Recipes deliver optimum nutrition for different life stages and lifestyles

ACANA launches New ACANA Cat, a variety of four new protein-rich, delicious recipes that provide personalised nutrition for your cat.

Rich in animal protein: Each recipe contains 65-70% small prey premium animal ingredients, plus 1/3 of the meat in all the recipes is either fresh or raw.

Bursting with flavour: The combination of small prey ingredients and infusions of liver provide a burst of flavour for extra palatability.

Provides just what YOUR cat needs: New ACANA Cat offers a number of life stage benefits, including kitten, adult, and a recipe specifically formulated for indoor cats.

Encourages peak health: Each recipe is formulated to boost immune systems and encourage healthy hearts, eyes, skin and coats.

The four new recipes are:

• First Feast is packed with chicken, herring, turkey, eggs and quail. It’s suitable for all life stages, although it has been specifically designed to support healthy muscle and bone growth, eye and brain development – all perfect for a growing kitten.
• Homestead Harvest is a delicious combination of chicken, turkey, eggs and duck.
• Bountiful Catch is brimming with salmon, herring, hake and trout.
• Indoor Entrée’s tasty recipe includes herring, turkey and rabbit. Designed to aid weight management and lean muscle maintenance, Indoor Entrée is perfect for indoor cat who may be less active.

Colin Rodger, Managing Director of Bern Pets Foods, the exclusive importers and distributors of ACANA into UK and Ireland, says: “These recipes have been carefully designed to offer deliver a ‘craveable’ taste, ideal for fussy cats. The new ACANA Cat range will nourishing your cat naturally, keeping them healthy, happy and strong.”

Every new ACANA Cat recipe is packed with quality ingredients but at an affordable price and are available in three sizes: 340g, 1.8kg and 4.5kg.

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Choosing a puppy food is one of our first responsibilities when we welcome a dog into our family. Even if you have had a dog before or have an older dog, you may find the offerings for puppies have changed so it is worth comparing the products available.

The grey wolf is ancestor to all dogs. And while years of breeding has produced hundreds of ‘different looking wolves’, the internal workings of modern dogs and their wolf cousins remain unchanged, so it’s no surprise that their dietary needs remain the same too.

By nature, all puppies are carnivores which means they’re biologically adapted for a diet rich and varied in fresh whole meats with smaller amounts of fruits and vegetables.

Our award-winning Biologically Appropriate™ philosophy is simple: mirror the quantity, freshness and variety of meats that dogs are evolved to eat, while limiting the carbohydrates and synthetic ingredients that don’t belong in your dog’s natural diet.

We have compiled a list of questions you should be asking when choosing a food for your new canine companion.

IS THE FOOD RICH IN MEAT?

Your puppy is biologically adapted for a diet rich in meat. That’s why we loaded ACANA Puppy & Junior with 70% meat, including cage-free chicken, wild-caught flounder and whole nest-laid eggs sourced from regional farms.

You should be able to compare the amount of meat found in different brands and recipes by looking at the ingredients on the label.

DOES IT INCLUDE HIGH FRESH MEAT INCLUSIONS?

Fresh meats are in their most natural and nourishing form. That’s why 1/3 of the poultry, fish and eggs in ACANA are authentically fresh and loaded with goodness and taste, and other 2/3 are dried to provide a strong and natural source of meat protein. All animals deemed fit for human consumption. – a rarity among today’s pet food makers.

When comparing foods you are looking for descriptions such as ‘Fresh Chicken’ or ‘Fresh Turkey’. If the description reads ‘Freshly Prepared’ or does not include the word ‘Fresh’ than the likelihood is that the food is not made with fresh ingredients.

DOES IT CONTAIN A VARIETY OF WHOLE MEATS?

In nature, dogs benefit from an assortment of prey animals. That’s why ACANA features a diversity of free-run chicken, whole eggs and whole fish, all in richly nourishing WholePrey™ ratios of meat, organs and cartilage that mimic the natural diet, eliminating the long lists of synthetic additives in conventional dog foods.

IS IT RICH IN MEAT PROTEIN?

Entirely free of the pea or potato protein concentrates common in today’s conventional dog foods, ACANA derives its rich protein content from premium animal ingredients (not plants), supporting lean muscle mass and nourishing your dog according to his evolutionary needs.

You can compare levels of protein in different foods using the nutritional analysis which should be present on the packaging of all dog food.

IS IT CARBOHYDRATE LIMITED?

Your dog’s natural diet contains very few carbohydrates, which are recognised as a leading cause of obesity and diabetes. That’s why ACANA limits carbohydrates and replaces fast carbohydrates (such as rice, potato and tapioca) with low-glycemic fruits and vegetables.

