Nutro Vs. Innova Evo?

Lol...the difference between Innova EVO and Nutro's new holistic line is that nutro has grains and EVO doesn't.....that rep needs to read up on something before they talk about it wrongly.  There is a Nutro Ultra line, but it doesn't even compare to Innova EVO or Nature's Variety.  Don't worry, your not missing out on anything!

Wow, there are a lot more differences between Innova EVO and Nutro besides Innova having fruits! The biggest being that EVO has no grains! I think their reps need to do a little more research before trying to convert people to their food. 
 
I also love that Nutro advertises that their food has "no ground corn", but DOES have corn gluten meal. How misleading could their advertising be!?

Having said all that though, I think Nutro is better than about 90% of the foods sold at Petsmart and most consumers are extremely uneducated.... so at least Nutro would probably be a step up from what most people were already feeding.

so at least Nutro would probably be a step up from what most people were already feeding

 
I agree with you on that point. I do not and will not say that Nutro is better than any other dog food, but it is apparently the right one for my dog. As is often pointed out, not one dog food will work for every dog. Some dogs do poorly on Nutro and would be better on TO or EVO. As for carbs, your dog is getting them whether they eat grains or fruits and vegetables. I've noticed that the prey model raw will include veg or fruits for balance and to "mimick" stomach contents in a kill. I've known some people local to me that have always had good results with Nutro, usually with large breed hunting dogs, such as Labs. Then, again, I know some people with Coonhounds and an Am Staff that feed Science Diet and they are pleased with the results.

There are a plethora of differences between Nutro (regardless of what line) and Innova. Nevermind Innova Evo. Dog food evalution is so simple, it doesn't have to be rocket science. Now I realize that not every food works for every dog, but I am a firm believer that through research and supplementation that any dog could do well on a food that is of higher quality that science diet, iams, eukanuba, kibbles and bits, pedigree, purina, nutro, etc. This isn't a personal attack, because hey, if you feel it's working for your dog & you are pleased with the results, cool! But I don't think I am alone when I say that it's certainly possible for your dog to eat something healthier.
 
According to thedogfoodproject.com's breakdown of good and bad ingredients in commercial dog food, here's a comparison, just for kicks, of Nutro Ultra Adult (yeah... holistic.[sm=smack.gif]) vs. Innova Evo:
 
(All the good ingredients are in pink & all the bad ones are in green)[sm=biggrin.gif]
 
Ultra- Chicken Meal, Whole Brown Rice, Ground Rice, Lamb Meal, Rice Bran, Sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Poultry Fat(preserved with mixed tocopherols), Salmon Meal, Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Oatmeal, Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Tomato Pomace, Cranberry Powder, Fish oil, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product........ (various vitamin & mineral supplements), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex.
 
Evo- Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavors, Egg, Garlic, Apples, Carrots, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese, Alfalfa Sprouts, Dried Chicory Root, Taurine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Vitmins/Minerals, Viable Naturally Occuring Microorganisms.
 
As you can see, Ultra certainly isn't the worst thing you could feed your dog, but it also isn't the healthiest.

Please believe that I'm not being defensive. BTW, I feed Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Lamb and Rice.
 
What makes the ingredients in the Nutro Ultra formula that you think are bad, "bad"?
 
In comparison, there is an owner here who's dog free-hunts. And others feed raw.
 

I wouldn't feed either foods to my dogs.. unless I wanted my house to come down w/ the itchies and deal w/ them aw licking.[sm=eek.gif] [sm=lol.gif]

Well, what is "healthy" for some dogs is NOT healthy for others. For example, a dog that is allergic to poultry, would do very poorly on Innova (the regular formula). So, it's impossible to say that Innova is the healthiest food reguardless of what you are comparing it to (Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, whatever) if your dog has issues with the ingredients.
 
I feel there is alot of emphasis put on the ingredient list and not it's nutrient content in general. IF a food meets a dogs nutrient requirements, then it is IN FACT healthy for THAT dog.
 
There are many that berate whole ground corn, but for my performance dogs, it fits the bill. My small dogs, however, don't get dog food with corn because it doesn't suit their individual needs. So, I buy several different types of food to meet the needs of my dogs on an individual basis.
 
I do think that sales people have alot to gain from using "sales tactics" to make a living, however, I don't agree with the use of deceit to "convert" buyers to line their pockets.

I agree, some of those ingredients up above colored as "good" would make Willow sick.  It all depends on the individual dog.  You cannot make generalizations when it comes to food.

I feel there is alot of emphasis put on the ingredient list and not it's nutrient content in general. IF a food meets a dogs nutrient requirements, then it is IN FACT healthy for THAT dog.

 
And I agree with that. Most vets, petDIETS.com, and Margaret Munns, DVM, state that the ingredient list may have nothing to do with the actual nutrient profile, which is what determines what the pet is actually getting. The ingredients listed as bad in the Ultra don't look bad to me. Evo has "natural flavors" but that is not defined or explained. Not that it's bad, mind you, but it's about like the pot calling the kettle black. Even though there are four meat sources, the first two are meats, which is a lot of water, which is not bad but I think it lowers the meat content some.

Some dogs do really well on nutro. Alot depends on the indivdual dog. Some do well on evo while others just cant tolerate the high protein content.

