freshness, and variety of meat that nature evolved dogs and cats to eat.

ACANA’s richly nourishing meat inclusions mirror your pet’s evolutionary diet, excluding synthetic additives and anything else that Mother Nature didn’t intend your dog or cat to eat.

ACANA foods follow nature’s 5 rules:

  • 1. Rich in FRESH OR RAW meat and protein

    ACANA is made with up to 75% animal ingredients

    Your dog or cat is not only capable of eating the foods of their ancestors, but actually require it for peak health.

    Just like their wild cousins, modern dogs and cats are equipped with sharp teeth, a short digestive tract and a body evolved to metabolize protein and fat from meat.

    With meat inclusions up to 75%, ACANA nourishes your cat or dog according to their evolutionary needs.

  • 2. High fresh OR RAW meat inclusions

    Up to half of the meat ingredients are fresh or raw

    We believe that less processing is better. That’s why up to 50% of the meat, fish, poultry, and eggs that go into ACANA are delivered fresh or raw in their most nourishing form, providing the flavours and goodness that all dogs instinctively crave.

    When we say fresh we mean it!

    Refrigeration is the only means of preservation for our fresh meat, and our raw meat is frozen at peak season to lock in its natural goodness. To preserve the integrity of our fresh ingredients, we process ACANA in small batches and at lower temperatures.

    Fresh meat is loaded with protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals in their most nourishing form. All of our meat ingredients are sourced from federally licensed facilities that must have implemented an HACCP-based food safety system.

  • 3. AN ABUNDANT VARIETY OF FRESH OR RAW MEATS

    ACANA FEATURES A MINIMUM OF THREE* FRESH MEATS, POULTRY, OR FISH

    Consider the variation in the natural diet: eggs today, a duck or goose tomorrow, fish the next. A rich variety of fresh meat is a key principal in our award-winning Biologically Appropriate philosophy.

    This variety is lost in conventional dog and cat foods, which typically feature a single animal ingredient, such as chicken or lamb, that’s seldom authentically fresh.

    ACANA is different, providing a minimum of three fresh meats, from ranch-raised red meat, free-run poultry, and saltwater and freshwater fish, supplying your dog or cat with a richly nourishing diversity of protein and fat to promote peak health.

    * Except ACANA Singles, which feature a single animal protein source

    Heritage Red Meat

    Raised on regional farms, using nature’s simple recipe of fresh air, clean water, and natural grains, our beef, bison, lamb, and pork are delivered fresh or raw, so they’re preservative free and loaded with goodness and taste.

    beef Ranch-Raised Beef
    Regional Ranches
    bison Ranch-Raised Bison
    Alberta Foothill Farms
    lamb Grass-Fed Lamb
    Regional Farms
    pork Alberta Pork
    Alberta Prairie Farms
    Grass-fed | Delivered fresh or raw

    Learn More

    Free-Run Poultry & Eggs

    Raised free-run on prairie farms, our chicken, turkey, and cage-free eggs are delivered fresh or raw so they’re full of nourishing protein and fat.

    chicken Free-Run Chicken
    Regional Farms
    duck Duck
    Regional Farms
    turkey Free-Run Turkey
    Regional Farms
    egg Cage-Free Eggs
    Regional Farms
    Grass-fed | Cage-free | Delivered fresh or raw

    Learn More

    Sustainable and Wild-Caught Fish

    Our saltwater fish are wild-caught from Port Hardy on North Vancouver Island, and our freshwater fish are sustainable and wild-caught from our cold northern lakes. All are delivered to our award-winning kitchen as fresh and cold as the waters they came from.

    Saltwater Fish

    herring Pacific Herring
    North Vancouver Island
    flounder Arrow-Tooth Flounder
    North Vancouver Island
    pilchard Pacific Pilchard
    North Vancouver Island
    hake Silver Hake
    North Vancouver Island
    rockfish Redstripe Rockfish
    North Vancouver Island

    Freshwater Fish

    perch Yellow Perch
    Alberta & Saskatchewan
    walleye Northern Walleye
    Alberta & Saskatchewan
    pike Northern Pike
    Alberta & Saskatchewan
    whitefish Lake Whitefish
    Alberta & Saskatchewan
    Sustainable & Wild-Caught | Delivered fresh or raw

    Learn More

  • 4. Wholeprey meat ratios

    Meats, organs, and cartilage or bone in WholePrey ratios

    In her infinite wisdom, Mother Nature matched the nutrients in whole fish, fowl, and game to perfectly meet the dietary needs of dogs and cats.

    In nature there are no synthetic food supplements, and wolves and wildcats derive their nutritional needs by consuming prey animals; muscle meat provides protein, liver, kidney and tripe supply vitamins and minerals, and cartilage and bone deliver calcium and phosphorus.

    Our WholePrey foods mirror the natural diet, incorporating meat, organs, and cartilage or bone in ratios that deliver nutrients naturally and completely, without the need for long lists of synthetic ingredients.

     

    Superfood for dogs and cats

    Organ meats are a concentrated and natural source of virtually every nutrient your dog needs to thrive, including all essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fat, and vital amino acids.

    Densely packed with nearly every nutrient, including heavy doses of B vitamins, organ meats such as kidney, liver and tripe are loaded with the minerals phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, and iodine, and provide important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, all of which nourish dogs and cats as nature intended.

  • 5. Fresh & Raw Vegetables & Fruit

    ACANA features farm-fresh vegetables and fruit that provide fiber and antioxidants in natural forms.

    ACANA uses fresh-picked fruit from our regions, whole with no added preservatives. Free of gluten, potato, tapioca, and starch ingredients, ACANA features farm-fresh vegetables and fruit, such as whole pumpkin and butternut squash, that provide fiber and other nutrients that your dog or cat needs to thrive.