Biologically Appropriate Dog

Biologically Appropriate

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

The gray wolf is the ancestor of all domestic dogs. 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 rice, potato, and tapioca, nourishing your dog or cat with a diet that reflects what Mother Nature intended for them to eat.

ACANA foods follow nature’s 5 rules:

  • 1. Rich in fresh or raw meat and protein

    ACANA is made with 60% - 75% meat

    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 is high in protein and nourishes your cat or dog according to their evolutionary needs.

    *approximate and derived from the pre-processed state of the ingredients.

  • 2. High fresh or raw meat inclusions

    Up to 50% of meat ingredients are fresh or raw

    Up to half of the meat, fish, poultry, and eggs that go into ACANA are fresh or raw, in their most nourishing form, providing the flavors and richly nourishing goodness that dogs and cats instinctively crave.

    Fresh, raw, or dried, all ACANA meat ingredients are sourced from federally inspected facilities.

    When we say fresh or raw, we mean it!

    In our kitchen, refrigeration is the only means of preservation for our fresh meats, and our raw meats are frozen at peak freshness to lock in their natural goodness.

  • 3. An abundant variety of fresh and raw meat

    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 principle of our award-winning Biologically Appropriate philosophy.

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

    ACANA is different, providing fresh and raw 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 WholePrey animal source

    Red Meat

    Raised on farms and ranches from trusted suppliers, using nature’s simple recipe of fresh air, and clean water, our beef, bison, lamb, pork, and mutton are delivered fresh or raw, without added artificial preservatives and loaded with goodness and taste.

    beef Ranch-raised Beef
    bison Plains Bison
    lamb Grass-fed Lamb
    mutton Grass-fed Mutton
    pork Yorkshire Pork
    Delivered fresh or raw | From federally inspected facilities

    Learn More about Red Meat

    Free-Run Poultry & Eggs

    Raised free-run on regional farms, our chicken, turkey, duck, quail, and cage-free eggs are sourced from federally inspected facilities and delivered fresh or raw so they’re full of nourishing protein and fat.

    chicken Free-run Chicken
    duck Duck
    turkey Free-run Turkey
    quail Free-run Quail
    egg Cage-free Eggs
    Delivered fresh or raw | From federally inspected facilities

    Learn More about Poultry

    Sustainable & Wild-Caught Fish

    Our saltwater fish are sustainable and wild-caught from New England, and our freshwater fish are from regional lakes - delivered to our kitchen, fresh or raw.

    Saltwater Fish

    herring Herring
    flounder Flounder
    hake Silver Hake
    rockfish Acadian Redfish
    monkfish Monkfish

    Freshwater Fish

    catfish Blue Catfish
    perch Yellow Perch
    Sustainably farmed | Delivered fresh or raw

    Learn More about Saltwater Fish

  • 4. Wholeprey meat ratios

    Superfood for dogs and cats

    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, so dogs and wolves meet their nutritional needs by consuming whole 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 vitamin, mineral, and amino-acid supplements.

    Virtually all nutrients in acana are naturally present.

    Superfood for dogs and cats

    Organ meat is a concentrated and natural source of virtually every nutrient dogs and cats need to thrive, including all essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and vital amino acids.

    Densely packed with nearly every nutrient, including heavy doses of B vitamins, organ meat such as kidney, liver, and tripe are loaded with 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 vegetables & fruit

    Not all vegetables & fruit are created equal

    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..

    • Whole apples and pears are primarily sourced, and arrive fresh or raw, from our Kentucky orchards to provide a rich source of phytonutrients and fiber.
    • Whole pumpkin and butternut squash are fresh or raw and loaded with healthy fiber and natural-source vitamins.
    • Kentucky greens and whole carrots are nutritional powerhouses that are delivered fresh or raw, primarily sourced from Kentucky farms.