Conventional dog foods can often exceed 50% carbohydrates, and feature high-glycemic ingredients such as potato, tapioca and rice.

ACANA benefits dogs of every breed and size. Just like you, your puppy is unique with feeding requirements that vary with environment, age and activity.

Our feeding guides provide a starting point, to be adjusted as needed to maintain optimum weight and peak conditioning. We suggest monitoring your dog’s weight and adjusting rations as needed. If you have any questions you can always give us a call on 01737 767679, email sales@bernpetfoods.co.uk or catch up with us on our social channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Find out more about ACANA Puppy & Junior

Find out more about ACANA Puppy Small Breed – for puppies weighing under 9kg at maturity

Find out more about ACANA Large Breed Puppy – for puppies weighing over 25kgs at maturity

WHAT IS ROTATIONAL FEEDING?

Rotational feeding refers to a diet rotation that provides pets with regular dietary changes.

Rotational feeding can be as simple as changing a dog’s food very other bag or changing it meal to meal. How often, how quickly and how drastically to switch a dog’s food depends on his stomach’s sensitivity to change and types of proteins, as well as a Pet Lover’s lifestyle.

There are many different reasons to adopt a rotational feeding Program, ranging from adding interest to meal times or adding nutritional variety.

BENEFITS

Round Out Nutrient Intake

Each food in the ACANA Singles product line features a single animal protein and a perfectly paired fruit or vegetable to appease dogs with food sensitivities or flavour preferences. Different animal proteins have different amino acid and fatty acid profiles, as well as various minerals and vitamins. For example, beef contains significant amounts of iron but is lower in omega-3 fatty acids than pork. Amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, differ slightly across different animal protein sources as well. Turkey meat contains higher amounts of the amino acid tryptophan than pork meat.

Although all of our ACANA Singles recipes are balanced to be
fed alone and meet the requirements as set out by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), rotational feeding adds variety. The dietary variation that dogs and cats’ wild cousins would experience is typically lost in regular feeding. Through rotational feeding, our pets gain diversity in their nourishment.

Protein Exposure

Food sensitivities exist in dogs but are often misdiagnosed or confused with food allergies. Food allergies cause an immune mediated response, whereas food sensitivities are much more common and traditionally manifest as poor food reactions, including soft stools, excess gas, itchy dry skin and itchy paws and ears. Just like humans, exposure to different proteins at a young age may decrease the chances of developing food sensitivities. Feeding a rotational diet to a dog exposes them to a broader range of proteins and helps to prevent sensitivities.

Flavour Fatigue

Often, pets experience flavour fatigue from eating the same diet every day, just as we would. Rotational feeding keeps dogs and cats interested in the food and prevents flavour fatigue. Rotational feeding also offers the novelty of new foods. This can help boost intake for picky eaters or animals with a reduced appetite.

OPTIONS FOR ROTATIONAL FEEDING

The Biologically Appropriate recipes in the ACANA Singles line are ideal for rotational feeding. All diets are completely balanced to be fed alone and offer the unique opportunity to rotate between diets within the product line. Our ACANA Singles recipes are specifically designed to contain only five macro-ingredient classes with the same botanicals and low-glycemic carbohydrates allowing Pet Lovers to add the dietary variation traditionally seen in the wild, with minimal chance of gastrointestinal upset.

If you would like more information on how to incorporate rotational feeding into dogs or cats’ diets, please contact our Customer Care team on 01737 767679 or at sales@bernpetfoods.co.uk

References: 1. USDA Food composition database. Accessed
April 4, 2018. DOI: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list 2. Chesney, C.J. 2006. Food sensitivity in the dog: a quantitative study. Journal of Small Animal Practice. 43(5): 203-207 3. Wills, R., & Harvey, R. 1994. Diagnosis and management of food allergy and intolerance in dogs and cats. Australian veterinary journal.71(10):322-6 4. Stasiak, M. 2002. The development of food preferences in cats: the new direction. Nutritional neuroscience. 5(4):221-8

How do you and your dog fancy spending a weekend in the Lake District, staying two nights at the Inn on the Square, Keswick including breakfast and dinner? The lucky winner will take part in Max’s (of Max Out in the Lake District fame) birthday walk in aid of PDSA – Saving Pets, Changing Lives

One lucky winner will receive this fantastic prize. For your chance to enter, visit us at Crufts in Hall 3, Stand 52.

Visit the ACANA website for full details: https://www.acana.ie/news/win-weekend-lake-district-maxs-birthday-walk/

We look forward to seeing you there!

