vs
Acana vs Essence

Acana vs. Essence

In this comparison article for Acana vs Essence, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Acana and Essence, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Essence vs Acana comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Acana Review Page or Essence Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Essence vs. Acana

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Acana Dog Food vs. Essence Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodAcanaEssence
Crude Protein36.4%40.9%
Crude Fat20.5%19.3%
Crude Fiber6.2%5.7%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodAcanaEssence
Crude Protein44.2%46.2%
Crude Fat19.8%32.6%
Crude Fiber8.1%6.0%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Acana dry recipes contain 4.40% less protein than Essence dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Essence and Acana. For wet dog foods, Essence and Acana provide roughly the same amount of protein.


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):

  • Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
  • Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve skin and coat health
  • Improve the palatially of your dog's food

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, Essence provides significantly more fat (about 12.75% more).


As you can see, Essence and Acana guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Acana typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.10% more).

Acana Cat Food vs. Essence Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodAcanaEssence
Crude Protein39.7%44.1%
Crude Fat19.1%18.5%
Crude Fiber4.3%4.8%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

The table shows that Acana provides far less protein than Essence. The difference in protein content is roughly 4.41%.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve the health of skin/coat
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
  • Maintain healthy blood pressure

Essence and Acana both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands.

Acana Pet Food Ingredients vs. Essence Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Acana.

Heart
Kidney

Product Safety: Recall History of Acana & Essence?

According to our records, neither brand has issued any product recalls. Therefore, consumers have no reason to question the safety of Acana or Essence pet food products.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodAcanaEssence
Per Pound$3.57$4.11
Per Calorie$0.0023$0.0024
Dry Cat FoodAcanaEssence
Per Pound$4.83$4.64
Per Calorie$0.0028$0.0027

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Acana or Essence, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Acana or Essence will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Acana and Essence. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Acana Pet Foods

You can purchase Acana pet foods from the following stores:


34 Recipes In-Stock Today

34 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Essence Pet Foods

You can purchase Essence pet food products from these retailers:


12 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductAcanaEssence
Dry Dog Food46 Recipes6 Recipes
Wet Dog Food6 Recipes6 Recipes
Dog Treats9 TreatsNone
Dry Cat Food10 Recipes3 Recipes
Wet Cat FoodNone3 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

Top Rated Acana Recipes

Dog Food
Acana
Highest Protein Appalachian Ranch Recipe
Check Price
Dog Food
Acana
Highest Protein Meadowland Recipe
Check Price
Dog Food
Acana
Premium Pate Puppy Recipe In Bone Broth
Check Price
Cat Food
Acana
Grasslands With Free-Run Chicken, Duck & Turkey, and Quail For Cats
Check Price

Top Rated Essence Recipes

Dog Food
Essence
Original Ranch & Meadow Recipe For Dogs
Check Price
Dog Food
Essence
Original Air & Gamefowl Recipe For Dogs (Canned)
Check Price
Cat Food
Essence
Original Air & Gamefowl Recipe For Cats
Check Price
Cat Food
Essence
Original Ranch & Meadow Recipe For Cats (Canned)
Check Price