Evo or Nutro Ultra

[weenerdogg]

After doing some research last night and this morning mom has decided to switch us to one of these two to see how they do from there. Please let us know which your kids prefer or if there is something else they like better please let us know. thanks

Love

Deedle and Cooper

[Me&DappledDuo]

First- I'm not a fan of the Nutro brand. I have no problem with a company offering different varieties of foods- makes sense! But offering different qualities of food? That's something the REALLY crappy grocery store food companies do... I take offense that a company knows how to produce a healthy food- but still chooses to produce less healthy ones, as well. So, in my partial opinion- Ultra is a decent food- but overpriced- and supporting a company I'm not a fan of.

We're currently feeding EVO. But I'd love to do raw meals again- done right, I don't believe there's a better diet. The company I used for premade meals went out of business last year (we couldn't afford to feed all 6 of the dogs in our care their meals, anyway! ;))- and I'm not at a point where I can put the effort into doing raw right- so it's better kibbles for us.

But be warned- EVO is not right for every dog. It has TWICE the fat, TWICE the protein- it's a much richer food. A dog coming off a "lesser quality" food could have some digestive problems on this. A good idea to go slower on integrating it.

The great thing about choosing a food, though- is it's not a permanent thing. You can always switch to one that's better- in fact, variety in commercial diets is more important than most of the kibble manufacturers would lead you to believe. ;)

[weenerdogg]

I noticed that too (about nutro) and took exception to it as well. I think we are leaning towards evo start with a small bag and work it in sloooooooowwwllyyyy. I would like to learn more about raw and have joined a yahoo group so I can. I just want to make sure that I can have the time and do it properly before I start off. Thanks for your input!

[yolanda]

After the initial change over my 6 puppers are doing wonderful on the EVO. It is an "rich" food and the change needs to be done slowly.

[LUVMYGUNNER]

I mix Evo with Natural Balance.

[2rottendoxies+1]

Well I have to say my dogs are on Nutro Natural Choice. The Evo is not even offered here but all of the Nutro foods have the best ingredients and do not include corn or chicken-by-products at all so I'm wondering what you mean about one of their foods is better quality than the other when all of their foods are great quality one just has more organic ingredients than the other.

[Me&DappledDuo]

Actually, Jen- their Adult MAX line (their "low quality" line) has Corn Gluten Meal listed 6th. They also have only a single protein source in the top ingredients, chicken meal- and two wheats listed in the second and third place on the list- meaning that the food might very well be primarily made of wheat (a common allergen). They use "poultry fat"- ingredients that aren't specific to a single source are always suspect.

Their Adult Natural Choice (their "mediocre" line) Lamb and Rice formula commits the same no-nos- of lack of protein sources (Lamb Meal- followed by THREE forms- this food is primarily grain), and that delightful "poultry fat".

Their Ultra line (accepted by most to be a relatively "high quality" line) has THREE meaty protein sources- gentler grains (though more than I'd like to see in a dog food)- but still uses that ubiquitous "poultry fat".

What you feed your dogs is a highly personal choice- and you have every right to do what you understand is best. I merely wanted to explain my comment more clearly. :)

[2rottendoxies+1]

Thanks for all the info Chrissie. Here in KY we don't seem to even have alot of the brands I hear many dachshund people speak of like Evo or that brand that is breed specific I can't recall what it is called now. I just try to give my guys the best I can (Nutro is better than Purina right?) alot of breeders around her feed that since it is cheap. I'm pretty sure I've never even seen Nutro Ultra here. But I appreciate your help hope I didn't come off too defensive.:sorry:

[Orchid Crazy]

I feed Evo mixed in with Natural Balance. Wellness is another brand that is wll thought of here, just to throw another pea in the pot. I think if you stick with any of hte upper brands, you can't do wrong. Go with what is convenient and within your budget and make the change slowly.

[weenerdogg]

Orchid, what a cute baby. Always wanted a piebald. So I see alot of people mix evo with Naturla Balance. What is that about?

[Me&DappledDuo]

EVO has about twice the protein and fat of other kibbles. It's a VERY VERY VERY rich food- too much for some dogs- and borderline for others. I suspect that's why a lot of mixing happens.

Then there's the $$$ issue- Natural Balance has great foods at great prices- Innova tends to be more pricey.

And finally- why not? There's no "perfect" commercial diet- they all leave holes. Mixing things up or switching every now and then- fills up some of them. ;)

We're watching waistlines right now- if anyone bulks up too much- and reducing quantities doesn't help- we'll probaby mix something less heavy in, too.

