Innova or Innova Evo?

I want to switch Buddy's food to either Innova or Innova Evo. I'm having a hard time discovering the difference between the two. But since we plan for a new dog in the (hopefully near) future and it's gonna be big, I want to feed both dogs the same food.

Buddy has always either been on Science Diet Prescription or a lamb based food.

BUT, I find that Buddy always seems hungry and will gobble treats and snacks like there is no tomorrow and thus, want to feed a better food. I've seen Innova and Evo recommended countless times, but not sure which, if either, would be better for Buddy.

Any advice folks? I'm getting ready to take Buddy out for a day trip, I thought we'd look at some foods while we were out and possible get samples if there are some available.

For a large puppy, you want to stick to the all stages, which would be the regular Innova. The big difference between the regular and the EVO is the EVO has no grain ingredients and is a higher protein. The mindset behind the formulation was, as I've understood it, to give us something we could feed our dogs that would be nutritionally similar to an optimally balanced raw diet. I will have to say that as soon as I switched ours over to the EVO, Shiva lost all the last bits of her baby chubbies and Kharma started muscling out instead of being so lanky. Even Bimmer, who we had been trying to put a little weight on, filled out nicely muscled. All three of them are absolutely ripped.

Doh! And I got samples of the Evo only... heh, thanks Renee

Should I wait to switch Buddy until he doesn't need a puppy food or all life stages food? I'd rather not keep switching his food...

Well, I dont know much about the EVO ,but I have had Chloe on Innova "all life stages" for a couple of months now and she has got some nice muscle definition on her especially her legs ..and she has filled out quite nicely...and not to mention when I had her on Purina Pro-Plan her coat was dull and she had "dandruff" and now its completely gone and her coat is nice and shiny and soft

Hmmmm.... when is the right time to switch to an adult food?

Chloe has been on the Innova adult which is "all life stages" since she was about 4 1/2 - 5 months old

Hmm.. well I wonder since Buddy's almost 9 months if it would be okay to go to adult? or we would really need to go to all life stages?

Innova's Adult formula is the all life stages

No no, I meant Innova Evo... unless that is an all life stages food also.

While technically Innova Evo is an "all lifestages" food (going by the nutritional profile), it's not suitable for large breed puppies, while the regular Innova adult food is.

Thanks, Mordy. When would be an appropriate time to switch Buddy to Evo then? I've heard mixed opinions to be honest...

Oh Sorry! I still thought you were talking about regular Innova

I think she suggested 2 for Brutus. But he is a large breed. Brutus has been on the adult since he was about 6 or 7 months old. It was nice to be able to feed all three the same food. For awhile I was feeding three different types of Innova.

I honestly think Brutus has done better on the all life stages than when I had him on large breed puppy.

All three of mine have shiney healthy coats. When Brutus is old enough I will probably switch all three of them over to evo.

Ok, so we'll work on transitioning to Innova and see how it goes. I'd like all dogs to be on the same food, well, when we get more dogs that is.

I would wait until the major growth phases are over. 12-18 months, depending on the individual dog and the size - the lower end of the range for large breeds and the higher end for giant breeds.

Evo is much better than Innova, IMHO. As little grain as possible is best.

However, because Evo has such high Protein and such for a young large breed dog, what about a different all-stages kibble? Canidae is very good, has low protein, and I would recommend it for any age... so you can feed it to Buddy now, and any other pup you get in the future.

I agree Renee, my ACD was put on the EVO when he was about 5 months and he has incredible muscle tone and is ripped. I am happy with the results of the Innova but I just started mixing it with Natural Balance dry to give Cai a little more variety and to cut back a little on the protein.

I think we made the switch when Kharma was a little over a year old. That's probably a bit early, but it did make a significant difference for her. She was just staying way too skinny before we switched, even when I added extra "stuff" to her diet. The change in her reaction to eating was remarkable too. Before, she'd been happy to see her food and ate with a good appetite, but once she got a taste of the EVO, mealtime turned into a vaudeville routine, lol! Dancing, "singing," acrobatics . . . not to mention the ever-popular show-stopper, DROOL SLINGING

Lol, Renee. So that's what I have to look forward to? Hehee...

Probably not as excessive, lol! We don't refer to Kharma as The Drama Queen for nothing . . . I think she was a Shakespearean actor in a former life