Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

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

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 2 years old | 83 lbs

Hello, I was just wondering the validity to Acana dog feed ultimately being bad for dogs and whether I should continue feeding my dog their food. I know a few people whose dogs have suddenly gotten sick, or died, because of a lack of nutrients in said food. I also was wondering if it was worth to try foods that are "human grade," which I know is a gimmick and doesn't really MEAN anything, such as NomNomNow or Ollie. Thanks!

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 16th, 2019

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!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 12th, 2018

    I think that all of these brands are about the same in terms of quality and vary mainly in marketing. None of these brands have a veterinary nutritionist on staff or have conducted any feeding trials, and they all use many 'non-traditional' ingredients which may vary in digestibility. Unfortunately terms like 'fit for human consumption' do not have any legal definition, and I would not be concerned about the use of brewer's rice in a food. I like to use this document as a guideline for choosing a pet food: http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Recommendations%20on%20Selecting%20Pet%20Foods.pdf

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
This question is for Kevin Sanada. What brand do you think is better: Fromm, Acana or Natural Balance. I called and asked and some of Natural Balance's ingredients that are used are deemed unfit for human consumption. for example the brewers rice tha
I think that all of these brands are about the same in terms of quality and vary mainly in marketing. None of these brands have a veterinary nutritionist on staff or have conducted any feeding trials, and they all use many 'non-traditional' ingredients which may vary in digestibility. Unfortunately terms like 'fit for human consumption' do not have any legal definition, and I would not be concerned about the use of brewer's rice in a food. I like to use this document as a guideline for choosing a pet food: http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Recommendations%20on%20Selecting%20Pet%20Foods.pdf
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
What is the best healthy food regardless of cost for a small breed dog? And should there food be grain free
Great questions! I will answer your second question first. No, the food should not be grain free. Grain free food is a fad, and quite a dangerous one. Vets are seeing an increased in dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs fed grain free diets, and the FDA is investigating that link. There is no proof grains are bad for dogs, and a grain allergy is very rare. So to answer your first question, brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Can someone please explain why foods like Science Diet and Royal Canin are considered better as aposed to foods like Acana and Fromm? I always thought wheat, corn, soy, etc. wasn't quality sources of nutrition for dogs. Isn't sweet potato, potato, br
Those are very good questions. Vets do not get paid to recommend certain brands of food. The reason that most vets like foods like Royal Canin and Science Diet is because the food companies do very detailed research about the diets. They also monitor the quality of resources closely and are very honest about what is in the diet and on the label. I do not think vets are against diets like Acana and Fromm but they typically do not have as much research to show how the food is made/put together. There are a lot of food companies out there these days and not all of them monitor the quality of the products. Dog food companies will take what humans think about humans (no wheat etc) and start marketing the dog food this way to get more people to buy the brands. I hope that helps explain it
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Should i feed my dog bully max or blue buffleo
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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I am concerned about the new FDA alert regarding grain free dog food. I feed both my dogs the Wellness TruFood Baked Nuggets Adult Dog Food - Natural, Grain Free, Chicken and Chicken Liver. Should I switch their food? And which dog food brands are be
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dogs. Until more is known, I recommend avoiding grain free diets. Aside from the recent association found linking these diets to heart disease, they are typically higher in carbohydrates and calories than standard diets. This leads to weight gain. I recommend diets from Hill's, Purina and Royal Canin. These are large trust worthy pet food companies. They have veterinarians on staff to research and formulate their diets. Smaller companies just do not have these resources available. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
hello, i have been feeding my dog raw kiblets and would like to switch him to dry food. my vet suggested science diet however i noticed it has a lot of synthetic materials. i would like your opinion on this brand Acana. here are some of the ingredien
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."
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Is grain free puppy food bad?
Most veterinarians do not recommend a grain free diet for many reasons. Some dogs are prone to develop heart conditions when fed these diets. Many dogs get constipation and anal gland issues. Additionally, food allergies are rare (less than 10% of all allergies) and if you do have a dog with food allergies, it’s usually the protein source, or the grain. I recommend reputable brands with data and good historical reputations. I like Royal Canin and Purina Pro Plan but there are many good diets out there. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
I’m confused about dog food! Grain, no grain? Vegetables? I’ll buy what’s expensive, and then read something that says I’m wasting money! We have been using Royal Canin and Iam’s...our 65lb. Golden doodle has rather eclectic tastes and gets tired
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!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a VERY picky chihuahua that I try to feed grain free but he gets bored so I also give him some partial cooked wild game and chicken (no bones) & he gets bored with it all! He also gets some bites of meat fr our meal & currently on Blue-Grain F
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 nutritio
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
When we rescued Vinny he was fed Rachael Ray Nutrish, so we kept with it. A new study just came out in regards of what dry dog foods have been linked to heart failure and Rachael Ray was the last one on the list. With so many foods that contain so ma
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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored