Innova vs Innova EVO

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BostonBanker

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I'm curious about people's choices between the two types of Innova. My dog is currently on "regular" Innova (green bag), because of some concerns a dog trainer friend of mine has expressed regarding the EVO. I know both are high quality foods, but I like the idea of the EVO. I tried Meg on some raw food (a little raw chicken, and a sample of Oma's Pride) and she wouldn't touch it. I did feed her a bit of EVO yesterday (I'm housesitting and forgot her breakfast, so I gave her some of their food), and she loved it.

I know the cost is a bit different, but for the small amount Meg eats (less than a cup a day), I'm not concerned about that. I'd love to know if other people have reasons for sticking to the regular Innova vs EVO.
 
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Fran27

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Well, first my boys are still not totally grown up, so if we switch it will be a while, probably another year or so until they are both past 2 years, as they are large breeds (although Tips is only 45lb).

Second, it's just harder to find here, the place we go to doesn't always have it so it would be a bit of a pain. That, and they do so well on Innova adult that I'm not sure I see the point of spending more money.

So, still deciding.
 
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jess2416

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I'm with Fran :) I am still deciding also whether or not to switch chloe to the EVO... She is on Innova (green bag) also...
 
Brattina88

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I originally bought the EVO for two (main) reasons. One, because I had a terribley picky Shih Tzu that I was fostering, and Two because I had to feed so little of the regular because the grains and all that made Maddie blow up like a blimp. EVO was, and still is the only dry food Carly would eat well.
Now I have Missy, who picks at food here and there, and doesn't really eat a lot. I feed less with the EVO, it's more concentrated, and Missy likes that as well :)
 
juliefurry

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My vet reccomended Evo for Hannah. I asked about the regular formula and she said Evo is better for Hannah's situation so we went with Evo and Evo canned and Hannah loves it. She has gained, atleast I think so, some body to her and doesn't look like as much of a skeleton as she used to.
 
Toaster

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I've just now switched Stogie to Innova EVO. I actually wanted the green bag (regular) one, but the feedstore only carried the EVO in the small 3.3 lbs bags. My 9 lbs Doxun only eats about a cup a day (give/take), so I'm sure 3+ lbs will last us about a month or so...

Is there a significant difference in the foods? Stogie actually ate both - the green bag and the evo before - and he ate both of them quite well. Seemed to like them both, he's been eating the Evo now for a couple of days and like one of the other posters mentioned - he eats "here and there" more so than guzzles it down so to speak... I have noticed after eating he gets pretty tired :) kind of like we do after a big meal :D

Kind of lost my train of though there for a second :eek: I guess my question was: Is there any down side to mixing he foods if the option comes up? I mean in other words, if for whatever reason the store was out of the EVO, and only had the green bag - couldn't I easily give him one vs the other without it being a big deal?
 
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Toaster, it is good to switch a dog's diet occasionally. It helps to keep them from getting bored with the same old food day in and day out. We will switch canned food that we feed Hannah and feed her different canned Evo products. Not so much the kibble because our vet reccomended it and she seems to really enjoy it.
 
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I'm glad to hear someone reinforce what I felt :) I have read change food gradually, etc... The few times we've switched his food, its been cold turkey so to speak, and he's never had an issue with it.......... except he doesn't like Alpo canned food, well he likes it - it doesnt like him... :eek:
 
ihartgonzo

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I feed Evo on days when I'm too lazy/busy to prepare Raw, and I feel it's a nice occasional addition. They never get sick at all between a Raw day and an Evo day, so it works well in that sense. I don't feel it's *that* paralell to Raw (I mean as far as kibble goes), because the protein levels are much higher, and it does still contain additives & potato. I often feed my puppy California Natural when he gets kibble, because I want him to have variety and I like some of the ingredients that CN has compared to Evo (and doesn't have, to be honest).

The decision should definitely be based on the individual dog, Evo is awesome but it isn't the have all and end all to kibble.
 
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ihartgonzo

I don't feel it's *that* paralell to Raw (I mean as far as kibble goes), because the protein levels are much higher
Click to expand...
Ding, ding! I was waiting to see if anyone would metion the protein levels. That's what I was really interested in, but didn't want to bias the replies.

EVO is, what 42% protein? I thought that I'd read somewhere that raw diets are usually 10 - 20%. Why is the EVO so high?

Has anyone seen a negative effect on behavior due to the high protein?

At this point, I've decided to stick with the regular Innova; just curious now.
 
ihartgonzo

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There are probably others who can give a better answer about Evo, but this is my opinion...

So, any kibble with high meat content WILL have high protein levels. The reason Raw has lower protein levels is because of the massive amount of moisture... and as we know, kibble contains very very little moisture, the moisture is sucked out of the meat. For instance, I give them dried chicken treats that are 100% chicken breast and have 65% protein! I would never feed this to a growing large breed, because of such high protein levels, but I think it's great for most other dogs. I do feel Evo was primarily designed for people who feed 25-75% Raw, to add to the Raw diet, and I think it's most useful in that situation.

I do understand caution of such high protein & fat, but I don't worry about it with my medium-sized dogs, and they've done great on it. It actually helped my BC slim down.
 
Brattina88

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^^ I agree...

It also improved my Cocker's health. She slimmed down to an appropriate weight in a healthy way. She gained muscle instead of just losing wieght, her skin and coat also improved. I was cautious before I started feeding EVO, I was a little wary of the high protein %'s as well, but she not only loves it, but is thriving on this food.

I wish I could feed raw - but right now I just can't.
For me, its the next best thing :)
 
juliefurry

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My vet specifically reccomended Evo for Hannah and she LOVES it. She has no adverse reactions and we also do supplement the Evo with raw now too (morning meals are raw and the evening is Evo kibble and canned Innova). I love that what I feed Hannah contains no grains though, and Hannah always ate her food but not as readily as she does with the Evo and the raw. I just think it's personal preference for most people on what they want and don't want their dogs to be eating.
 
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Toaster said:
My 9 lbs Doxun only eats about a cup a day (give/take), so I'm sure 3+ lbs will last us about a month or so...
Click to expand...
A bit off topic, but that looks like an awful lot of EVO for a 9lb dog. My two only get 1 1/2 cup of innova adult a day, and they are 45 and 86lbs!
 
Mordy

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Fran is correct there, even a super-active 9 lb Miniature Dachshund would rarely need more than about 3/4 cup a day
 
Mordy

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BostonBanker said:
Ding, ding! I was waiting to see if anyone would metion the protein levels. That's what I was really interested in, but didn't want to bias the replies.

EVO is, what 42% protein? I thought that I'd read somewhere that raw diets are usually 10 - 20%. Why is the EVO so high?
Click to expand...
Sorry BostonBanker, I missed this part of your question yesterday.

You can not directly compare the nutrient content of dry food and wet or fresh food because they have a vastly different moisture content. To do that, you have to convert all items to dry matter basis - "mathematically remove" the water content so to speak.

Two examples:

Innova Evo:
Protein 42%, Fat 22%, Fiber 2.5%, Moisture 10%
Converted to DMB (0%) moisture that would be (rounded up):
Protein 46.7%, Fat 24.4%, Fiber 2.8%

A raw, boneless, skinless chicken breast:
Protein 21%, Fat 9%, Fiber 0%, Moisture 70%
Converted to DMB:
Protein 70%, Fat 30%, Fiber 0%
 
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