Innova EVO why so high in protein?

I've read the posts and dog food rating link so I have a good idea which brands are well received and which are in my area. I realize I will need to see which my dogs system handles and that he likes the taste enough to eat still. But the EVO one confuses me.

As far as I can see, EVO is the only one with almost double the protein. Or maybe because I am in Canada, its the only one I see with 48% protein.

Is that much protein proved better specifically for small breeds so other manufacturers cant be bothered to cater to a small market? I know many of you use it and love it, I'm just confused (and maybe a little apprehensive) because I havent found anyone else that does it.

You know what I'm really trying to do here? Is to get someone to say oh just buy x :? and stop fussing

When I was searching around here for food for Wesley, I found that a lot of people really liked and used the Innova EVO. So I just went with that.

This is what I found on their website....

Health Foods from the Basic 5

Natura Pet Products is proud to offer petfoods prepared with a wide variety of healthful ingredients from each of the five basic food groups: fresh lean meats, wholesome fruits and vegetables, natural grains, vitamin-rich potatoes, milk and cottage cheese.

Variety is the key to meeting your pet's many nutritional needs. Innova's healthy mix of nutritious ingredients assures a balanced and enjoyable meal every time.

The Dairy Group -- Cottage cheese provides plenty of nutrient-rich calcium, protein, and vitamins A and B.

The Protein Group -- Protein is an integral part of your pet's diet. And Innova's fresh turkey, chicken and herring meats bring more to the food dish than just good flavor - they are lean, excellent sources of protein. High quality meat protein provides all the essential amino acids required for the proper nutrition of both dogs and cats.

The Vegetable Group -- A bounty of fresh vegetables are found in Innova petfoods: carrots, Idaho potatoes, alfalfa sprouts and whole clove Gilroy-grown garlic (high in selenium). These vegetables add the antioxidant vitamins A and C, carbohydrates, fiber and various minerals to the diet. And because these vegetables are fresh, whole, and not pre-processed, the flavors and most of the important nutrients - including the "protector" antioxidants - are locked in.

The Fruit Group -- There's now a new twist to the old axiom about apples: "An apple a day keeps the veterinarian away!" Apples - and the nutrients in them - help your pet stay healthy. The fresh, whole apples used in Innova petfoods provide important "protector" nutrients, as well as plenty of carbohydrates and fiber, essential for your pet's good health. The antioxidant vitamin C helps to form healthy new cells and heal wounds. Potassium promotes neuromuscular development. And the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin A aid in good vision, bone and tooth development, and building resistance to infections.

The Grain Group -- All of the grains in Innova pet foods are natural whole grains, with the exception of Innova EVO which contains no grain. These grains are important sources of B vitamins, carbohydrates, iron, fiber, and selenium. Innova's nutritious barley and brown and white rice provide important complex carbohydrates to support pet activity and exercise.

Maybe that makes it make sense now. It said no grain is used in the EVO brand, so perhaps the extra protein is to substitute those calories but without the cereal which might be a problem for say a cavalier that gains weight easier? Do I have that right?

Oh and hating to cook, I wish I had such nutrition packed into a pour sort of deal :lol:

Kody said:

...You know what I'm really trying to do here? Is to get someone to say oh just buy x :? and stop fussing

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I have the same questions you do--i wonder why other brands don't have a high protein food comparable to EVO, with no grain. There's apparently a market for it, and they al have 10 million versions of their food, so why not a no grain/high meat protein? It makes me wonder, is there some reason, some negative reason, why they don't do it, a health problem or something?

i started feeding zack EVO just to try it to see if he would like it, because i hadn't found a kibble he liked, and he really did like it so i stuck with it even though he got smelly gas from it, but that was taken care of by adding digeestive enzymes. The EVO turned his stool hard, to a point that kind of alarmed me, but not dried out hard, just...solid and not squishy. Easy to pick up. He suddenly stopped loving it after eating regular Purina for a few days when we had a dog house guest and i was using her kibble mixed with the EVO, for her benefit. But i kept feeding it to him even though he didnt' love it anymore.