I wouldn't feed regular Nutro because it's ridiculously over-priced for its quality. It costs as much as Innova per pound, and of course you feed much less Innova per serving. Of course Purina ONE and ProPlan also cost around the same as Nutro per pound, and they have MUCH WORSE ingredients.
 
Nothing really WRONG with Nutro, it's just rather grain-heavy and low in protein. Since they spike it with gluten, the protein % listed on the bag is wrong-- your dog is not able to use much of the protein listed since it's unbalanced in amino acids.
 
The Nutro Ultra line is far superior to regular Nutro.

ORIGINAL: ron2

Evo has "natural flavors" but that is not defined or explained. Not that it's bad, mind you, but it's about like the pot calling the kettle black.

"Natural flavors are minimally processed flavor ingredients that do not contain synthetic or artificial components.

In the Natura products that include "natural flavor" in the formula, the exact composition is proprietary. However, the ingredient does comply with the FDA CFR which regulates this definition, and is always made from the same animal species on which the formula is based. For example, the "natural flavor" used in the original EVO formula contains a reduction of chicken meat - much the same process as is employed to create a chicken stock in your home kitchen."http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=ingredient-facts&pxsl=//ingredient%5B@id='3108'%5D

ETA: I recently saw a thread on another board that Nutro announced a change from sunflower oil to soybean oil in its products.

My adopted dog came eating Purina One. In the quest to change her to a "better diet", I switched her to Nutro Ultra. Big mistake. She developed allergies and scratched non-stop for a couple of days. My poor baby....traumatised in her new home! So, I switched her to California Natural (same company that produces Innova Evo) and allergies disappeared, her coat is getting nice and soft and she's happy with her new food. But then again, I think it's different for every dog. Some might do really good on Nutro Ultra...just not my baby. But I'm thinking...for the SAME PRICE, I'm getting a MUCH better product with better ingredients that's good for my dog. Go figure.....

I'm actually not preaching that EVO is the best food in the world and the best food for every dog, I stated that in my original post. Of course a dog with any sort of allergy to an ingredient in EVO is not going to do well on it, that's quite obvious. BUT, there are plenty of foods that are comparible to EVO that are much higher quality than something like Nutro Ultra or Nutro Natural Choice that I'm sure the dog could do well on. It doesn't have to be Evo. Or any Natura product necessarily. The point is, the ingredients in Evo are whole, which is the best way for the animals to gain the most nutritional value from them. The AAFCO definitions for the ingredients that I highlighted as "bad" are as follows: (keep in mind, I would certainly feed a food with some of these ingredients in them, but I don't like to see them so high on the list)
 
Rice Bran- Grain fragments and flours are incomplete and have already lost much of their nutritional value during processing and storage. Some manufacturers include one fragment in order to lower product cost, but be wary of products that consist mainly of fragments and flours.
 
Poultry Fat-
AAFCO: Obtained from the tissue of poultry in the commercial process of rendering or extracting. It shall contain only the fatty matter natural to the product produced under good manufacturing practices and shall contain no added free fatty acids or other materials obtained from fat. It must contain not less than 90 percent total fatty acids and not more than 3 percent of unsaponifiables and impurities. It shall have a minimum titer of 33 degrees Celsius. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the word "preservative(s)".
Note how in this product the source is not defined as "slaughtered poultry". The rendered fowl can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), turkey, chicken, geese, buzzard, seagulls, misc. roadkill, birds euthanized at shelters and so on.
 
Dried Plain Beet Pulp- Beet pulp can be used both as a filler and as a source of fiber, so pay attention if it appears as a main ingredient before the first source of fat or as a small amount far down the list, along with other supplements.
 
Tomato Pomace-
AAFCO: The mixture of tomato skins, pulp, and crushed seeds.
An inexpensive byproduct of human food processing that may still contain traces of pesticides present in the tomato skins. Does not contain the whole complement of nutrients as whole fresh or dried tomatoes.
 
Cranberry Powder- Fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables add enzymes, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. It has been proven scientifically that natural, ingredient-borne vitamins are more effective and required in lesser amounts than cheaper, synthetically manufactured ones and accidental vitamin oversupplementation is not likely to occur when natural sources are used. Names like "__ product", "__ pomace", "__ pulp" identify fractionated, highly processed byproducts and leftovers of human food processing. They are inexpensive replacements for whole, fresh, "real" ingredients and are much less nutritious.
 
Dried Egg Product-
May also appear as "dried Egg Product" or "dehydrated Egg Product" in some ingredient lists.
AAFCO: Egg product is product obtained from egg graders, egg breakers, and/or hatchery operations that is dehydrated, handled as liquid, or frozen.
An inexpensive byproduct from eggs processed for human food production. Quality and contamination of this product is unknown.
 
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex- Vitamin K3, synthetic vitamin K.

Feed grade. Also listed as Menadione Dimethyl-Pyrimidinol Bisulfate, Menadione Dimethyl-Pyrimidinol Bisulfite, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite and Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex.
Unnecessary ingredient in dog food. This synthetic version of vitamin K has not been specifically approved for long term use, such as in pet food. It has been linked to many serious health issues.