We are often asked by our customers how a couple of the best dog foods, award-winning and all natural ORIJEN dog food and ACANA dog food differ from each other. Well, to begin with, both foods are made by Champion Petfoods, whose commitment to quality and fresh regional ingredients from the Alberta, Canada region is unmatched. And both foods reflect Champion Petfoods’ belief that dog food must be biologically appropriate, to mirror as closely as possible the diet that dogs, who have evolved as carnivores, would have eaten in the wild.
Dogs have evolved as carnivores, with key anatomical differences that separate them from omnivores and carnivores. ORIJEN dog food and ACANA dog food have been developed with a keen understanding of the dietary and nutritional needs of dogs, to mirror as much as possible what dogs would be eating in the wild, in their natural state.
Dogs have simple and short intestinal tracts, because unlike plants and vegetables, meat is more easily digested, so there’s no need for long intestinal tracts.
Dogs also have a very high concentration of acid in their stomach�"a pH of 1, compared to humans, who have a pH of 4 or 5�"which helps break down proteins.
Also of note is that dogs have a single-hinge joint and very large mouth, to swallow large chunks of meat, not crush or chew plants. They also have very sharp and short teeth for shredding meat, not flat teeth for grinding grains.
Further, the saliva of dogs does not contain the digestive enzyme amylase, used to break down carbohydrates. Dogs are adapted to break down fat and protein from meat, not plants or grains.
You see, dogs have very specific dietary needs as evolved carnivores, which is why feeding your dog ORIJEN dog food or ACANA dog food is so important; both of these foods have been specifically designed to be biologically appropriate and mirror your dog’s natural diet.
To be sure, there are differences between ORIJEN dog food and ACANA dog food.
For starters, there is a difference in meat concentration. ORIJEN dog food is made with 75 to 80 percent meat, while ACANA dog food is made with 40 to 65 percent meat, depending on the specific formula.
There is also a corresponding difference in protein. ORIJEN dog food formulas have between 38 and 42 percent protein, while ACANA dog food formulas contain protein levels in the 27 to 34 percent range.
There is also a difference between ORIJEN dog food and ACANA dog food with regard to carbohydrate levels. ORIJEN dog food formulas range from 18 to 22 percent carbohydrate, while ACANA dog food formulas are generally in the 28 to 30 percent carbohydrate range.
With regard to the amount of fresh meat, ORIJEN dog food is made with up to 40 percent fresh meats, compared to ACANA dog food, which generally has from 9 to 15 percent fresh meats.
There is also a difference in fresh meat variety. ORIJEN dog food contains at least 5 fresh meats, whereas ACANA dog food contains 3 fresh meat ingredients.
The bottom line is that both foods are made with fresh regional ingredients from the Alberta, Canada region by Champion Petfoods, whose commitment to quality is unsurpassed. We believe that ORIJEN dog food is the best dry dog available, period. And although lower in total fresh meat content and protein, ACANA dog food provides great value at a price point that makes biologically appropriate dog foods available to a wide range of dog lovers.
ORIJEN dog food and ACANA dog food formulas are available for delivery to your front door by ordering at www.naturaldogfoodexpress.com.