My understanding, mainly from the company's literature , is that it's supposed to have the superior health benefit similar to if the dog was eating raw meat in the wild, the claim was that grains are not natural for dogs, and more meat protein is more natural. But then later i read somewhere that dogs in the wild eat herbivorous prey, which do have grains in their stomachs, and the wild dogs eat the stomach and intestine and everything in it, so grains ARE part of their natural diet.

so i dont' know. A vet recently suggested mixing the EVO with one of the regular type kibbles because she said that the EVO would be harder on the digestive tract for a dog that was sensitive. She first asked me if he had any problem with it and i mentioned the gas, and that's when she suggested mixing it. Since i have been mixing it (and i'm mixing it with the Innova regular kibble) the gas is gone, the stool is a little softer.

You have a good idea since I am sitting on the fence here. Maybe I will take 1/2 innova EVO because I see the good of it, and 1/2 of another to satisfy my worries over the loaded protein. Ah compromise. Sorry, its the marketing career at play here - my brain is just wired to look up/down/left/right and then when I think I am done dig deeper. Truely I drive myself crazy somedays! :sl*p:

Kosmo is on Evo - something you have to remember about the Evo though is that since there is so much protien you feed a lot less of a ration than the other foods (which have so many substitutees in them). Kosmo is eating about 1/2 cup per day of Evo and feeding instructions for his size of lets say.. eukanuba are a lot more than 1/2 cup!

I came across this link while looking into my dog food choices. It was a small control group study but may be useful knowledge for some. Dont get me wrong, I'm not on a high protein rampage - I actually respect so many people have great results with it and its listed as one of the best out there. But if someone had a problem with aggressive behavior (which cavaliers truely dont have that issue) then this link might be of interest.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10953712&dopt=Abstract

The reason dog kibble is high in grain is because it is NEEDED to cement the kibble together. I know Innova EVO claims it has no grains, but it substitutes potato in, which is just another starch. The diet is very high protein, more similar to what wild canines would eat (as far as kibble goes).

Adult, nonpregnant, nonlactating dogs do NOT need grains in their diet. As far as this info goes, I'm not sure what the appropriate diet for active sled dogs is, but in general adult dogs just don't need it.

There are also studies out there that indicate that carbs lead to hyperactivity in dogs, sorry I'm too lazy to find them right now - but I'll look soon. High protein will harm kidneys that are already damaged. Meaning - high protein is fine for dogs/cats that are NOT in kidney failure, and it CANNOT damage healthy kidneys.

The grain that wild canines can ingest from their prey is already predigested by the prey. Also - I've heard that canines will shake most of the material out of the intestines before consuming them - I'm unsure if this is true or not.

And finally, comparatively, canned food usually has proportionally higher protein than kibble because the grain is not needed to process it.

thanks misha's mom for your info. Interesting.

I just know that zack's stool is really different on EVO than on the higher grain ratio food, it's a dramatic difference, it has to mean something. it's very firm and solid. I don't know if this is a good sign or a bad sign for the dog's body, but it's sure easier to clean up.


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Wow, you know your dog food But seriously, thank you I found this information really interesting. I fed our old dog half kibble and half canned simply because it looked more editable to me and she went wild the first time she ate it (I didnt start till she was 9). Maybe it was the added protein she liked. I assumed canned or kibble where the same nutritionally and came down to packaging preference.

judy said:

it's sure easier to clean up.

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If my husband wanders onto this board and reads this, there will be no question what our dog will eat. It's his only complaint over dog ownership - yard duty :lol:

:lol: Neither of us minds yard duty when they're on Evo!! :lol:

Guess who's just been put onto Evo??!! lol

I was going to switch Mary Alice to Wellness but after reading this, she's on Evo.

The rescue lady had her on grocery store brand kibble, we added some NRG dehydrated food & warm water.

She had to be on soft food for a month....today we bought the Evo and she "wolfed" it down.

Hope her poops are solid with such a sudden switch. ;D

Zippy, if she does develop the runs, it may be caused by the sudden switching of foods. I found that I had to switch my 3 gradually to the Evo, and so did some other members.

Thanks Cathy, We don't need that over Christmas!!

Zippy said:

Thanks Cathy, We don't need that over Christmas!!

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also, when I first gave zack pure EVO, he had strong smelling gas, something he'd never had at all before. i don't think anyone else has reported this and your mileage may vary, but if you do smell anything, just want to share that in our case, he didn't have any other effects from it, the stool was very good as in firm and not mushy, the only thing was the gas which didn't seem to bother him any. Sprinkling NaturVet digestive enzymes powder, on the advice of the pet supply store guy, got rid of the smelly gas. Later, on vet advice, i started mixing EVO and regular Innova about half and half, and no longer sprinkle the digestive enzymes on it, and there is no longer a gas smell.