I'm in the throws of what to raise our new dog on. Our vet actually feeds raw...the BARF frozen patties. So expensive!
Our 91/2 yr. old GSD was raised on Innova and is in good health, beautiful coat etc. Our new pup - a Decker Rat Terrier was brought up on raw till we got him at 8 weeks. He is now 12 weeks and I'm trying to decide what to get him on. Innova make a diet called Innova Evo. No grain, turkey, chicken, fish, potato eggs. etc. Any one familiar with this brand? Any comments? The BARF diet would be over $100 a month just for the RT !
Thanks~ Carol

Evo is one of the better kibbles on the market.

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Tell you what. I agree that vets don't know much about nutrition BUT one issue I have with RAW only folks is that it becomes a religion. Any feeding regime should be looked at objectively for results. .....

Yes. There's more than one diet a dog can flourish on. For me, with a series of allergic rescues, top-quality raw and salmon oil (with Vitamin E) has been the answer.

But there are commercial foods that have great ingredients.

My major concern, after quality of ingredients, has become amount of grain. I have been convinced by what I've read about grain-heavy foods' effects on the canine digestive system that a lot of grain is a serious potential problem. Dogs don't naturally produce salivary amylase (grain-processing enzyme) or enough grain-processing enzymes in the rest of the digestive system to process a lot of grain without stress on the pancreas, etc., IMO, and based on my own research only. This research, coupled with the rise in canine internal organ cancers that appears to coincide with the rise in popularity of grain-heavy commercial foods, concerns me more than raw or not-raw.

There are certainly low- and no-grain commercial foods with high-grade ingredients, and this board (as well as Ed's list of better commercial foods) talks about many of them.

I too think that a certain nutrition program can become a close-minded and out-shouting thing, which is too bad. Far better that we pool our research and look for the best in each school of thought. (Good point, Nancy!)

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..... My own dilemma was dealing with a dog who was allergic to chicken, wheat, AND Flax based on an elimination diet. ...That elminates a whole world of quality foods....

Oh, you've run into that damned flax allergy too? The only good thing that came out of that for me when my dog proved allergic to flax oil was that I was forced to use salmon oil for Omega 3s.......which turned out to be a lot better! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I also had a dog who was allergic to all poultry, and several with wheat sensitivity. (No, it's not my karma, I don't think -- I generally adopt health-challenged dogs whose problems stem from allergies, since I now have been forced to learned my way around in the allergy world!)

It can be really tough when you have multiplefood allergens to work around.

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.... Innova make a diet called Innova Evo. No grain, turkey, chicken, fish, potato eggs. etc. Any one familiar with this brand? Any comments? ......

Here's a page of comparisons (of ingredients):
http://www.feedmypet.com/dog-food-comparison.html

and here's Leerburg's recommendations:
http://www.leerburg.com/all-natural%20kibble.htm
just to give you some basic suggestions.

Well I'm glad to see Innova on his list. Will look into the dehydrated food, but my guess is that it may be too expensive.
If dogs are suppose to be carnivors I wonder why my GSD picks and eats avocados, oranges and apples off of our trees and snow peas from the garden! She loves them!! She also loves bananas. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

IIRC from the myriad of bio classes I've had, dogs aren't 100% strict carnivores, rather they're heavily-carnivorous omnivores. Cats are even more carnivorous and ferrets more so beyond that. And avocados and apples and oranges and bananas taste good! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

But I don't know of many dogs that regularly graze on grasses other than for stomach upsets. I know a beagle that hits the lemongrass every time he's feeling urpy.

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IIRC from the myriad of bio classes I've had, dogs aren't 100% strict carnivores, rather they're heavily-carnivorous omnivores. Cats are even more carnivorous and ferrets more so beyond that. And avocados and apples and oranges and bananas taste good! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.....

Good point..........dogs aren't obligate carnivores and cats are. I think dogs might be considered omnivores, too, on the scale very close to carnivore, but that's an ongoing discussion in the scientific community.

I don't think wolves grazed on grasses, either, but I do think they ate the contents of their prey's stomachs or intestines sometimes. And I do think they ate fallen fruit, berries, etc., sometimes. But that's an old and neverending discussion!<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

P.S. Avocados can be toxic to dogs in large amounts.

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P.S. Avocados can be toxic to dogs in large amounts.

Wow, just like birds, eh? Noted! Do you happen to know what constitutes "large amounts?"