[weenerdogg]

Makes perfect sense to me. I assume they are available at the same outlets as evo would be located at?

[Orchid Crazy]

Why thank you!!!!

The mix; well, both are great foods. Evo can be rich, is higher in calories, but a great kibble. It's based on a raw diet, lots of protein. I've been feeding Buddy Natural Balance since he came to us and have always been happy with it, when EVO came out and was so well spoken of, I added it in. Evo is harder for me to get, Natural Balance is easier. I guess by mixing them I get the best of both!

[Me&DappledDuo]

A great thing about Natural Balance- is that it's distrubuted through Petco. Nutro Ultra- you can find it at most big box pet supply stores. EVO, the rest of the Innova line, Wellness, are a little harder to get your hands on- they're pickier about who they distribute to.

[weenerdogg]

I did manage to get some evo at the local feed store which I see sells natural balance as well. Do you use kibble for both or ??? I see NB has frozen loaves, big salami like thing and kibble +. There is alot out there! Thanks again for eveyones advice. :thanx:

[Orchid Crazy]

I stick with kibble. I don't do canned - ewww - it's just a personal thing. It's easy to pack when we travel, not messy, smelly, just my preference.

For treats, I love Mother Hubbard Bitz. They are baked, healthy, tiny so they make a perfect treat each and every time he goes outside to potty. I use the Mother Hubbard puppy Bisquits for the bedtime snack.

Natural Balance has these sausage rolls, I've bought a few of the tiny ones but never finished one off. They are loaded with salt so be sure to provide tons of water. Thos things are higher in calories as well, so you'd want to do very tiny treats.

[Bobbiesmom]

We feed Bobbie Bella Evo with a spoonful of pumpkin, yogurt or green beans...She inhales the Evo first, then starts on what's left in her bowl. We used to feed her Solid Gold before Evo. The switch to Evo has been really good for her. Less gas and less poop (only 2x daily)!

[Schatz's Mom]

I don't know how I missed this thread, but here I am now! I have been feeding Schatz Innova Evo with great results. He also get a Salmon Oil capsule with his dinner.

Unfortunately Kipper can't handle the richness of that food. He was until recently eating Wellness Puppy Super5 Chicken. I just switched him to Natures Variety Premixed Raw Medallions. He loves it so far and we haven't had any tummy upsets with it.

Both get 1 tbsp of pure pumpkin and 1 tsp fat free plain yogurt at bedtime to hold their tummies over until breakfast.

[Lillie's Mama]

Lillie eats Science Diet for Puppies.

[Bella's Mom]

We feed Bella Eagle Pack puppy formula. It a holistic all natural dog food. It's what the breeder feeds all of her dachshunds and Bella seemed to do real well so we kept her on it.

[weenerdogg]

I am also looking at california natural for my itchy boy. Any input on this one?

[Chris]

I started off feeding my girls evo. The foster mom had them on Nutro max diet, but both were a little skinny and I wanted to give them something healthier.

Unfortunately, the evo took care of the "little skinny" part real quick. Holly is looking pretty good to my eye. She's still a little saggy below but from the top she has a nice figure. Mckenzie is my problem child. Her weight has increased steadily to the point where she's now weighing in at almost 22 lbs. I had her up at the vets last week (scratched her cornea again running through the bushes) and had him draw some blood to check her thyroid. She doesnt have any symptoms other than her easy accumulation of body fat, but someone may be sneaking her treats and I don't want to start the spanish inquisition until I'm sure there's not a medical reason.

Any way, I tried reducing the evo but no luck with that, just too rich. Right now they're eating Nutro Ultra diet food and a little pumpkin, but even on that diet Mckenzie is gaining weight.

[jaded2nite]

When Mya was underweight the vet had her on Hills prescription canned food. Now that she has gained weight and it where I think she looks healthy ( 9 lbs)

I started her on Royal Canin for doxies....she loves it. I thought I would have a problem taking her from canned to dry food....NO PROBLEM at all.

She is doing well on RC and her poops are less frequent.

[Poncho]

LOVE Evo!!! Will stick with it until the end, but my boy does get raw on the side to boost up the nutrient intake. He occasional gets bison knuckles, pattie, or Elk.

