Went shopping for food.

I finally went to the pet store and got some Innova. It's pretty expensive. 6.6 lb for $15 Am I getting ripped off from this pet store or what?

It's much cheaper in the big bags. I pay $37.00 for the almost-30 pound bag of EVO. If you've got a big freezer, you could probably buy the large bag and freeze it in freezer bags that would probably last your little one almost a week. It would probably be fine to just store it in the smaller bags without freezing if you kept it in a dark cabinet away from heat.

Those little bags do seem expensive, but even buying that way is much cheaper than dealing with some of the problems you can get down the road from all of the chemicals, hormones and other toxins - not to mention just plain bad nutritional quality - in that other stuff.

when i fed innova, i typically paid $13 for 6.6lbs, $23 for 16.5lbs and $36 for 33lbs.

Well, I think 6.6 lb is a bit big. Toki gets sick of it so I usually have to keep changing brands or I would have to mix it with wet food inorder for him to eat it. I got him Royal canine 3lb bag and just towards his last 2 cups he wouldn't want to eat it anymore. Can you believe that? So if I get a 5 lb bag it last me for 2 months or maybe more.

That's really not bad then. You should end up saving a lot of money in the long run by avoiding food-toxin related problems.

Next time, look at the big bag and think of me buying one every eight days or so . . . you'll feel soooooo much better, lol!

Well Renee you have sold me on the Innova, waiting for the person to bring it, got me a 16lb. bag for 24 bucks. Now just hope she likes it, and the Science Diet has been tossed in the trash. Oh and how long do you think that 16 lb. bag will last since you don't have to feed them as much? She's about 36 lbs right now...

It's going to depend on which type of Innova you bought. Check the feeding instruction on their website, www.naturapet.com .

If it helps any, the 28.3 pound bag of EVO lasts me about 8 to 10 days for a 65 pound, 145 pound and approx. 120 pound dog, depending on how active they are.

wow if it last that long for 3 big dogs, it must be some great stuff, just glad I'm getting her healthy food now.

lol well I think she loves this food, she gobbled it down. Oh and called my vet and asked him if he every heard of Innova and he said no. What a surprise

Glad she likes it! I like my vet, and he's very good medically and super with handling the dogs - he even knew about Filas and what to do and not to try to do with them, which is amazing, but he has no clue about dog food. He didn't even want to look at the Innova information I had. Go figure, the only vet around here who carries Innova in his clinic is one of those "all show" guys who has the big fancy building (with carpet ) and big bills. He's also not all that good when it comes to handling the animals - a bit too callous for my taste. I think he caters mostly to small dogs that belong to the more high-falutin' society people around here though. [shrugs]

They say that changing brands all the time is not good for the dogs...

Dogs system take a bit to get used to different brands. I know when you introduce a new food it has to be done slowly.

Renee, I called up my local pet food store and they are ordering me a bag of Innova EVO to try. It should be in this week depending on the weather - another 6" today. I'll be shovelling after I finish my postings.

I think whether or not you have problems switching food depends on the dog, and of course, it helps when you're "trading up" on the food. One thing to keep in mind is not to overfeed. The higher nutritive value a food has the less it takes - don't get tempted to feed your dog extra, especially of the EVO. Charley did that - once. He won't be doing that again!

Read the feeding guidelines. You can get them at www.naturapet.com , and it's on the bag, too. I've put a 2 cup measuring cup in my dogs' food to make sure they get the right amount.

I want to feed him more but he wont eat. So I will fill up his bow 1 cup of dog food and he will eat it all or just leave some and it depends on his mood. Sometimes he won't eat much and sometimes he acts like his starving after fed. I switch dog food gradually. I mix it with old dry food and new food.

Candy, that's way too much food for a little bitty dog. Please check the feeding guidelines, they're very important, especially with the premium foods. It's fine to leave it out for him; grazing is really the ideal way for a dog to eat, just don't leave so much that he can overeat. The EVO, especially, is very rich.

who are "they"? also, "not good" is a very vague statement.

it is true that some dogs have a little more trouble adjusting to a new food than others, but taking that into consideration you can just make the switch more slowly if you have to. generally 3-5 days is a good time frame, but some dogs need a little longer. some switch "cold turkey" without a problem at all.

as far as nutrients go, if you feed commercial food exclusively, it is much better for the dog to rotate between several high quality brands rather than to feed the dog the same food all his or her life. products are formulated differently and feeding the same thing all the time, without any variety, automatically makes the body accumulate too much of one thing but not enough of another.

the claim that all foods are "complete and balanced" is absolutely ridiculous. requirements differ depending on age, health status, genetics and many other factors, and commercial dog foods are not designed with the individual dog in mind. they cover the "averages", but for many dogs that is not good enough. if it was, we'd all have perfectly healthy dogs that live to 30 years old.

last but not least - you don't eat the exact same thing two or three times daily, every day. why would you expect your dog to do that - a carnivorous animal that has evolved as a scavenger, eating a wide variety of foods.

Mordy, what is your opinion on feeding a high quality food but also giving them some beneficial "extras" ... garlic, yogurt, veggies, clean meat... I think that is a good way to give them variety and supplement a little.

of course, anyone else can and should express their opinion. I know what you'll say Renee

Renee, just got the bag of Innova EVO last night. I put some in both dogs' food last night. Max loved it. CJ actually picked out the pieces of EVO and ate everything else. Max then went over to CJ's bowl and finished the EVO. CJ is something else!

Then I won't say it! PTHHHHT!

sorry, i missed that last time i visited this thread.

i do believe that adding fresh, whole foods is definitely a plus, as long as it isn't junk food, highly processed or full of artificial ingredients.