Romanwild wrote:I've been hearing that since it came out and no one has produced anything with real science behind it. Personally I don't beleive there is anything wrong with it short or long term.
The problems with EVO and any food with 42% protein has been discussed many times. I'm tired and bogged down with other problems and the last thing I want to do is to get into a big debate about EVO. But I would not feed it even if it were free and I feel strongly about that.
When I asked the distributor in my area, he said it was selling well and most folks mixed it with another food. I told him my concerns about the protein being to high and causing problems, but he shrugged it off by saying it was like feeding raw meat.
This kibble is no substitute for feeding raw. Raw meat has 70% moisture so it is not at all like this EVO food. And I sure can't see where many pet dogs need 42% protein. Maybe it is ok to feed for short times and mixed with another food or mixed with raw, I don't know. But I would not risk my dog's health to feed it.
The food is too new for there to be any long term studies done on it and to be honest, I would not trust the Natura Company that makes it 100%, they are the ones who had batches of tainted food a few years ago and denied any problem even though many dogs died from the bad food.
But there are several know instances of it being fed and causing problems. A lady on Pit Bull Pets changed over to EVO from feeding raw and both her dogs had a horrid time with the EVO. It made them sick, they drank tons of water, and she had to change them off the EVO within 6 months. I'd provide a link and quote it but PBP was hacked about a year ago and that thread disappeared so I can't show it. Too bad I did not copy her post...
And just recently on PBF there was yet another EVO thread:
One member's mother fed it for 6 months to her 2 dogs and had blood work done before changing to EVO and after feeding it for 6 months. I have asked her permission to post this and I may have to take it down if she is not happy about my posting it, like I said, my on line time right now is short! The results showed elevated kidney and liver functions. Why risk your dog's life for a fad food?
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=42658
"My mom put her dogs on Evo at about 8 months, their kidney and liver finctions rose to the high side of normal and the vet had us take them off the food..everything returned to normal aftea few weeks.
IMHO this is not a good food to feed dogs unless yuou are willing to blood test them every six months to ensure they are not being harmed by the high protein content. It is also high in fat and some dogs cannot tolerate that ether..makes them gain weight and/or gives them loose stools."
-----------------------
"well I base my comments on blood tests done by my moms vet...she had tests before and after they were on the food. Normal before, elevated kidney and liver functions while on it..and back to normal after being taken off it...I think that is a little more conclusive than looking at their waist line...and my mom for the record fed her 40lb dogs 3/4 of a cup twice a day so she was not overfeeding them this food.
I think so me may do fine on it, my experience is you need to make sure to check your dogs kidneys if they are on this food..it is like peope who stay on Atkins in the induction period for life...it may not be the healthiest
choice.
I also do not believe that dogs do not needs grains and only need protein. They do not need corn and wheat which are known allergens, but veggies and whole grains are as good for them as they are for people...that is where their muscles get glycogen from so they have the stamina and endurence for their activities. Life and health is about balance and any extreme diets be they for dogs or people are never the answer...but that is just my opinion."
-----------------------------
"no worries they are fine now..they are shar peis..they were about 8 month
when she started them and 6 mnths later took them off"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And in closing, I will post two articles from a very knowledgeable person who has been in dogs for years and has a vast medical and working knowledge. This is posted with permission from the author:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am astonished that a company at that level would create such a bass-ackwards feed. I would personally prefer to see 42% fat and 22% protein, as it would meet the needs of a performance dog much more accurately. Since this product is so UNnatural, I would heisitate to conduct a study on how many dogs will die of kidney failure by their owners reading the hype and switching to it.
It is criminally-dishonest to try to compare ANY dry kibble to feeding raw, whole animals.
Why?
Because raw muscle tissue is 70% WATER. You read that right, raw muscle tissue is 70% WATER. That means the actual protein-percentage that the muscle FIBER provides is in reality very low, in addition to which (in its raw state) said protein is fortified with ENZYMES and LOTS OF WATER to aid the animal in digesting it. Go ahead and read the label of any CANNED feed, with whole animal tissue, and you will see a very LOW protein content and a very HIGH water content to reflect the above.
In creating this "Evo" feed, Innova has actually created a feed that is exactly bass-ackwards from natural raw tissue ... by creating a very HIGH protein content and a very LOW water content ... with ALL OF THE DIGESTIVE ENZYMES BURNED OFF in the kibbling process. The effects of this totally bungled strategy will, quite literally, RAVAGE a dog internally trying to process this stuff.
The body NEEDS water, and it NEEDS enzymes, in order to process protein. Lots of water, lots of enzymes, and a modest amount of raw (not cooked) protein. By contrast, this "Evo" product has a ridiculous amount of protein, almost NO moisture, and NO enzymes. How can that, in any way, or in any form of good conscience, be called "just like raw?"
Remember, the kidneys are a FILTRATION SYSTEM. Undigested protein gets passed THROUGH the kidneys as nitrogeneous waste. In a normal, raw feed, the dog's body has very little protein that is "wasted," as it has plenty of enzymes to process the modest amount actually eaten, plus plenty of water to go with it to ease and facilitate the passing of any waste through the kidneys.
In this feed it will be just the opposite. There will be a tremendous amount of protein burdening the system, no enzymes to aid in digesting it, and virtually no water to assist the kidneys (filters) in passing the
nitrogeneos waste into the urine.
What do you think happens to any filtration system when it is over-burdened with content, and without enough water to help pass the particles through the filters? The answer is IT GETS CLOGGED-UP.
Well, what do you think happens to a dog when his kidneys (filters) get clogged-up with too much protein? The answer is he begins to go into KIDNEY FAILURE.
It is my personal opinion that anyone would be wise to steer clear of this UNnatural feed, and I would also steer clear of the company that makes it too ... as the Natura company clearly has no moral conscience in its
manufacturing and marketing of this product.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++