Eileen Jones, Founder & Rescue Coordinator of Friends of Animals Wales, will be on the stand each day. Friends of Animals Wales is run solely by volunteers and they work around the clock to make a difference to the animals who may not have had a good start in life. Find out more about the charity at https://friendsofanimalswales.org.uk/

Thursday 5th March – Toy & Utility

ORIJEN brand ambassadors Elsa & Buffy travel the length and breadth of Great Britain visiting dog-friendly places and sharing ORIJEN treats along the way.

Friday 6th March – Gundogs

Laura Hill, of Stauntonvale Labradors, will be on stand with Field Trial Champion Moose. Laura has qualified for the IGL Retriever Championships more than ten times since 2009, with six different dogs. In 2019, the Kennel Club presented Laura with the Hanlye Trophy for breeding the highest scoring Retriever in Field Trials and also the Gavosie Trophy for the top female handler 2018/19.

Springer Spaniel Max, along with partners in crime Paddy and Harry, plus owner Kerry will be joining us on the stand to kick-off the launch of Kerry’s first book ‘Max the Miracle Dog: The Heart-warming Tale of a Life-saving Friendship’. With over 100,000 followers on Facebook, these boys have fans all over the world!

Saturday 7th March – Working & Pastoral

Get your own ‘pawtographed’ copy of ‘Max the Miracle Dog; The Heart-warming Tale of a Life-saving Friendship’.

After a car accident, Kerry developed severe depression, suffering from panic attacks and even thoughts of suicide until he met Max the Springer Spaniel. Max, along with fellow spaniels Paddy and Harry, have now gained over thousands of followers on Facebook, a commendation from the PDSA, raised over £127,000 for various charities and, in 2019, Max received an invitation to Buckingham Palace.

Sunday 10th March – Terrier & Hound

Meet Cara, a Belgian Mallinois who is part of the UK International Search & Rescue Team (ISAR). She’ll be on the stand along with her handler Mick, from The West Midland Fire Service, to showcase just what it takes to help in the rescue of people involved in major natural and man-made emergencies.

We are busy preparing for another year at Crufts and excited to let you know what will be happening on our stand. If you are attending, please do come and find us in Hall 3, Stand 52. We will be running some great competitions to win a stay in the Lake District with your dog AND vouchers for a dog-friendly break away with ‘Stay in a Pub’. We also have some exciting guests for you to meet on the stand.

Eileen Jones, Founder & Rescue Coordinator of Friends of Animals Wales, will also be on the stand each day. Friends of Animals Wales is run solely by volunteers and they work around the clock to make a difference to the animals who may not have had a good start in life.

Kerry Irving, owner of ACANA ambassadors Max, Paddy and Harry, experienced the intense connection that people can have with their pets in periods of crisis. A road traffic accident in 2006 left Kerry virtually housebound, in chronic pain, on a huge amount of medication and, at times, suicidal.

“When I was at my lowest point, I met Max and there was something very special about him. We immediately gelled and getting out to walk him, even if it was just to the end of the road and back, helped me.” Max was instrumental to Kerry’s recovery, and he credits his canine companion with helping him to get his life back on track, inspiring him to retrain as a locksmith where Max could join him at work each day.

A keen photographer, Kerry set up a Facebook page to document Max living life to the full in the beautiful Lake District. Since then, Paddy and Harry have joined the family and the Facebook page now has over 80,000 followers. It’s not just Kerry for whom the dogs have provided comfort and inspiration. Their Facebook fans regularly comment on the effect that the posts of Max, Paddy and Harry have on them and remark that the videos and photographs brighten their day. Kerry says: “I am full of gratitude to my dogs for helping me and intensely proud of the positive impact they have on people they meet along the way.”

Max is a registered therapy dog and in 2018, Max and Paddy were awarded a PDSA commendation for providing support in recovery and enriching the lives of many others. In 2019 Max and Paddy, along with Kerry, made an appearance on ITV’s Top 100 dogs. Later in the year, Max and Kerry were invited to the Buckingham Palace Garden Party as a result of the work that they do raising awareness of mental health issues. They also had the pleasure of being presented to HRH Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a recent visit to Keswick as part of the 20^th anniversary celebrations of the Cumbria Community Foundation.

