EVO RF = bad coat?

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mojozen

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Mordy -
As you may remember I became a faithful lover of Innova EVO with my dog Mojo... but discovered that even at just a cup a day he was putting on too much weight. So I cut out the sardines from his diet and have been recently feeding EVO RF... and it seemed fine... except... now Mojo's coat is out of control. He's been non-stop shedding for 3 weeks now, and he has a lot of dander. He hasn't been this bad since I took him off the science diet the school was feeding him!

I am guessing that while all of this could be heat related, it's more related to the fact I am feeding EVO RF. Is this assumption correct? What can I do to cheaply supplement him until I can afford to buy a new bag of EVO regular? Would going back to feeding him Sardines twice a week help with his coat issues?

Thanks for any help you can give,
~Megan
 
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Red_ACD_for_me

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mojozen said:
Mordy -
As you may remember I became a faithful lover of Innova EVO with my dog Mojo... but discovered that even at just a cup a day he was putting on too much weight. So I cut out the sardines from his diet and have been recently feeding EVO RF... and it seemed fine... except... now Mojo's coat is out of control. He's been non-stop shedding for 3 weeks now, and he has a lot of dander. He hasn't been this bad since I took him off the science diet the school was feeding him!

I am guessing that while all of this could be heat related, it's more related to the fact I am feeding EVO RF. Is this assumption correct? What can I do to cheaply supplement him until I can afford to buy a new bag of EVO regular? Would going back to feeding him Sardines twice a week help with his coat issues?

Thanks for any help you can give,
~Megan
Click to expand...
I've noticed Cai has a dry coat eating the Innove EVO to. I started mixing in some Natural Balance dry and I just got him a Nupro supplement with flaxseed, glucos, chronditin, seakelp, and lots of other stuff in it. I am thinking about adding some Alaskan salmon oil to it which I've heard works well. Hopefully, Mordy will know more
 
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mojozen

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Red_ACD_for_me said:
I've noticed Cai has a dry coat eating the Innove EVO to. I started mixing in some Natural Balance dry and I just got him a Nupro supplement with flaxseed, glucos, chronditin, seakelp, and lots of other stuff in it. I am thinking about adding some Alaskan salmon oil to it which I've heard works well. Hopefully, Mordy will know more
Click to expand...
He was fine on Innova EVO regular... but on Innova EVO RF (reduced fat) his coat has gone from beautifully shiny to a little more dull, shedding, and drifts of dandruff. It bothers me because I take great pride in my dog's coat.
 
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Red_ACD_for_me

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mojozen said:
He was fine on Innova EVO regular... but on Innova EVO RF (reduced fat) his coat has gone from beautifully shiny to a little more dull, shedding, and drifts of dandruff. It bothers me because I take great pride in my dog's coat.
Click to expand...
I hear you and I want my boys coat to gleam as well. But, I have heard of people having to use supplements on EVO because of a dry coat. I never even new Innova had a RF kind.
 
Mordy

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I guess like my own dog, Mojo is a dog who benefits from a higher fat content in the diet. :)

If he puts on weight, I'd recommend scaling back the regular-fat Evo (once you switch back) until you reach an amount that's enough for weight maintenance.

Meanwhile, give him a teaspoon of good quality oil per day, like for example a good olive oil. Fish oil is best, but if you don't want to spend the money before switching back to the regular Evo, a good plant-based oil will do.
 
Brattina88

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Hmm... I was considering switching to the RF, but now I'm not so sure. I've finally gotten Maddie's coat in good condition and I'd hate to mess that up again.

But she's already eating a lot less than the suggestions on the bag, and only eats 1/4cup 2x a day. It just seems so little, am I overreacting? Should I cut back more? :confused:
 
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mojozen

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Brattina - by his weight ... Mojo should eat about 1 - 3/4 cup of evo a day. I had him on just a cup... and he did okay... But I wanted to trim some extra weight off of him - so i switched to the RF to see if that would help.

Yeah... bad idea. Back to regular EVO and/or just regular Innova Mojo shall go
 
Mordy

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Brattina88 said:
But she's already eating a lot less than the suggestions on the bag, and only eats 1/4cup 2x a day. It just seems so little, am I overreacting? Should I cut back more? :confused:
Click to expand...
Cutting back can not be done indefinitely, since you do have to meet a dog's nutrient requirements so he or she can stay healthy.

How much does your dog weigh, and what's her ideal weight? And what's her activity level like?
 
Brattina88

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Maddie weighs about 26lbs right now. At her heaviest point she used to weigh 28.80lbs. By her breed she should weigh 25lbs, but she's a little smaller than most cockers so it's probably at least a pound or two less.

I can see a waistline, but its really hard to feel her ribs. She's pretty active, she's run until she'd drop dead if I let her. She pants a lot afterwards regardless of how long we run. We walk/run 2x a day for at least 20mins most of the time closer to an hour. We also play a brisk game of fetch at least once a day in between the walks.
On the weekends we hike on trails and we're very active...

I've got her to lose most of the weight, but we've been stuck at this weight for a while. . .
 
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showpug

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Red_ACD_for_me said:
So Mordy, Is the Alaskan Salmon oil or Cod liver oil a good supplement? I heard olive oil is useless to help dry coat :confused: Here is a link I found :) www.onlynaturalpet.com
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Salmon or fish oil is best...you have to be careful with cod liver oil as it is different from regualr fish oils and can lead to toxic nutrient levels if you give too much.
 
Mordy

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Red_ACD_for_me said:
So Mordy, Is the Alaskan Salmon oil or Cod liver oil a good supplement? I heard olive oil is useless to help dry coat :confused: Here is a link I found :) www.onlynaturalpet.com
Click to expand...
Salmon oil yes, but I would not recommend the use of cod liver oil where a dog eats a commercial food, due to its content of vitamin A and D.

Olive oil isn't useless, it certainly does help (in most cases) but there are simply more benefits to giving a good quality fish oil, especially long-term.
 
Mordy

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Brattina88 said:
Maddie weighs about 26lbs right now. At her heaviest point she used to weigh 28.80lbs. By her breed she should weigh 25lbs, but she's a little smaller than most cockers so it's probably at least a pound or two less.

[snip]

I've got her to lose most of the weight, but we've been stuck at this weight for a while. . .
Click to expand...
Has this dog ever had a complete thyroid panel done? If she is that active, you have reduced the feeding amount (and how much you feed sounds about right for her target weight) and she's still not losing weight, there could be a medical issue.
 
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vanillasugar

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Wait so you switched to Reduced Fat EVO and removed the sardines from his diet at the same time? It's more than likely the loss of fish oils that's caused his coat quality to fall, not the food switch. I'd reccomend keeping up with the RF and just adding fish oils like everyone else has also suggested :)
 
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