Rating: 
Evanger’s Classic Dinners canned dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Evanger’s Classic Dinners product line lists four canned dog foods… each meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.1
- Evanger’s Puppy Food
- Evanger’s Lamb and Rice Dinner
- Evanger’s Senior Dinner (3 stars)
- Evanger’s Chicken and Rice Dinner
Evanger’s Lamb and Rice Dinner canned dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Evanger's Lamb and Rice Dinner
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Lamb, water sufficient for processing, lamb liver, rice, guar gum, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D2 supplement, vitamin B1 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, thiamin mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, biotin, folic acid, zinc proteinate, ferrous proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate and sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb. Lamb is considered “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered” lamb and associated with skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.2
Lamb is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The third ingredient is lamb liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, lamb liver is a beneficial component.
The fourth item mentions rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.
However, we do note the puppy and adult formulas both detail the better quality “brown rice” in their respective lists.
The fifth ingredient lists guar gum… a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Evanger’s Classic Dinners
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Evanger’s Classic Dinners appears to be an above-average canned dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 41%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 33%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 38% and a mean fat level of 20%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 34% for the overall product line.
Average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs… as compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no sign of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Evanger’s Classic Dinners is a meat-based canned dog food using a moderate amount of lamb or chicken as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for an organic wet product from the same company may wish to visit our review of Evanger’s Organic dog food.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in a specific health benefit for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
03/12/2010 Original review
10/12/2010 Review updated
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.