As well as plenty of fresh air and exercise, Kerry also focuses on giving his dogs the best nutrition to fuel their active life. Max’s food of choice is ACANA Wild Prairie 70/30 featuring meat protein from free-run chicken and turkey plus cage-free eggs. Paddy is fed on ACANA Sports and Agility, which is packed with 75% meat from flounder, free-run chicken and cage-free eggs plus fruit and vegetables to power him for activity and endurance. Little Harry is thriving on ACANA Puppy and Junior; it’s free of grains and fast carbohydrates such as rice, tapioca or potato, but rich in meat proteins to promote his peak development and conditioning. For treats, Kerry rewards the dogs with ACANA Yorkshire Pork, Grass-Fed Lamb or Free Run Duck Treats.

Find out more about Max, Paddy and Harry on Facebook, Instagram or on their Blog.

Prize draw terms and conditions

The promoter is Bern Pet Foods Ltd, whose registered office is Bancroft House, 10 Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7RP.

• These competitions are free-to-enter prize draws and winners will be chosen at random after Crufts 2019 from all valid entries submitted.
• Entry to the prize draw is restricted to one entry per person per competition, multiple entries will be disqualified.
• No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
• The prize draws are strictly open only to those in attendance at Crufts between 7^th and 10^th March 2019 and will run exclusively on the ORIJEN stand in Hall 3, Stand 52.
• All entrants must be over the age of 18.
• The draws will take place on Wednesday 13^th March, and winners will be notified by Friday 15^th
• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered in to.
• Winners will be contacted via email or phone.
• Prizes can only be sent to a valid UK address unless otherwise stated.
• No cash alternative or other alternative prize will be available on entrants’ request.
• Bern Pet Foods Ltd reserve the right to amend these rules at any time. Entry in this free prize draw implies acceptance of these rules.
• Bern Pet Foods Ltd, will not pass your details to any third party without your prior consent.
• By entering these competitions, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions
• This prize is for two adults and one dog only.
• The winners will stay at Inn on the Square in Keswich for two nights 16^th and 17^th Dinner, bed and breakfast is provided as part of this prize.
• All entrants need to confirm that they are available to take up this prize during the weekend of 16^th to 18^th August 2019. If no confirmation of availability is stated, the judges reserve the right to withdraw the entry from the competition.
• The winners will need to make their own travel arrangements to and from The Lake District at their own expense.

Representing your country may be the pinnacle of sporting achievement, but it isn’t only the preserve of humans – there are plenty of opportunities for animals to fly the flag in international competitions too. It’s always exciting watching these athletes perform at the highest level, and that’s why we were delighted when we heard that Laura Hill of Stauntonvale Gundogs and her Labrador Kitty were selected to compete for the England gundog team this season. Laura has been feeding her award-winning team ACANA for a number of years now, so we caught up with her after a busy summer of training and competing to find out what being selected means.

What is the England gundog team?

Each year a team of top handlers and their dogs are chosen to represent England in three major international competitions spread throughout the year. The team comprises both Labrador Retriever and Spaniel breeds.

Who is eligible to be selected?

Anyone who has a proven track record in competition, and who has won at least one award in a Field Trial, is eligible. Candidates are invited to a rigorous selection day in April, where they are tested across a variety of challenging scenarios. Handlers need to demonstrate that they and their dog can cope with demanding situations.

How long does it take to train a dog to that standard?

It takes several years to train a successful competition gundog, and it is often the more experienced dogs that fare better with the distracting ‘grandstand’ environments where these events take place. But it is not only about the dog. The handler needs to have the mental fortitude to think on their feet too and react quickly under the spotlight.

How has your training of the dogs developed over the years?

Being a breeder, as well as a trainer, has allowed my own ‘house style’ to develop over the years. I am breeding intelligent, biddable and stylish dogs with the required amount of drive, and this makes my job as a trainer easier. It helps to have the best ‘starting material’. In addition, I have developed a very thoughtful approach to training the dog in front of me, analysing how they are learning and adapting to their individual needs.

What role does nutrition play in the dogs’ development and progress?

Nutrition has a very important part to play in success at this level. In any sporting endeavour ‘food is fuel’ but it is also a whole lot more than that. Producing a dog that can compete at the top level requires ensuring they have the right food to complement their training and performance.

My three building blocks for success are: breeding, training, feeding. You need to get all three right. Correct nutrition supports the needs of working gundogs and keeps them at their peak in physical and mental fitness.

What advice would you give someone wanting to start training gun dogs for competitions?

For those wishing to compete with their dog I would recommend paying attention to the basics – heelwork and obedience. These are the foundation for all gundog work,  and if this is not ‘rock solid’ it is hard to advance to the higher levels. Finding a good trainer, not only with a proven track record themselves but who is a good communicator, will also be invaluable to help you along your journey.

Well done Laura and Kitty!