[Dackel-Mom]

I'm feeding "Pinnacle Duck and Potato" (highly recommendable for dogs with allergy problems ;)), and Bench&Field Holistic Blend for dogs. (It's OK - not the best, but it doesn't have Vit. K3[Menadione] in it. )
I used to feed Wellness until they decided to change their formula for the worse and also put Menadione in it. As a general rule I do not feed kibble which contains any :eekdevil: corn/corn gluten or Menadione:eekdevil: . :blush:

[Brooke]

We feed Chance Mirrek puppy plate, and he is doing awesome on it and loves the taste. My malamute is on California Natural because of some allergy issues.

[MrSpikesMom]

i feed maggie and spike natural balance RF and evo RF mixed together. they do get Nutro biscuits though but only 2 a day. they are the only brands maggie will actually eat her food with. she is a very picky eater.

[Suzanne R]

I've tried 3-4 different foods on Jack and Lexie, and they are NOT picky - they are on Natural Balance RC right now to keep their weight down and to keep the quality of the food, and they're happy with it. I'm still researching on changing over to raw. I like that Nat. Bal. is easy to get (at Petco), and so many other of the better foods are hard to find or are just WAY too pricey!

[SamsonsDad]

After watching Samson barely pick at and turn his nose up at Pro Plan, Vets Choice, Chicken Soup, Flint River, I got him to occasionally eat a mix of Wellness canned with Chicken Soup dry... But I really wanted to get him on dry only, so I tried Royal Canin Mini Puppy 33, and he loves it. He'll clean his bowl every time. Amazing. I know there are "better" foods out there, but I'd rather have Samson a normal weight eating Royal Canin then severely skinny eating food that happens to be free of any corn product.

If your pup is picky, give Royal Canin a shot. I originally got the idea to try Royal Canin because the vet prescribed some vet only type of Royal Canin for our overweight cats. The smell of the food was strong yet pleasant. It just seemed to be of good quality. And the cats took right to it. After reading reviews on Royal Canin Mini Puppy 33, and how people's dogs ate it all up, I tried the switch. The greatest thing is it really is tailored for Mini dogs, in the size of the kibble. It's a really good size for little doxies, especially mini doxies. I never understood how irish wolfhound puppies and doxie puppies should be expected to eat the same size kibble.

In any case, Samson, currently 7 months, LOVES it.

[xena777xena]

I mix the EVO wet in with Wellness because the EVO is so rich and I tend to over feed. (Food = LOVE) . I also like the EVO dry because they have "small bites" and Nola prefers smaller food. Some places will give you 10&#37; off if you buy a case, ask them, it couldn't hurt :goodluck: Also when EVO gets cold, it's like a rock, mix a little water in B4 you put it in the frig, so when you take it out < 9and nuke it for 10 seconds), it's not so hard to mix with the dry food.
:goodluck:

[LUVMYGUNNER]

I mix my Evo now with Canadea--they were getting to plump on just the Evo.

[JacksonsDaddy]

Jackson is almost completely over to EVO - Turkey. He was on Nutro for a few months last summer, and he had such bad dandruff that I knew I needed to get him off of it. Then we went to Bil-Jac. Still a little dandruff, but LOTS of self-licking!

Now that we're switching to the EVO, there's been almost no dandruff, and hopefully the licking will stop. It's really gross to pick him up and he's sticky wet! :sick012::sick012::sick012:

[Louise56]

I've been feeding Pet Promise, anyone else try it? All natural dog food that Dr. Weil feeds his dogs.

[ddpmkrupa]

HI:
We couldn't figure out why our two were tossing their cookies daily, and then last Sunday their was a posting about Nutro, so I immediately tossed that food and started them on a half and half mix of Wellness (senior) and Solid Gold (green bag). Guess what: no upset stomachs!!! Just from reading various postings I thought Evo would be too much and cause weight gain for my two. I also started to add a dollop of plain yogurt at each feeding too.

PS Thanks so much for the good nutrition information.

[xsnmodr8tion]

He has been on it for a week now,.. was on Natures Variety Raw for a month but his poops were very small (a good thing) but hard , coarse and crumbly - a problem for his current condition. Raw has been great smaller poops and fresh breath.

[Swampy]

I started Buddy on Canadea all life stages. and am happy with the resulting stools. and his growth. Got a good write up on the dog food analasis web site. Bill

[katiwest]

I do Raw. I like to get a couple of brands and different kinds of meat.

[PetMother]

My duo are on the raw diet. They LOVE it! Sammy used to not eat because of his past, but now he eats and is gaining weight (he needed it badly, to the point we were at a loss of how to make him eat and gain weight). Both are a happy and healthy doxie duo now.