Acana vs taste of the wild 2024: Bon-a-pet-tit Furball!

Acana vs taste of the wild
Acana vs taste of the wild

Are you yet to comprehend how the quality of a pet food is directly related to the health and well-being of your furry companion? Are you worried about not getting value-for-money  for your pet food of choice? 

Well, if you are among the thousands of new pet parents with such unanswered questions and troubling doubts about pet foods the market today then you are in luck.

This article will answer all your questions and clear all your doubts as it introduces two of the most popular highly sorted after brands toping the pet food industry charts today, Acana and Taste of the Wild.

These are two popular pet food brands that your pets is likely to find irresistible because they offer meals that are nutritious, age- specific, and formulated with lots of jaw dropping, tail wagging flavors.

Let see how these brands compare with each other and how they suit your pet’s nutritional requirements.

After you are done with this awesome comparison check out Acana and Taste of the wild here to see the different flavors and pricing.

Contents:

πŸ€” Acana vs Taste of the wild FAQ

What is guaranteed analysis?

The concept of guaranteed analysis on pet food products is to assure purchasers of the precise nutrient content of each consumable. Emphasized by AAFCO, guaranteed analysis by food labels must meet certain requirements such as an exact value for the minimum percentage of crude protein and fat, as well as the maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture on the basis of dry matter obtained. All of the percentages that I use in this comparison are averages of dry matter basis. Learn about dry matter basis here.
Which one has more protein?

While the protein content of the Taste of the Wild brand is more for dry dog foods than the Acana brand, the reverse is the case for dry cat foods.

Which one is cheaper?

The Taste of the Wild meals are way cheaper than the meals of the Acana brand, whereas Acana is also considered to be one of the most affordable brands in the market as well.

Which one has more flavor?

The Acana brand offers more flavors than the Taste of the Wild brand across all meal types, while the taste of the wild focuses more on quality than diverse flavors.

Which one has received more recalls?

The Acana brand has never been recalled whereas the Taste of the Wild brand has received one recall.

Check out the current prices, recipes and flavors for Acana and Taste of the wild

βš–οΈ Acana and Taste of the wild Pros and Cons

Acana Pros:

Taste of the wild Cons:

Taste of the wild Pros:

Taste of the wild Cons:

😻 Types Of Pet Food

Product (Dog Food)AcanaTaste of the Wild
Dry Food37 recipes9 recipes
Wet Food❌5 recipes
Treats4 treats❌
Product (Cat Food)  
Dry Food8 recipes2 recipes
Wet Food❌2 recipes
Treats❌❌
😻 See all Acana recipes 😻 See all Taste of the wild recipes

Acana pet food brand does not produce wet dog and cat foods as well as cat treats. The total number of recipes offered by this brand is 49 for dry dog and cat foods as well as dog treats. Although the Taste of the Wild does not offer any type of treat, it offers 18 different special recipes both wet and dry dog and cat foods.

πŸ₯• Nutritional Value Comparison

The nutritional value of a dog or cat food is expressed in the number and composition of key nutrients it provides, the amount/percentage of these nutrient present in the meal, the source of these nutrients and much more.

While some dogs can easily adapt to life with little nutrients available, all cats require essential nutrients to scale through life. These pets require a generous amount of all six nutrients than dogs need so special attentions are being paid to their formulations.

With that in mind, let us compare the nutritional value of the Acana pet foods and the Taste of the Wild pet food on the basis of their crude protein, crude fat and crude fibre.

AcanaProtein(dry)Fat (dry)Fiber (dry)
Dog35.9%18.8%6.5%
Cat40.0%22.2%3.9%
TOTW    
Dog31.9%18.0%5.0%
Cat41.1%18.9%3.3%
πŸ₯• See all Acana info πŸ₯• See all Taste of the wild info

Other than protein, fats and fibre, pets need water, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.

Water

This is a very important nutrient in a pets’ diet and the most abundant molecule in their body. It is required in every single function from ingestion to respiration and excretion. The wet foods contain some amount of water but it is enough to keep our pets hydrated the whole day? Probably not.

Protein

Our dogs need 10 essential amino acids while cats need 11 essential amino acids which can only be provided by the dietary protein in the foods we provide for them. Only animal source proteins provide these amino acids and as pet parents we should watch out for them when picking a pet food brand.

Protein is needed for quite a number of reason some of which include energy, DNA synthesis, blood formation, repair of ligaments, tissue and cell, and much more. This is why  some brands utilize animal protein as primary source of nutrients.

Fats

Fatty acids derived from fat based ingredients are a major component of every pet food. Omega-6 fatty acid is a mufti-functional fatty acids required by dogs and cats for pliable skin, flexible pads, and soft nose leather.

A deficiency of this fatty acid would result in scruffy coats, itching and hair loss. Thankfully, our dogs do not need so much of this fatty acid thus they can be gotten in the right amounts from beef, sunflower oil and canola oils.

