Eagle Pack vs Innova

I was given a coupon for the BIG bag of EP Holistic.  Thor was my guina pig.  He ate it fine, since my dogs know that they are gonna eat what they get or wait until the next meal....BUT, I had to feed more since it is lower in kcals and his stools were a MESS.  I've fed Innova for over 2 years now and mine all do very well on it.

I have never tried Innova. I'm not in the same boat as Glenda with the kcals and weight either. I feed EP Holistic fish and oatmeal. It has a distinct fish smell, but all three love it. Their coats are much softer and their stools are nice and firm.

Every dog is different so if you like them both I'd say try both and see what conclusion you come to. Our personal experience is that neither one worked out. We always had soft stools and digestive problems on Innova and they just didn't really like Eagle Pack Fish & Oatmeal. I didn't see any improvements with feeding Eagle Pack, so I decided not to buy something they weren't excited about again. I think Innova has better ingredients and like Glenda said, you'd feed less of it, but there are a lot of stories about dogs that just can't handle Innova for whatever reason.

  Jessie can't try Innova  because she's allergic to chicken. I rotate the Eagle Pack Fish, Duck, and Lamb and she does very well on all three; has lots of energy, a very shiny coat, and her stools are small and firm. It does have less kilocalories per cup than Innova but I only have to feed her about 2 and a third cups to maintain her 62 lb weight and she is walked about 8 to 9 hours a week and sometimes longer.

Eagle Pack Holistic fish was the first super premium brand I tried and since we've been very happy with the results (small firm stools, shiny coat, toned muscles, good energy level, no health problems, etc), I've had no reason to switch or try other brands like Innova. Different people/dogs have different experiences with different brands. I think that's probably the main reason people use what they use...whatever works best for them.

I've fed both.  I like both, but Eagle Pack is easier to get and dogs like it better. 
 
I have several dogs that can't have barley or chicken that are ingredients in Innova- some can't have the high kcal w/o getting down to just counting kibble.  Price wise even with feeding more with the EP, it is still cheaper.  It runs $33 a bag vs $45 for Innova in my area and the store that carries EP is less than 8 miles, I have to drive to get Innova in a very high traffic area and with gas prices it ads to the price increase. 

It runs $33 a bag vs $45 for Innova

 
Is that for the 16.5 lb bag?  I thought it sounded really reasonable but then I checked a couple of sites to see, but it looks like it the largest bag is 16.5 lbs.  Is that true?  The food looks great, but I'm buying Natural Balance and paying $42 but it's for a 30 lb. bag and I thought that was a bit steep.

I've fed both and me and my dogs much prefer innova,i think innova has the better ingredients.My dogs coats and poops wernt very good on EP,they dont seem to do well high grain diets.
I'm not sure of the amounts EP have but it just seems to have more grain than meat.....

Cathy,
EP Holistics come in 6.6lb, 15lb & 16.5lb, and 30 & 33lb depending on the "flavor" you buy.
All of the "flavors" are available in the 6.6lb size. The Holistic fish and duck are also available in the 15lb and 30lb bags and the lamb and chicken are also available in the 16.5lb and the 33lb bags.
We retail the chicken, fish and duck "flavors" in the larger sizes for $42.00 and the lamb is 39.95. We are just a small business and don't buy the HUGE quantities that some of the large stores do, so our prices might be a bit higher. It pays to check out the store locator on the EP site to find a store near you. Also, I would recommend calling ahead to make sure they still carry it and have what you want available to save time and gas! Another thing is, you might want to try a smaller bag at first, just to make sure that your dog can handle it. All dogs are different in what they can eat.
I don't think one is superior to the other unless your dog does well on it. They are both excellant foods as it some of the other brands.
 

Thanks Renee.  I'll check out the local feed store.  They carry quite a few of the better brands.  I don't know why, but the idea of oatmeal in the Duck & Oatmeal, sounds healthier than the Duck & Potato.  Duck seems to be working okay but I'd like to try a little variety for a change and I've heard nothing but good things about Eagle Pack.  Looks like the price would be comparable, so that's a plus.

I have a Dane, Eagle was trial tested for large/giant breeds for several generations, so I feed Eagle and never tried any other for Bubblegum.   

Tried both, but my Lab and Pug greatly prefer the Innova over the Eagle Pack.

I'm not sure of the amounts EP have but it just seems to have more grain than meat.....

 
 I asked them what percentage of their holistic formulas are meat meal and they are 40% duck, lamb, or fish meal depending on the formula, which is very good for an extruded kibble. I pay about $22.00 for a 16.5 lb. bag at the local feed store. By the way, all their grains are herbicide free.

Different people/dogs have different experiences with different brands. I think that's probably the main reason people use what they use...whatever works best for them.

 
 Very well said; I agree.