Evanger’s Hand Packed (Canned)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★★★

See FDA Warning Letter

Evanger’s Hand Packed Dog Food gets the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.

The Evanger’s Hand Packed product line includes seven canned dog foods. Since we could not locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these products on the Evanger’s website, we’re unable to report specific life stage recommendations.

  • Evanger’s Roasted Chicken Drumette Dinner
  • Evanger’s Chunky Chicken Casserole Dinner
  • Evanger’s Braised Beef Chunks with Gravy
  • Evanger’s Whole Mackerel with Gravy
  • Evanger’s Whole Chicken Thighs
  • Evanger’s Hunk of Beef
  • Evanger’s Wild Salmon

Evanger’s Whole Mackerel with Gravy dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Evanger's Whole Mackerel with Gravy

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 44% | Fat = 11% | Carbs = 37%

Ingredients: Whole mackerel, water sufficient for processing, carrots, peas, pasta, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D2 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, thiamin mononitrate, pyriodoxine 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) = 11.1%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis8%2%NA
Dry Matter Basis44%11%37%
Calorie Weighted Basis41%25%34%

The first ingredient in this dog food lists whole mackerel (bones and all). Fish is a high protein ingredient rich in all ten amino acids needed by a dog for life.

The second ingredient is water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a normal finding in most canned dog foods.

The third ingredient here includes carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The fourth ingredient mentions peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.

The fifth ingredient is pasta… a noodle product made from wheat flour and water. This item provides a tasty (yet nutritionally limited) addition to the recipe.

We also note some (but not all) of the Hand Packed product line contain chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Why Evanger’s chose to chelate only some of the products is a mystery to us.

Evanger’s Hand Packed Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Oddly enough, these Evanger’s Hand Packed dog food products are offered in what appears to be two distinctly different designs…

  • Dinner Products
  • All Meat Products

Basically, we would assume the dinners could be fed routinely (to most pets?) without concern… whereas the all-meat recipes look to be designed for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.

That’s because being 100% meat, the product was probably not intended to be fed continuously as a complete and balanced canine diet.

Now, judging by its ingredients alone, Evanager’s Hand Packed appears to be a quality 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 44%, a fat level of 11% and estimated carbohydrates of about 37%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 46% and a mean fat level of 19%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 27% for the overall product line.

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And 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 generous amount of meat.

However, we believe it is a mistake for Evanger’s to place these two radically different designs within the same product line. To prevent feeding errors, we would have liked to have seen the company make all the products either supplements… or dinners. Not both.

Bottom line?

Evanger’s Hand Packed dog food is a meat-based canned product using an abundance of beef, chicken or fish as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

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
10/13/2010 Review updated
10/13/2010 Last Update

Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • Liz

    i have question to ask, is anybody feeding/mixing with evanger’s hand packed brasied beef chunk to poodle puppy, is this too rich for my puppy, and is this safe and is this real pure meat and natural ings??? i heard ppl saying can not trusted this product no more is this true???

  • Rheseyj

    Hunk of beef !!!

  • Nancy Cohen

    This isn’t necessarily a direct answer to your question, but I hope you’re feeding something besides the chicken thighs.  That’s one of the products meant for intermittent or supplemental feeding … it’s not a complete and balanced meal.  If you are feeding it alone … you should switch to the chicken drumettes.  They have whole pieces of chicken with bone, just like the thighs, but it’s also a balanced meal (vegetables, minerals, etc. in there) and you’ll find there’s definitely MORE MEAT in each can (drumettes must be cheaper to buy than thighs?).  I’ve been buying Evanger’s for the last 10 years and there’s always been more meat in the drumettes, plus as I said, you don’t need to mix it with anything.

    Nancy C.

  • dog lover

    I used the “hand packed” evangers for a long time. I was in the habit of setting the cans in hot tap water (unopened) to melt all the fats in the can for easier mixing with dry foods. I’ve noticed that some of the can would bulge when warmed. I couldn’t help but notice that my dogs would not touch the contents of those cans (that bulged). Evangers insists there is nothing wrong with the cans, but, who am I to argue with mys dogs sense of smell and taste? I no long feed Evangers to my dogs. If they ever get there processing corrected I may consider using their foods again, until then I give them a no star rating….

  • sharron

    i have lexee eating orijen chicken and fish formula (just started) and feeding her 1/4 cup per day – can she lose the extra little bit of weight on this food or should i be giving her the NOW weight management.

    thanks

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi VR… I’m not aware of anything about the quality of Evanger’s products. However, you may wish to scan the comments section of all the Evanger’s foods on our website to see if anyone else has made a similar observation.

  • VR

    I’ve been feeding my standard poodle Evanger’s whole chicken thighs grain free canned food and she just loves it. However I have been noticing lately that the can contains increasingly more broth and less meat. I’m starting to get concerned that my dog may not be getting the nutrition promised on the can.
    Have you heard anything about the quality of their products lately?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Lynne… Be sure to check every can or bag of every dog food you serve to be sure it says “complete and balanced” for either “adult maintenance” or “all life stages”. If it says “supplemental or intermittent use only”, then you must supplement the food accurately. Or just use it intermittently with other complete and balanced dog foods.

    By the way, assuming you’re referring to Nature’s Variety Instinct, you should be OK. Hope this helps.

  • Lynne

    My dog, Candy, is a 12 year old cockapoo. She loves Instinct brand of raw rabbit. Should this be supplemented with another food or is it ok to feed all the time. Thanks
    Lynne

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Frank… Many dog food companies make weight management products… but (as you’d expect) all are not equal.

    To narrow your choices, click on the menu tab at the top of our website labeled “Tag Cloud”. On the next page, click on the phrase “Weight Management”. This will give you a list of all brands reviewed on our website that contain at least one weight loss dog food.

    As you click on each one, remember these are only the brands… and not the specific weight loss products made by those companies. Click on each review until you find only the 3, 4, or 5 star brands. Then look for the name of the weight loss product in the list near the top of each review.

    This should give you plenty of choices. Hope this helps.

  • Frank M Rich

    The dog food info provided is grate. Can anyone tell me what or which foods are considered or can be rations as diet food. My dog (small beagle) is 25 lbs and needs to get down to about 15-18 lbs. Any advice would be appreciated.By the way my Vet prescribes Hill’ Prescription Diet R/D Canine.

    v/r frich