The fat content of both brands are slightly different with the Acana brand offering higher amounts of fats for both its dry dog and cat food.

πŸ’° Price Comparison

Are you spending much money on pet food for much less value? Are you planning to make a switch in order to get more nutritional value for your pet? Switching your pet food to either Acana or Taste of the Wild would definitely be worth the risk but how can you track how much you spend on pet food and its equivalent value?

To be sure you are paying for quality pet food content and not the advert fees of manufacturers, use the average cost per calorie (kcal) metric to calculate the cost of the pet food.

This provides the exact cost of the dry matter of the food while the average cost per pound (lb) metric calculates moisture inclusive of dry matter of the pet food.

Below is a price comparison table of Acana versus Taste of the Wild using both metrics.

Dog FoodAcana (Dry)TOTW (dry)
Per pound$2.96$1.86
Per calorie$0.0019$0.0011
   
Cat FoodAcana (Dry)TOTW (dry)
Per pound$4.62$2.29
Per Calorie$0.0025$0.0013
πŸ’° See the best Acana prices πŸ’° See the best Taste of the wild prices

🀀 Ingredients and Flavors

The quality of  pet food is directly proportional to it’s nutritional value. While our dogs have approximately 1,700 taste buds, cats have about 470 taste buds and this means that our pets have lots specialized taste buds specifically for tasting certain flavors, even water, ATP, and much more.  

Acana

This pet food brand offers 45 flavor of dry cat and dog food using a rich ingredient profile containing turkey, lamb, mackerel, duck, apple, pear, Yorkshire pork, bison, squash, sweet fennel, sweet potato, angelica root, peppermint leaf, kelp, juniper berries, spinach, marigold flowers, a rich blend of vitamins and mineral, and much more.

Heart and kidney are two controversial ingredients that give pet parents concern when purchasing meals of this pet food brand for their furry companions.

Popular flavors

  • Turkey and Greens
  • Beef and pumpkin
  • Chicken, Turkey, and wild-caught fish
  • Duck and pear
  • Pork and Butternut Squash

Taste of the wild

Most pet parents choose Taste of the Wild because of the specific flavors derived from the unique blend of natural organic ingredient used by this brand.

Roasted bison and venison, tomato, peas, raspberries, chicken and chicken meals, egg products, dried chicory root, buffalo, blue berries, wild boar, garbanzo beans, brewers, yeast, natural flavors, salt, lamb meal, Yucca Schidigera extract and others.

popular flavors

  • Lamb in Gravy
  • Roasted venison and smoked salmon
  • Venison and Garbanzo beans

Check out the current Acana recipes and Taste of the wild recipes

🏑 About Acana and Taste of the wild

Acana Information

Acana is a canine and feline pet food brand that specializes in dry dog and cat foods plus dog treats. It is owned and managed by the Champion Pet food Company with a manufacturing facility in Kentucky, also called the Kentucky Dog StarKitchen. This company produces most of the ingredient used and purchase others from within the US and Canada.

The brand has three product line, Acana Heritage, Acana singles and Acana Regionals with 49 recipes which includes Wild Mackerel Appalachian ranch, Heritage meats pork and squash grasslands, and others.

Taste of the wild Information

One of the prestigious pet food brands that provides grain-free foods for dogs and cats. The brand is owned by Schell and Kampeter Inc, but manufactured by the famous Diamond Pet Food Company with manufacturing plants all over the United States.

The company sources it ingredients from within the United states and some of the most popular recipes are Rocky Mountain Feline with roasted venison and smoked salmon, Appalachian Valley small breed with venison and garbanzo beans, Prairie puppy with roasted bison and venison, and much more.

πŸ™€ Product Safety and Recalls through History

Companies make scheduled recalls on products that may have a foreseen defect or safety issues. The importance of a recall is to conduct further safety tests in order to effect changes to product to ensure that it is safe for use.

Acana Recalls

No recalls

Taste of the wild Recalls

  • May 5th, 2012 – Salmonella sp contamination

πŸ† Acana Vs Taste of the wild: And the winner goes to…

Judging by the comparison data between Taste of the Wild and Acana pet foods, I would go with Taste of the wild pet food because it has equally great quality and amounts of protein, fats and fiber as Taste of the wild, only one recall even as an age-old brand, a good amount of quality flavors despite the fact that it has fewer. It is also the most economical choice formulated for felines and canines of all age levels.

If you want Then you should choose
Higher levels of protein Taste of the wild
A cost effective option Taste of the wild
A wider variety of flavors and ingredients Acana
Safety, based on number of recalls Acana
A balanced diet for all age levels Taste of the wild

References:

https://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/formula-finder/formula-results/?pet_type=Dog

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/acana-dog-food-dry/

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