Acana Classics Beef and Barley (All Life Stages, Dry)
Share
Ingredients (verbatim and in label order, per manufacturer product page): Beef, beef meal, pearled barley, whole peas, oat groats, pork fat, pork meal, whole oats, lentil fiber, natural pork flavor, pea starch, fish oil, potassium chloride, vitamin E supplement, dried kelp, salt, choline chloride, DL-methionine, taurine, zinc proteinate, mixed tocopherols (preservative), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, whole apples, whole butternut squash, whole carrots, collard greens, whole pears, whole pumpkin, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, citric acid (preservative), rosemary extract, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product.
Guaranteed analysis (as fed, per manufacturer): Crude protein (min) 25%, Crude fat (min) 15%, Crude fiber (max) 6%, Moisture (max) 12%. Calorie content (calculated): metabolizable energy 3,305 kcal/kg, 397 kcal per standard 8 fl oz cup, with 26 percent of calories from protein, 35 percent from carbohydrates and 39 percent from fat. AAFCO, reproduced as printed: ACANA Classics Beef * Barley Recipe is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages, except growth of large size dogs (70 lb or more as an adult) (per manufacturer).
Two things on this label are worth saying plainly rather than smoothing over. First, the AAFCO statement as published on the product page prints an asterisk where the ampersand belongs, Beef * Barley, and it is reproduced above exactly as printed because this library does not rewrite AAFCO statements. Second, and more useful to anyone actually choosing a food: this recipe excludes growth of large size dogs, while its two siblings, Classics Chicken and Barley and Classics Salmon and Barley, both include it. All three publish an identical guaranteed analysis of 25 percent protein, 15 percent fat, 6 percent fiber and 12 percent moisture, and an identical 3,305 kcal/kg. So the difference in the life stage claim is not visible in any of the headline numbers. Calcium and phosphorus are normally what decide a large breed growth claim, and this is the one recipe of the three whose product page does not publish them, so there is no way to check the exclusion against figures. If you have a large breed puppy, that exclusion is the line that matters, and the beef recipe is the one of the three to avoid for that job.
Consolidated from publicly available manufacturer information (link above), compiled Oct 24, 2026. Not tested or evaluated by Sniff and Shift. Not medical advice, verify on current packaging and consult your veterinarian.
Questions about Acana Classics Beef and Barley (All Life Stages, Dry)
Can large breed puppies eat it?
No, not per the maker's own statement. The AAFCO statement covers All Life Stages except growth of large size dogs at 70 lb or more as an adult. The Classics chicken and salmon recipes do include large breed growth, so those are the siblings to look at instead.
How much protein does it have?
Crude protein 25% as-fed minimum, with 3,305 kcal/kg or 397 kcal per 8 fl oz cup. These are the maker's published figures, not our measurements.
Why does the AAFCO statement have an asterisk in it?
Because the manufacturer prints it that way on the product page, writing Beef * Barley where an ampersand belongs. We reproduce AAFCO statements verbatim rather than correcting them, so the typo is preserved above.
What is the first ingredient?
Beef, followed by beef meal and then pearled barley. Note that the added fat and the second meat are both pork, so this is not a single-protein beef diet.
Source: Acana product page (acana.com). Figures are the maker published values; check the bag for the current label.
Want to see how it stacks up? Use the dog food comparison tool to put any two foods next to each other.
