feeding Evo to senior dog?

[fostermom]

I've been considering feeding Evo to the dogs but was concerned about its high protein level for my senior girl who is at least 12 (she was adopted). She just had a senior work-up and other than needing her thyroid meds bumped up and hearing a low level heart murmur, she did fine. Does anyone else feed Evo to their older dogs and how do they do on it?

[spidey]

There's no reason not to feed a food like that to ANY dog as long as the dog has normally-functioning kidneys (high protein does NOT CAUSE kidney problems, but in a dog with underfunctioning kidneys, a reduced protein diet is thought by some to ease the load on the kidneys). I love EVO, I use both varieties in my rotation feeding plan and the only reason I wouldn't feed it is if a dog didn't do well on it or didn't like it (and I wouldn't feed it to a very young puppy).

The only concern I'd have with a senior dog is that EVO can really pack on the pounds on some dogs, so you'd need to keep an eye on her weight (but you need to do that anyway, with all dogs).

[observer]

This thread made me curious about the calories in EVO; I went to their site, and unlike most sites that give you calories per CUP, they give you calories per kilogram. Hard to compare. But, based on the kg figure, I can guess that it's pretty high, and explains packing on the pounds.

On that basis, I think I would stay off of it for my old girl. I've rotated through other premium foods that I can maintain her weight on (she's on thyroid meds, too).

[spidey]

It just means you need to feed less, especially since it's high protein and low carb it's actually easier for some dogs to maintain a healthy weight on EVO, as long as you realize that you might not be feeding as much as you are of a food that contains grain. Either way, I think it's healthier to feed as little grain as possible (I feed none).

[brunie's mom]

Evo is very high in fat, and that means that dogs that are prone to getting fat (senior dogs) can eat very little of this food.
I am feeding my senior girl, Orijen Senior. This food is the same type of idea as EVO, but does have less fat. China is eating about 3/4 cup twice a day, and she weights about 75-78 lbs. Her senior blood work-up was great a couple of months ago.

Does EVO have a senior formula? It will probably have the same good ingredients, just less fat.

Gina

[fostermom]

One of the foods I currently rotate through is the regular Innova and ALL my dogs do tend to pack on pounds with it...I feed less but guess I haven't figured out the "correct" amount to feed yet. The cats are on Evo and as they are true carnivores, I feel this is an appropriate diet for them. They are doing fine on it and not gaining weight and they free feed. I've been holding off on feeding Evo to the dogs as they are omnivores so a certain amount of carbs in their diets seems appropriate (to me). But I keep hearing such good things about Evo on this board that I was considering it as a part of a rotation....right now with all the recalls (plus the possibility of a new recall with the tylenol contamination), I'm really nervous about which brands I include.
---Has anyone seen an improvement in health/coat when switching their dogs from other premium brands to Evo?
---Right now my old girl is getting 3/4 cup of kibble twice a day with about 1/3 cup protein (chicken/liver/venison/cottage cheese/turkey) added per meal and holding her weight well with that....how much can you reduce their food and still have sufficient fiber/bulk to keep from them from getting constipated or having other problems?
---If I did feed Evo, would I need to stop adding extra protein (she turns her nose up at the food if it's not in there)?

[brunie's mom]

There is carbs in EVO...it's just not grain carbs....they use potatoes instead.
I was just looking on the Natura website...and they do have a EVO Reduced Fat formula. The Evo Large Bites has 43% protein and 22.22% fat !!! The Evo Reduced Fat formula has 52.50% protein, and 15% fat.
The ingredients in both formulas are the same...the only difference is less fat in the reduced fat....but it also raises the protein levels very high.

I think you should stick with the Innova and add a bit of meat,etc. if they are doing well on it.

Gina

[fbkeays]

My Duncan is 10. He was neutered at age 3. His thyroid levels went from the upper range to the lower range when he was neutered. I started him on Innova Senior when he was about 3 1/2 because I could not keep weight off of him. It has been a very long battle to keep him from being grossly over weight. He has only been over weight.
Last year I switched all the dogs over to EVO red meat- including Duncan. He lost weight on it. It was an immediate difference. It was only a few pounds, but I saw the difference without having to weigh him. When I finally got him on thyroid meds earlier this year, I had to double his kibble in order to maintain his weight. I think the EVO was the best thing for him. He is otherwise very healthy, but the EVO really improved things.
I had not intended to put Duncan on the EVO except a friend of mine with an old (12 year old) collie told me that her old guy was on it. She said that her dog perked up and was looking much better with the EVO, then with the premium senior food he was on. So I tried it. I do think the no grains, higher protein is a good thing for him. He also loves it, not that he has ever missed a meal...
It shouldn't hurt to try it for a couple of months and judge for yourself. Every dog is different. I am glad I did make the change.

[chivas]

Im glad I read this thread. I lost my 17 yr old notweiler almost 2 years ago and instead of having a problem with too much weight, I had just the opposite. All his life he was a thin dog and not a good eater, as he aged he became even thinner and more picky over his food. I had an EXTREMELY hard time trying to keep him from losing more weight (he was a whippet/chow mixed who never weighed over 33lbs his whole life, vets wanted him at 40lbs - and as he aged he went down to 27lbs), I fed that dog ANYTHING he would eat and being finicky one day he would love something - next day wouldnt touch it. I didnt know EVO was so high in calories, good to keep in mind.